My Juicy Suggestions (Weapons and Gameplay)

[furball444]

While I really enjoy playing the Long Dark on my Xbox, I think there are some things that can be added and changed to make the game better (in my opinion of course).

 

Weapons

I understand that the creators of the game are not focused on making it a first-person shooter. I also know that Canada is not gun-crazy like the United States is. However, I feel like the game needs more of a variety for different hunting styles and for defensive purposes. I have these weapons divided into two categories and information about how I think they should be used in the game. 

Non-Craftable Weapons

I think these weapons should not be able to be crafted and are extremely rare. 

Shotgun: This weapon would be used as self defense or for small-game hunting such as rabbits or foxes. I was thinking maybe a double barrel shotgun but any type of shotgun will do. The shotgun should only be affective at close range.

Scoped Weapon: It is very difficult to take down a bear with a rifle or bow because you have to be dangerously close. The scoped weapon can be used to kill animals from a safe distance. This can be a high caliber sniper rifle or simply the generic rifle with a scope on it. 

Handgun: The handgun would be useful in defensive situations. It is lightweight and has good mobility unlike a rifle which weights much more. It would have little recoil but poor range.

Compound Bow: This would be for people who like the style of the traditional bow but want something stronger. The compound bow should take repairable metal arrows that do much more damage than the traditional bow. The compound bow should also have a further range and a scope/sight. 

Crossbow: Crossbows are a good combination of a scoped weapon and a bow. They are very accurate and strong like a rifle, and Stealthy like a bow. The crossbow bolts should be reusable. The weapon should have a scope for long-distance hunting. To me this is the ultimate hunting weapon. 

Craftable (Primitive) Weapons

These weapons have been used since the stone age. The purpose for adding them to the game would be to give the player a chance to get a weapon if he/she cannot find one. I think adding these kinds of weapons to the game would bring the theme of survival alive. Along with the traditional bow already added to the game, here are some ideas I came up with;

Spear: Spears would be great for defending against a pack of wolves. They are long so they would be able to reach farther than other melee weapons. After so many uses it should probably break. It should also be able to be thrown.

Slingshot: Slingshots would be good for hunting small game like rabbits. The ammunition would be rocks( (Obsidian, Flint, Bone)

Primitive Daggers: Just incase the player cannot obtain a knife, the player can make one instead. This knife would not be as affective compared to the hunting knife. The knife could also be used in self-defense. 

New Animal Suggestions: I did some research and found some animals that are native to Canada and I feel like they should be added to the game. 

Wolverine: This should be a hostile animal, in nature they are known to attack caribou. 

Moose: This animal should be hostile, but only when provoked. 

Fox: This should be a passive animal.

Some Type of Big cat; This could be a lynx, bobcat, cougar, or mountain lion. Mountain lions would be great for the Timberwolf Mountain location. The Big cat should be a hostile animal.

Suggestions on Game Mechanics;

Carrying: Players should be able to carry a deer or wolf caucuses. It can be really difficult to harvest animals because you have to travel to the location of their death. Another suggestion for carrying is being able to put dead rodents in your inventory so the player can harvest them later.

Primitive Weapon crafting; Primitive weapons were known to be made out of a variety of different materials. The materials that I think should be added are Obsidian, Bone, and Flint. Obsidian is very sharp but breaks easily. Bone is very durable, but not as sharp. Flint is average, somewhat sharp with a decent durability. These materials can be used interchangeably for making Arrows, Spears, and primitive daggers. 

Traps: By traps I don't mean snares, I mean letting the player strategically dig out a hole in the ground and fill the hole with upright spears, and then covering the top with snow to make it seem like it was never there. I feel like the player should get to design his/her trap.

Using tools as weapons: The Pry bar, Hatchet, and knife can all be used as a weapon, but sadly we cannot use them for that purpose.

Interactive Tasks (Most Important): The thing I think this game needs the most is interactive tasks. What I mean by this is instead of letting the player just make a decision, let the player do the task too. For Example, when the player is fishing instead of telling the player he/she caught a fish, let the player try to hook the fish and pull it out of water. Another example would be repairing clothing; the player has to sew it using his/her skills. This would change the game completely. Instead of having the in-game player learn the skills, the Player that is playing the game has to learn the skills from doing the task in-game. The probability mechanic would be completely removed from the game. This goes for fire starting and crafting too.

Sorry if my explanations are bad.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[starfighter441]

Most of these things have been suggested already, and some are in the works ( Moose for sure, and I think that the Story mode will have a revolver of some sort).

[furball444]

5 hours ago, starfighter441 said:

Most of these things have been suggested already, and some are in the works ( Moose for sure, and I think that the Story mode will have a revolver of some sort).

Nice

[ArcherAC3]

Nice ideas, +1. And I'm totally up for the Wolverines, I'd be more scared to face them in game than a Wolf or a Bear xD: 

(This snow camouflage also looks awesome):

 

[starfighter441]

Ummm.... no...just no...no wolverines thank you muchly.

[CalNieDaGtarGuy]

I have to put in my two cents in. Nice suggestions, but star fighter is right. Also, handguns have an extreme amount of recoil, especially depending upon whether or not you use one or two hands. They are a lot harder to control (stability of your hands versus arm and torso with a rifle) but would be "beary" (sorry) nice for pumping the Old Bear full of lead. 

Second, lynxes and bobcats are not inherently dangerous towards humans whatsoever, but could attack if provoked. So rather than have it be automatically hostile, make an injured one injure you slightly if attacked. Minor bite, slow blood loss, low infection risk, etc. Nothing that can't be fixed quickly enough.

Good ideas though.

[furball444]

1 hour ago, CalNieDaGtarGuy said:

I have to put in my two cents in. Nice suggestions, but star fighter is right. Also, handguns have an extreme amount of recoil, especially depending upon whether or not you use one or two hands. They are a lot harder to control (stability of your hands versus arm and torso with a rifle) but would be "beary" (sorry) nice for pumping the Old Bear full of lead. 

Second, lynxes and bobcats are not inherently dangerous towards humans whatsoever, but could attack if provoked. So rather than have it be automatically hostile, make an injured one injure you slightly if attacked. Minor bite, slow blood loss, low infection risk, etc. Nothing that can't be fixed quickly enough.

Good ideas though.

I agree, the bobcat and lynx should only be hostile if provoked (or injured) but the Cougar and Mountain Lion should be automatically hostile.

[CalNieDaGtarGuy]

More than likely, yes. Especially with the geomagnetic disaster. Realistically, though, even big animals like grizzly bears try their best to avoid humans, as its just common sense not to provoke the beast at the top of the food chain. But due to the geomagnetic storm, I think that it's safe to say that cougars could be hostile immediately.

[furball444]

Here are some Arrowheads from my collection, thought I'd show everybody what they look like.

Left: Flint Arrowhead

Right: Obsidian Arrowhead

Middle: Flint Knife