Biofuel, Bows, and a few other things

[Espiritdecorp]

Here is a list of things that I would love to see implemented into the game sometime

I also apologize as I'm more then certain that some of these ideas have already been mentioned before hand. In those cases thank you for the inspiration!

1. Ok so I know at least some of you have seen that the cars in the game allow you to pop open the fuel cap. However there is nothing you can do with it... Unless there is and I'm just dumb. So I was thinking why not allow players to siphon fuel out of them? Of course you would need some type of tubing to do so. So why not be able to use cured guts? It could work, otherwise perhaps introducing a new material to making tubes such as car tires (rubber) or even from the engine taking some tubing out of them. This will allow you to siphon fuel from cars and maybe water from certain locations. This would allow players to have another way to source fuel from the world, though you would need a Jerry can to do so.

2. The other thing is making Jerry cans and Bottles refillable. If you have another fuel container (such as kerosene lantern bottles) you should be able to transfer the fuel from one container to the other so you can have say 3 or 4 Jerry cans of fuel at your base, but carry a small bottle to refuel your lantern so it doesn't encumber you. So being able to refuel and exchange between containers would be a nice thing to have. Simply adding an option to containers (via the actions menu) to refuel from another source (to include lanterns) making bottles a usable item rather than a onetime use item.

3. Bio fuel is also something that would be good to produce. Perhaps you can cultivate plants to make some. It would burn slower than normal fuel (due to the amount of effort it takes to create the fuel). To craft it you would need to use a bench to mash several plants together (mainly just Rose hips and Mushrooms unless they add more harvestable plants). This will create Bio mash. Before starting, you need a container (either empty or with Bio mash already in it) and per every 2 item (2 Rose and 2 Mushroom) you can add .02L to the mix. This will however reset the time it takes to cure, even if there’s already material inside it. If these resources are renewable then this won’t be an issue as you can just forage for more if you know where they grow. After making the Bio base you would need to then cook the base in a fire, which will then make it Uncured Bio fuel. Then Let it cure over the course of several days indoors (much like anything else you cure in the game. Once the work is done you will have your own renewable fuel source. A bit of work but if you can’t find Fuel for the lantern or torches this would be a good idea to have just in case.

4. The other thing is Car batteries. One use for them is to have them as a way to light fires. Simply using the battery and striking the positive and negative leads together (using wires) you can create a spark. The spark allows you to light tinder and is a reliable and rather long lasting fire starting tool. Of course you just need to select the battery as the starter source when starting a fire. Of course finding regular batteries would also be a good thing to have implemented. D or C cell batteries would be best to use as they can last a while. Just like Car batteries smaller batteries can also be used to start fires but with MUCH less usage from them (you will still need to get wires though).

5. The batteries can also be a component for a makeshift flashlight. Using a light bulb, and some wiring (both of which you can get from cars and other electrical sources). This will allow for a powered source of light and a good secondary option to Lanterns and torches. Bulbs on their own can also be used to scare off wolves as the sound could scare them away. There can be two types of flashlights; “Fog light” and “Flashlight”, depending on if you use a Car battery or a standard battery, respectfully. Using a battery, a piece of leather, wire and scrap metal you can make either a small and light flashlight, or a large heavy fog light. All flashlights emit a beam of light that extends for varying distances. Fog lights have a long range on their beam and can light up most of whats in the distance, and Flashlights can light up areas close to the player but have a short lighting distance. Both flashlights can light up the area in front of the player more than lanterns or any other light source. However they have a cone lighting area and will cause the outer areas of the cone (where it does not light up) to appear darker. Like lanterns you can place a Fog light and it will light up an area in front of it.

6a. Improving the bow would also be nice. Allowing someone to upgrade the bow using some wood and scrap metal it could be upgraded to a Recurve bow. The main upgrades would be a simple iron sight, improved durability, increased range (at the cost of drawback speed), and the ability to repair the bow. To craft it you would need Fir wood, Leather, Scrap metal, and of course the bow to improve. The iron sight would be a simple single point. Range would be improved though only by a few meters. Draw back speed would be increased but the increased tension would allow for a faster arrow speed. To repair the bow you will need Fir wood Scrap metal and Leather as well as a tool box.

6b. A Compound bow would further improve the bow as well, increasing its durability, range, and arrow speed. A new iron sight will be added, and the speed of the arrow would also increase. To craft you will need a recurve bow, Scrap metal, and wires. You would need to use Quality tools to craft this. The Iron sight will be a circle with some small wires in a crosshair configuration marked in the center with a very small bead of metal. Draw back on this bow will be longer than previous bows, but range and speed will be increased. The increased speed however can cause more wear on arrows.

6c. A new arrow would also be nice to have mostly for durability purposes. Crafted using only Scrap metal and some feathers these arrows would be heavier than normal. They degrade at half the rate of a normal arrow even in high speed bows like the compound bow, but would also use more feathers for the fletching, and would have less range due to their weight.

6d. Crossbows would also be nice though a bit of a step out of survival and into just fun for gaming sake, though also pretty useful. Crossbows would have the highest arrow speed of any bow type weapon but would also be heavy and have a bit of an increase to the drawback/reset. To craft this you will need one hunting rifle (bare with me on this), Scrap metal, wire, and Fir wood. To craft you’ll need a Quality tool box. Cutting down the rifle, using the stock and firing mechanism, to create a working Crossbow. Though only able to use Heavy arrows, its arrow speed and power make up for it. Its range is the furthest of all bow types. Now the reason I chose to use a Hunting rifle as a component is because once you run out of ammunition and it becomes hard to find more you basically are just running around with a really heavy stick. So why not have it have more use. Though the range will be diminished a lot, having ammunition you can reclaim (the arrows) is worth it once you get the materials for the arrows that is.

7a. Binoculars would also be very nice to have (which I know has been requested quite a bit). But if they are added it would also be nice to use them as a material to make a scoped hunting rifle. To craft a binocular using a magnifying glass, leather and scrap metal. It would be a monocular vision scope but would work just as well.

7b.To attach it to a Hunting rifle you would need the hunting rifle, the monocular/Binoculars, and scrap metal. The scope will have a thin crosshair for easier use. Destroying/dismantling a scoped rifle will yield Scrap metal, Leather and Fir wood. Once crafted the scope cannot be removed.

Although it’s probably just because I like guns it would be nice to see a hunting pistol of some kind as well, such as a .44 magnum or some type of equivalent. As I’ve mentioned in a separate post it would be nice to see an alternative to the rifle. Lighter, and faster firing speeds, but at the cost of fire power.

[Patrick Carlson]

3. Bio fuel is also something that would be good to produce. Perhaps you can cultivate plants to make some. It would burn slower than normal fuel (due to the amount of effort it takes to create the fuel). To craft it you would need to use a bench to mash several plants together (mainly just Rose hips and Mushrooms unless they add more harvestable plants). This will create Bio mash. Before starting, you need a container (either empty or with Bio mash already in it) and per every 2 item (2 Rose and 2 Mushroom) you can add .02L to the mix. This will however reset the time it takes to cure, even if there’s already material inside it. If these resources are renewable then this won’t be an issue as you can just forage for more if you know where they grow. After making the Bio base you would need to then cook the base in a fire, which will then make it Uncured Bio fuel. Then Let it cure over the course of several days indoors (much like anything else you cure in the game. Once the work is done you will have your own renewable fuel source. A bit of work but if you can’t find Fuel for the lantern or torches this would be a good idea to have just in case.

Interesting. This almost sounds like a process to produce a kind of homebrew, "moonshine" alcohol. I wonder if the actual biofuel process is at all similar.

[toebar]

You wouldn't be able to cultivate plants, its winter.

You could make alcohol from the sugar in rose hips (mushrooms... just no), but you'd have to keep the mash warm enough to ferment for an extended period of time.. I doubt it would be worth the effort for fuel.. maybe for moonshine There is another thread somewhere here about brewing alcohol... it has a lot more info

[Espiritdecorp]

Interesting. This almost sounds like a process to produce a kind of homebrew, "moonshine" alcohol. I wonder if the actual biofuel process is at all similar.

It actually is though there are different methods of doing it. This one in particular is borrowed from this one here:

Of course with quite a few differences mostly to make it a bit less tedious for gameplay, but in a way similar. Though i doubt my method would be realistic to actually make it. Substituting the corn oil for plants that we can find in game then again if they can somehow add corn or some kind of Maze that would probably work in place of the other plant

[Espiritdecorp]

You wouldn't be able to cultivate plants, its winter.

You could make alcohol from the sugar in rose hips (mushrooms... just no), but you'd have to keep the mash warm enough to ferment for an extended period of time.. I doubt it would be worth the effort for fuel.. maybe for moonshine There is another thread somewhere here about brewing alcohol... it has a lot more info

Well this is for a fuel and the point behind it is to make something that would be able to burn slowly which alcohol burns rather fast so it wouldn't be of much use unless you want to use the alcohol for consumption which could be interesting but i don't think i would want to do that seeing as when you drink alcohol it lowers your core temperature in cold weather. Still would probably be fun if you want to play drunk lol (in the game not out of the game)

[toebar]

Alcohol, if strong enough, is a fuel just like other fuels. It could be used for cooking or lighting... or mood enhancement.

[Boston123]

Just as a start: Moonshine IS biofuel. Most biofuels are pretty much just ethanol, which is the alcohol that we drink. Moonshine is a corn-based ethanol.

Any engine that burns diesel can burn ethanol with the addition of a relatively-simple filter over the fuel intake. Also, diesel engines would TOTALLY work in The Long Dark, as they don't require electricity to start/keep running. Diesel engines can also run off of highly-rendered and filtered animal fat

[toebar]

There's a great mythbusters episode where they (sort of) run a gasoline engine on moonshine. edit: not suggesting that for in game

[Boston123]

There's a great mythbusters episode where they (sort of) run a gasoline engine on moonshine. edit: not suggesting that for in game

A gasoline engine is not a diesel engine. The two fuels "work" differently, and they are actually measured using different scales. You can't put diesel in a gas engine and expect it to work. Likewise with a diesel engine. It won't work with gasoline: the gasoline is too refined, and needs the spark of a spark plug

Diesel engines are much more "robust"

Just.... in case you didn't know that. I don't want to assume anything.

I once worked with a guy at my Scout summer camp that threw diesel into the gasoline-burning golf cart. Cue massive cloud of smoke, and one very dead gold cart.

[toebar]

yep, I'm aware. That's why I made the distinction.

Mythbusters also did a segment running an unmodified diesel engine on used vegetable

[DrMembrane]

Agreed. this would be a fun and interesting mechanic for the game.