Dew collectors and single player

[Riamus]

Well, I've tried it the dew collectors and given them their chance to prove themselves.  I've commented before about my thoughts about them and the hear they generate and now I've come to a realization/decision.  I think that going forward in stable, I won't be using dew collectors again.  They just aren't worth it.  They are a hassle to keep emptying every day for very little water and the heat they generate just causes me to have to deal with screamers when I'm trying to other things.  It just isn't worth the effort.  I can get plenty of water without them.

 

If it were up to me, I wouldn't use them in my two player game either add they aren't needed there either but I doubt that will happen.

 

I get that larger groups may have no choice unless they mod the game but at least for single player and even two player, they are far more headache than value.

 

I was fine with them until the heat was added even though they were still unnecessary and a pain to keep emptying but with the heat added, they've been pushed too far into the territory of headache inducing.

 

To be clear, I support removing glass jars and don't really care that you can't get water from lakes and rivers.  This decision is entirely about the design choices for dew collectors themselves.

Edited June 30, 2023 by Riamus (see edit history)

[SenLim]

It doesn't make sense that a dew collector generates heat. It's got no electronic or moving parts! Why did TFP change this? What a pain.

[pApA^LeGBa]

Yeah this change hit only MP again as you don´t need them in SP unless you go heavy on rockets and exploding arrows/bolts, they simply aren´t worth it. And water isn´t rare in SP. The whole change to make water rare doesn´t work at least not for SP. It´s just more tedious now and constant looting required. Aka no choice how to play the game anymore. (Wich the magazines already do aswell ofc)

[Vaeliorin]

Unfortunately, they are necessary in single player if you don't spend all your time looting.  Magazines are semi-necessary, but you can often get better than you can craft from the trader, so...meh.

[Riamus]

1 hour ago, SenLim said:

It doesn't make sense that a dew collector generates heat. It's got no electronic or moving parts! Why did TFP change this? What a pain.

"Heat" isn't actually heat as in temperature.  It relates to activity.  Noise raises the heat map.  But the dew collector is different in that you need many of you need any at all and they are always running.  They are also essentially silent and as far as the player activity using them... It takes a whopping minute at most to grab the full jars.  Hardly any activity.  Certainly not equal to 1/3 of a forge's heat and noise and activity.

 

I don't really care that they have heat per se except that it is another waste of my time in addition to emptying them and the combination is too much.  If I go to my base, it isn't too fight zombies every few minutes.  If I want to fight zombies, I do so.  I don't mind the occasional wandering zombies attacking my base because that feels valid but screamers coming every few minutes doesn't.

33 minutes ago, Vaeliorin said:

Unfortunately, they are necessary in single player if you don't spend all your time looting.  Magazines are semi-necessary, but you can often get better than you can craft from the trader, so...meh.

If you quest even semi regularly and aren't too concerned about creating everything that needs a ton of duct tape, they really aren't needed in single player except for arrows if you use them.  I have so much water that I can make a bunch of glue, food and mineral water without really caring about the dew collectors.  Sure, it might be a slower start on that stuff without but not by a lot and the lack of wasted time dealing with it makes up for it in my book.

Edited June 30, 2023 by Riamus (see edit history)

[Vaeliorin]

52 minutes ago, Riamus said:

If you quest even semi regularly and aren't too concerned about creating everything that needs a ton of duct tape, they really aren't needed in single player except for arrows if you use them.  I have so much water that I can make a bunch of glue, food and mineral water without really caring about the dew collectors.  Sure, it might be a slower start on that stuff without but not by a lot and the lack of wasted time dealing with it makes up for it in my book.

For someone like me, who in previous alphas has spent 90+% of my time post-day 14 (2 hour days) mining and building, I'm going to need dew collectors.  I took two days off questing to build my day 7 base in my new A21 stable world, and I'm already running low on water, even having 2 dew collectors.

[BFT2020]

2 hours ago, Riamus said:

Well, I've tried it the dew collectors and given them their chance to prove themselves.  I've commented before about my thoughts about them and the hear they generate and now I've come to a realization/decision.  I think that going forward in stable, I won't be using dew collectors again.  They just aren't worth it.  They are a hassle to keep emptying every day for very little water and the heat they generate just causes me to have to deal with screamers when I'm trying to other things.  It just isn't worth the effort.  I can get plenty of water without them.

 

If it were up to me, I wouldn't use them in my two player game either add they aren't needed there either but I doubt that will happen.

 

I get that larger groups may have no choice unless they mod the game but at least for single player and even two player, they are far more headache than value.

 

I was fine with them until the heat was added even though they were still unnecessary and a pain to keep emptying but with the heat added, they've been pushed too far into the territory of headache inducing.

 

To be clear, I support removing glass jars and don't really care that you can't get water from lakes and rivers.  This decision is entirely about the design choices for dew collectors themselves.

 

I found them actually to be quite easy to interact with.  I have them near my farm plots and in the path from the trader to the front door.  When I am coming back, I simply go to each one and quickly loot them.  When I go up to check on my crops, I quickly loot them.  And as I am also a SP, I only have 3 of them at once so it is just very quick to unload and throw in my seed chest in the same area until I need to take any back with me inside.

 

I like having to deal with the screamers, it makes it so I actually have to be on my toes all the time to defend my base; not making it as an afterthought.

[Riamus]

24 minutes ago, Vaeliorin said:

For someone like me, who in previous alphas has spent 90+% of my time post-day 14 (2 hour days) mining and building, I'm going to need dew collectors.  I took two days off questing to build my day 7 base in my new A21 stable world, and I'm already running low on water, even having 2 dew collectors.

Fair enough.  😀

 

4 minutes ago, BFT2020 said:

 

I found them actually to be quite easy to interact with.  I have them near my farm plots and in the path from the trader to the front door.  When I am coming back, I simply go to each one and quickly loot them.  When I go up to check on my crops, I quickly loot them.  And as I am also a SP, I only have 3 of them at once so it is just very quick to unload and throw in my seed chest in the same area until I need to take any back with me inside.

 

I like having to deal with the screamers, it makes it so I actually have to be on my toes all the time to defend my base; not making it as an afterthought.

It isn't that they are a pain by themselves.  I was fine with them before heat and having to deal with screamers repeatedly.  But the combination just makes it not worth the effort when they really aren't needed unless, as said above, someone stays at their base most the time.

 

I'll just ignore them but anyone who wants to use them can of course do so.  I'm not saying everyone should play the same way I do it that they'll have the same experience or feel the same about wasting time for little value.  It is just my final thoughts on the subject.  It isn't something I'll mod... I just won't use them.

[SylenThunder]

You guys are just re-iterating the discussion about dew collectors making heat. We don't need a duplicate topic.