Improved Weak Ice mechanics

[Beanie]

So, at present, we have the "Weak Ice" warning that flashes up and the ominous creaking sound. If you ignore it, then you get an instant watery death.

Although it probably wouldn't be terribly realistic, I think there should be a chance for the player to survive a dunking. Something like the wolf-fighting mechanic, maybe, with a lot of mouse clicking to somehow scramble back onto the ice and out of the water. So instead of the "You died" message, you maybe get something like a scene with the edge of the ice in front of you and your head keeps going under water etc. Maybe a pair of hands (your own) scrabbling for grip on the ice's edge.

I think there should be some variance in the chance of escaping (much like the wolf fights where you have a variety of weapons you can use) the difficulty of actually getting out would depend as much on how much weight you carry and what types of clothing you have on. For instance, carrying 25Kg and wearing heavy boots and woolens etc. should be near impossible to survive, but if you prepared beforehand by removing gear, lightening your pack etc. it should be survivable.

Of course, once you get out you then have to get dry and warm real quick! So even getting out of the water may not guarantee your survival if you are far from a warm fire!

At the moment, the weak ice is only used as a kind of invisible wall at the level's edge. I would like to see it used in other ways to make it more interesting and to make the mechanics changes outlined above actually useful.

Imagine having to cross a "frozen" river, only to find the ice was weak! Or venturing out onto the lake. You can see an island with a house on it, but there is weak ice all around? Do you risk it?

In short, I think the weak ice itself, and the mechanics of it, could be improved a lot from what they are now and add to the gameplay.

[AAA05]

I agree. Also, have you ever wondered how bears weighing about 770–1540 lbs get across thin ice. They can do it. So can humans. It is a scientific fact that if you crawl over thin ice, there is a better chance to get across it without falling through.

[EternityTide]

Crawling increases the surface area over which your weight is distributed, which means that the pressure on one point of ice is decreased than if you were walking on it. Let's say that when you are walking on ice, you have a maximum surface area contact (when both your feet are on the ice) is 0.05m², and you have a maximum body mass of 80KG

So, pressure= Force/ area therefore, the force of your weight is Mass x acceleration of gravity (9.81ms^-2)

so, your weight is 784.8 Newtons

so the pressure you apply to the ground is:

784.8/0.05= 15696 Pascals (Newtons per meter²)

That is quite a lot of pressure for thin ice to hold up, so let us assume now that you are on your belly, and have a maximum surface area of 0.56m² (average human height x the average width of a human (this I worked out by adding the average human chest width to the width of a human legs together and dividing by 2))

so now the pressure applied to the ground is:

784.8/0.56= 1401 pascals

this is just over 11 times less pressure than if you were standing on your feet, so less force is applied to the ice per square meter than if you were walking.

This, however, requires for a "go prone" mechanic to be added, but since you can already crouch it wouldn't be too hard to implement.

[Shaesi]

I agree that "Weak Ice" mechanic should be somehow similar to fighting a wolf (you can fight and have a chance of survival and you also have to get dry and warm quickly if you escape -like using antiseptic and bandage after a wolf fight-).

I also think the "Weak Ice" warning should be red and not white, because currently the "Weak Ice" warning is displayed the same way of the names of buildings and areas and it leads to confusion the first time a player see it, thinking it might be only the name of the area and not a real danger.

Once you have seen a map you know "Weak Ice" is the end of the map, but if you play without looking at a map you will most likely die exploring due to "Weak Ice" because the map looks bigger than it actually is.

[hunglasx]

I agree too. It's really so annoying that seeing "You're dead" message every time. I think we need to have chance to survive.

[Bill Tarling]

I agree too. It's really so annoying that seeing "You're dead" message every time. I think we need to have chance to survive.

There is a chance - you just cracking away from the cracking ice.

[hunglasx]

I agree too. It's really so annoying that seeing "You're dead" message every time. I think we need to have chance to survive.

There is a chance - you just cracking away from the cracking ice.

I didn't know that, it was like every time you walking on weak ice, you'll die after some time.

But I still agree the idea that about a mechanic like wolf fights.

[elloco999]

I have the wolf fight mechanic, so please don't add another senseless button smashing exercise.

I do agree that going through the ice should not be insta-death although the chances for survival should be slim but doable. But in another thread someone said the devs had already planned somehting, but left it out for now so it wouldn't hold up the release of the Coastal Highway map.

Personally, I wouldn't really mind if they left it the way it is. The only place where you can find weak ice is if you go out too far towards the ocean. It's just used as the border of the map. Don't go beyond the line of the two islands and you'll be fine... And like BillTarling said, if you do get out on the weak ice, once you hear it cracking, turn around and run!

[Shaesi]

I agree too. It's really so annoying that seeing "You're dead" message every time. I think we need to have chance to survive.

There is a chance - you just cracking away from the cracking ice.

The first time I walked into weak ice and heard the cracking ice, I turned around and walk away from the cracking ice but I died anyway. I'm sure I'm not the only one. I think is unfair to die instantly just because you don't know where the map ends. You can see mountains and islands far away that can make you think the map is bigger than it is, but if you try to go there you will die.

[EternityTide]

the moment I saw the weak ice warning, and heard the ice crack, I backed off. I fell through ice when I was 12, and have been phobic of frozen bodies of water since.

[TattooedMac]

There is a roadmap for a more animated solution to the "Thin Ice" in the works. When it will be implemented, I'm not quite sure, but do feel easier knowing that the Dev's are working on a better way of having the, falling through the ice, come across better, and feel more real like.

[s_miracle]

There is a roadmap for a more animated solution to the "Thin Ice" in the works. When it will be implemented, I'm not quite sure, but do feel easier knowing that the Dev's are working on a better way of having the, falling through the ice, come across better, and feel more real like.

Good news. I had a feeling it would be difficult to forego an animation of some kind.