Where does the game take place in?

[toebar]

It makes sense as well, since their main website describes themselves as: "We're an independent game studio headquartered in the heart of the picturesque Northern Vancouver Island wilderness. We work to create thought-provoking entertainment that pushes the boundaries of games as an immersive, interactive art form"

To build on your pasted quote---just noticed this.. Maybe X marks the spot?

http://hinterlandgames.com/about

(yes, it's the studio, my point being that it's crazy close to the dam Willbonney posted)

(yes, it's still too warm there)

[Majales]

Some aspects of the game can be creative license.

[toebar]

Some aspects of the game can be creative license.

Certainly, I don't believe its based on a SPECIFIC location, but it should be based on a general area. That's what we're trying to pin down.

[Majales]

In that case, go on

[Raplet]

Maybe so, but Prince Rupert is still too warm to have conditions like we see in game, unless there's a story reason for it.

I was thinking up near Prince Rupert myself. However, I'm thinking the Coastal Highway is actually inland some distance, on a large river that does freeze up. I'm thinking a river because you can see mountains across the weak ice on the map. Maybe even further north, on one of the rivers that flows through the Alaska Panhandle.

[Willbonney]

I'm starting to feel more and more it might indeed be the Campbell River area for Coastal Highway. With Ladore Dam being 30 miles west of Campbell River, the Coastal Highways of 19 and 19a, the E&N Railway paralleling those highways, as well as islands such as this: http://www.panoramio.com/photo/10946506 ... google.com

dotting the waterways. Several waterfalls in the area. Similar topography, plant life matches, both Douglas-fir as well as western red cedar. Black bears, grizzly bears, wolves, white tail deer, and rabbits though the game is missing the goats, skunk, coyote, and cougars (largest concentration of cougars in North America is on the island).

Painting of the old Campbell Lake Tramway: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/c ... t_1925.jpg

I know others might think it rather lazy of them to use their backyards as inspiration for the game, but it is their home, so it is a logical choice. As for the weather, I believe the cause for such extreme conditions will be revealed in the story. Something that is triggering a new Ice Age. This area just feels right to me for some reason. Landmark as well as environment wise, if you ignore the weather. I am enjoying this topic quite a lot though, so please everyone keep posting their theories.

[toebar]

agreed with most everything except the griz bears -- it happens, but their regular range doesn't include Vancouver Island.

The dam is a pretty close match, but it's plausible there could be a similar dam other places as well.

Here's a consideration.. I'm not sure if the devs have patterned the game after where they are, or where they want it to be? What I mean is, they're in Campbell River area, and are familiar with the forest and landscape there. Is it possible they intend for the game to be further north, but haven't considered the differences in flora and fauna? (If so, our speculation is hopeless! )

The ice age is an interesting idea though.. explains why the winter is so long. And the day length. hmm

edit:

-and the bears not being asleep... they wake up eventually when they're hungry.

- and the hares being brown -- their moulting from winter white to summer brown is apparently controlled by day length

edit 2: Oops nevermind-- no snowshoe hare on Vancouver Island

[AmericanSteel]

I live on the coast in the SE US. This area is about as foreign to me as a tropical rainforest. While I have some experience in colder climes (thanks to military training), the rest of it would just be a guess. Which makes this thread all the more interesting

However, there is a key point on this that really has not been addressed (or I have not seen it). What time of year is it and when did the event happen? I think the event happened in winter. The simplest pointer is the hares are white. Don't they lose their winter coats and go brown, so they can camouflage into the environment? Also, if was in the Spring/Summer the wolves would have lost their winter coats. We would not be seeing them in the wild, because they would all be frozen. Even deer get ready for winter by growing a thicker coat.

Now if it did happen in winter (early, middle, late), how long ago did it happen? Right as the game starts? Or was it a few days ago? A few weeks ago?

I think once we get a feel for what the environment was "suppose" to be like, it will be easier to dial in the physical location.

[toebar]

you're right about the hares. I'm uncertain at this point if them being brown is an oversight or a conscious decision-- possible reasons include:

-they're rabbits, not snowshoe hares (don't change colour, found in very southern BC only)

-the climate has cooled (hares moult based on length of day, if the climate changes their moulting time would be off)

-in some areas, hares don't moult at all--they stay brown.... but these are areas that don't have a lot of snow

As for deer and wolves, I'm uncertain what triggers their winter/summer moults. If it is temperature, then they'd be fine. Otherwise....

Overall, right now there's a number of elements in game that seem to indicate its meant to be coastal BC. Even there though, there are conflicting items, like your brown hares, smallmouth bass, frigid temperatures. Some of these conflicts could be oversight/alpha issues, but who knows? It's still fun (and educational ) to speculate.

[Boston123]

So, I was just considering the "new hours of daylight left" time mechanic, and how it plays into how far north we actually are.

As anyone "in the know" knows, the seasons are caused by the planet tilting on its axis as it rotates around the Sun. In the Northern Hemisphere (AKA where Canada is), winter is when the North Pole faces "away" from the sun, making days shorter and nights longer.

https://empoweryourknowledgeandhappytri ... -earth.gif

So, since it is apparently winter in-game (with the freezing temperatures, ice, and so on and so forth), this would mean that the "daytime" in-game should feasibly be shorter than it would during the Spring, Summer, or Autumn.

However, if you take a look at the "hours of daylight left" mechanic-thing, you will notice that we get a full 12 hours of daylight, which should not really be possible via placement in "Northern Canada", and/or due to the time of year. 12 hours of daylight in the far northern (and southern, for that matter), is only really possible during the Equinoxes, which do not occur in Winter.

So, what does this mean?

Well, it means that there was either some sort of mistake made during the "daylight clock mechanic" implementation, it is set to "12 hours of daylight" for testing purposes, or.....

the game is actually set rather far south. Maybe even relatively close to the border with the US, which is (relatively) not that far north....

[Boston123]

FOUND BIRCH TREES!

In the Ravine.

So, aside from the random, unidentifiable deciduous tree, we have another tree! Granted, Birch grows all the way to the Arctic Circle, so it isn't important, but useful in survival nonetheless.

If the devs neglect to add birch wood for fires, and birchbark as a means of lighting said fires, I will be very put out.

[toebar]

I haven't been to Ravine since it was changed I'll keep an eye out when I visit...

I believe there is a grove of aspen in PV, but it could be argued that they are birch

[Boston123]

So, I have no idea if these are new or not, but when walking around the woods, you can hear songbirds. I have no idea what kinds of birds they are, but anyone from Canada (Toebar, I am looking at you here), know just how far north songbirds can regularly be found? I am hearing a great number of individuals, so it isn't just one or two blown off course.

[toebar]

The first bird songs they added (maybe 1 or 2 updates back) sounded like they were meant to approximate black-capped chickadees, in an altered, TLD sort of way. These are common birds pretty much throughout a large part of Canada --generally everywhere except Arctic tundra

I haven't had a chance to play since the most recent update :oops: so I'm not sure if more have been added.

[Boston123]

So, after taking a look at the orchard at the Pleasant Valley farm, they look to be apple trees.

Now, according to this source (http://www.orangepippintrees.com/articl ... an-climate), apples don't really grow all that well north of Montana or somesuch. Therefore, Pleasant Valley, at the very least, cannot take place that far north.

This is, of course, assuming they are apple trees.

[toebar]

So, after taking a look at the orchard at the Pleasant Valley farm, they look to be apple trees.

Now, according to this source (http://www.orangepippintrees.com/articl ... an-climate), apples don't really grow all that well north of Montana or somesuch. Therefore, Pleasant Valley, at the very least, cannot take place that far north.

This is, of course, assuming they are apple trees.

I have apple trees in my yard

Sadly, the bears seem to always get the apples just before they're ripe enough for me to pick :lol:

this website sells apple trees that they claim are hardy to Canada Plant Hardiness Zone 2, which reaches pretty far north