Possible way how to get your staff over cliff. Backpack change.

[acada]

I assume the player is wandering the Great Bear with his staff in some sort of backpack. I cannot imagine to carry so many thing without one. So when one arrives to cliff with little overburden. There is rope. I imagine it should be possible to tie the backpack to it. So it would leave one with the clothing he wears and he can climb or descend. After one climbs, he will have to pull his staff up. If player is climbing down, he would have to lower his pack first and then climb down. There are of course possibilities to change. For example rifle has its own strap so it could remain on player. Same for the bow. Knife can remain in pocket so revolver can.

The backpack gives me another idea. If you are in danger, you dont run with pack on the back. You put it down (dedicated key maybe, not instant action, you need a second) and then run. Again you will leave your staff in the pack with possible exceptions.

[ajb1978]

Raph actually addressed this more or less directly in the first Milton Mailbag.  Not the part about lowering your pack down a rope, but about being able to drop your pack in a general sense.  Here's what he has to say on the issue.

On 6/22/2018 at 6:01 PM, Raphael van Lierop said:

Question 1 from Twitter user @steamengineace:

Thanks for the great question, Cace. The way the current inventory (pack) is set up in the game, there's no notion of it being separate from the Survivor, meaning, the game code looks at what you're carrying as part of the character. That's why the Moose Hide Satchel essentially serves as a modifier on carrying capacity -- from the perspective of the game itself, it doesn't "see" the Pack or Satchel as being containers that are separate from the player. Changing that so that specific items you're carrying are held in separate containers that can be added or removed by the player would require a complete overhaul to our Inventory system, which is a pretty big change, and this system sort of reaches deep into game systems that have existed for nearly 5 years. 

One thing we could do, however, is introduce more things like the Moose Hide Satchel, which basically serve to modify the amount of stuff you can carry. But that wouldn't solve the problem of being able to "take off the pack" and "put it down". 

In the past, we have talked about adding functionality like that, also so that you could drop your pack to get a speed boost when sprinting from predators, for example. We've held off on pursuing this due to the complexity of those systems and how much effort would go into revising them. But, if you've played our game for a while you'll know we do occasionally go back and change major game systems so this could be a change we look at in the future -- no promises though.

 

[acada]

I see. I should maybe start two topics so one idea wouldnt be burried under another. So the way it is coded: No pack (probably). But the lifting and lowering things using rope could be nice. Even if you shall pick one or two things (I am looking at you rifle). It could help you to overcome cliffs. I agree moving burden this way can be tricky since cliff edge can damage the rope and the stuff IRL. 

Second thought on droping backpack. Game knows what item is "worn" and what item is "wielded" right? If not, how the body core temperature is calculated and how I am able to shoot, light etc. So if the bear happens, press the "Oh My" button. Game generates new backpack object, moves all items from your body with !wielded !worn flags and you are free to run to escape big brown manly hug. Another thing is, it could populate map with many packs which one can misuse. This dropped backpack object should be like "Take everything or nothing" and after player takes the content, pack disappear from the map.

Oh as I know developers: By "Game generates new backpack object" I mean generate it on the spot where player stands. Not on another map please. :-D

[ajb1978]

Ultimately everything is doable, the real question is return on investment.  I also work with software developers, and managing our story points per sprint is a big issue.  There are a lot of things we would like to have done, but only so many hours in a 6-week sprint...so the top value items end up on the kanban, and the nice-to-haves stay in the bucket.  And TBH while yes, this would be nice, I'd really like the Bear Spear finished first

 

 

[acada]

Sure. If my suggestion makes it to the BackLog and be there, it is good for me.

If anyones from DEVs/PMs is reading: I am good QA (my coleagues say so). I can offer test or two. Of course from blackbox perspective since I have no access to code.