Orienteering!

[Chummy]

I love the fact that the mapping is very crude (with charcoal).  I have no desire to look at online maps to help me play.  It would ruin the experience for me. BUT

I would like to be able to find:

1. a compass
2. orienteering ribbon
3. a map that will deteriorate if used in bad weather.  You find it at the camp office or trappers cabin, but if you take it with you or use it outside it will get damage.

This fits with the realism of the game.  You shouldn't need to find an online map, as many people do, to play this game.  But right now, unless you have played hundreds of hours you can't realistically survive for a significant amount of time.  In reality, getting disoriented is the second highest threat (after exposure), and that's why if you are truly lost in the woods you need to stay where you are.  With the possiblity of the orienteering tools, there is some (if still only small) possibility of survival.

 

[Rada_]

4 hours ago, Chummy said:

You shouldn't need to find an online map, as many people do, to play this game.

I think that depends on the game experience that each one is looking for.

If you need you can drop sticks as you go. But honestly It would be cool to be able to stick a piece of cloth to a tree.

[Carbon]

8 hours ago, Chummy said:

 You shouldn't need to find an online map, as many people do, to play this game.  But right now, unless you have played hundreds of hours you can't realistically survive for a significant amount of time.  In reality, getting disoriented is the second highest threat (after exposure), and that's why if you are truly lost in the woods you need to stay where you are.  With the possiblity of the orienteering tools, there is some (if still only small) possibility of survival.

 Well, I hate to be a contrarian, but you don't need to find an online map. We tend to cherry pick things that we don't like - the low-hanging fruits - yet ignore other elements that are equally problematic. We ignore things like temperatures and poor quality clothing because we accept them as game realities, yet we can't accept not having a compass. Doesn't this seem odd? We wouldn't feel the need for a compass if the player wasn't freezing, so why not complain about the temperature?

 My point is that we ask for the quick fixes to the most obvious problems but fail to see that the 'problems' are systemic and it is overcoming these problems that make the game a game. It makes no sense for a bush pilot to fly out over the North without a lot of supplies (in my hometown you wouldn't even drive anywhere outside the city without a trunk full of such items) but again, it is a fundamental premise upon which the game is built which creates tension. Removing this - spawning with good clothing, flares, food, sleeping backs, etc, would make the game boring and pointless, something I feel that a compass would also achieve.

 It can frustrating to be lost, cold and hungry...or it can be exhilarating and motivating which pushes the player forward. Tension and release. Cartography was introduced which is as good as a compass if one uses it well. It won't overcome being somewhat lost but it does provide direction and the ability to trace or re-trace your paths in the game to get back to safety. Always carry charcoal and map thoughtfully. Look at the area you have just surveyed and look for its perimeter, then walk until you recognize a feature shown on that perimeter, go a bit further and survey again. Rinse and repeat and soon things open up.

 Anyhow, my point is that removing obstacles is a certain way to make the game uninteresting and we should be careful what we wish for or the game will lose its edge.

 For me - and I'm sure I'm not alone - when I was lost, didn't know the maps, where the wolves were and all of those details - the game was far more powerful and exciting. Its still fun to start a new sandbox, but now that I know of the maps like my living room, a certain magic is lost and cannot be recovered.

 Enjoy being lost, frozen and the many deaths that will ensue...they are the moments when the game is at its best.

[JAFO]

8 hours ago, Chummy said:

I would like to be able to find:

1. a compass

You already have a compass...

(it's called 'the sun') 

6 minutes ago, Carbon said:

For me - and I'm sure I'm not alone - when I was lost, didn't know the maps, where the wolves were and all of those details - the game was far more powerful and exciting. Its still fun to start a new sandbox, but after knowing all of the details, a certain magic gets lost and cannot be recovered.

 Enjoy being lost, frozen and the many deaths that will ensue...they are the moments when the game is a

Hell yes!

[Longshot]

Having Moss on north side of tree trunks would be helpful and still realistic.

[JAFO]

2 minutes ago, Longshot said:

Having Moss on north side of tree trunks would be helpful and still realistic.

It certainly would, and I'd love to see it.. until then, we'll have to just settle for being observant.

[Timber Wolf]

13 hours ago, Carbon said:

 For me - and I'm sure I'm not alone - when I was lost, didn't know the maps, where the wolves were and all of those details - the game was far more powerful and exciting. Its still fun to start a new sandbox, but now that I know of the maps like my living room, a certain magic is lost and cannot be recovered.

I know exactly what you mean.  If you're looking to experience more of those exhilarating moments, I recommend starting up The Hunted Challenge Part One and trying to survive for as long as you can.  OB will really keep you on your toes!

[ChillPlayer]

The most important help for orientation is not found on maps: a Landmark pointing you in the right direction. I'd recommend to learn the most important Landmarks first because they will also guide you to safety when you're trapped in a blizzard or thick fog where you can't see further than a few meters. Typical Landmarks are broken trees (which seem to be placed intentionally), bridges, roads, rails, cars, powerlines, logs, rock formations and so on. Once you learn to connect places to Landmarks you won't rely on maps anymore and a compass becomes also obsolete.

[Timber Wolf]

8 minutes ago, ChillPlayer said:

Typical Landmarks are broken trees (which seem to be placed intentionally), bridges, roads, rails, cars, powerlines, logs, rock formations and so on.

Excellent point!  This is how I learned (and felt) my way around when I was first getting to know the game.

I'm really looking forward to exploring a new zone after Story Mode drops!