Corpses, Corpses, Everywhere!

[piddy3825]

Been playing the game for a while now and until just recently I really wasn't aware of how many corpses were really laying around.  Not including the all the ones you find in the cabins on top of that.  Got me to wondering, who were these people in the game?  Where they the unfortunate residents of the island in their attempt to flee to the mainland?  Or were these dead npc's part of the Tree Talker activists?  I really would have expected that as residents of the island, those npc's would have better cold weather survival skills and not have been struck down so easily.  Many of them apparently close to shelter as it would appear in so many cases.  Now on the other hand, if they were mainlander eco activists from the big city, perhaps they would not have possessed the bushcraft necessary to survive outdoors indefinitely.  Which might support the fact that when they are looted they dont have that much usable gear in their possession.  

So what can you do with your local corpse?  they, the dead are a constant reminder of the brutal nature of the elements that make up the game,  Can't eat them, can't bury them, can't move them... 

[ManicManiac]

@piddy3825
Just think of them as an extra storage container... After fire starting level 3, I fill their pockets with tinder.  I keep stashes of stones in their pockets.   

Seriously though, I just think of them as other survivors that just didn't make it.  From a Wintermute standpoint (as you mention), you might say they were folks who where trying to get off the island (trying to evacuate after the first flare) and also tragically didn't make it.  There are plenty stories you can sort of intuit just based on where you find them and the things around them.  There is a lot of really good and subtle storytelling going on in this game, and for me it's part of what make the game world feel so alive... even though everyone else seems to be dead or otherwise gone. 

Edited September 16, 2019 by ManicManiac

[RegentRelic]

During wintermute we do get a hand full of corpses stories.

[Jimmy]

On 9/16/2019 at 11:01 AM, ManicManiac said:

@piddy3825
Just think of them as an extra storage container... After fire starting level 3, I fill their pockets with tinder.  I keep stashes of stones in their pockets.   

Seriously though, I just think of them as other survivors that just didn't make it.  From a Wintermute standpoint (as you mention), you might say they were folks who where trying to get off the island (trying to evacuate after the first flare) and also tragically didn't make it.  There are plenty stories you can sort of intuit just based on where you find them and the things around them.  There is a lot of really good and subtle storytelling going on in this game, and for me it's part of what make the game world feel so alive... even though everyone else seems to be dead or otherwise gone. 

I like to store my meat in them. Keeps it fresher.

But seriously, I agree with you about storytelling. Bethesda does a lot of the same style of storytelling in their games too, creating a diorama using corpses and game objects to lead the viewer to piece together a story out of it. I love these fun little easter-eggs in the game, and hope the team continues sneaking them into the future builds.

Corpse next to open can of low condition half-eaten pork and beans, perhaps?

[ManicManiac]

9 hours ago, Jimmy said:

Corpse next to open can of low condition half-eaten pork and beans, perhaps?

I think one of my favorite tableaus involved a crib, an abandoned teddy bear, and some subtle blood smears on the crib mattress.  The story I imagine goes with it:  ...an injured parent came back (very much in a hurry) to get their child before trying to make the trek to the Coast (as suggested in the Story Mode) where other folks have been heading towards; expecting that a ship was coming to evacuate them after the disaster.

Another good one I found was on Timberwolf Mountain (behind the wing wreckage, on a high vantage behind it), there was just a corpse with a rifle, some ammo, and a red scarf.  I imagine that to be either the aftermath of a bear attack (who's cave is also nearby) or even perhaps a ravaging from the nearby wolves. 

I do really love these little bits of story telling, they do so much for the imagination, and I agree with you 100%.  I imagine they will continue along the same vein.  Raph has spoken about environmental storytelling before; it's apparent that he has a great appreciation and a definite knack for it.  I think it's safe to say we will see more of it as time goes on. 
 

Edited October 11, 2019 by ManicManiac