What's the difference between red and yellow hearts on wind shelter sites?

[Martyn van Buren]

Both seem to have ilari stones.

[x4000]

For now?  No practical difference.  But the red hearted ones always have a hearth guardian stone (the green ones).  The yellow hearted ones have any other color of guardian stone.

Later, the green hearth guardian stones will let you turn those sites into settlements, while the other non-hearth guardian stones will let you turn their sites into outposts (kind of midway between a wind shelter and a settlement).

[KingIsaacLinksr]

Can we find settlements right now?  Or is simply just the one and then windshelters?

King

[wyvern83]

You should be able to find other settlements, I linked to my first additional settlement by road around level 8-10. Just keep scouting for it and then claim the wind shelters between the two settlements to get to it.

[x4000]

Yeah, it's random in each world so you'll find them sooner or later depending on what happens, but I'd be surprised if you didn't find another by level 20 at the latest.

[Hyfrydle]

Just reached level 40 in my current game and so far no second settlement found. Did find one in my old world though.

[zebramatt]

I must admit, I found one in my first world in the first fifteen levels.

I'm now level 20 and still no other settlements.

But hey, it's random, right?

[x4000]

Yeah, it's random, and it's also based on the distance between settlements.  So if your world builds up very evenly around themselves, the potential distance between settlements goes up much more slowly.  For worlds that skew in a longer, thinner shape rather than a fatter, rounder shape, they will have more settlements sooner.  On the other hand, the fatter, rounder worlds would have more settlements show up overall as time passes -- suddenly a rush of new settlements all over the various border areas.

[Hyfrydle]

That's what I put it down too and the second settlement I found in my previous game got wiped out by an army of vengeful ghosts so I never really got much from it.

[Dizzard]

Settlements are pretty random, one time I found three new settlements within minutes of each other (like 1-2 minutes)

I haven't found one for a good long while now though. Although I don't really need more settlements really....in fact there isn't much of a need to develop my settlement beyond the "oh it looks neat" reasoning.

[Nalgas]

Just reached level 40 in my current game and so far no second settlement found. Did find one in my old world though.

Oh wow.  That sure says a lot about the way stuff on the map is built out and seeded differently now compared to when I started.  I had something like half a dozen settlements at level seven.  I had to stop looking for more and go do other stuff because I was getting tired of running around building farms and crap just to feed them all.  Heh.

[x4000]

Just reached level 40 in my current game and so far no second settlement found. Did find one in my old world though.

Oh wow.  That sure says a lot about the way stuff on the map is built out and seeded differently now compared to when I started.  I had something like half a dozen settlements at level seven.  I had to stop looking for more and go do other stuff because I was getting tired of running around building farms and crap just to feed them all.  Heh.

Yeah, it's changed dramatically.  It may be slightly too far in the other direction now, but we don't want enormous numbers of settlements quite like you had, for all the reasons you mention.

[Hyfrydle]

I think making the settlements further apart fits the theme of the game well. As we explore we come across small isolated pockets of survivors and realise we are not alone in this strange place. Hopefully the settlement mechanics will improve and develop over time so interaction between discovered settlements can start to happen.

My home settlement in my current game now has a population of nine and it's quite nice to return after a long trip exploring. Celebrations for the returning conquering hero would be cool and also help increase the immersion.

[x4000]

You bet -- stuff like that is eventually planned.

[orzelek]

Actually in my first world I found about 6 or 7 settlements at level 34. And I thought it was to much. Good that it's a bit reduced now.

Also it could be more favorable to get more shelters with guardian that can become settlement if you work for it than actual working settlements. It's a harsh and destroyed world....