Unstable ice quality of life idea

[Cyclone35]

Usually when your standing on unstable ice you get a notification to warn you that you will fall if you stand too long on the ice. The annoying part comes down to locating where its safe to walk and where you shouldn't go since majority of the ice looks the same with no major signifiers. Now some long term players can memorize and know where its unsafe, but I have a better idea to improve immersion and make navigating unstable ice more interesting.

To simply put it, what if the ice below your feet starts to crack? On solid unbreakable ice you wouldn't notice it. But on the edge of unstable ice you can see small cracks form below your players feet. In addition, what if the ice below your feet starts to change to a more darker shade of blue? It would signify that the ice is breaking and you will fall in if you keep going.

[conanjaguar]

Don’t we already have this?

[Smellyfries]

12 hours ago, Cyclone35 said:

To simply put it, what if the ice below your feet starts to crack?

As of now, standing on weak ice does cause the ice to visibly crack beneath you, and make loud popping sounds as the ice begins to give way. I do like your idea of the ice changing to a darker shade of blue as your risk of falling through increases, and I wish that weak ice looked a little more different from surrounding safe ice that you can walk on. Though it could take out the process of learning, and adapting to locations like Forlorn Muskeg, and developing your own method of avoiding falling through.

[ManicManiac]

Recently Hinterland has added a cracking ice effect... these appear when we stand on thin ice but do fade away over time.

[Leeanda]

I don't look down when I'm on the ice ... Ignorance is usually bliss in this game😁

[Sito]

I just use tinder plugs to mark my safe path through the ice. Can see tinder plugs from space even in fog and blizzards. Of course you have to test out where the good ice is first until you know a path but you can mark it on the way and backtrack to pick up your plugs if it goes nowhere.

[ManicManiac]

16 hours ago, Sito said:

use tinder plugs to mark my safe path

A wonderful use of something that is sort of otherwise useless after fire starting level 3. 🤭

[Moosemaster]

Simple solution to this problem, dont go to forlorn muskeg

 

Edited May 11, 2023 by Moosemaster

[ManicManiac]

I think that navigating the Muskeg isn't so much a problem (certainly not the point of just avoiding the region entirely), as long as we are just a bit careful while feeling out the route we need to get where we want to go.

[Sito]

Yeah, I don't bother to try explore the ice other than to get across to somewhere that I want to go. Fetching a deer carcass on some small island is not worth taking a dipping for. 

[hozz1235]

On 5/10/2023 at 9:21 AM, conanjaguar said:

Don’t we already have this?

Yes, but I believe it only begins to crack once you have entered the "thin ice/danger" zone.  I think @Cyclone35 is asking for more advance notice.

In my experience, some ice is really hard to tell whether it's thin or not, but it seems, most thin ice has more of a bluish tint to it (not so white).