patches vs updates

[Rebs]

This year has been rather refreshing, seeing more and more new features added in version 16.1. Both little and small changes are nice to see. However, may I suggest that you only patch bugs and issues during a world’s cycle and save all the new, interesting content for the new worlds? Doing this would build more hype for each world and encourage you to hit the reset button sooner.

Instead of 16.2 getting X updates with new items and animals, only for the 16.3 world to end up being just four bullet points, I would much rather experience all the new content fresh in a new world. Seeing an announcement like "16.3 has 200 new buildings, items, and birds to discover" would be incredibly hype, compared to seeing a mid-cycle update and thinking, "Oh, I can make silk backpacks now, let me go make one."

This is an assumption on my part, but my feeling is that you guys start thinking about the new world at some point, stop pushing updates to the main branch, and begin storing them for the next reset anyway, or you have a major feature/mechanic that requires a fresh world, so new items just start stockpiling behind it. I think you would likely have a better time saying, "We have 200 new feature commits; I think it's time for a reset."

Additionally, I personally don't like it when things change mid-world that affect the meta or alter general gameplay. Sometimes you have already surpassed certain tiers, so you never bother making the new items and just think, "Next world, this will be great for the early game." Poacher's Pouch come to mind here as an example, or even just adding new crops meaning I now have to redesign my fields.

So, to reiterate my suggestion: patch bugs and exploits during the world, and stockpile your new birbs for the next one, yes its fun seeing new updates during the world but I would much much rather have a new world that has a shit load of new things instead.

I am also not saying you should just stop communicating here either, I would love weekly posts instead of updates "we have been messing around with how this works", "Spoiler but here is a screenshot of a model of a dog with a hat I am working on" blog you work, build hype.