Supply Journal, Receding Snow, etc.

[ubiquityxx]

Here a few thoughts I had during my last play session, I felt would be nice:

1)Supply Journal - Keeps notes of what you have at specific locations you visit. On the map you can see what you have at any location with a mouse-over. Keeping track of supplies is automatic, no user interaction needed.

2)Receding Snow - There are random spots throughout the map that, given conditions, reveal a resource (corpse, box, item, etc.). It is available for a limited time before it gets covered again.

3)Wait It Out - It would be nice to just wait (e.g. Elder Scrolls games) and let time pass by.

4)Calorie Consumption Throttle - Calorie consumption can change based on activity. e.g. If your standing around or waiting you consume less calories.

5)Slowed Time - When in a menu slow down time a little.

6)Shower - I don't know about you but after 20 days of survival if I came across a shower hell that would bump up my motivation to live.

My 2c.

[Trandor]

1) If you want that, do it yourself. It would making survival way too easy if you always knew where you left what. Besides, in the sandbox you usually carry all the stuff to one location and in the story mode you'll probably be drifting from place to place. Either way, I don't think this is needed.

2) Well why go through all that trouble instead of simply doing a random spawn like the bunker?

3) Would be nice, but usually you don't want to wait outside anyway, so you might as well just go to sleep when you're inside.

4) If you are standing around with all your gear on, you will still have a pretty solid calorie usage. Only when getting rid off that 30kg backpack of yours would the intake needed decrease. So rather than doing that just upon waiting, I'd recommend what a-z-booka recommended and simply lower it when cooking, crafting, fishing, harvesting or repairing.

6) You can always go for a quick dip in the frozen creek.

But seriously, you could say the same about a decent loo, which is missing in almost all locations. Also: I don't want to be a stickler, but if there is no heating whatsoever, the water would probably be frozen in the pipes.

[ubiquityxx]

1) True. Point taken.

2) Random spawns are taken care of already - same idea but outside instead. Thought of it as another way to present resources while not making it overtly obvious. There's a chance you may come across them (or not) much like the secret bunker.

3)Intended for inside use only - lol. Who in thee hell would wait outside?

4)Totally agree. Just add "waiting" to the list of tasks.

6) Great point about the frozen pipes.

[Beanie]

1) I quite like the idea of an in-game journal, but I'm not sure I would want it to automate notes/supplies etc. I'd rather you could make those entries yourself by writing (typing) in the journal what information you wanted to remember. It would be even better if the notes reflected your current condition. i.e. if you are near death's door, then the font used is some scratchy, barely legible typeface. Purely cosmetic, but atmospheric!

2) Again, I like the concept, because it would give the player a reason to go outside and scout around in the later game, rather than hiding in his hut. Not sure how that would work with the existing art assets. I suppose a "snow-less" patch could be overlain over the existing terrain. However, that sort of thing is more of a "spring is coming" kind of thing, and the game is supposed to be set in the winter, I believe, so probably not entirely appropriate. Next season though, definitely! Until then, I suppose a direct spawn, like Trandor suggests, would be best, though it would have to be things that could get to the spawn point (like a wandering animal that died, or maybe a piece of wood that could have fallen from nearby trees).

6) I think the closest you could (or would want) to come to that in such an environment would be a wash with a cloth and some water heated in a bowl. Agreed that it might give you a small morale boost, but I think I'd rather find a loose floorboard in one of the houses that revealed a hidden cache of supplies!

[ubiquityxx]

2) I was imagining windy, blustery condition may reveal the items in the snow. Snowfall or a blizzard would cover it up.

Then again, being a native southern Californian I can't speak from authority in how snow works. I could tell you how big the swells are today on the coast though!