No Stone Unturned: Expand What Already Exists!

[JackTrysGames]

Imagine this. See it from my perspective for just a moment.

You're a newbie who's finally managed to brave the Blackrock area and reach the Blackrock Prison. It's HUGE! There's at least six different cell blocks, a dozen guard towers, and several outbuildings to explore. You practically start drooling as you think about the sheer amount of loot you're about to have- whether that's the food in the cafeteria, the weapons in the armory, or even just a few noisemakers from the prison cells.

Then you start trying doors.

Locked. And not just any kind of locked. A special Super Ultra Maximum Safety™ brand lock that is guaranteed to withstand blunt force trauma, explosions, and the proverbial end of days all at the same time. There isn't even a prompt to try and force it, because it's just that tightly sealed.

Maybe there's another way in?
Nope. You're not getting in here... or there... or anywhere.

After an in-game hour of searching through the entire complex (and a few wiki pages) you finally find the one entrance that isn't locked tight, and what's your reward? A long vent crawl and ONE cell block. ONE. Not even the armory is accessible. Half of the building is collapsed!

Total letdown.

 

 

There's two solutions to this, and I vastly prefer the latter.

OPTION 1: Make the outside match the inside. Almost all of the cell blocks should be COMPLETELY caved in to represent the internal damage. If the inside looks like it's barely standing, why does the outside look fine?

OPTION 2: Make the inside match the outside. Clear the debris in the cafeteria, the other cell blocks, etc. Maybe even add a few new items (a prison jumpsuit and a guard jacket?) to fit all the new places. Move the Milling Machine and Ammunition Bench to the armory, and add some loot there. Make some unopenable doors openable and add loot tables behind them.

[FlamingFuball]

PLEASE do this. There are so many doors that look openable in blackrock that aren't, and it bothers me that exploration of the prison is pretty much a linear in-and-out to get the bulletproof vest. I understand the limited loot for balance reasons but as of right now the prison feels unnaturally empty.

[Val123]

Completely agreed! Just left Blackrock in my current playthrough and it's been pretty underwhelming exploration-wise

[Stranzua]

There is another thread called 'Improve Blackrock' and I couldn't agree more. Personally, I like Blackrock but I think the main prison needs to be bigger, and it can use a reason to keep going back there.

I suggested a stun gun that can instantly end wolf struggles and can only be charged inside the workshop during an aurora. Replace either the milling machine or the ammunition bench with a charging station, and that instantly increases the value of Blackrock and Bleak Inlet. 

 

[Sasquatch007]

Same I thought the actual prison would be so relevant to Wintermute-making shanks and getting into brawls. Sadly a letdown 

[Razum]

I was also pretty disappointed by the version for survival mode. I thought, it could be used as a base. But not only is the way so long, all the animals like wolves respawn. There's often a bear that you can't realistically evade. And all of that for just some rooms and the bullet proof jacket.

[hozz1235]

While I agree it would be great to have more to explore there (and just in general!), I feel this is also kind of "the norm" for games.  There aren't too many games I'm aware of where all the doors open and lead somewhere.  It's kind of like having all these NPCs running around and non of them are interactable.  It's a way to provide an environment.

[JackTrysGames]

On 7/20/2023 at 11:53 AM, hozz1235 said:

While I agree it would be great to have more to explore there (and just in general!), I feel this is also kind of "the norm" for games.

It's not a good norm.

[hozz1235]

On 8/12/2023 at 4:19 PM, JackTrysGames said:

It's not a good norm.

I think it is a realistic norm, especially if you have ever tried to code a game.