Use Less

[Ice Hole]

There was a time when Birch Bark was added as tinder and it had some use but most of us would be using cat tails.  This made Birch Bark mostly useless.  Only purpose I could figure was how often it would troll me in thinking bark was a stick.  Then Birch Bark tea became a reality in the Long Dark and now there is no reason not to pick it up, unless you are deadman.

The Scrub Brush was added and it too was exciting at first to discover a new fuel.  Over time though these Scrub Brush have become less desirable.  Not entirely useless but somewhat.  Would be neat if these could be lit on fire.

Battery is an example of how something in the Long Dark that had no purpose whatsoever for a long time.  Now Battery become a top five collectors item.  Interlopers have not yet appreciated the purposefulness of Battery, other than for some companionship.

Climbing Rope is for goats.  To eat for breakfast.  These have less purpose now as almost every region can be accessed without a rope.  Mount Timberwolf summit is accessible to goats.  Only the ravines need rope.

The solitary Rosehip in a trash can.   Only find eight on a bush and need twenty four to make tea.  The challenge is to find the other seven otherwise it is useless.

All the cardboard boxes and newspaper seem to have little use.  If you have a delivery route these paper products can be useful.  For emergency tinder not very useful especially if there are cattails around. The time it takes to break sown.  Plus the extra weight compared to cattails add up to the paper products having little value as tinder.  Good thing the books can be burnt as fuel.

 

Do these or will these items serve another purpose?

 

 

[ManicManiac]

[Removed Previous Comment]

I realized we were kind of saying the same thing in different ways... so I removed my post.

However, the only thing that I find that is truly useless... is tinder after fire starting level 3.
I do still wish tinder plugs would continue to be useful beyond that point, but I've discussed that before. 

Edited March 8, 2020 by ManicManiac

[Ice Hole]

Tinder comes in different forms.  Birch bark is the most useful tinder even after the fire starting buff at level three.  As for the cat tail, that fluff could be useful for maybe bedding or stuffing.  The paper products offer nothing more than paper mache or maybe composte for growing mushrooms.  Cardboard boxes should be able to be stuffed inside a fire barrel or stove.

[manolitode]

7 hours ago, Ice Hole said:

Interlopers have not yet appreciated the purposefulness of Battery, other than for some companionship.

Well done sir, you have come up with a new definition of loneliness. I couldn't help but think of Wilson in Cast away I suppose we sometimes break them down for the lead because the extra skill points in a useless skill will still look good on paper.

Some scrub bushes make a great source of emergency firewood in the wolf-infested areas of Forlorn for example, where you might not want to risk spending an hour chopping wood. A few outside Poacher's camp and Old Spence family homestead that might just save your day. Setting bushes on fire to create a "campfire" would be kind of cool in a biblical way. 

[jhickie]

I am a Loper/Deadman.. battery and birch bark mock us, as does the Cannery.

11 hours ago, manolitode said:

Well done sir, you have come up with a new definition of loneliness. I couldn't help but think of Wilson in Cast away

I may have to try this.. if only we could paint a happy face on it 

18 hours ago, Ice Hole said:

The solitary Rosehip in a trash can. 

The ultimate troll job by the devs. Never pick that thing up, it will drive you mad!

[manolitode]

3 hours ago, jhickie said:

I may have to try this.. if only we could paint a happy face on it 

For sure, just gather a bunch of batteries and drag them to the front yard of your main base. Then place them like a happy face. 2 for the eyes, 5 for the mouth cause a big smile is always useful 😋

[Ice Hole]

The Rosehip has become used less. 
Once these berries could fix a sprain. 
Now a drink of rosehip just removes pain.

Time to prepare and added weight.
Pick a total of twenty four.
Now I pass rosehips by and just ignore.
 

[Dahart]

On 3/9/2020 at 4:05 AM, Ice Hole said:

Birch bark is the most useful tinder even after the fire starting buff at level three.

Could you elaborate on that?

[Ice Hole]

1 hour ago, Dahart said:

Could you elaborate on that?

The tinder can also be made into tea that heals.  Rare it is for me to use birch bark as tinder.  

[Dahart]

Actually, birch bark is one of the most useless items for me.

Use as tinder? Nah, i have 5 other options already, don't need a 6th.

Use for healing? It doesn't heal frostbite, and for everything else there is sleep. You have to sleep anyway.

[Ice Hole]

8 hours ago, Dahart said:

Use for healing? It doesn't heal frostbite, and for everything else there is sleep. You have to sleep anyway.

 

You are right.  Frostbite cannot be healed by any means.  Also the sleep and heal is way overpowered.  On interloper you can starve all day eat a snack before bedtime and heal all the way back plus more than what was lost.  In my opinion on interloper the sleep heal should be nerfed or taken away.  There are other ways to heal already in game.

[ajb1978]

11 hours ago, Dahart said:

Actually, birch bark is one of the most useless items for me.

It is a renewable source of tea, meaning it is a renewable source of the Warming Up buff.  If you don't care about the extra 2% healed, having a boost to your temperature and your heat loss halved for 1 hour is huge.

Edit: That 1% healed per hour also counteracts the 1% lost per hour from exhaustion, making birch bark tea an effective way to stay mobile without losing condition after you are exhausted.

Edited May 7, 2020 by ajb1978

[Moll]

Like i said, paper items could be used as low end fire accelerant.

Edited May 7, 2020 by Moll

[mayimbe]

For me the birch bark is very useful to use it as it has good healing options it warms you and it is a renewable source and in the long term it is the only thing that cures you.

[Dahart]

14 hours ago, ajb1978 said:

It is a renewable source of tea, meaning it is a renewable source of the Warming Up buff.  If you don't care about the extra 2% healed, having a boost to your temperature

That is a good thing indeed. But only as long as you don't have proper clothing. Once you have clothing with about -23 deg and a good windchill factor, i guess you would rarely need it. Unless you want to go out in really shitty weather Which usually also means you cannot really see because of storm.

[Ice Hole]

5 hours ago, Dahart said:

Which usually also means you cannot really see because of storm.

One of the best times for travelling.  

Storm time for most interlopers is a great time to pack up 10 kg of raw meat and head to a new region.  Predators during blizzards have trouble seeing hearing smelling you.  Want to walk around BI and not worry about pesky timberwolves bring hot teas and stroll around during a blizzard.  A couple chunks of coal to warm another batch of teas and you can cross most regions during a storm.  Just remember to stay out of the wind.  The strong winds will tear your clothes up.

 

Edited May 8, 2020 by Ice Hole

[mayimbe]

Wolves detect you just as blizzard and blizzard because of the smell. and the birch bark tea not only warms you, you also regain health, very useful in the long term.

[Dahart]

On 5/8/2020 at 4:06 PM, Ice Hole said:

  Predators during blizzards have trouble seeing hearing smelling you.

I was always wondering if the impairment also is true for the animals and not just for me.

Anyway, i don't want to run into a bear 😮

[mayimbe]

 

I found bears and wolves in blizzards and in the middle of the fog and they see you long before you can see them.