Items that would be cool/useful

[Ijustwantsleds]

To start off a sled basic plastic or wooden one it’s purpose is to move more supplies then you could carry it would slow you down a bit bit could carry food or water maybe other supplies.next would be a shotgun simple pump action or double barrel for hunting crows or rabbits maybe it could also scare off wolves or maybe a musket that could fire a rock . a multitool that could act as simple tools and a knife but degrade faster .more packs like a hiking pack or hunting pack maybe craft able like the moose bag .maybe something to do during survival like make a wooden cabin simple structures like cabins or lean toos the cabins could be permanent and allow the player to have a little bit of customization 

[odizzido]

From my experience multitools are really common in canada. I have one on me right now and I know many other people do as well. They're never as good as a dedicated tool but often times they are good enough and come with the massive benefit of being super portable. I find it highly likely you would have access to them. Thinking about how that would help gameplay wise though is another thing. In TLD all we really need is a knife so it might not be very useful.

I was going to comment on the weight of the knife. My multitool is probably about 80-100 grams and the knife in TLD is 500g.....but that made me realise that the knife in this game is really on the high end of heavy. I am looking online right now to try to find a knife that heavy and I haven't seen any. 200-400g is pretty common and 400+ is quite rare. I found a specifically marketed as a large knife and it's only 430g.

 

Seeing that I just took a look at some hatchets. I found the following ones, 630g, 930g, 566g, and 680g. The one in TLD is 1500g. Where on bear island are the residents finding these super heavy tools? Sorry I am getting off topic now.....going to start a new thread.

[oplli]

the sled would break the game mechanic that we have wich is the weight... 

more packs is the same thing. moosehide sachel is really hard to get this is why it have a interest.

the new weapond would be useless beacause it has the same exact fonction than the revolver. kill rabitts, sacare wolves etc.

what purpose could have a multi tool?

[Lumiiyx]

What about a space blanket?  Something that is small and compact, but can help reduce heat loss. I think this might be useful if you happened upon a Hunter's Blind but then it started to storm and you couldn't safely navigate to the nearest shelter.

Edited to add: Crampons I think they are called. They help you with mobility in the snow and ice and hiking poles (I think there are ones that have metal on the end to stick into snow and ice) used for mountaineering. I figured with a lot of mountain region, they would use something like this to keep balance especially when going up a snowy hill.

Edited October 1, 2020 by LumiStylesTTV

[TiffTastic]

4 hours ago, LumiStylesTTV said:

Edited to add: Crampons I think they are called. They help you with mobility in the snow and ice and hiking poles (I think there are ones that have metal on the end to stick into snow and ice) used for mountaineering. I figured with a lot of mountain region, they would use something like this to keep balance especially when going up a snowy hill.

Definitely this! I am a bit of a pack rat and I’m tired of eternally sprained ankles and only using the pistol cause sprained wrist...I won’t use my last two bandages on sprains unless they are both wrists, not after my bear and wolf tag team bleed out death on Timberwolf mountain last week.....

[Lumiiyx]

I know and it seems near impossible to get up the slope to get to a prepper cache without suffering an injury due to the brittle bones MacKenzie has. I even emptied my pack. -.-

[TiffTastic]

You know what would be cool and I think not mess with the game mechanics? Those chemical hand warmers. They could be used much like hot coffee or food for the warming up bonus and also prevent frostbite while used, but they only last like one in game hour or 30 minutes.maybe make them a bit stronger than coffee but also a bit heavier, like 0.25kg

[odizzido]

46 minutes ago, TiffTastic said:

You know what would be cool and I think not mess with the game mechanics? Those chemical hand warmers. They could be used much like hot coffee or food for the warming up bonus and also prevent frostbite while used, but they only last like one in game hour or 30 minutes.maybe make them a bit stronger than coffee but also a bit heavier, like 0.25kg

Oh no. No no no. This is the long dark. The chemical hand warmers must be 5kg. Each. Minimum.

[oplli]

3 hours ago, odizzido said:

Oh no. No no no. This is the long dark. The chemical hand warmers must be 5kg. Each. Minimum.

xD fair enough.

[TiffTastic]

16 hours ago, odizzido said:

Oh no. No no no. This is the long dark. The chemical hand warmers must be 5kg. Each. Minimum.

🤣🤣🤣

[Lumiiyx]

19 hours ago, odizzido said:

Oh no. No no no. This is the long dark. The chemical hand warmers must be 5kg. Each. Minimum.

I'll stick to my coffee and tea in that case 😛

[ajb1978]

I've said it before and what the heck, I'll say it again: Introduce that Bear Spear into survival mode.  Give it two functions.  RMB to brace against a charge, or LMB to thrust it as a stabbing weapon.  Brace vs. charge would be useful against moose and bear, LMB to thrust would be a defensive move that if timed right would kill a wolf mid-charge.  Utterly useless against deer.  Edit: OK maybe not utterly useless against deer.  If by some fluke you're able to actually overtake a deer and stab it with the spear, you deserve that meat.

Edited October 4, 2020 by ajb1978

[odizzido]

I often wish we could stab things outside of QTEs. It happens.

[Ijustwantsleds]

On 10/1/2020 at 5:38 PM, oplli said:

the sled would break the game mechanic that we have wich is the weight... 

more packs is the same thing. moosehide sachel is really hard to get this is why it have a interest.

the new weapond would be useless beacause it has the same exact fonction than the revolver. kill rabitts, sacare wolves etc.

what purpose could have a multi tool?

If it breaks the mechanic it’s a stupid mechanic if common sense negates it also it could have problems such as inability to use ropes or run 

 

Multitool could act as a knife and basic tools but degrade much faster so it’s a light temporary alternative 

[Ijustwantsleds]

On 10/1/2020 at 7:31 PM, LumiStylesTTV said:

What about a space blanket?  Something that is small and compact, but can help reduce heat loss. I think this might be useful if you happened upon a Hunter's Blind but then it started to storm and you couldn't safely navigate to the nearest shelter.

Edited to add: Crampons I think they are called. They help you with mobility in the snow and ice and hiking poles (I think there are ones that have metal on the end to stick into snow and ice) used for mountaineering. I figured with a lot of mountain region, they would use something like this to keep balance especially when going up a snowy hill.

Those are both great ! Space blankets could be used in combination with a bed roll too or with the snow shelter or within cars !

[ManicManiac]

I recommend using the search function because most of these things have been discussed at great length in the past (and those previous threads contain a lot of really good discussion). 

Sled:

On 4/7/2020 at 3:05 AM, ManicManiac said:

In short, I'm not in favor of the idea... mostly because I think that having to make careful decisions about what's worth lugging around (vs what we can do without... vs what we can leave behind because it's better to just come back for it when it's needed) makes working within those limits a richer experience in terms of having to work out our strategies for both short and long term survival.

If I'm being completely honest with you, I think that the way you describe it would do more to take away from that experience.

(That's just my opinion, I'm not condemning your idea... I just think it would take away much more than it would add)

On 1/31/2020 at 2:42 AM, ManicManiac said:

You are correct that these ideas have been discussed before, but I don't think it's bad to revisit those ideas from time to time.  The sled (or pole-drag as you called it) has been addressed as a particular challenge to implement. 

[text removed for brevity]

In both cases they're interesting ideas to think about.  However, I do rather like that we have to carefully consider how much we lug around with us and the risks of "loading up heavy" when moving things from place to place.  I feel like those limitations cause a player to have make important decisions on what's really necessary or worth the risk.  I think it also prompts us to consider our options more carefully before caching large amounts of supplies in any given location (our base camps, if you will).

On 5/6/2019 at 7:03 PM, ManicManiac said:

Well it still raises a couple of potential implementation problems... the physics of a sled (crafted or improvised doesn't really mater), models and mechanics for dragging it/interacting with it, how to handle terrain (like steep slopes for example), and how to handle various other unique situations - like what does the player do when they are dragging a sled but they need to cross a narrow fallen tree trunk (natural bridge)?  What happens to the sled during and after an attack from wolf, bear, or moose?

I mean having a sled to tow is a good idea that's been on the wish lists for a long time... I think there are just a lot of things that would have to go into the implementation that make it a much bigger task to add than it may seem.

So, I'm not a fan of the idea of sleds... I think it undermines the importance of inventory management (also because I don't think a game necessarily needs to mirror our reality ).

Shotgun:

On 1/7/2020 at 8:53 AM, ManicManiac said:

I think we already have all the weapons we could possibly need (though I am still hopeful the bear spear will still make an appearance in survival in the future --- definitely not a necessity, but since it was spoke of by the Hinterland team... I'm eager to see what they'll come up with for it).

On 6/9/2019 at 2:13 AM, ManicManiac said:

it goes back again to that feeling of vulnerability.  If you have too many weapons, you end up feeling like you are safe...on top of the food chain again.  I'd argue that the heart of this game is feeling isolated and vulnerable.  That we don't have everything we need to be on top... that we have to struggle, move carefully, and gauge risk and reward.  I tend to think that adding a more and more weapons will take away from that.  Which is why I don't think we need any more of them.

 I don't want this game to turn into a "shooter."

I personally like feeling the struggle of not having what I need to survive, and having to get creative with what I do have to get the most out of it... I like that touch of anxiety going up over a hill or going around a blind corner.  I don't want to be able to just run around the world with impunity... I just think more weapons would just take that away from the game.

I'm not a fan of the idea of shotguns... or adding more firearms in general.  I think we have enough.
 

Multi-tool:
...we already have tool boxes, which are already used for repairing a variety of things.  I like the way our tools are set up now, because again it goes back to the value of inventory management. And again, I don't think a video game needs to mirror reality (so I don't think it matters that we have multi-tools in the real world... this is a fictional setting were the items we are given are designed for specific gameplay reasons).  I think that the idea of a multi-tool would only serve to make life easier for the player, and I'm rarely in favor of things at exist only to serve as a player continence.  I say that because all it would do is allow the player to save weight without sacrificing capability; which again... I think would take away from the experience. 

More/different types of packs:
Much the same as the sled... I like the carrying capacity that we have now.  We do already have two ways to expand it a bit, and I think those mechanisms are more than enough.  I admit that I dislike the idea of different kinds of backpacks for the same reason I don't like the idea of the sled.  I think it undermines having to carefully consider and plan what's worth hauling around vs what's better to only go to your encampment to get it when you need it.  This is another one of those times where I think the idea only serves as a player convenience.  I like having to carefully consider what's really necessary to carry based on the situation I'm in.  I think that being able "carry my house on my back" would undermine a lot of the careful planning and strategy that I love about this game.

Base Building:

On 7/1/2020 at 12:58 AM, ManicManiac said:

I dislike the idea of being able to build things all over the place.  I think it would disrupt the very deliberate balancing that I think Hinterland achieves with each region.

Something to do in survival:

On 9/16/2020 at 2:53 AM, ManicManiac said:

regarding "late game interest"... to me that's a player issue.  I've been playing this game since the later end of 2014, and I've logged a little more than 1,467 hours (I only mention that for context).  I've never had any problems with keeping things interesting.  I always find ways to challenge myself, I always find things I want to go do/see, or go on little adventures just to press my luck.  To me, if I'm playing in a sandbox and I get bored... then that's on me, that's not a problem with the game.

Survival Mode is a sandbox (I discussed this a little bit in Milton Mailbag Dispatch #36).

I think that in a sandbox the onus should  be more on the player.

I think the whole idea of a survival sandbox (and what I like most about this game) is that once we get proficient with our survival tasks, that it's really up to us to find creative ways to just live in the world Hinterland has provided us, and for how long.

On 9/23/2020 at 8:02 PM, ManicManiac said:

I don't think a developer should have to "fix" player behavior in a sandbox.

I think the character's basic needs are the only driving forces we need in this mode.
It's Survival Mode, so I think the objective ought to simply be survival, and I think the rest should all be up to the player (a.k.a. Player Choice )

 

Mylar Blankets (or "space" blankets):
I can see why folks would like the idea, because Mylar blankets are really great at reflecting heat.  However, I don't really think I would like that for this game... and again it's mostly because I see it as something that only make the game easier for the player... and I love this game for the struggle. 

 

Now before anyone starts feeling grumpy... please let me clarify that this is just my perspective and opinions on the ideas that have been put forth.
I'm not condemning anyone for their ideas... I just don't agree with them. 

 

Edited October 5, 2020 by ManicManiac

[Ijustwantsleds]

Haha they actually addded another backpack !

[theisaactrain]

On 10/1/2020 at 7:31 PM, LumiStylesTTV said:

Crampons I think they are called

This aged well

[Ijustwantsleds]

23 hours ago, theisaactrain said:

This aged well

It really did but it makes sense they added crampons for one it’s a staple item in freezing environments such as Canada ,two I actually used a pair of crampons recently to get down some frozen wood steps 

[odizzido]

Sometimes frozen steps can be ridiculously slippery. Something special must happen to them to get like that. They are a special case, often stepped on and raised with lots of air exposure. But maybe it's because we are stepping up/down on them and the extra energy from that makes us slip. Anyways I find it interesting.

[Kranium]

This game takes place in a (fictional, OFC) very rural area in British Columbia, Canada.

I happen to live in a very rural area in BC, Canada. Grew up here. I'm on the tail end of the bell curve, when it comes to "age of gamers".

A list of items we own & use regularly, and are very common hereabouts:

 

• Cross-country skis
• snowshoes
• firearms (normally: .22LR + shotgun + hunting rifle)
• bear spray
• multiple backpacks for different types of outings
• compass
• candles
• "prepper food"
• ice skates
• binoculars
• canoe or kayak
• tent
• folding saw
• different kinds of fuels

and despite doing a lot of mountain scrambling etc., in all my time/adventures here, I've never sprained an ankle.

 

Oh yeah, one other thing: plenty of mountain lions!

Edited December 10, 2020 by Kranium

[odizzido]

Yeah bearspray is easy to find even in calgary. Our survivor could use it for cooking when things get boring. It would add a touch of heat to the meal

And yeah, I've never sprained an ankle either despite everything I've done. I did sprain my thumb once though when I was doing something stupid. It was far far more debilitating than what happens in this game and it lasted for weeks if I recall correctly. I think it would be interesting to see sprains like that in the game. Super rare, but very dangerous.

[Kranium]

Yeah, hurting your hand in a survival situation can be debilitating. Think of a nasty deep cut when using a knife or something like that.

 

Incorporate fishing tackle into giving yourself stitches; can't craft etc. until the stitches come out, that kinda idea.

[Ijustwantsleds]

I love looking at this forum but I have to resist pouring over it and replying to all the comments 

[Nyk]

I think a shotgun as a way to hunt smaller game would be nice. Even something like a .410 with options for slugs, and birdshot (to hunt crows!) to keep it from being a total death machine. Though I'd like to see ammo spawns reduced in general. Even on Stalker and Custom "Interloper with Guns" it's not hard to have a decent stockpile of ammunition. Having less ammo available overall would be a good way to make Bleak Inlet more useful. (Even though I despise timberwolves.)

Additionally I feel like once we reach a high enough Gunsmithing level, we should be able to find raw saltpeter (what we use the stump remover for) and sulphur occasionally in caves. This way, the only thing that would be non-renewable would be bullet casings and lead, making ammo reloading more attractive, while still having an element that must be monitored closely due to being finite.