Mystery Herbs - No more empty world for noobs

[Sevenless]

I just had a newbie start haven, was teaching him the basics of the game before next world and ran into a couple problems. Cliffs being sticky and generic item types (what is string?) were some of the smaller ones, but there was a glaring issue.

His world was barren.

It's not obvious to beginners that the world is rich and vibrant with forageables. The game gives a bit of a nudge about exploration, but it takes a lot of time during that crucial "What is this game?" phase where you still see nothing unless you play perfectly. And today I had a weird though I rather liked, maybe you'll like it too:

Mystery Herbs. Whenever you miss seeing something you see a "Mystery herb" (or some equivalent for cattails/mussels etc). Picking the mystery herb would destroy the herb it represents, there's no duplication or addition of resources between multiple players. At the most crucial stage of the game when players can't see anything what they need most is LP. As such, I feel the result of picking mystery herbs should be some new low mental weight fast running curiosities (like dandelions/cone cows). If the best ones are on the tier of ant soldiers, it won't have any lasting impact beyond early game. The first time a player picks one of these the game could also have a little experience event with lore text suggesting exploration and perception would help them identify it next time.

Thoughts?

[Enjoyment_2]

I just had a newbie start haven, was teaching him the basics of the game before next world and ran into a couple problems.
...
Thoughts?

Update the guide

[Sevenless]

I just had a newbie start haven, was teaching him the basics of the game before next world and ran into a couple problems.
...
Thoughts?

Update the guide

<3

Honestly I've been thinking it's time.

Edit: In all seriousness though, this is about hooking more beginners before they would ever think to go look up guides on how to play.

[Vigilance]

hey this is a good idea i couldn't have said it better myself

[Enjoyment_2]

I just had a newbie start haven, was teaching him the basics of the game before next world and ran into a couple problems.
...
Thoughts?

Update the guide

<3

Honestly I've been thinking it's time.

Edit: In all seriousness though, this is about hooking more beginners before they would ever think to go look up guides on how to play.

If you need any help with your plans of renewing THE MOST HELPFUL post of all times (screens, researches, discoveries or any so) - feel free to pm me on discord Enjoyment#7996

[Clemence]

Or just if you could see some taproots with 1 explo that would help.

[Melkior13]

+1 for the suggestion, Sevenless.

I, too, just got done introducing some new players to the game (4 of them, in fact, though 1 played back in 2010), and I had an identical experience. A few of the players I know would love this game, had an initial reaction of "this game is stupid". The importance of foraging in the early game, and the lack of clues on how to unlock its potential is indeed a major hurdle for new players.

[HarryDresden]

+1, would make early game a lot more fun to introduce people to. It can be pretty rough but the mystery of finding new things is always a bonus.

[Timibertlense]

+1 Cool Idea!

and i ll stick to your guide anyways, wether you update it or not! Is it very outdated?

[Sevenless]

+1 Cool Idea!

and i ll stick to your guide anyways, wether you update it or not! Is it very outdated?

It's incredibly outdated in segments, including for example a mention of "Boulders will be completely mined out in the starter area". There was only one world with a starter zone, and that was 5 years ago. Some parts stay completely relevant (mining details are basically all right iirc).