Elaborated drop mechanic

[manolitode]

I would like to see the option to assign any item in the menu to a quick-drop button. Like we already do with guts and meat but for an item that you choose for yourself.

If you want to drop an item on the ground apart from animal parts you have to enter your inventory and choose item and amount. If you want to use visual cues to mark what areas you have looted and mark what path you have been walking, the current mechanic is holding you back. Sure, you can throw stones or use a spray can. Personally I don't want to walk around in a hostile area exploring with a can in my hand. I either hold a burning torch or a weapon. 

Also, this would give every existing item a new use. In particular the cat tail head, which we don't have much use for after fire skill 3.

What do you think? Am I overlooking key side-effects from introducing this mechanic?

[Mroz4k]

I am basically in favour, though I am not sure how well it would actually apply to the game. Im worried that instead of it, being an improvement in simplicity, it would become a tedious task of assigning what items to drop.

Personally , I dont mind going into inventory and dropping the items manually. At least they gave us a good way to rotate items on the ground - makes it easy to form patterns out of things like twigs and burned out torches, patterns that display arrows towards things like shelter.

My issue with these items and with the can marks is that you dont really see them from far away even if you set it to highest render. The game is just not built to render items from afar it seems, which is a bit of a shame. At least animals get rendered from a really far away.

For short - I like the idea. Could make a use of the unused slots in "navigation" section of radial menu.

Edited October 26, 2020 by Mroz4k

[manolitode]

19 hours ago, Mroz4k said:

My issue with these items and with the can marks is that you dont really see them from far away even if you set it to highest render. The game is just not built to render items from afar it seems, which is a bit of a shame. At least animals get rendered from a really far away.

Valid point, you'd have to drop your item of choice at short interval in order to backtrack. The shorter the interval, the higher need for an easy way to quick-drop, I suppose. Not only because it saves us time and hassle but you're also able to remain alert of your surroundings instead of being "blinded" in the item menu each time you want to drop a stick. 

19 hours ago, Mroz4k said:

I am basically in favour, though I am not sure how well it would actually apply to the game. Im worried that instead of it, being an improvement in simplicity, it would become a tedious task of assigning what items to drop.

I'm not sure I follow, care to elaborate? You simply select an item in the menu as your "quick-drop item" and use a button to quick-drop that item.

[Mroz4k]

3 hours ago, manolitode said:

I'm not sure I follow, care to elaborate? You simply select an item in the menu as your "quick-drop item" and use a button to quick-drop that item.

Its not that easy. There are technically two types of an item. Item with durability and without one. And there are two types of durability items according to the radial menu - the ones that "stack" into one button (Flares, for example) and ones that have their individual window (Bows, for example - if you have two, you will see two of them in a weapons radial menu).

So, simply selecting an item as "quick drop" is not that simple. If it s a non-durability item, it isnt a problem. But if you want to use for example destroyed flares to mark your path, each flare would have to be assigned again and again to  be able to quickdrop it.

Basically, some items would be easy to assign for quick droping, some wouldnt. 

All in all, it is a quality of life improvement. I would prefer development went into more content but I would not mind it. This is what I would usually consider to be a good idea for a mod when modding support is out.

[manolitode]

I'm glad you like the idea and you make a great point that would have to be taken into account if implemented. As for non-stackables, sure, there's an advantage to be able to drop something heavy with a click, like a moose hide or a rifle (do car batteries stack?) when you know you might need to make a run for it. But it's doable to just enter the menu for a one-time drop. 

[odizzido]

There is a mod for STALKER called misery in which you can buy a quick release for your backpack so you can drop it very easily. I often wonder why our character wouldn't want such a thing.

[ManicManiac]

  I just spoke on a very similar subject, so I will just echo what I previously mentioned:

27 minutes ago, ManicManiac said:

On the other hand (the idea being able to "drop pack" in an emergency), I think would also undermine the idea of having to carefully choose what we really need to bring with us (vs what we'd like to bring with us).  If we choose to carry a house on our backs... but then don't have to suffer the consequences because we can just quickly dump all of it if we get into "trouble;" I just think that would kill most of the necessity of carefully planning our treks to begin with.  That's why I'm not in favor of that aspect of the idea that's been put forth.  I just really don't like the idea of a "bailout mechanics" and/or "safety-net mechanics," and that is what it seems like to me.

To me, being able to quickly dump inventory in the form of a "drop pack" mechanic and the idea of several different carrying capacities... (in my opinion) only serve to make life easier for the player; and I'm generally not in favor of things that make life easier for the player.

 

Edited October 29, 2020 by ManicManiac

[manolitode]

On 10/29/2020 at 6:03 PM, odizzido said:

There is a mod for STALKER called misery in which you can buy a quick release for your backpack so you can drop it very easily. I often wonder why our character wouldn't want such a thing.

Dropping the backpack is another aspect of the game that is an interesting discussion for sure. I recall fumbling around during my first days playing TLD, just couldn't believe this function didn't exist. It seemed natural somehow to the TLD context. Have you tried the mod yourself, did the game become much easier? With a counterweight time punishment of a few seconds for dropping the pack I would be up to try it out for sure. 

[odizzido]

Yes I have tried the mod(a lot). It's easier in that you can get that bit of extra freedom when you need it but misery is just overall harder than vanilla, especially with the extra little mod(s) I made for it.

I don't think TLD is the same though because you don't need the same amount of movement. In TLD I think it would be more of a thing where you want to check what is on top of the hill so you drop the pack, go check, and come back for it. In terms of combat I don't think I would ever drop my pack because there is no reason to. Wolves either die immediately or lock you in place, bears move super slow or super fast, and moose don't attack unless you move into their space.

[AdamvR]

I have created an account actually to suggest the same, so upvote x 10. (it's been in my mind for a long while actually).

Originally I've only used the cattails/tinder (above level 3) /stones (before the storage option) to mark if a place was visited (similar to the post writer), but found a much better use later: Namely, to create tracks on the snow, so I can find the way between key POIs in fog, blizzard, or at night (e.g.: fishing hut to shelter, way through Forlorn, or the ice on large lakes, where to turn in caves, etc...). Every 6-12 steps I drop a tinder so it marks the way quite clearly, and the next one is visible even in the worst conditions. Quite tedious with the current setup of having to open inventory, select the item, and quantity 1... - still worth it i find.
The spray can is a bit inferior in my opinion for this purpose: much more items are needed to mark the trails, than the amount of spray-paint available...

I've been thinking to assign a key (5 as default probably, but adjustable like all others) to drop 1 piece of the item I'd pre-selected automatically.
To answer concerns about items with various conditions, the game could either automatically choose the "worse condition" item, or I should be able to set it on the interface when I'm selecting the item to be dropped (best/worst condition).
What do you think?