New zone: Far Far Underground
Posted: Thu Jan 25, 2018 9:07 pm
I like the idea of this zone being accessible only through a hole in The Wilds, potentially introduced in a new update by announcing that an earthquake has rearranged things and potentially uncovered new areas. A few short caverns, nothing too interesting (though a very good opportunity to slip in a Saber Gordo somewhere, a long-closed-off cavern), and then an entrance into the new zone. The zone would not function like the Wilds, would probably have at least one home portal, and a Treasure Pod near the entrance would yield another Teleporter color that you can use to make an easy entrance to the Far Far Underground.
The Far Far Underground is a strange area, newly discovered, with several odd new species of slime. It was carved out by an underground river long, long ago, the remnants of which are still present in pools of clean, fresh water.
The Far Far Underground is primarily home to Slimes well adapted to the dark, whether through large eyes, a light source, or no eyes at all. Tiny Stickies climb the walls, Burrow slimes flee an approaching rancher, and odd lights blink further away in the dark than anyone has yet dared to venture. The flora are strange, the fauna even stranger, but there may well be riches here for the taking if you dare to venture into the depths.
There are five new types of Slimes in this zone: Sticky slimes, Burrow slimes, Chroma slimes, Orb slimes, and Fang slimes. Slimes such as Crystal and Rads would also be present, and probably Phosphor slimes.
There are also three new food items: Blind Hens, Shroomers, and Clingfruit.
The expansion unlocks a few new upgrades to existing items: a Sun Shade for the gardens (basically just a cloth canopy on sticks), a Sun Shade for ponds (same idea), and the Hard Floor (explanation in Burrow slime entry below) for corrals. Also an Auto-Feeder edit that allows them to be loaded with Plorts.
Finally, the Flashlight gets a powerful new upgrade that functions as a floodlight,and another Ranch expansion is unlocked. It's potentially another underground area connected to the Grotto, and a new build item and type of plot comes with it. A Cliffside Garden, which can be built on a plot called a Cliffside Plot (probably only works on gardens for now), which comes sideways out of cliffs and look like a sideways patch of dirt. All plants can be planted in Cliffside Plots, and fruit trees will grow sticking out to the side like they do when you find them wild. Veggies grow sideways but act normally. All upgrades for normal gardens are available, except that the rot-prevention soil is a patch below the garden so the food lands on it after popping out of the ground/off the tree.
ENTRYWAY
__________________________________________________________
The first areas of the caves resemble The Grotto, dimly lit but easy enough to see in, with occasional small holes in the ceiling far above. No serious hazards yet, aside from Rock slimes. A few ponds may be scattered around with normal Puddle Slimes in them, and Clingfruit can be found. If you're fast and have sharp eyes, you can most likely locate some of the little Sticky slimes, hiding in the Clingfruit plants.
Clingfruit plants are odd shrubs that grow clinging to walls, reaching up with wide, fanning branches towards the sunbeams streaming from far above. Curiously, they taste like insects. Their small size makes them popular as snacks for those used to the taste, though. In a garden, they should be shaded from the sun, as direct sunlight wilts them and prevents them from growing fruit.
Favorite of: Sticky slimes.
Clingfruit shrubs aren't very large, the size of the Pogofruit bushes you see clinging to cliffs, and have fruit maybe 1/3 the side of most other fruits in the game. They require a Sun Shade when grown in a garden not in a cave, but otherwise function normally. When not grown in a Cliffside garden, they're very squat, sprawling bushes, as if they can't quite hold up their own weight.
Sticky Slime
Stuck on you!
Diet:
Fruit
Favorite food:
Clingfruit
Slimeology:
Sticky slimes are the smallest known slimes, only a third the size of most others, and their largos are barely larger than normal slimes (editor's note: they could be normal sized, I just like the idea of a tiny slime). Despite this, they have a fantastic jumping ability, rivaling even Tabby slimes when upset or hungry enough. They creep about the walls of the Far Far Underground, searching out fruit to eat, and skitter (how do they skitter without legs? no one knows) away from loud Ranchers or any potential threats.
Rancher Risks:
Sticky Slimes are incredibly sticky, clinging to anything they touch, including Ranchers. A large number of them clinging on can hamper movement speed unless dislodged with a quick jetpack rev. They can even climb the walls of a corral to some extent, meaning that they need to be roofed in. If frightened by a Tarr or left to go hungry, they can bounce enough to use up the corral roof's energy, leaving them free to spring out and run amok.
Plortonomics:
Sticky plorts are largely used as toys. Their springy nature means they can be easily molded into excellent bouncy balls that never lose their bounce, and a popular new children's shoe features Sticky plort soles, causing every step to bounce the wearer several feet into the air. Wisely, the shoe also comes with Sticky plort elbow and knee pads. Reviews are mixed but promising.
Sticky slimes are cute little guys usually found on the walls of an area, especially around Clingfruit bushes. Their favorite toy is the Mini Mountain, a toy-sized mountain for them to hop on. If they hear a jetpack, they tend to run away, but will come back when the jetpack stops. They may even hop on a rancher and cling on, slowing Beatrix down, until scared away by the jetpack again. Aside from that, they're harmless, just a bit tricky to catch since they tend to be up high on the walls.
Their plorts are lower value, in the 20-50 range, but they're so damn cute everyone will want some. Largos are also bouncy. A Pink/Sticky or Tabby/Sticky largo would probably be ridiculous to watch.
MIDWAY
______________________________________________________________________
Further into the cave system, it starts getting darker, and the upgraded flashlight starts to come in handy. I like the idea of there being a pit full of Odd Onion/Carrot patches and a large number of Crystal slimes, meaning the pit would be full of shards all the time like a cartoon deathtrap thing. Don't go down there. Except for that purple Treasure Pod.
Here you start to find Shroomers, and the patches of sunlight get rarer. The Chroma slimes are present around those few patches, plus Crystal and Rad slimes, with the occasional Rock slime, and one pool with Puddle slimes so you can pick up water to use on all those Crystal spikes. If you look carefully, you find Burrow slimes.
Shroomers. Looks like a fungus, acts like a fungus, tastes like a fungus, but the Gardens seem to think it's a veggie. Better not question it too much. These make a great ingredient in a lot of recipes, particularly Far Far pizzas. Not surprising for a maybe-fungus, they don't like the sun.
Favorite of: Burrow slimes.
Functions like a normal veggie in gardens, even though it looks like a mushroom, but needs to be grown in a cave or under a Sun Shade so it won't decay instantly. Also decays if harvested and placed in the sunlight for more than a second or two, needs to be put into a Silo or Auto-Feeder and dispensed only into a corral with a Sun Shade.
[Pic to be added. Slime with a glass-like appearance if not recently fed, with two large, bulging eyes like a chameleon's and a pink tongue that can shoot out several times its length. Turns the color of whatever plort it's eaten recently.]
Chroma Slime
A whole rainbow of possibility!
Diet:
Plorts (author's note: could be meat w/ no preference)
Favorite Food:
Plorts from meat-eating slimes
Slimeology:
These are colorful slimes indeed, when well-fed. When hungry, they're transparent, but their lengthy tongues mean they're rarely hungry. They feed on plorts, snagging them with long tongues and reeling them in almost instantly, then turn the color of the plort they've recently eaten. Because of this diet Chroma slimes can't become Largos, but other slimes can eat Chroma plorts and become Chroma Largos.
Rancher Risks:
Chroma slimes use their long tongues to grab food, and will often attempt to eat Ranchers. Normal Chroma slimes are harmless enough when doing this, and have minimal effect when tongue-tapping a Rancher. However, Chroma Largos have spiked tongues which can do considerable damage if they attempt to eat a Rancher. Additionally, hungry Chroma Largos will use their tongues as clubs against anything that stands in the way of a meal, potentially shorting out Corral walls just enough to escape.
Plortonomics:
Although transparent, Chroma plorts take and magnify pigments exceptionally well, making them the bases of some of the most vivid paints in the known universe. The plorts can also be used to make stained glass astonishingly bright in color.
Chroma slimes are based on chameleons, clearly. They can be troublesome if hungry, but are harmless and adorable when well-fed. Their favorite toy is the Paint Palette, which they can't use but seem to enjoy anyway.
Their plorts are higher-value to make up for the risk, more in the 75-160 range. They're also very pretty slimes to have around! Plus, the plort-diet thing is really interesting, and a good solution to the problem of having way too many low-value plorts after combining easy-to-feed slimes and rare slimes. I'd feed 'em Rock plorts, probably.
These have a really interesting trait: Chroma slimes can't become Largos, since they eat plorts normally. However, other slimes can eat Chroma plorts and become Chroma Largos.
[Pic to be added: Burrow slimes. Dark grey slimes with pink stars on their faces, like star-nosed moles.}
Burrow Slimes
Sometimes a lump of dirt is just a lump of dirt. Sometimes it's not.
Diet:
Veggies
Favorite Food:
Shroomers
Slimeology:
Burrow Slimes are the only known slime to burrow underground. If alarmed or caught out in the light, they leap into the air to gain speed and rev their spinning noses, then dive underground and vanish. A lump of soil on the ground may be just a lump, or it might contain a resting Burrow slime. Try not to step on them!
Rancher Risks:
Burrow slimes, if stepped on, respond by leaping out of the soil to gain speed for a soil dive. This can do some damage to a Rancher unfortunate enough to be standing in the way of their nose-drill. Additionally, they burrow out of corrals if allowed to go hungry, and then INTO any corrals containing suitable food. Largos, alarmingly, can still burrow, but are much easier to spot.
Plortonomics:
Burrow plorts are as hard as the ore their producers encounter, and as such can be used for anything from backhoe 'teeth' to hammers, with no danger of them chipping or breaking under anything resembling ordinary forces.
Burrow slimes are the main reason for the corral upgrade mentioned above. It's described as "another corral wall, this one several inches underground, overlaid with soft dirt to keep your burrowing slimes content", and looks like a layer of loose dirt about as deep as a Cuberry is tall. Keeps Burrow slimes in unless they're extremely determined to get out, and (hopefully) keeps Tangle vines from going through the floor of a corral.
Burrow slimes generally hide underground, appearing as lumps of dirt, and can either be vacuumed out of the dirt or out of midair when they jump before a dive. They're based on starnose moles.
(I'm getting tired and it's dinner time, next part of post will come later. That will cover Blind Hens, Orb and Fang slimes, and the deepest parts of the cave. Will edit it onto this one if possible.)
The Far Far Underground is a strange area, newly discovered, with several odd new species of slime. It was carved out by an underground river long, long ago, the remnants of which are still present in pools of clean, fresh water.
The Far Far Underground is primarily home to Slimes well adapted to the dark, whether through large eyes, a light source, or no eyes at all. Tiny Stickies climb the walls, Burrow slimes flee an approaching rancher, and odd lights blink further away in the dark than anyone has yet dared to venture. The flora are strange, the fauna even stranger, but there may well be riches here for the taking if you dare to venture into the depths.
There are five new types of Slimes in this zone: Sticky slimes, Burrow slimes, Chroma slimes, Orb slimes, and Fang slimes. Slimes such as Crystal and Rads would also be present, and probably Phosphor slimes.
There are also three new food items: Blind Hens, Shroomers, and Clingfruit.
The expansion unlocks a few new upgrades to existing items: a Sun Shade for the gardens (basically just a cloth canopy on sticks), a Sun Shade for ponds (same idea), and the Hard Floor (explanation in Burrow slime entry below) for corrals. Also an Auto-Feeder edit that allows them to be loaded with Plorts.
Finally, the Flashlight gets a powerful new upgrade that functions as a floodlight,and another Ranch expansion is unlocked. It's potentially another underground area connected to the Grotto, and a new build item and type of plot comes with it. A Cliffside Garden, which can be built on a plot called a Cliffside Plot (probably only works on gardens for now), which comes sideways out of cliffs and look like a sideways patch of dirt. All plants can be planted in Cliffside Plots, and fruit trees will grow sticking out to the side like they do when you find them wild. Veggies grow sideways but act normally. All upgrades for normal gardens are available, except that the rot-prevention soil is a patch below the garden so the food lands on it after popping out of the ground/off the tree.
ENTRYWAY
__________________________________________________________
The first areas of the caves resemble The Grotto, dimly lit but easy enough to see in, with occasional small holes in the ceiling far above. No serious hazards yet, aside from Rock slimes. A few ponds may be scattered around with normal Puddle Slimes in them, and Clingfruit can be found. If you're fast and have sharp eyes, you can most likely locate some of the little Sticky slimes, hiding in the Clingfruit plants.
Clingfruit plants are odd shrubs that grow clinging to walls, reaching up with wide, fanning branches towards the sunbeams streaming from far above. Curiously, they taste like insects. Their small size makes them popular as snacks for those used to the taste, though. In a garden, they should be shaded from the sun, as direct sunlight wilts them and prevents them from growing fruit.
Favorite of: Sticky slimes.
Clingfruit shrubs aren't very large, the size of the Pogofruit bushes you see clinging to cliffs, and have fruit maybe 1/3 the side of most other fruits in the game. They require a Sun Shade when grown in a garden not in a cave, but otherwise function normally. When not grown in a Cliffside garden, they're very squat, sprawling bushes, as if they can't quite hold up their own weight.
Sticky Slime
Stuck on you!
Diet:
Fruit
Favorite food:
Clingfruit
Slimeology:
Sticky slimes are the smallest known slimes, only a third the size of most others, and their largos are barely larger than normal slimes (editor's note: they could be normal sized, I just like the idea of a tiny slime). Despite this, they have a fantastic jumping ability, rivaling even Tabby slimes when upset or hungry enough. They creep about the walls of the Far Far Underground, searching out fruit to eat, and skitter (how do they skitter without legs? no one knows) away from loud Ranchers or any potential threats.
Rancher Risks:
Sticky Slimes are incredibly sticky, clinging to anything they touch, including Ranchers. A large number of them clinging on can hamper movement speed unless dislodged with a quick jetpack rev. They can even climb the walls of a corral to some extent, meaning that they need to be roofed in. If frightened by a Tarr or left to go hungry, they can bounce enough to use up the corral roof's energy, leaving them free to spring out and run amok.
Plortonomics:
Sticky plorts are largely used as toys. Their springy nature means they can be easily molded into excellent bouncy balls that never lose their bounce, and a popular new children's shoe features Sticky plort soles, causing every step to bounce the wearer several feet into the air. Wisely, the shoe also comes with Sticky plort elbow and knee pads. Reviews are mixed but promising.
Sticky slimes are cute little guys usually found on the walls of an area, especially around Clingfruit bushes. Their favorite toy is the Mini Mountain, a toy-sized mountain for them to hop on. If they hear a jetpack, they tend to run away, but will come back when the jetpack stops. They may even hop on a rancher and cling on, slowing Beatrix down, until scared away by the jetpack again. Aside from that, they're harmless, just a bit tricky to catch since they tend to be up high on the walls.
Their plorts are lower value, in the 20-50 range, but they're so damn cute everyone will want some. Largos are also bouncy. A Pink/Sticky or Tabby/Sticky largo would probably be ridiculous to watch.
MIDWAY
______________________________________________________________________
Further into the cave system, it starts getting darker, and the upgraded flashlight starts to come in handy. I like the idea of there being a pit full of Odd Onion/Carrot patches and a large number of Crystal slimes, meaning the pit would be full of shards all the time like a cartoon deathtrap thing. Don't go down there. Except for that purple Treasure Pod.
Here you start to find Shroomers, and the patches of sunlight get rarer. The Chroma slimes are present around those few patches, plus Crystal and Rad slimes, with the occasional Rock slime, and one pool with Puddle slimes so you can pick up water to use on all those Crystal spikes. If you look carefully, you find Burrow slimes.
Shroomers. Looks like a fungus, acts like a fungus, tastes like a fungus, but the Gardens seem to think it's a veggie. Better not question it too much. These make a great ingredient in a lot of recipes, particularly Far Far pizzas. Not surprising for a maybe-fungus, they don't like the sun.
Favorite of: Burrow slimes.
Functions like a normal veggie in gardens, even though it looks like a mushroom, but needs to be grown in a cave or under a Sun Shade so it won't decay instantly. Also decays if harvested and placed in the sunlight for more than a second or two, needs to be put into a Silo or Auto-Feeder and dispensed only into a corral with a Sun Shade.
[Pic to be added. Slime with a glass-like appearance if not recently fed, with two large, bulging eyes like a chameleon's and a pink tongue that can shoot out several times its length. Turns the color of whatever plort it's eaten recently.]
Chroma Slime
A whole rainbow of possibility!
Diet:
Plorts (author's note: could be meat w/ no preference)
Favorite Food:
Plorts from meat-eating slimes
Slimeology:
These are colorful slimes indeed, when well-fed. When hungry, they're transparent, but their lengthy tongues mean they're rarely hungry. They feed on plorts, snagging them with long tongues and reeling them in almost instantly, then turn the color of the plort they've recently eaten. Because of this diet Chroma slimes can't become Largos, but other slimes can eat Chroma plorts and become Chroma Largos.
Rancher Risks:
Chroma slimes use their long tongues to grab food, and will often attempt to eat Ranchers. Normal Chroma slimes are harmless enough when doing this, and have minimal effect when tongue-tapping a Rancher. However, Chroma Largos have spiked tongues which can do considerable damage if they attempt to eat a Rancher. Additionally, hungry Chroma Largos will use their tongues as clubs against anything that stands in the way of a meal, potentially shorting out Corral walls just enough to escape.
Plortonomics:
Although transparent, Chroma plorts take and magnify pigments exceptionally well, making them the bases of some of the most vivid paints in the known universe. The plorts can also be used to make stained glass astonishingly bright in color.
Chroma slimes are based on chameleons, clearly. They can be troublesome if hungry, but are harmless and adorable when well-fed. Their favorite toy is the Paint Palette, which they can't use but seem to enjoy anyway.
Their plorts are higher-value to make up for the risk, more in the 75-160 range. They're also very pretty slimes to have around! Plus, the plort-diet thing is really interesting, and a good solution to the problem of having way too many low-value plorts after combining easy-to-feed slimes and rare slimes. I'd feed 'em Rock plorts, probably.
These have a really interesting trait: Chroma slimes can't become Largos, since they eat plorts normally. However, other slimes can eat Chroma plorts and become Chroma Largos.
[Pic to be added: Burrow slimes. Dark grey slimes with pink stars on their faces, like star-nosed moles.}
Burrow Slimes
Sometimes a lump of dirt is just a lump of dirt. Sometimes it's not.
Diet:
Veggies
Favorite Food:
Shroomers
Slimeology:
Burrow Slimes are the only known slime to burrow underground. If alarmed or caught out in the light, they leap into the air to gain speed and rev their spinning noses, then dive underground and vanish. A lump of soil on the ground may be just a lump, or it might contain a resting Burrow slime. Try not to step on them!
Rancher Risks:
Burrow slimes, if stepped on, respond by leaping out of the soil to gain speed for a soil dive. This can do some damage to a Rancher unfortunate enough to be standing in the way of their nose-drill. Additionally, they burrow out of corrals if allowed to go hungry, and then INTO any corrals containing suitable food. Largos, alarmingly, can still burrow, but are much easier to spot.
Plortonomics:
Burrow plorts are as hard as the ore their producers encounter, and as such can be used for anything from backhoe 'teeth' to hammers, with no danger of them chipping or breaking under anything resembling ordinary forces.
Burrow slimes are the main reason for the corral upgrade mentioned above. It's described as "another corral wall, this one several inches underground, overlaid with soft dirt to keep your burrowing slimes content", and looks like a layer of loose dirt about as deep as a Cuberry is tall. Keeps Burrow slimes in unless they're extremely determined to get out, and (hopefully) keeps Tangle vines from going through the floor of a corral.
Burrow slimes generally hide underground, appearing as lumps of dirt, and can either be vacuumed out of the dirt or out of midair when they jump before a dive. They're based on starnose moles.
(I'm getting tired and it's dinner time, next part of post will come later. That will cover Blind Hens, Orb and Fang slimes, and the deepest parts of the cave. Will edit it onto this one if possible.)