Greenhouses


The Doctor

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It's not unheard of where greenhouses exist in colder areas that have little no summer with the proper insulation. I have read of greenhouses in the Arctic made of Aluminum with bubble wrap insulation that work in winter. Also water barrels that help keep the interior warmer and humid. That being said here is my suggestion:

- Ability to find Greenhouses in milder areas like Coastal Highway / Pleasant Valley.

- Seed Packets found while scavenging for supplies.

- Bags of dirt can be found like the Stump Remover and Dusting Sulfer. Produce that loses complete durability and can no longer be eaten from the greenhouse turns into compost and can be used at the Greenhouse worktable to create improved soil.

- Types of crops that can be grown during Winter:

  • Winter Lettuce
  • Potatoes
  • Spinach
  • Kale
  • Cabbage
  • Bok Choy
  • Onions
  • Shallots
  • Peas
  • Garlic

- Types of Herbs that can be grown during milder Winters which can be found while scavenging outdoors and transported to the greenhouse:

  • Thyme
  • Chives
  • Rosemary
  • Mint
  • Parsley

- Greenhouse worktable to maintain any damage that could be done to the greenhouse from animals, weather, etc. Also can be used to offer upgrades too.

- I have seen the 6 burner stove, would be cool to be able to use that kind of stove to be able to craft simple meals that offer a better calorie intake.

- During extreme snow storms, the crops lose durability % while growing which may affect the final product.

- Have a calendar time where the player can plant the crops (even if it's always winter to better utilize the greenhouse effectiveness). If crops are planted too late from the calendar date they either don't grow, or produce the minimal calorie intake.

- Greenhouse can attract Rabbits and Deer, so the player has to be careful that animals don't eat all their hard work. (makes it easy to place traps for rabbits).

 

 I love this game and have put in almost 1000 enjoyable hours with more to follow, but I always felt it was missing something and I love a good game that encompasses survival by hunting and by having a bit of a green thumb. Please make this a reality, I'm sure a lot of players would enjoy this inclusion. :) 

Edited by The Doctor
Forgot to add another point to my list.
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Nothing wrong or unreasonable with the idea but it does point to an aspect of the game, survival mode, which remains frozen in time because of the needs of story mode, Wintermute. 

As long as Wintermute is the objective of The Long Dark with survival mode as a foundation, a lot of reasonable ideas just cannot get to the point where they see they light of day.  Once Wintermute is concluded or perhaps better to say episode 5, whenever that does come out or is in the can, then that constraint will fade away. 

Keep in mind all the implications of a green house if it is to be useful.  It is not just how to find materials and construct one, nor about finding the seeds and materials to grow stuff, or how it should be operated and affected by the environment, then there is what is the character to do with all that stuff?  One thing leads to other things and so it is not just "craft a greenhouse and grow something".  Lot of back-room work needed.  One day it may become a reality. 

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Eventually the canned goods expire and anything can happen to your rifle. Having a greenhouse offers another food option if you can't get your hands on meat. I was not implying that the player constructs it either since we can't build in the game, but it could be attached to an already existing house / farm and you just have to maintain it like you would your equipment. I do agree though that there is the story mode so it is a bummer, but maybe one day, or their next survival game :)

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I could get behind building a greenhouse, all the elements are basically already available in game and the gardening concept was alive and thriving in Pleasant Valley long before the collapse.  Wouldn't be to far fetched that the survivor could potentially find some seed packets either in the barns or the basement of the farmhouse.  Or even in the abandoned farmer's market/community garden center at Thompson's Crossing.

Given all the abandoned vehicles strewn about the countryside, our intrepid survivor could collect all the car windshields for use as the glass panels.  all the planks and crates could also be used to create the walls and raised beds.  Stones could be used as flooring materials and also as a means for thermal storage further making the idea feasible imho.    Considering that the survivor has the minimum tools at their disposal, prybars, heavy hammer and hacksaw, not to mention both hatchet and knife it seems reasonable that the survivor could and would attempt to construct such a structure knowing of course that they are essentially stranded on the island for the rest of their natural life.  There's also plenty of potting soil available for the necessary dirt to build the raised beds, considering all the dead plants in pots that can be found in abundance in just about every intact structure on the island.  All those plant pots themselves are already perfect vessels for growing herbs and assorted vegetables per @The Doctor wish list.

If it were me, I'd opt to build a "lean to" type of structure against my existing home base.  In this case the farmhouse in Pleasant Valley.  I'd start by repairing the broken windowpanes on the enclosed porch and from there move around and enclose the front porch as well, basically choosing which ever side received the best sun exposure as my primary growing area.  Given the magnitude of this endeavor I'd imagine collecting all the materials would be hella time consuming and equally difficult to transport. 
 

Imagine carrying a car windshield and then having to drop it so you can fight off a roving wolf attack!
Oh no... cracked or broken windscreen becomes unusable

leantogreenhouse.jpg.fe8731702839da48312a471211f27b7d.jpg

 

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