suggestion Fast Forward Button

[darkstarmike]

As an alternative to sprinting, create a function that allows players to speed up the in-game clock while walking. Calories would burn and time would pass at normal rates, but the game itself is fast-forwarded, to truncate tedious commuting time. This mechanic should be restricted so that players can’t use it in the presence of attackers, or in territory that they have not yet visited and/or mapped. There are a number of situations in which I've found myself where I'm bored because I'm stuck trudging somewhere, and I just want the commute to end, but sprinting is either ineffective or detrimental (i.e. encumbered but safe, lost and needing to find the edge of the map, back and forth commuting). In-game this mechanic could be likened to daydreaming while hiking; leaving players open to attack and allowing them to expend water, calorie, and rest reserves without realizing it. I fully understand why a typical fast travel system wouldn't work in The Long Dark, and I think that this is a viable alternative. On keyboards it could be mapped to any W-A-S-D proximal key, and on game-pads it could be bound to L-3. 

[VR00MER28]

I don't really like this idea because for me that would ruin the game, I actually like going slow and mapping everything put in my head. Plus its less realistic, but this could just be me. Thanks for sharing your idea!

[darkstarmike]

@VR00MER28 I get what you mean. I'm coming from the standpoint that it's a game and games need to be fun (even if that fun isn't superficial). The problem for me in certain situations/moments is that they're costing me real-world time without adding something to the experience. It's also important that players be at the mercy of the cold, but the game doesn't actually require them to lower their core temp. I would stress that the player should be very vulnerable (more vulnerable than usual) while fast-traveling.

[MRE_MAN]

I mean this would be nice and all but this is TLD. And it’s really just not tailored to that kind of idea. Nor would it be well received I’d imagine.

[Prestermatt]

I would remove "fast travel" from the description, because it has meanings in other games that might turn people off from the idea.  What this sounds like to me is like the "time passing" when you're reading a book — I did some of that yesterday on a fallen tree waiting for the TH bear to make his rounds.  It helped make the wait go faster and burned some hours off "Guns Guns Guns", but I'm not sure I'd want to travel like that.

What you really just want is to speed up time.  Like turning up the speed on an audiobook or podcast.  I think that could be useful.  You save real life time at the expense of being that much less prepared to deal with sudden hazards, because they'll come at you faster.  This would not affect the core gameplay at all.  Some people might even like the extra thrill.

[darkstarmike]

@Prestermatt Thanks for the advice.