A few quality of life requests

[Zenteck]

Hello I'm new in here, though I've been playing TLD on and off for years now. I have a few requests for quality of life changes I'd like to see. These are just some ideas that bounce around in my head everytime I come back to the game, so I thought I'd share them. I mean absolutely no disrespect to the devs with any of this, I love this game and will continue to play it regardless, so please don't view these as complaints. For context, I play on PC and exclusively in Stalker difficulty. Also I haven't actually played since before Buried Echoes, so if I missed something in the patch notes, I apologise. I'm waiting for the last of the DLC before I do another playthrough.

1) Inventory - I think the tools section in the inventory is a bit bloated. Ideally I'd like to see a separate category created for weapons and ammunition, just to space things out a bit more. Aside from weapons, there are also a number of items classed as tools that should perhaps be in the crafting materials section (E.G. arrowheads, car batteries). Either or both of these changes would make the inventory easier to sift through.

2) Default equipment - I find it frustrating that whenever carrying more than one of the same equippable item, the game will always equip the best conditioned by default. If I've found another flaregun, so I'm temporarily carrying two but only one of them is loaded, you can be sure that's the one I want when I select the flaregun. Similarly if I have two bows on me, I'd like to use the worst conditioned one until it breaks. So I'd like to ask for a  UI checkbox for all equipable tools/weapons; similar to the 'add to selection wheel' that we have on food and meds. This checkbox would prioritise the checked item over all others of its kind when using the selection wheels or hotkeys. Alternatively, there could just be a single options menu choice to prioritise lower condition equipment.

3) Hotkeys - Please add the ability to quick cycle through our item groups using the numerical hotkeys instead of playing the full equip animation for each item in the rotation. I do like being able to press 3 and immediately draw the pistol to deal with a wolf, but if it's a bear and I'm going for the flare gun, the only feasible choice is to stand still and use the selection wheel. I appreicate this is a PC only request, and the devs may prefer full parity of controls between PC and console.

4) The stamina gauge - Please keep it onscreen for as long as it's not at the current maximum. In situations where I want to move as fast as possible, like getting out of a blizzard, it doesn't make sense that as soon as I stop running I lose track of how exhausted my character is until I try to run again.

5) Firestarting (this isn't really a QoL request, just a pet peeve of mine) - I understand that level 5 skills need to have a boon for the player, but it feels like a waste that all tinder items are useless once I reach level 5 firestarting. I'd like to suggest that part of the the baseline firestarting chance be tied to the tinder, even if they are all the same percentage, so that 100% chance is only achievable with tinder. That still gives level 5 firestarting the reward of being able to start fires without tinder, and 100% chance with tinder in good conditions, while not making these items obsolete.

[Semple Fi]

I heartily agree with all of these. This stuff has been on my list of things for awhile too.  I play stalker as well, but I have some three run through I’m buried echoes.  I’ll have to check again but I feel like the weapon priority has been fixed, at least with the flare gun.  
 

alternatively, I load ALL weapons I’m currently carrying, given that the unloaded weapon will usually equip by default.  
 

There is still some weirdness with the changeover from “illumination tools” To “weapons” and visa versa.  Don’t consistently re-equip the pistol.  Or the last weapon used….

 Personally, I would prefer to prioritize my bow, given that bullet can be the harder items to replace.   

[xanna]

Welcome @Zenteck, very nice to have you here 

[xanna]

2 hours ago, Zenteck said:

there are also a number of items classed as tools that should perhaps be in the crafting materials section (E.G. arrowheads, car batteries)

I thought the same thing, especially with the fuses and wires we now have. They feel more 'craft' than 'tool' to me and I always look in the wrong place first.
 

2 hours ago, Zenteck said:

4) The stamina gauge - Please keep it onscreen for as long as it's not at the current maximum. In situations where I want to move as fast as possible, like getting out of a blizzard, it doesn't make sense that as soon as I stop running I lose track of how exhausted my character is until I try to run again.

This is why you'll see me halfway up a rope on a ledge, running headfirst in to the cliff-face just to check my stamina bar, lol

[Stranzua]

I support all of these suggestions. The only thing I would add is that tinder should be fuel after it's no longer useful. Even if it adds only 1 to 2 minutes to the fire, at least we can still find some use for all that paper, cat tail heads, cardboard, etc.

 

 

[manolitode]

Welcome to the forum 😄 It was nice to read your improvement suggestions. I especially agree with your thoughts on choosing weapon for the selection wheel yourself and making use of tinder in mid/end-game without having to depend on it for starting a fire. I would prefer to stay below 100% success rate to keep some excitement 😊While I like the idea of tinder fulfilling a function throughout the game I also don't mind items becoming obsolete. The vast majority of items in videogames I've played seem to be unuseable by endgame. In comparison TLD have a low share of such items. But that doesn't mean tinder shouldn't or couldn't be put to use.

[odizzido]

TLD should just copy the many games like STALKER where you have hotkeys, and you drag the item you want to be your '1' key into the '1' slot. Simple and effective.

 

As to the inventory stuff, yeah. The entire UI could benefit greatly from having some work done. When I used to play the sandbox I remember painfully scrolling through stuff to start a fire while in my mind the Angry Video Game Nerd was groaning like in Earthbound.

at 12:53 for those interested https://odysee.com/@Cinemassacre:b/earthbound-avgn:e