Monomi Park Forums Archive

An idea for a novel new area that requires the use of some underused/redundant features to make the most of.

The Lightless Caverns
Entrance Location: The Docks (Gate hidden behind waterfall, use a Slime Key while looking at the waterfall to open)

Crops/livestock:
-Heart Beet
-Carrot/Odd Onion
-Stony Hen/Roostro
-Tomanado (see below)

Native slimes:
-Rock Slime
-Tabby Slime
-Crystal Slime (somewhat rare)
-Pink Slime
-Vanta Slime (see below)

Slimepedia entry:
-The lightless caverns are a network of caves deep beneath the Dry Reef. As the name implies, the caves are completely pitch-black, and impossible to navigate without a flashlight. Due to its nature, it is the only place where wild Vanta Slimes can be found. Rock slimes, and more rarely, Crystal Slimes, live alongside the Vanta Slimes, while Pink Slimes tend to wander in looking for friends, and Tabby Slimes hide in the corners and stare at passers-by for no apparent reason.

Tomanado
Type: Fruit
Favored by: Vanta Slime

Slimepedia entry:
Tomanadoes are deep-black, geometric fruits that grow only in the darkest of places. Although they don't look tasty at all, a curious and/or brave rancher who tries one will find that they taste similar to black truffles. They were named after carbonado, or "black diamond," because the rancher who discovered them believed them to be black diamonds at first. Said rancher was soon met with crushing, albeit delicious, disappointment.

On the Ranch:
Tomanadoes can only be grown in low-light areas. Garden replicators outside the Grotto will not accept them.

Vanta Slime
Friendly living shadows.

Favored food: Tomanado

Slimepedia entry:
Vanta Slimes can only be found in one place: the deepest, darkest recesses of the Lightless Caverns. They absorb any and all light, giving them the appearance of smiling, slime-shaped holes in reality itself. However, if they are exposed to any amount of light greater than a flashlight beam, their bodies will overheat and evaporate.

Rancher Risks:
Vanta Slimes, although harmless, can be a challenge and an investment to raise due to their extreme aversion to light. They will vanish nearly instantly if not protected by a Solar Shield, grotto or no grotto. In addition, certain Vanta Largos exhibit odd, oftentimes undesirable behavior.

Plortonomics:
Vanta Plorts are used to manufacture the darkest black dye known to man, darker even than the man-made dye the slimes themselves were named after. It is used to manufacture tiny solar panels that, despite being small enough to hold in one hand, generate several times the amount of power as conventional, large-scale panels, even at night.

Special behaviors (not listed in Slimepedia):
-Vanta Slimes will despawn similar to Phosphor Slimes, albeit more quickly, if they find themselves in any area other than a Solar Shielded corral or the Lightless Caverns.
-Vanta/Phosphor largos will despawn 5 seconds after creation no matter what.
-Vanta/Boom largos will vanish after their first explosion.
-Vanta/Hunter largos can turn entirely invisible.
-Vanta/Rad largos will not emit an aura.
-Vanta/Mosaic largos will always behave as if agitated.

While neat, the shades of the game are a possible issue. Also the vanta mosaic would have an issue. Mosiacs create glints of light, which the vanta absorbs and would eventually kill it by the description you have for it. An agitsted mosaic would produce glints faster and if exposed to the sun (which again kills the vanta) may attract other slimes to it. So since you cant keep it where it would live and get the mosaic special negative behaviour, you will only be producing glints which would still kill it.

Nice idea, but the flashlight would need to be fixed in order for this to work. There are also some issues here with the level geometry. It would need to go through the Slime Sea which is a kill barrier.

EmeraldPlay wrote:Nice idea, but the flashlight would need to be fixed in order for this to work. There are also some issues here with the level geometry. It would need to go through the Slime Sea which is a kill barrier.

Wait, what do you mean, "the flashlight needs to be fixed?"

GoldenLucky99 wrote:

EmeraldPlay wrote:Nice idea, but the flashlight would need to be fixed in order for this to work. There are also some issues here with the level geometry. It would need to go through the Slime Sea which is a kill barrier.

Wait, what do you mean, "the flashlight needs to be fixed?"

Due to the shaders I mentioned in my own post, there are a few issues with the function of the flash light.

It used to work fine, but it's glitchy ever since late 2015, when they introduced new shaders to the game.

EmeraldPlay wrote:It used to work fine, but it's glitchy ever since late 2015, when they introduced new shaders to the game.

Oh. I never noticed that.

EmeraldPlay wrote:It would need to go through the Slime Sea which is a kill barrier.

This can be alleviated if the gate connects to a teleporter that brings you to a enclosed and dark cave system that is technically high up, just like the vaults, but darker and no gold plorts (not even gold slimes spawn there).

rabbitslime wrote:

EmeraldPlay wrote:It would need to go through the Slime Sea which is a kill barrier.

This can be alleviated if the gate connects to a teleporter that brings you to a enclosed and dark cave system that is technically high up, just like the vaults, but darker and no gold plorts (not even gold slimes spawn there).

This is how I was imagining it to work, kind of like how the Glass Desert works. Since it features the Sand Sea and not the Slime Sea, it needed to be far away on the map. (Specifically, it is above the Ranch, although very far away and unloaded when you're not in it)

There isn't much place higher up. The Glass Desert region is occupying much of that space. It could however be placed below the regular region, as that area is currently unoccupied.

And for clarification the kill barrier is just that. A barrier, not a block that will effect the player even if it is below it.