Sandbox is too easy

[SzalonyNiemiec]

I started playing "The Long Dark" again since the latest update, and comparing to, how it was back in 2014 it, became a lot easier, too easy in my opinion. The first night is a little bit challenging, the second night less, and as soon as you find fishing gear, a lake where you can go ice fishing, a cabin nearby with a fireplace, and a tool to break ice, you become basically immortal until you run out of matches, and even if you run out of matches(somewhere around day 200 i assume) you can just go to the next location.

What do you think?

         Yours SzalonyNiemiec

[Renegade30]

Definitely, particularly with anyone with more than 10-20 hours played. I would love a challenge\difficulty mode where we cannot go indoors (into buildings) at all and have to rely on snow shelters, caves etc. Straight away the game would become much more interesting and challenging.

[dbldrew]

yeah make a map that is 100% all natural resources no buildings no stashes of food nothing but a few tools.

make it so on cold nights you need a fire all through the night

[nicko]

1 hour ago, dbldrew said:

yeah make a map that is 100% all natural resources no buildings no stashes of food nothing but a few tools.

make it so on cold nights you need a fire all through the night

sounds like another challenge map idea! there are some good challenge maps atm. I'm sure HS will add more.

[Loppysaurusrex]

We need a hardcore mode where supplies are scarcer and the weather more brutal, I'm taking blizzards all the time

[ShawnB]

Yep, game needs to be harder. 

A procedurally generated region would be awesome but it may not be feasible.

As mentioned above there should be a region with no human structures and few caves. It should be large and lack easily identified landmarks. I'm just talking about one large vast forested area. Someplace you can get lost in even if you know the map well. TWM lacks the human structures to some extend but you always know where you are which makes things very easy. I think this is feasible.

[stray_cur]

And the feats, skills and snow shelter only make it easier, without counter-balance.  What's the deal?

[Wastelander]

I think the upcoming morale/willpower system will make things a bit more difficult, but yeah, some additional difficulty may be needed. Although if you've got bad luck like me, the game can become very hard even on Voyageur currently trapped inside because I ran out of rifle rounds and a bear has moved in next door. Any ideas on how to evict this new neighbour before I run out of mouldy milk?

[nicko]

everyone says the game needs to be harder, sure I don't mind that as long as beginners don't suffer, so yeah if anything only make the hardest level harder or may I suggest a new Extreme Level in Sandbox. That might be a  good challenge for all those experts out their i.e basically no resources, more blizzards etc then we will see who complains its too hard lol.

[iSUGGESTthings]

Morale system. We have to stop every now and then to have a good cry. xD

[Dirmagnos]

No, hell NO, morale is the last thing that sandbox needs. Its would be one of the most retarded additions to the game, forcing players to play some weird imaginative narrative that will take away a huge chunk of immersion.

Right now i can play in any way i see fit, but with morale system id be forced to play as some average joe with some generic view of the world. I dont need some shit like mental breakdown enforced on me, im 2 busy for that crap. I dont need game telling me that this is bad and this is good, especially from perspective of some1 who knows nothing about extreme situations or what it does to human mind.

And i also disagree that game needs even less loot on higher difficulties. Id say it should be the other way around. More stuff, but that would require more effort to be used(like junk that needs to be salvaged/processed be4 it can be turned into something useful). On Stalker its already rather ridiculous situation where 3 out of 4 containers have nothing in them. And with firestarting lvl3 that makes tinder obsolete its even worse. Several key items in the game are rendered completely useless, player cant even burn them.

Difficulty should come from more dangerous wildlife and extreme weather. And rebalancing of several features like bears that should deal fixed amount of damage, instead of percentage of current, condition recovery speed, more serious consequences of not taking care of own needs. Not just piling up wolves that are still weak as shit. And fixing exploits that allow maxing out firestarting with just 1 match or living from 1 snickers per day or going against wolfs naked. 

[ShawnB]

I'm a little worried about this morale system too. Don't see how it will improve the game. I feel the game already simulates morale. Come day 60 when I have looted and crafted everything my character and I tends to get a little lonely and crazy. This usually results in reckless behaviour like cliff jumping and bear wrestling.

But back on topic, +1 make the game harder. Lots of good ideas on the forum to do so.

 

[vimrich]

I think it's plenty hard as is. I've got 200 hours into it and still prefer Voyager. Stalker is too tedious. I still haven't met my main goal of taking ALL items from ALL regions back to a permanent base (either PV or ML) where I can "restart civilization" (or at least a colony outpost) there with my giant stash.

Someday, I'll fix those radios (maybe with a car battery?) and start broadcasting for other survivors.  

What I really want is the way to craft a greenhouse or hydroponic indoor farm or something, gassifier for wood, then a generator for power, etc.

[frostyblizzard]

I agree with you to a certain point, although I wouldn't like them to overcomplicate or add arbitrary things in just to make the game more "difficult".

There are plenty of things you can do yourself to make the game more challenging. I've done "No knife or gun" runs or even harder was my "No sleeping indoors" run (and no, I didn't use caves or man-made structures) .

[continuity]

Well, I'm playing on middle difficulty. Just started with the game, my first attempt I died around day 4. I'm still on my second attempt, going strong at about day 24.  Its challenging but I haven't felt like I was near death since about day 5, once you get established the game gets much easier. Still, thats somewhat realistic, you're at your most vulnerable when you start, you don't have stockpiles, or gear, or decent clothing... clearly as you gear up things are only going to get easier.

Its arguable though, that for a survival game, you shouldn't be able to get to a "comfortable" situation on your second attempt at playing.  I've a couple of hundred hours in don't starve and that game always keeps me on my toes.