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.
Independent Caves Server vs. Caves Shard
Normally, to play in the Caves, you must have a second server set up 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 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.
Here at Nodecraft, we have chosen to implement the main world and the Caves on the same server at no additional cost or setup for you.
We can do this by using a feature of Don't Starve Together called "shards". This allows the creation of multiple sub-servers running inside the main server. Our system creates this shard automatically upon setup so you don't have to configure anything.
This is a great benefit for small groups of players, family, or friends who want to experience the cave's content, without the additional cost. However, if you plan on a much larger, busier server, we would recommend having Caves set up as a separate server.
Some Additions in Caves
Bunnymen: A new neutral "friendly" mob (like the Pigmen), but which is 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 is 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, depth worms (the cave's version of the Hounds), and the mighty "Tentapillar." Ever wonder what was under the swamp that attacked you with spiked tentacles? Well, 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, and 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.
Important Note on Server Resources
Since both servers are running simultaneously under one roof, they are sharing and using the same resource pool. 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 cave 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, and then purchase a separate bot for the Caves. Please contact us in support if you have questions about it!