Caves on Nodecraft Don't Starve Together Servers
The "Caves" in Don't Starve Together offer an entirely new world, with brand new challenges, resources, enemies, and friends (Yay! the bunnymen are awesome!). The Caves also add some truly epic end-game content for more experienced players on the deeper layers of the Caves.
Normally, to play in the Caves, you must have a second server setup and running alongside the main server that handles the regular map. This second server running the caves has to be configured to connect to your main (regular map) server. When you move from the regular map to the caves, players are actually disconnected from the main server, and are logged into the Caves server. The same thing happens when they leave the caves to return to the main map; they are disconnected and logged into the server running the main map.
We offer BOTH on one server
Here at Nodecraft we have chosen to implement the main world and the Caves on the same server at no additional cost.
We can do this by using a feature of Don't Starve Together which allows the creation of multiple sub-servers running inside the main server, called "shards." Our systems automatically creates a "shard" on the main server and sets it to run the Caves content. We handle all the setup for connecting the two servers together during the installation process on the server, auto-magically on our control panel.
What this means for people playing Don't Starve Together on Nodecraft, is that you can have the content from the Caves without having to purchase, setup, or configure a second server. Less cost, less work, less headaches! We set it all up for you!
This is a great benefit for small groups of players, family, or friends that want to experience the caves content, without the additional cost.
While playing the game, you simply find a Cave portal on the main map and you can be whisked away to the Caves server and your character appears there shortly (after a brief loading screen). You can move back and forth between the two worlds, exploring the caves with all it has to offer.
Some available additions in Caves
Bunnymen: A new neutral "friendly" mob (like the Pigmen), but which are only active during dusk and night. You can build both bunnymen and pigmen houses around your base to have an army of "friendlies" guarding you 24/7 (pigmen during the day, bunnymen during dusk and night). Bunnymen are especially good for "farming" spider dens, since they come out when the spiders are most active. They kill the spiders, you scoop up the loot! This to give you a renewable source for silk, spider glands, and monster meat.
LightBulb plants: They can be used to craft a new light source, the lantern. You can refuel the lantern with more lightbulbs, which regrow constantly and are completely renewable.
New enemies: Cave spiders, depths worms (the caves version of the Hounds), and the mighty "Tentapillar." Ever wonder what was under the swamp that attacks you with spiked tentacles? Well, apparently an even bigger tentacle that connects to something even bigger underground.
The lower layers of the caves hold the ruins of the civilization that made the magic portals, the clockwork enemies, and adds a whole new chapter to the lore of the game. It offers some extremely hard end-game content. You go down there, you bring your A-game.
A note on server resources
Since both servers are running simultaneously under one roof, they are sharing and using the same resource pool (RAM, etc). This is something to consider when deciding how many players you want to have on your server. The amount of work the server has to handle is the combination of players in both the regular world and the caves world.
At this current time, this dual setup (main world and caves) is the default installation for Don't Starve Together on Nodecraft. If you have plans to create very large public servers, it may be more beneficial to deactivate the Cave "shard" so that all resources are given to the main server (which would mean either getting additional servers for the caves, or skipping them entirely). Please contact the customer support department at Nodecraft to discuss that option.
