So how does the bearskin bedroll work?

[Skelegutplays]

The description on it says that it gives you some smell which might make wolves flee. Is this true and how long does the effect last?

[Serenity]

The wolf and bear coat have that too. It's a chance to scare them when they encounter you. They whine and run away. Very funny (unless you want to hunt a wolf), but it's random and thus not reliable.

[peteloud]

I was disappointed with my bearskin bedroll when it was just as easily destroyed as a normal bedroll in a wolf/bear attack.  I had expected it to be more resistant to these attacks.

[devamadhu]

On 8/27/2019 at 1:10 PM, peteloud said:

I was disappointed with my bearskin bedroll when it was just as easily destroyed as a normal bedroll in a wolf/bear attack.  I had expected it to be more resistant to these attacks.

I also assumed that the bearskin bedroll wouldn't decay nearly as fast as the regular bedroll, and I'm still surprised at how fast it decays - especially considering that it requires an entire bearskin for repairs. It just doesn't seem worth the trouble unless you really need the extra warmth. I don't tend to play on the higher difficulty levels though, so maybe the added protection is also a big help.

[Ahatch]

Ya it decays pretty fast. I do say that in the warm caves on Interloper I just had a 500 day run and never used the Bearskin bedroll at all going with the Bear coat instead. I did like the bedroll though when you were say sleeping at the Spence Farmstead on Voyageur. With the right clothing you could stay pretty warm without the need of the permafire all the time.  

[ManicManiac]

On ‎8‎/‎19‎/‎2019 at 2:22 AM, ManicManiac said:

...the items that increase those chances do stack.  Based on what I've experienced, if you have wolf coat(s), bearskin bedroll, bearskin coat, and moose hide cloak (in any combination) will help maximize the chance of scaring off wolves.  Again though, it's never guaranteed.

The Bearskin bedroll does contribute to the chances of scaring off wolves, but it's never a guarantee.  Having other items that contribute to those chances certainly helps (as I mention above).  In the past people have actually complained that combined effect of those items can cause wolves to "flee way too much." (but no mater what, there will be people that complain on both ends of the spectrum)   

The impression that the Bearskin bedroll decays quickly, I'm not so sure of.  It seems the bearskin bedroll actually decays slower from use than the standard bedroll... I think perhaps we just tend to rely on it more heavily, so we seemingly use it up "faster" because we are really just using it more.  These stats' may have changed (considering the source I acknowledge they could be totally wrong...) but it appears that the Bearskin bedroll does actually decay slightly faster when stored... but decays slower per hour of rest (or with use, in other words).  I suppose the combined effect could put the bearskin bedroll a little bit ahead, but only by a fraction of a percent.

 

Edited September 7, 2019 by ManicManiac

[Ahatch]

Didn't know the actual rate of decay. I just noticed when I was staying in one area by the time I had a bear hide cured my bedroll needed repair. Wasn't able to get a couple spare hides to think about getting the jacket. 

[devamadhu]

I think either way, it comes down to the fact that most of our gear is composed of heavy duty materials, and should be repairable in a more realistic fashion. 

For some reason, the game devs decided we can repair some gear with pieces of leather, but other items (which would likely be way sturdier IRL) require an entire bear or deerskin to make even the most minor of repairs. I'm always surprised that something as simple as the Snow Shelter requires different amounts of material depending on the level of decay, but an item as elaborate as the bearskin bedroll always requires one giant bearskin no matter how minor the decay is.

I think in real life, if I was such a survivalist megabadass that I could forge my own arrowheads, craft a bow and arrowheads strong enough to kill a bear, have the guts to stand in front of TWO bears with no other protection besides some ratty stolen clothing, and manage to shoot and kill *both* bears – I would probably have enough skill to figure out how to repair the freaking rugged bearskin bedroll I made using some leather scraps or even sturdy cloth. 

The same thing bugs me about ripping up an entire pair of nearly new heavy canvas work pants and only getting one piece of cloth out of them. I know the devs are trying to make things challenging, but sometimes things feel so unrealistic that they take me out of the immersion of the game.

Edited September 8, 2019 by devamadhu
clarity

[Jolan]

I've always thought of the bearskin bedroll as being a very late game item, for use once you notice it start to get colder.  

 

[ManicManiac]

@devamadhu

On ‎9‎/‎8‎/‎2019 at 9:16 AM, devamadhu said:

[text removed for brevity]
... should be repairable in a more realistic fashion. 

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I think in real life... 

[text removed for brevity]

...feel so unrealistic...

This reminds me of what Raph posted on the last Mailbag:

On ‎8‎/‎25‎/‎2019 at 4:36 AM, Raphael van Lierop said:

Wait wait -- please don't use "realism" as an argument for or against a game mechanic (or any tuning around it). You've played this game long enough, or been in this community long enough, to know not to do that. We don't design for realism, and we don't use it as a metric to determine how something should or should not work in the game. Our only "north star" is -- does something create the possibility for interesting choices to be made, choices that will deepen the player's experience in some way.

 

[devamadhu]

@ManicManiac

I understand that the game mechanics are designed to be challenging or interesting in and of themselves, and that the game devs aren't responsible for creating a totally realistic game. I doubt a totally realistic game would be as fun or challenging as the way TLD is designed. 

That said, I do think that there are some mechanics, like how we can accidentally apply painkillers to a sprain (instead of to the pain itself), that are so unrealistic they end up detracting from the immersive aspect of the game. I highly doubt anyone in a survival situation has sprained their ankle and decided to rub pain pills on their skin as a "bandage". 

Usually this bothers me more when it's randomly inconsistent, like how we can fix the moose hide satchel with leather, but we can't fix the deerskin boots with leather. Of course it creates a different sort of challenge, and I'm not vowing to delete the game because of it. But in this case I feel the awkwardness and inconsistency has more weight. Given the fact that we have the wishlist, and mechanics change fairly regularly, there doesn't seem to be a downside to mentioning it in a respectful way.

[ManicManiac]

23 minutes ago, devamadhu said:

like how we can accidentally apply painkillers to a sprain (instead of to the pain itself)...

I think that this part is more about the player just needing to pay attention to what they are doing.  That's not really a comment on the mechanic... this game was built on the idea that it wasn't going to hold our hand.  Which means the player needs to pay attention and take careful and deliberate action. 

23 minutes ago, devamadhu said:

Usually this bothers me more when it's randomly inconsistent, like how we can fix the moose hide satchel with leather, but we can't fix the deerskin boots with leather.

The inconsistencies, depending on how you look at it... that's a fair point.  I would have to look into that one some more... there may be a reason for that particular inconsistency... like I said though I would have to do some science first before speaking on it.  However in general, I would tend to agree... whatever the rules are for the game the should probably be consistent baring very specific conditions and/or instances.  I think that by and large the game does this very well.

23 minutes ago, devamadhu said:

Given the fact that we have the wishlist, and mechanics change fairly regularly, there doesn't seem to be a downside to mentioning it in a respectful way.

There is never anything wrong with participating by adding a thread to the wish list forum.  This means you can post whatever you would like to see added in the game... and those who agree with you can add their support.  This also means that those who have a differing point can also post here and be a part of the discussion...

Naturally, we should always be respectful no mater which side of an opinion we find ourselves.  Just because a person posts a wish, doesn't mean every needs to think it's a good idea.  Differing points of view is what good discussion is all about.  

Edited September 9, 2019 by ManicManiac