Swaying effect at extremely low health

[thegoblinpopper]

Hey everyone,

Long time player and owner of the game but new to the forums. I have had a tradition to play the game during snow storms at home, so tis the season for some Long Dark.

The game has made amazing progression but I have been bumping into a few things that are starting to bother me. I like the challenge of Survival - Stalker and regularly start a run being attacked by a wolf (because of course). On many of those runs I will slowly get to extremely low health trying to find some shelter and get deep into the red. The game has a swaying mechanic when you are that low that works very well when you are walking to portray serious injury, however, I often get to extremely low health and try to start a fire. Once started I huddle for warmth, except, I cant because my character is somehow swaying 5-15 feet in random directions while I am trying to crouch near the fire. This means I have died a few times from either:

1) Swaying into the fire

2) Swaying away from the fire and not being able to fight the RNG of the sways to get back to the fire and cure my hypothermia

I found the only reliable strat to fight this is to inch toward the fire and open the menu to stop the swaying, rinse and repeat. While I agree the sway is a nice touch when walking, if I am crouching near a fire the sway should be limited to the vision or only impact the aiming, but to have a character shuffle over 10 feet from a location in the crouch position is very frustrating.

 

I wanted to open the discussion to talk about thoughts on the sway associated to low health being limited to: light when standing in place, as it is today when walking, and extremely limited when crouching without movement.

[thegoblinpopper]

Also, I accidentally posted this to the wrong sub board, so sorry if this looks like a repost. I deleted the old one.

[UpUpAway95]

It seems to me the solution is for your to adapt your gameplay a little bit and start your fires before the swaying effect starts instead of walking quite so far looking for shelter.  Light a flare if you have one and carry it as you look for a windbreak to get that +4C heat bonus slowing down your heat loss and health loss.

I see your point, but I really don't think they are going to reduce the effect just when you're crouching or trying to stand still near a fire.  I think it's really meant to signify that you are the walking dead at that point.

[Bean]

My advice is to play the As the Dead Sleep challenge. It will frustrate you at first, especially since it’s impossible to regain lost health during the challenge.  Any damage your survivor takes is permanent.  However it will teach you a lot about caring for your survivor properly, not letting him get in trouble, and using hot liquids to keep him warm in freezing conditions.  If you complete that challenge, you’ll be ready for anything.  

Edited December 26, 2020 by Bean
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[Schrodingers Box]

Wait am I reading this right?  this guy intentionally starts the game by reducing health to the red and then complains about the mechanic of the game when health is in the red?  come again?

[thegoblinpopper]

On 12/27/2020 at 12:50 PM, Schrodingers Box said:

Wait am I reading this right?  this guy intentionally starts the game by reducing health to the red and then complains about the mechanic of the game when health is in the red?  come again?

Hey, no I am saying often times I start a game I run into a wolf early. Not always, and not on purpose. I am just frustrated that the effects of super low health don't make sense (ie. swaying +10 feet when crouched)

[Schrodingers Box]

Yeah. When you are literally minutes from death things don’t function like you want. That’s why you are dying. 

[thegoblinpopper]

1 hour ago, Schrodingers Box said:

Yeah. When you are literally minutes from death things don’t function like you want. That’s why you are dying. 

Ok....(?) If you want to side step my point that fine. I am trying to have a discussion about gameplay. If the game is going to make it so that being that close to death nearly unrecoverable then don't even give the player the chance. I am trying to explain that it is frustrating and unrealistic how the character model acts.

 

[UpUpAway95]

16 minutes ago, thegoblinpopper said:

Ok....(?) If you want to side step my point that fine. I am trying to have a discussion about gameplay. If the game is going to make it so that being that close to death nearly unrecoverable then don't even give the player the chance. I am trying to explain that it is frustrating and unrealistic how the character model acts.

 

Of course it's unrealistic, but they can't show all the actual effects of being that close to death in the game.  For example, you don't drop your pack somewhere along the way as you become to weak to carry it.  Somehow, you're able to carry all the fuel you need to start that fire and even potentially pick up more sticks along the way regardless of how low your condition.

[odizzido]

I think reducing stumble when crouched makes sense. It would also make sense to be able to lay down in the game to stop it completely.

[UpUpAway95]

32 minutes ago, odizzido said:

I think reducing stumble when crouched makes sense. It would also make sense to be able to lay down in the game to stop it completely.

Well, when you lay down in this game, everything stops until you wake up again (if you wake up again).  IMO, they may as well have no effect at all and just leave it up to the player to notice on their own whenever their health bar is getting low.

[odizzido]

Well, I don't feel the stumbling adds anything for me....but then again I don't mind it either. I don't care if it stays or not.

edit----

actually, I guess I slightly don't like it. It's the whole we have wheels for legs thing, which seems to be the reality of our character. Can't step over things, get stuck in little holes, can't lay down, etc etc. They should just update the character model to have the wheels.

Edited January 4, 2021 by odizzido

[Kayosiv]

The point is you are passing out and might just fall backwards or into the fire.

Your point is reasonable, but I would suggest putting your sleeping roll near the fire and sleeping for an hour. It'll make you warmer and prevent the swaying, plus heal you maybe enough that you can stay on your feet.

[UTC-10]

I have thought that the devs have tried to refrain from taking control of the character, in any significant manner, away from the player.  Nobody likes their character doing something contrary to the player inputs. 

I am of the opinion that the swaying at low condition was intended as a sort of warning. 

One can get so engrossed in one problem that another problem which might be more important does not get attention. 

During Escape the Darkwalker, I had to run past the Darkwalker who was heading for a lure I  had set and I was perplexed why I was suddenly starting to move sidewards instead of down the slope.  Something was not right and then I noticed how low my Condition had gotten in that brief run by the Darkwalker.  I knew I was not going to get anywhere fast so I popped an E Stim, got back enough Condition to completely regain control then headed down the slope.  I think without that swaying I would have tried to run down the slope, cursing about why my computer or the game was messing me up, probably dying given how low my Condition was to a sprain or something.