Post by riacte in Serenitrove comments

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Yay Farfields! I'm so excited to see a major update and I'm having a lot of fun playing so far! The gimmicks for the new biomes are awesome, at first I didn't understand why I was taking damage and thought it was something I couldn't avoid, but it turns out you can :)

Spoilers for Farfields below!

As for feedback on progression, so far I unlocked the first Farfields stamina and power upgrade, no big issue, also got the jug and growth hammer, both of which are super fun when paired with Fern (who is currently my main turtle for exploring deeper). The deepest I've reached is the refracted light layer, but I haven't gone deep enough to see a single opal (which I assume spawns in the mentioned layer), so I'm thinking I'll unlock more features from chests etc to get there more easily. Hoping I unlock some footwear soon, which I assume might do something about the mold/venom/gravel. I think they're really neat mechanics, and I like that you let us figure them out through trial and error. I was bruteforcing my way through the mold before finally realising there's a dig pattern that can avoid mold damage. Healing cells cancelling the venom is also a nice touch.

The consumable hammers are really necessary so now I'm quartz poor lmao. It's interesting to choose between which consumables to bring. I also like the function of repairing equipment mid dig, it makes me be mindful of how many smelted bars I need to have in my inventory.

PS: I wonder if wool from sheep use the same spawn mechanic as leather? And I haven't gambled yet, but do the new resources show up there? (Or is that something we find out ourselves?)

Minor bug: I think the icon of anthracite doesn't show properly in the stats menu mid-dig. No other issues spotted so far and the game is running smoothly!

Overall, I'm super hyped about what I've seen so far and I want to reach the bottom! And figure out the unmovable boulder. Thank you for all the time you put into this game, the mechanics are thoughtful and challenging! :D

Scoot3 days ago (1 edit)

Thanks so much for playing, and I'm really glad you're enjoying the Farfields update! It took quite a while to design these new biomes. I wanted them to feel more challenging than the earlier ones but not overly difficult. There's definitely more balancing to come as I gather feedback since I'm aiming for a sweet spot that works for both casual players and those looking for a harder challenge.

As for wool, sheep regrow it every 500 cells dug in any direction. Cow spawns on the other hand happen every 100 cells dug downward.

Also, thanks for pointing out the anthracite icon issue in the stats menu, I'll come up with a quick fix.

Really appreciate all the detailed feedback, have fun!

Edit: Fixed the bug where Farfields resources are not showing properly on the Current Run Stats menu.

riacte3 days ago

Okay I played some more and I'm getting the hang of things now! The Mycelial Boots and Attuned Drill really helped so I think the progression works fine (or maybe I was lucky in finding chests). The resources needed to obtain them aren't too hard to find either, though the grind for 15 wool took a while. The maze-like Wither layer was super fun to navigate! My shock when I thought I collected a resource but it was reducing my stamina lmao

Scoot3 days ago (1 edit)

Hmm after looking into it more, I agree that the crafting cost for the Mycelial Boots was a bit steep on the wool side. I have reduced it from 15 to 12. This change will go live with the next hotfix for Serenitrove, and the wool repair cost will be slightly lower as well (due to the crafting cost decrease).

As for the Void layer, I added the maze-like mechanic because Void cells have 0 hardness. Without some kind of obstacle, it would be too easy to just dig straight down. The debuff zones (voidzone, black hole, still figuring out a proper name for those lol) are there to make navigation more interesting and a bit more challenging.

Thanks for the feedback, and I am glad you're having fun with the game!

riacte2 days ago(+1)

Thanks for all the quick bug fixes!

Further update: I've collected every Sigil except Nix. It was easy to reach water with most turtles especially with the new Sigils. But with all equipment unlocked, dojo stamina and power maxxed out, and +10% resource spawn, I couldn't get very far with Nix. Maybe more quartz in the early biomes could help? I noticed that the Underbark layer has increased cost for digging sideways, so it makes emerald collection more RNG based (since most time it's not worth it to lose stacks to dig sideways). And I ended up avoiding ironwood in Underbark because they spawn easily above ground.

The Sigils are a lot of fun and I love mix and matching them! The flavour text for unlocking them is super cute, each of them feel like the triumphant end of an adventure. My favourite additions are the Terracotta Jug and Evergrowth Hammer, fascinating interactions with stamina and restore cells. In Farfields midgame when I didn't have enough to repair tools, I would grind Meadows with Evergrowth Hammer to restore tool durability. I like how these new mechanics encourage you to switch equipment multiple times mid dig. Same with the consumables since you can't bring everything. I like how the toxin layer has sufficient ore to make up for Griddle's lack of restore cells (accidentally got the Toxin Relationship achievement with him!). I think the Void layer works super well, has a tense final boss vibe especially with the turtle becoming smaller. Griddle + Omnishard is a lot of fun to navigate in the Void layer.

Overall, AWESOME major update, I got obsessed with clearing it and unlocking new things! It's so addicting and there are many combos/strategies to explore! The visuals are colourful and cute, and it's impressive how much you can convey with a few pixels. I really appreciate the game being free and thank you for all the hard work! :)

PS: It would be cool to be able to sell gems + new resources for quartz!

Scoot1 day ago

Thanks for the detailed feedback!

I have added Quartz spawns to Underbark and Sporegrove, which should help with building Nix's shield stacks. This also addresses 2 other issues, since those layers could feel a bit empty with only two resource types previously, and there was generally not enough Quartz in Farfields.

For Bits and Bobs, the sell tab now accepts bars instead of ores, with slightly increased prices to account for furnace fuel costs. Gemstones have also been added to the sell tab. For now, Farfields resources will not be included there, as I want to avoid situations where players accidentally sell materials they might need for future blueprints. Thanks again for enjoying Serenitrove!

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