Option to Disable Buildings

[boshmi]

Yes, it would require a lot of coding. Yes, it would get difficult, but I'll be damned if it wouldn't add a lot of new gameplay.

Here's my pitch;
With the new shelter building mechanic coming in the June update, I came across somewhat of a revelation; There are a LOT of buildings in TLD. So many, in fact, that with the exception of sometimes PV and TWM I don't really feel like I'm out in nature. Originally what I wanted was a new map with no buildings but, that would take up a lot of time and work, so why not just get rid of them as an option? Say, it's a mode or something. You spawn in a prepper cache, with a rifle, some food, all that basic stuff, and from that point on, you're living off the land 100%. The incentive to go traveling would be maybe to find rounds of ammunition or supplies scattered across the world in corpses or whatever.

I just feel like; at the moment there are too many buildings for want or need of a shelter mechanic. I assume it is a temporary nook, usable for a night before you move on, but even with less than an hour of daylight left, buildings or other forms of shelter are so frequent that it would nullify a potentially great feature.

I take back what I said earlier about how it would require less coding (Imagine removing the dam) but if it is done, it would be a lot more wild land to explore than just one map with no buildings. Timberwolf mountain has so many caves and stuff that you may as well say it's covered with buildings, just minus the loot.

Thoughts anyone?

[nicko]

I think buildings are essential for new players else you die to quick, plus you need benches to craft items. I do like the idea of TWM map where there is only one broken down cabin to stay, even that is still a challenge as it lets in lot of cold air. Maybe there will be future maps/ challenges with no buildings for those who want to experience the true outdoors. how many will play it though? to hard?

[Resethel]

I like your post @boshmi, it does make sense and is interesting.

However I don't really agree with you, here is why:

 

• Firstly, because I see The Long Dark as post-apocalytical-survival game. So it happens in a world we know. And consequently there are tons of human construction everywhere. So taking back that would be quite, unsettling? Imagine a Camp Office without any other buildings around, or 2-3 houses in the middle of nowhere? It doesn't make sense, it's not how humans process, they start building somewhere, then more and more people come around, and a little community and tons of human's structures appears! So seeing less of them don't really make sense to me. It's killing the game realism/poetry in a way.

 

• Then, well, I just think like @nicko and they said it perfectly 

 

• Finally, because what you are looking for can be added without breaking the game in several parts, through 1 or 2 ( or maybe 3? ) maps, like TWM. They would easily fit the game, we are on an Huge Island ( Correct me if I'm wrong ), and in a rural area, so if it's a bit like Iceland, then most of the inner Island is made of wild-areas like forest or plains, or rocky and rift-filled places. It would really make sense to have those kind of places implemented later on as more challenging maps and development of the game environement (two birds, one stone)

 

TL;DR: All in all, to me, shelters shouldn't be removed, they would really change the game and not in a positive way. Moreover more wild-maps (forest, rocky steppes, mountains) would benefit the game way better!

 

(I hope I wasn't rude there, since English isn't my native-language, I can't really gauge my words ^^')

[vancopower]

On 6.6.2016 at 1:50 PM, boshmi said:

Yes, it would require a lot of coding. Yes, it would get difficult, but I'll be damned if it wouldn't add a lot of new gameplay.

Here's my pitch;
With the new shelter building mechanic coming in the June update, I came across somewhat of a revelation; There are a LOT of buildings in TLD. So many, in fact, that with the exception of sometimes PV and TWM I don't really feel like I'm out in nature. Originally what I wanted was a new map with no buildings but, that would take up a lot of time and work, so why not just get rid of them as an option? Say, it's a mode or something. You spawn in a prepper cache, with a rifle, some food, all that basic stuff, and from that point on, you're living off the land 100%. The incentive to go traveling would be maybe to find rounds of ammunition or supplies scattered across the world in corpses or whatever.

I just feel like; at the moment there are too many buildings for want or need of a shelter mechanic. I assume it is a temporary nook, usable for a night before you move on, but even with less than an hour of daylight left, buildings or other forms of shelter are so frequent that it would nullify a potentially great feature.

I take back what I said earlier about how it would require less coding (Imagine removing the dam) but if it is done, it would be a lot more wild land to explore than just one map with no buildings. Timberwolf mountain has so many caves and stuff that you may as well say it's covered with buildings, just minus the loot.

Thoughts anyone?

Well for starters it would not be thematically correct. Why would all the buildings be gone? who destroyed them? did some nuclear reactor exploded nearby?

I guess when they add new regions there could be one region that is woods only and be twice as large as TM, with no shelters at all so you could start there. Come to think of it I would start there too cause I would welcome the challenge.

[Wasteland Watcher]

 I guess I'll have to play devil's advocate this time. 

 If Great Bear Island is indeed based upon the real world Vancouver Island, and if I'm not mistaken, there are only a few towns and/or cities near the coasts and the inland is pretty much nothing but forests and mountains. Unpopulated. 

If this is the case then it would be entirely possible to have a map (or more) that are completely unpopulated, natural (wild) areas.  In places like that I think we'd probably be "lucky" to even find one poor, frozen body there. Most likely none though. 

 If Great Bear Island is not based upon Vancouver Island, then you can just disregard this comment

 And to be completely honest, all my knowledge of Vancouver Island is actually based upon the excellent History Channel's TV show, "Alone."   And of course a few articles I read on the Internet.  

 

[cekivi]

Well, I don't think real world assumptions really apply to Great Bear Island. Since there is no island you can base it on whatever you like. Personally, I would love to see an area that is a legitimate city/town (perhaps partially destroyed) juxtaposed against a true wilderness area.

I'm not an expert on BC but in Northern Ontario (where I'm from) there are huge stretches of land with no structures. Old logging areas will show clear signs of human activity (roads and sadly pollution and trash) but no real structures. Perhaps a depot at the beginning of the logging road (where it reaches the main highway) to store some maintenance equipment, a trailer for workers to have lunch/overnight and temporary shacks erected by hunters if it's in the fall. Otherwise it's just you, the forest and a seemingly endless winding road. Think of an area the size of the Coastal Highway, Pleasant Valley and Mystery Lake with the Coastal Highway road network but maybe 1 trailer, some abandoned machinery, an equipment depot and a hunting shack and you've got a fair approximation of a lot of Northern Ontario post Long Dark

Would it be fun to play in? Probably. It would certainly be challenging! However, I wouldn't advocate that every map be like this due to the simple fact that there would be almost no shelter or tools to build them unless you stumbled across one of the few structures that are on the map. Add a procedurally generated element (so the structure locations are random) and you have the makings of an awesome challenge map!

[Wasteland Watcher]

@cekivi that map you described sounds like it would be a really, really interesting map to play on and I hope to see one like that added!

 

  Though "Great Bear Island" is make-believe, I hope that the game development team has chosen a part of Canada to base it on so there is realistic flora & fauna as well as landscape that they are modeling everything on.

It adds to the realism and as I've said many times, anything that makes it more realistic makes it more fun and much more interesting

 After the 30+ years of gaming I've been doing I've wandered so many make-believe lands that now I find it more interesting to wander about places modeled after real life locations (Fallout 3 for example comes to mind)

[cekivi]

Fallout 3 was good... but New Vegas was way better. Lots of real world locations and the locations in the game felt more lived in (e.g. farms to support New Vegas casinos).

My remote map would be interesting to play but like I said it's probably better suited for a one-off scenario than inclusion in the game. For instance, you could be a late season hunter on a quad in the far, far back area of a cut. You're driving along and then there's lights across the skies and your quad dies, never to start again. You're kilometers from your base camp with no idea what's going on with a compass and GPS that no longer work. You only have your rifle, a small survival kit, a hunting knife and the clothes on your back. The wind picks up, the temperature starts to drop and snow begins to fall. What do you do?

[hauteecolerider]

First, pick up sticks!

Second, find shelter!

Third, build a fire!

Now I can start planning while I'm warming up next to the fire . . . 

[cekivi]

Not as easy with wet snow and no convenient sticks laying on top of the snow for you to burn

Because if we're going for full remote challenge in Northern Ontario (or BC) wet wood and how to get a fire going (your axe is at your base camp) will be huge considerations.

Now, if you wanted to be nuts, your chainsaw on your quad could be emptied of fuel (since it wouldn't work) and you could light a slash pile to make it through the night. That'll keep you warm!

[Wasteland Watcher]

@cekivi you also like real world locations to play in, right?

After TLD has officially released, it would be interesting to have "expansion packs" released that are essentially new storylines (and new characters?) to explore in and experience survival in different parts of Canada.

I'd really be interested in playing that

[cekivi]

Yes, I enjoy exploring real world locations in games. It's a lot of fun to have the fantastical (the game) mix with the mundane setting of the real world

[Ruruwawa]

 

On 6/6/2016 at 5:50 AM, boshmi said:

Say, it's a mode or something. You spawn in a prepper cache, with a rifle, some food, all that basic stuff, and from that point on, you're living off the land 100%. The incentive to go traveling would be maybe to find rounds of ammunition or supplies scattered across the world in corpses or whatever.

I'd love this personally. Rather than a mode, however, I'd prefer it to be a part of the standard TLD experience.  A wilderness zone, or a challenge.

[ShawnB]

I agree that buildings are way too common place in this game. Stalker mode should have fewer buildings especially if you can build shelters in the future.

I've mentioned this in other posts and have also started doing my own player challenges where I use fewer buildings by using the classic RNG dice to decide if a building is in play or not. 

[hauteecolerider]

21 hours ago, Wasteland Watcher said:

After TLD has officially released, it would be interesting to have "expansion packs" released that are essentially new storylines (and new characters?) to explore in and experience survival in different parts of Canada.

I for one would love to see expansion maps based off of various parts of the world, touching upon the unique features of each type of environment.

What about the temperature extremes found in desert regions?

Or the deep rainforest?

What about the Badlands?

It doesn't have to be limited to Canada (though the Big Northern Brother does have most of these types of biomes I've already mentioned).

[Wasteland Watcher]

@hauteecolerider you're right, that's a great idea!

We start the story of The Long Dark in Canada and later on in expansions see how the Event affects the rest of the world as well.  Wow now that would be very cool! 

 

[boshmi]

Wow, I forgot I opened this topic. Lots of good ideas from lots of people. Like I said in my starter post, when I seem to suggest a fully-nature map on thse forums, people oftimes point me in the direction of timberwolf mountain, to which I reply; "Yes, but I want MORE!" At least a larger nature map. I've started playing in PV a lot more recently, because it's the largest area currently. It also feels more wild than TWM if I'm honest. Despite the farms and radio tower, there's something about the sprawling farmland that makes the whole place feel more... untamed. There's still far too many buildings for me though.