Safety Harness and Descenders.

[MarrowStone]

With all these rare items being added like the ballistic vest and crampons I have a few ideas of my own!

Some gear I'd really like to see would be something like a safety harness and descender for rope climbing! 

It wouldnt need a new map develop to encourage exploration to find either, heres how:

How it'd work is that you have to explore two of Great Bear's highest peaks to complete the set (I.E. both are guaranteed to spawn somehwere at the top of a challenging rope, but never together).

Once the player has found both they would equip the harness before a climb and can hang on the cliff face anywhere to regain stamina. Itd also allow descending ropes while encumbered (but not ascending for balance? Maybe you need crampons equipped too?)

They would not effect exhaustion drain however, but you won't fall! If you run completely out it's back down the rope for you. 

[UTC-10]

Might be better to have a skill tree: Mountaineering for which certain benefits while engaged in climbing can be obtained through effort rather than have a few items that once found confer a benefit.  

Let's say for Mountaineering it requires 10 x existing level ascents and separately descents to get to the next level.  To get to level 2 requires 10 ascents and 10 descents (full climbs not climb half way up then climb back down).  

For instance as an initial thought:

Level 2 confers +5 kg of encumbrance for descents.

Level 3 confers +5 kg of encumbrance for ascents.

Level 4 confers reduced fatigue energy cost for descents.  (two down arrows not three, whatever that works out to be in game terms)

Level 5 confers reduced fatigue energy cost for ascents.  (two down arrows not three, whatever that works out to be in game terms)

Anyone who really seriously wants these benefits is going to expend the time and effort to do it as quickly as they can.  If one does not care for the benefits then just carry on and ignore the skill.  If one does enough climbing over time it will come eventually.  

The lower levels allows the character to carry more.  The higher level allows the character to do it longer or be less affected by the climb.  A surrogate for increasing experience in the activity.

We all have to do some climbing.  Places where climbing becomes more necessary would be on Timberwolf Mountain and Ash Canyon.  I know that for myself (being a Pilgrim player) I will walk the long way around rather than do a climb if I can avoid it.  I may be mistaken about the fatigue expenditure of walking up to Skeeter's Ridge rather than the two climbs from Draft Dodgers but I often feel any climb take just too much of my fatigue. 

[MarrowStone]

I thought of a mountaineering skilll too, but another skill to grind out for the skilled survivor achievement would suck and I'm not sure theyll be adding more! I would take it tho!

I just thought the two items you need to combine would encourage exploration of multiple peaks rather than climbing up an down the same rope. It being in random designated locations also discourages people just gabbing it right away in one region like the moose hide satchel or crampons. 

If it is a skill tho, I think skill points should given through distance of rope. Otherwise, the huge climbs will reward the player the same amount as the really short ones. I agree though that half climbs shouldnt count and the skill reward given when reaching the end. 

[UTC-10]

I figure I only put down a beginning suggestion for effort required and benefits gained.  If it were to become a game feature I think it would have to seriously thought out and ramifications considered. 

Like the "no tinder needed" benefit for Fire Starting which relieves the player of having to make tinder (pretty easy to make tinder plugs if the character has a stick and  a few minutes) but seems maybe the wrong kind of benefit (i.e. a bit trivial) but that was how the skill's benefits were viewed back in the implementation stage.  

If a series of new skills were introduced that could be part of Skilled Survivor II (reach five skills at level 5 for I, ten skills gets II). 

But unlikely though possible with survival being split from story mode.  

[MarrowStone]

Yeah, theres a lot of ramifications for adding this skill/item. I would be against this idea in earlier versions of the game but as the world gets larger and rope climbs more common and varied. It feels like Mountaineering is a much more central mechanic of the game now. 

It used to be something you planned to tackle and go out of your way for, like a climb up TWM. But nowadays a rope climb could be a daily obstacle or barrier.

An collection of seperate items rewards exploration, while a skill rewards work. Both seem equally valued by the devs and could go either way. I just think the skills need reworked first rather than new ones implemented. And I really like all these unique items with benefits in recent updates. Like crampons, otem variations, satchel etc. 

[Admin]

Thank you for your suggestions! 

[FlamingFuball]

I don't even know how the survivors make those climbs without harnesses while carrying 30kg of gear. Crampons or not, a straight up rope climb is hard.

[Stranzua]

I know that the developers are planning on adding something to help us carry around all of this glorious loot. I think it's called the travois or something like that. Hopefully there is way to get it up and down rope climbs, and maybe all these great ideas could be tied to some type of climbing/mountaineering skill. 

[Admin]

On 6/14/2023 at 6:11 AM, Stranzua said:

I know that the developers are planning on adding something to help us carry around all of this glorious loot. I think it's called the travois or something like that. Hopefully there is way to get it up and down rope climbs, and maybe all these great ideas could be tied to some type of climbing/mountaineering skill. 

We are planning to add the Travois in a future update, and thank you for the suggestions! We will share more information as soon as it is available.