In game things that drive you mad

[Jolan]

What in game things, drive you mad?  Here's one for me - that wolf is near the island you can't get to in CH.  The weak ice doesn't seem to bother the deer or the wolves.  I've lost a couple of deer in just about that spot too.  Just drives me mad.  Plus, I really want to see what's on the back side of the island.  

[odizzido]

Not being able to step over tiny obstacles is probably number one, but generally anything that is really easy to do in real life being difficult or impossible in game is the most jarring and maddening. Having to eat three bears in a month is pretty jarring too. 

 

Edit——-

And although I disable them(which is great) intestinal parasites are crazy. How can our character be so completely  incompetent with cooking? I hope they can be disabled in story mode too when that’s all done and good to play. 

Edited September 5, 2019 by odizzido

[UpUpAway95]

In a word - sprains.

[ManicManiac]

Nothing.  I accept this game for what it is.   

[ajb1978]

The wind in your face.  All the time. 
You're heading south, with a strong headwind.  You get to your waypoint, drop the junk you're transporting, take an hour to warm up.
You exit, heading back north for your next load.  The wind has mysteriously shifted 180 degrees, and you are again struggling upwind.

[Wade]

A sprain system which discourages exploration in an exploration based game.  Being able to eat ruined food.  Not being able to see with all that breath in my face.  Not being able to remove those eyesores of campfires.  Not being able to read with intestinal parasites.  Not being able to clean up garbage inside homes.  Most all of which can be fixed with "unsupported mods", so not supporting mods.

[Jolan]

On 9/5/2019 at 3:43 AM, odizzido said:

intestinal parasites are crazy. How can our character be so completely  incompetent with cooking?

Intestinal parasites are actually a problem when eating bear meat.  And other forms of meat.  Part of the reason the CDC and others recommend using a meat thermometer is because color isn't a particularly good indicator of meat temperature unless you're really experienced with that meat.  Freezing doesn't kill the parasite, particularly in bear.  

 

[Jolan]

On 9/5/2019 at 4:15 PM, ManicManiac said:

Nothing.  I accept this game for what it is.   

But don't you want to see what's on the other side of that island  

 

[Jolan]

On 9/5/2019 at 11:51 PM, ajb1978 said:

You exit, heading back north for your next load.  The wind has mysteriously shifted 180 degrees, and you are again struggling upwind.

And just think - you are actually going uphill in the snow both ways!

 

[ManicManiac]

2 hours ago, Jolan said:

But don't you want to see what's on the other side of that island  

Of course I do... it just doesn't "drive me mad."

I accept the game for what it is, this way things don't frustrate me as much they do others.

Let me say ahead of time that I don't think you fall into this category but:
So often, I see people complaining about various aspects of the game...  by contrast, I generally choose to be grateful to have this game in our lives at all.  I figure instead of complaining about it, I should try first to just get better at living in the world that has been provided to us by the Hinterland Team.   

Don't get me wrong, pointing out bugs, exploits, or very drastic unbalances is a different mater entirely...  I guess there is a fine line between real feed back and people who feel the game should conform to only their specific tastes instead of just learning how to appreciate the wonderful experience we've been given to play around in.

I mean sure... it's frustrating to me to hunt an animal, only to have that animal run far out on thin ice and die, and therefore waste time and resources on a hunt I can't profit from.  I just take it as an in-game life lesson to be more situationally aware and be careful of how, when, and where I take my shot. 

Edited September 8, 2019 by ManicManiac
Edited for corrections and clarification

[Jolan]

@ManicManiac  You define "driven mad" totally different from me.  I've probably spent 4 hours trying to get to those carcases and/or that island.  Next really "warm day" I'm trying for it again in my skivvies.  I've got plans, sketches, diagrams..... 

 

[Stone]

Oh yeah, @ajb1978, I'm with you on the wind thing. In fact, I'm assuming it's a real mechanic so I now make a point of looking, when possible in the direction I want the wind to come from (i.e. not the way I'm going).

Also sprains. I accept the mechanic, I really do, but still. God damn it!

[ManicManiac]

16 hours ago, Jolan said:

@ManicManiac  You define "driven mad" totally different from me.  I've probably spent 4 hours trying to get to those carcases and/or that island.  Next really "warm day" I'm trying for it again in my skivvies.  I've got plans, sketches, diagrams..... 

Perhaps so...

I was using the commonly accepted definition of the expression (which is a shortened form of "driven to madness" which is akin to the expression "driving me crazy").  In other words (from the context inferred), "a thing or situation causing overwhelming frustration/agitation to the point of being unable to think rationally... the state of being mentally ill, especially severely" ...or "madness."

*

I  do know what you mean about being intently fixated on a thing though... I recently got stuck in the terrain on day 156 (I was trying to map 100% of Great Bear and I had two maps finished at the time).  I stubbornly tried to wiggle my way to freedom (reenacting the movie 127 Hours) for more than 5 game days before finally dying of exhaustion, starvation, and dehydration. 

I also have had deer and wolves that would die out on thin ice... and even worse, deer that have died up on slopes that there is no hope for the player to ever reach (unless you're @ice hole, I suppose - that one seems to be the master of getting to place we're not supposed to).

In either case I wouldn't say it "drove me mad"... sure I worked at it for many more hours that I probably should have.  However I didn't find it too frustrating... I just took it as a lesion to be better and more careful going forward.   

Edited September 9, 2019 by ManicManiac

[ThePancakeLady]

Not being able to climb to the top of every single hill and mountain. 

I mean... Every. Single. Hill. And. Mountain.

If I can see it, I want to climb it, lol.

[Jolan]

6 hours ago, ThePancakeLady said:

If I can see it, I want to climb it, lol.

Its part of the reason I'm psyched you can climb so many things that you didn't used to be able to... like the stairs in the Dam  I finally got to stand on the stone bridge in MT, and climb up a tree to a rocky area in CH... and that weird place where all the clipping happened, probably wasn't supposed to go there.

 

[ThePancakeLady]

4 hours ago, Jolan said:

Its part of the reason I'm psyched you can climb so many things that you didn't used to be able to... like the stairs in the Dam  I finally got to stand on the stone bridge in MT, and climb up a tree to a rocky area in CH... and that weird place where all the clipping happened, probably wasn't supposed to go there.

 

Ah, yes. But there are also now many areas where you used to be able to climb, that now have invisible walls, or insta-kill areas added, to keep us from going where we are not supposed to be. Part of the draw for me was always to find a way to those "forbidden" places, to see a view few people, or no people, had seen before. Tied very much to my IRL fascination with such views, rock climbing or caving in my youth. No invisible walls there in the real world, but "death zones" ... sure. In real life my physical limitations and medical issues now stop me from seeking out those views. Video games became my way of seeking that excitement and thrill of discovery. And though I completely understand why some areas in this game, and any other, are closed off, it does frustrate me to not be able to go there any longer. Seeing someone else's screenshots or video of those places, reached legitimately or through "cheats" is not satisfying for me, it does not give me the sense of accomplishment I got/get from figuring out the puzzle of getting my character(s) there using legitimate game mechanics, or even glitches, seeing that rare view, and bringing my character back "safely".

 

Of course, I still try.  Legitimately, no mods, no "cheats", (but glitches  are fair game). And I may have many character deaths before I succeed, or give up. But the urge to be the first, or among the first, to discover these places still lives in me. And I will never stop trying. Probably why I am still alive IRL, in the real world, death is final, no respawns or new saves. So... yep. My gal will keep trying to climb those hills and mountains in this game, and many others.

[UpUpAway95]

On 9/8/2019 at 9:22 PM, Jolan said:

@ManicManiac  You define "driven mad" totally different from me.  I've probably spent 4 hours trying to get to those carcases and/or that island.  Next really "warm day" I'm trying for it again in my skivvies.  I've got plans, sketches, diagrams..... 

 

That's my take on it as well... using Albert Einstein's definition of insanity - "doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results."

[Ahatch]

Nothing gets me mad but I find it annoying when after I throw a rock at a rabbit and it drops when I run to pick it up I accidentally throw a rock instead of picking up the rabbit  Not a gaming issue but I hate getting notifications in the middle of a game . Drives me nuts. 

Edited September 16, 2019 by Ahatch

[rakshasa]

On 9/16/2019 at 3:12 PM, Ahatch said:

Nothing gets me mad but I find it annoying when after I throw a rock at a rabbit and it drops when I run to pick it up I accidentally throw a rock instead of picking up the rabbit  Not a gaming issue but I hate getting notifications in the middle of a game . Drives me nuts. 

Oh man, this so much. Though one time I accidentally threw the rock right as the rabbit was getting up and stunned it again 🤣
Most of the time I run with one rock only, specifically to avoid this.

[Cairngormless]

For me - when you are engaged in an automated activity like chopping wood or harvesting a carcass and get attacked by a wolf or a bear.  I looked around a bit before I started, and couldn't see anything.  I'd like to think I'd have half an eye out and would notice a bear coming up when I'm swinging a hatchet.  But I get mauled.  

It's most annoying because as a player I have no opportunity to save myself - it feels like it's not about the way I play, but a random bit of luck.  And yes, I know you can light a fire to scare animals away - but I shouldn't have to - I  should be able to stop, get ready to fight, or even run away if I wanted.

And to add insult to injury, because the action wasn't completed, the game doesn't take account of how far through I was - so I'm back to chopping or harvesting from the beginning.  

Hinterland - any chance of adding a 'something's coming' break option?

 

[Jolan]

16 minutes ago, Cairngormless said:

Hinterland - any chance of adding a 'something's coming' break option?

@Cairngormless That looks like a great question for the mail bag!

 

[Cairngormless]

26 minutes ago, Jolan said:

@Cairngormless That looks like a great question for the mail bag!

 

Done!  A moan should always be constructive...

[Gazbeard]

The main thing in-game that irritates me is watching a gameplay stream or video and the player is sprinting everywhere ... that's not how you survive.

Calorie and stamina conservation is essential in a survival situation, and sprinting is the fastest way to run headlong into trouble ... usually in the form of 1000 lbs of angry bear, or five x 200 lb bundles of puppy fluff intent on giving your face a severe licking.

[Jolan]

7 hours ago, Gazbeard said:

Calorie and stamina conservation is essential in a survival situation, and sprinting is the fastest way to run headlong into trouble

I agree, on stalker and interloper I only sprint if it will save my life.   I was trying to explain to someone I was introducing to the game that all the sprinting being done by the streamers was probably because of viewers short attention spans.

 

Edited September 29, 2019 by Jolan

[Gazbeard]

On 9/29/2019 at 6:20 PM, Jolan said:

I agree, on stalker and interloper I only sprint if it will save my life.   I was trying to explain to someone I was introducing to the game that all the sprinting being done by the streamers was probably because of viewers short attention spans.

 

For the short attention spans, I blame twitter and the tweet culture ... or should that be that I blame tweeters and the twit culture?

 

Edited October 2, 2019 by Gazbeard