Flashlight is strictly better than the Flare & Light-stick
KuBaN
Join Date: 2002-11-16 Member: 8979Members, Constellation
Join Date: 2002-11-16 Member: 8979Members, Constellation
I think every tool should have a chance and being a part of the players story. At the moment though some tools have an overlap in functionality without providing any distinct benefits, so some are strictly better than others and probably won't see a lot of use except for the initial "let's try this out". Case in point: I'm noticing I'm never using Flares, or Light-sticks, because the simplest solution for all circumstances is to build a flashlight.
Root Problem: The flashlight renders other light sources (flare, light-stick) obsolete.
Cause: It's available from the start, cheap to craft, is directional (can be pointed), and has essentially no downsides compared to the light-stick and flare. Further explanation below:
Flares are not worth the trouble of crafting at this point. Even with the "distracts hostile creatures" benefit.
Cause: They require Crashfish Powder, which is not abundantly available, and dangerous to harvest. Exploring in narrow winding caverns is dangerous enough from the risk of getting lost and drowning, on top of that you've got to stumble upon a Crashfish and survive, and even then their pods have a CHANCE to spawn the Powder. Other times it spawns eggs, which… who keeps explosive fish in a tank in their base? I always keep that first Crash Powder to craft a Laser Cutter, and after that... why would I not just make a Flashlight that doesn't get consumed and require me to make more?
It's nice that one powder spawns 3 flares, and in the Dev Trello there are plans to up the number to 5 flares, but this just exacerbates another issue with flares: they take up more space than ONE Flashlight. Anyone who intends to keep a couple in their inventory (to drop some down a cave or cliff to illuminate the way, or breadcrumbs their path into some winding cavern) is still faced with that downside.
Suggest: Make Crashfish Pods spawn powder more reliably, or change the requirement to something more available, such as Magnesium (3x salt).
Similarly, the light-stick is something that I see no point in using.
Cause: In theory it's great, a light that can be held or placed, with (I believe) lower battery drain than the flashlight, but lacks the distance or directional quality of the flashlight. It also requires the same materials to craft, and requires a blueprint that is usually somewhere relatively deep (and due to the tiny model is not easy to find even when you're near it). By the time I find this, I already have a flashlight, and would rather save my next battery for a tool that doesn't have an overlap in functionality.
Suggest: Make it a lower-tech option for the early game and gate the flashlight.
Root Problem: The flashlight renders other light sources (flare, light-stick) obsolete.
Cause: It's available from the start, cheap to craft, is directional (can be pointed), and has essentially no downsides compared to the light-stick and flare. Further explanation below:
Flares are not worth the trouble of crafting at this point. Even with the "distracts hostile creatures" benefit.
Cause: They require Crashfish Powder, which is not abundantly available, and dangerous to harvest. Exploring in narrow winding caverns is dangerous enough from the risk of getting lost and drowning, on top of that you've got to stumble upon a Crashfish and survive, and even then their pods have a CHANCE to spawn the Powder. Other times it spawns eggs, which… who keeps explosive fish in a tank in their base? I always keep that first Crash Powder to craft a Laser Cutter, and after that... why would I not just make a Flashlight that doesn't get consumed and require me to make more?
It's nice that one powder spawns 3 flares, and in the Dev Trello there are plans to up the number to 5 flares, but this just exacerbates another issue with flares: they take up more space than ONE Flashlight. Anyone who intends to keep a couple in their inventory (to drop some down a cave or cliff to illuminate the way, or breadcrumbs their path into some winding cavern) is still faced with that downside.
Suggest: Make Crashfish Pods spawn powder more reliably, or change the requirement to something more available, such as Magnesium (3x salt).
Similarly, the light-stick is something that I see no point in using.
Cause: In theory it's great, a light that can be held or placed, with (I believe) lower battery drain than the flashlight, but lacks the distance or directional quality of the flashlight. It also requires the same materials to craft, and requires a blueprint that is usually somewhere relatively deep (and due to the tiny model is not easy to find even when you're near it). By the time I find this, I already have a flashlight, and would rather save my next battery for a tool that doesn't have an overlap in functionality.
Suggest: Make it a lower-tech option for the early game and gate the flashlight.
- Light-stick is available from the start.
- Doesn't require a battery. Uses Creepvine Cluster Pods (they're bio-luminescent!) and a raw Acid Mushroom as a more primitive energy source. So it'll still have a battery % that drains over time, but it's energy source can't be swapped to get more use out of it, and more would need to be crafted once it's spent. Charge Fins could still recharge it, bringing it's utility back into the later game. This would create a cheaper early-game light-source with some distinct properties from the Flashlight.
Comments
https://forums.unknownworlds.com/discussion/comment/2348629/#Comment_2348629
Would something like that fit into the mix?