Sweat Incorporated

[Mig_zvm]

As I am sure many of you are aware, sweating in the colder temperatures can become a huge problem.  Also on the reverse, staying active can keep you warm.

   So, I was wondering if it wouldn't be an interesting addition to incorporate sweat as a factor which causes interior layers to become wet if the player is active for too long without warming up or taking a break.

     Hypothermia, I am arguing, could become a bigger threat and that is one way to make the game more challenging without having to do much.

     We could apply strict rules as to not make it impossible, but to make it one of those things that could accumulate fast after a certain point.  Mostly becoming a problem targeting overly aggressive nomads and log cutters.

Also this could be a plus of sorts, because this would also mean that staying active would help keep you warm and that things like running and chopping wood could become a strategic way to help keep us on the move for further distances then was possible before.

Edited March 4, 2021 by Mig_zvm

[Mig_zvm]

I am using mobile btw.  Don't judge me.

[one_shurbbery]

I think sweating could definitely be a mechanic considered, however I doubt it’ll be implemented in the current game, maybe a sequel. It doesn’t make sense for my survivor to forge inside while still having a bearskin coat and other gear on without getting drenched. I’d like the mechanic for situations like that. Being at feels like temperatures over 90F for awhile (say 30 in game min) could lead sweating, effecting inner clothing layers. I usually strip my character a little before forging for my own immersion, but I think having a sweating mechanic would add points to realism Maybe make forging a more complicated process; you can’t forge kitted out or your clothes will be soaked, but not naked or you’ll burn yourself. 

For strenuous activity like sprinting for a long duration or climbing ropes, it could produce gradually make your for the inner layers of clothing wet from sweat. A big deal for mainly the beginning of a game when you don’t have any outer layers yet. Early game players will have to stop periodically to start a fire and dry out your clothes. Would add more usefulness to wool clothing for inner layers as wool still insulates when wet. However I feel this would make the game too tedious.

Edited March 5, 2021 by one_shurbbery

[Mig_zvm]

4 hours ago, one_shurbbery said:

I think sweating could definitely be a mechanic considered, however I doubt it’ll be implemented in the current game, maybe a sequel. It doesn’t make sense for my survivor to forge inside while still having a bearskin coat and other gear on without getting drenched. I’d like the mechanic for situations like that. Being at feels like temperatures over 90F for awhile (say 30 in game min) could lead sweating, effecting inner clothing layers. I usually strip my character a little before forging for my own immersion, but I think having a sweating mechanic would add points to realism Maybe make forging a more complicated process; you can’t forge kitted out or your clothes will be soaked, but not naked or you’ll burn yourself. 

For strenuous activity like sprinting for a long duration or climbing ropes, it could produce gradually make your for the inner layers of clothing wet from sweat. A big deal for mainly the beginning of a game when you don’t have any outer layers yet. Early game players will have to stop periodically to start a fire and dry out your clothes. Would add more usefulness to wool clothing for inner layers as wool still insulates when wet. However I feel this would make the game too tedious.

I agree that it becomes a lot to consider when played out in it's entirety.  I didn't even think about the forging at all or the reality that a player in a warm temp would sweat faster.  Yeah, it would make sense to then have to remove layers and I am not entirely annoyed at that prospect either.  Maybe you would have to also then implement some kind button hold option which automatically placed the clothing in the right spot in order to make it quicker to put back on.

     I think it should be considered that maybe hypothermia isn't a strong enough concern in The Long Dark, much after the early game, and that maybe there could be a way to introduce a risk for players not properly warming themselves up by a fire.

     I am talking basically about tweaking the temperature gauge so that maybe it takes a bit longer to warm up after expelling a lot of energy in rapid succession, while also creating a slight buff or rise in temp for when we run for a short while or swing a hatchet for a short time.

     If nothing else, I would really appreciate it if chopping wood in the cold was slightly less damaging.  Right now, at least on interloper, it makes almost no sense to chop wood or even break a branch out in the cold.

[Mroz4k]

For a long time, I have been a supporter of this exact idea. Right now, clothes getting wet, unless its a fault of falling through ice, are not really that dangerous from my experience. I think I managed to get my boots frozen once after spending two whole days outside, walking in snow storms on Forlorn muskeg, on top of ice. Took two whole days for them to freeze. Often, in heavy snowstorms, when clothes get mostly wet, the solution is really simple - just swap inner and outer layer of clothes. Issue solved. Which makes little sense because like you pointed out, physical exercise would mean the survivor is getting drenched in their own sweat. It would influence a lot of things, but I think it would add overal challenge to the game by making the wetness of clothes an actual concern, not just mild inconvinience it is right now. Course perhaps clothes getting wet are bigger challenge on the harder difficulties... but on Voyager, its just a mild inconvinience.

1 hour ago, Mig_zvm said:

 I think it should be considered that maybe hypothermia isn't a strong enough concern in The Long Dark, much after the early game, and that maybe there could be a way to introduce a risk for players not properly warming themselves up by a fire.

A bit off topic but I guess Hypothermia is closely related to the original topic - and I agree, Hypothermia is not much of a concern after the start of the game. One of the reasons for that I think is that the hypothermia risk rises in a static sense. If it were related to "feels like" temperature, it might be more of a concern. Meaning by that is that if player starts freezing at feels like -4 °C, it should take a long while for hypothermia to develop. But at -20°C, it should be very quick. That, in addendum to the sweating, would make wet clothes more of a concern, and at the same time might re-build the clothing players wear - encouraging players to wear more "woolen" clothes as those persist their warmth even when wet.