Returning Player with questions: co-op and campaign

[Ghostlight]

I've decided to return to this awesome game after a long break, and go for the DLC as well. I have a few questions:

a) What is the difference between Campaign and Sandbox modes (so I can remember which I played last time - I recall there were a number of large boss type monsters in deep deep pits that were quite tough to find and defeat)

b) How does the multiplayer co-op actually work? Are we on the same map but with our own dwarves, or is it simply a case of all players can issue instructions to a single set of dwarves?

Thanks!

[Ghostlight]

Also...Can I specifically play with my friend, rather than random players?

[tamorr]

A) Campaign you go from easy to hard with each new level, and can go back to prior levels. It only uses the tech tree for getting new items, equipment, and building things. So progression within each world. 4 worlds that each have their own environmental challenges to work around. You unlock the next world as you beat them; finishing the big portal.

Sandbox... I think you mean custom game. Which you are on a single world, and only that world. The big portal does not matter for a custom game. This you can setup a few things. One being how you progress; which is between tech tree & sandbox. Sandbox you gain blueprints from digging and level up. So one item at a time, and it is somewhat random. The other things you can setup is the weather occurance, difficulty, world size(4th world will always be large), and world type.

B) I try my best to explain. First your friend and you have to get learn and build the upgraded portal. It will replace the stockpile portal, so will look different from the default. Once that is accomplished then you right click portal to setup a world to journey to. This includes a few options, and you invite thorugh steam the player you want to join.

Then for a short period of time you co-op/pvp (which ever you setup) to a goal. The level ends once you either complete the goal or the time runs out. You each go back to your single player world with a small bounty reward that is based on what you gathered. Then repeat the process for as many times you want.

There is a limit though. If a dwarf dies, your single player world will minus one and revive in the same way as if it died in that. You can only can have a max of 4-5 dwarves in the setup world, but when one dies another if you have enough on your main world will show up till max is reached. Max being a reserve which will equal the amount of dwarves you have on your main world.

Note: you can play those mini-worlds you go to as single player. To do that you can just not invite someone and go as is.

I did my best to explain, I hope that lays it out well enough.

[Ghostlight]

You did great thanks, though I am very disappointed. I was hoping my friend and I could just stay on a large world as long as we wanted and make a massive complex base.

[tamorr]

Yeah... Multiplayer is a bit odd. It is to be expected since originally this is technically a single player game. It is more difficult to design multiplayer for a game that had single player in from the beginning and was designed that way. Seems it was done this way due to that simple fact, as multiplayer some other way would mean a redisign; meaning longer for it to happen, not to mention tuning and bugs that would come from it.

I don't mind the way they did it, and understand why people are a bit disappointed for the way they did it. It has been done like this before in an older game, although the name escapes me... The Era of the 90s... Regardless at least it has some form, even if less desired by a chunk.

I personally use it to gain more resources when the limited amount on the world runs out.

[Ghostlight]

I've dug a small base out, 3 rooms basically. But the dotted line won't encompass all of it - it's basically ignoring one whole room. I can't see why, there are no breaches anywhere. Any hints?

[tamorr]

The totems only encompass so much per totem. So if a totem doesn't cover what you have, then you may need another totem. The dotted line is the reach of the totem and borders obviously; and like mentioned it has a limited range before you will have to place another to extend that range.

Each totem works like a central piece spreading outward from it specifically for its' border.