Tinder Plugs as Fuel for the Fire

[piddy3825]

What to do with all those tinder plugs?

Looking thru my "total" inventory the other day and I have collected tons of tinder plugs.  Now I have been using them as trail markers, come in handy as once dropped they just stay there and they dont get covered up by snow or slowly disappear like some items... anyways they should be burnable as "fuel" once the fire gets started... might not add a lot of time but sometimes even a few minutes is enough to get the job done.  

 

[hauteecolerider]

For realism's sake, and for keeping the game balanced, I don't think making tinder plugs fuel would be worthwhile. They burn out very quickly, and serve more to hold a spark hot just long enough to ignite a stick, which in turn gives you only 7 minutes or so of burn time. So adding something that only increases burn time by a few seconds just doesn't make sense.

[Vhalkyrie]

I have too much tinder also. I don't know of any alternate uses for tinder.  Using excess as trail markers is a good idea.

[piddy3825]

8 hours ago, hauteecolerider said:

For realism's sake, and for keeping the game balanced, I don't think making tinder plugs fuel would be worthwhile. They burn out very quickly, and serve more to hold a spark hot just long enough to ignite a stick, which in turn gives you only 7 minutes or so of burn time. So adding something that only increases burn time by a few seconds just doesn't make sense.

Well, for realism's sake then as you put it, that would be exactly why they should be burnable as fuel.  IRL I'm throwing all those extra plugs on the fire, lol

but for the sake of arguement, if one stick gives you 7 minutes of burn time, and you can harvest a stick into tinder plugs, I'd figure that the plug would provide more than mere seconds of burn time.  Even if a plug only gave you an extra one - two minutes, sometimes that is all you need to finish boiling some water or cooking something.

[Pillock]

My biggest complaint along these lines is why I can't use a book as tinder, or why I can't chop logs and reclaimed wood into smaller pieces to use as tinder. 

When I was new to the game, I once came very close to death purely because I couldn't light a fire despite having fuel and matches. I raged at my not being able to tear my book up and use it as tinder.

This wouldn't happen to me now I have more game-experience, because I know how not to put myself in that position - but at the time it seemed very unfair and frustrating that a common-sense solution to my problem was impossible due to gamereasons.

[hauteecolerider]

I always carry a boat-load of cat-tail heads around with me ever since I found out those could be used as tinder.

Same with the stalks - they work great as starvation rations.

[SteveP]

1 hour ago, Pillock said:

My biggest complaint along these lines is why I can't use a book as tinder, or why I can't chop logs and reclaimed wood into smaller pieces to use as tinder. 

When I was new to the game, I once came very close to death purely because I couldn't light a fire despite having fuel and matches. I raged at my not being able to tear my book up and use it as tinder.

This wouldn't happen to me now I have more game-experience, because I know how not to put myself in that position - but at the time it seemed very unfair and frustrating that a common-sense solution to my problem was impossible due to gamereasons.

Sticks can be harvested to get tinder.

IRL I use tinder at times on an active fire after I add wood, especially semi-damp wood that is hard to get burning. The tinder generates a burst of flame when you add fuel to a fire with embers and partially burnt wood. Tinder could be used to enhance the fire's heat especially if damp firewood were a thing in the game.

Some types of tinder, like cattail heads could be used as insulation which you could stuff inside your coat to keep warmer. Newspapers are also a valuable clothing insulation boost.

[hauteecolerider]

4 minutes ago, SteveP said:

Some types of tinder, like cattail heads could be used as insulation which you could stuff inside your coat to keep warmer. Newspapers are also a valuable clothing insulation boost.

Cattail heads are great, if you aren't allergic to them . . . 

[Pillock]

29 minutes ago, SteveP said:

Sticks can be harvested to get tinder.

I know this. But I still don't see why it wouldn't be a good idea to be able to break down other fuel material into smaller pieces in order to make them more versatile.

[illanthropist]

38 minutes ago, Pillock said:

But I still don't see why it wouldn't be a good idea to be able to break down other fuel material into smaller pieces in order to make them more versatile.

It's just the length of coding for simplicity's sake.  You could attach 101 uses to every item in the game but at the end of the day your never really that far from a stick.