Changes needed to the wood gathering system

[Aduron]

That's where you are wrong. You are making a confusion. The game does not simulate realism and does not aim for realism.

I'd say that's where you are wrong! It simulates REALISTIC aspects like: food, calories, water, dehydration, hunger, illness, injuries, temperature, hypothermia, shelter, wind, energy, exhaustion, consumption, sleep, crafting and so on... Do you see this in ANY other game that doesn't simulate realism?

In your mind, what sort of game is this then? Arcade? Is it not a simulator? Does it perhaps simulate something else? There really is nothing fictional about this game, it's all based on realism.

Perhaps a less extreme statement: the main goal of this game is not to simulate a perfectly realistic survival scenario, but rather to be an enjoyable game that is about surviving in the wilderness. So that sure, survival, realism, they are considerations, but they aren't the first consideration (gameplay).

On topic: Balance between sticks/branches/limbs might need some tweaks, sure, but otherwise wood gathering is great and a very fantastic addition to the game.

I think people just need the August update to settle their nerves. :lol:

Edit: this post is nonsensical and off topic. I think I was thinking of another thread? I won't delete it for clarity purposes, but my bad! I should stop posting with a fussy 2-month-old in my lap :shock:

[Magnuzn]

Perhaps a less extreme statement: the main goal of this game is not to simulate a perfectly realistic survival scenario, but rather to be an enjoyable game that is about surviving in the wilderness. So that sure, survival, realism, they are considerations, but they aren't the first consideration (gameplay).

Do you know what simulation means? I haven't said the game is realistic. If it were it would have you go to the bathroom for example. No game is realistic, but the SIMULATE realism. Those are two widely different things. Just like a game might simulate a gun wound, but you don't actually get an infection and a scar or bleed out 5 hours later.

The Long Dark does most certainly simulate realism and/or realistic elements, that's what the whole game is about.

On topic: Balance between sticks/branches/limbs might need some tweaks, sure, but otherwise wood gathering is great and a very fantastic addition to the game.

I think people just need the August update to settle their nerves. :lol:

If you read the post you'll see that I say it's a good feature and a step in the right direction, but that it needs to be balanced. So I'm not sure why you're arguing against me with my own arguments

As for people "settling their nerves" I would agree if I made this as a rage post the day of the update, but I didn't. It's been "long" since the update and the feature was introduced. Since then I've played and tested the new feature and I'm trying to give constructive feedback to the developers.

[octavian]

Let's just get back on topic. It's useful to discuss about the wood gathering system and how it could be made better. Nobody is saying it's not better than the previous system. It obviously is.

[KD7BCH]

bundles of sticks

[jackattack]

Would it help to find more uses for sticks, especially large numbers of sticks?

[toebar]

Would it help to find more uses for sticks, especially large numbers of sticks?

hmmm.. I'm not sure what you mean... besides using for fire? Do you have a suggestion for another use?

[jackattack]

Well, in another thread I suggested gathering a bunch of sticks (and maybe some gut or line) to build a lean-to as a wind-break. I've also suggested fire-plough or hand-drill to make sticks usable in place of matches (but with more time/effort).

Sticks could be an added requirement for cooking meat, as the way the character holds the meat over the fire (instead of placing it near the fire?).

Does it make sense to lay down a "bed" or "platform" of sticks to keep the sleeping bag from resting directly on the snow? Would that increase the warmth bonus, or just tear up the bag?

If there are more uses for sticks, the demand will take care of the (over?) supply.

I'm also curious about the stick replenishment rate, and whether after days or weeks of steady stick use we wouldn't find ourselves wishing for more sticks.

[MueckE]

What i meant was, the realism argument doesn't help. The only way i see to lower the time to break branches is to add more things that force you to go outside and to get in danger.

The devs have done a great job in adding more and more things to the game that do this, but if you just would lower the time you need for certain things it would be counterproductive.

One easy way would be (as meintioned) to make branches and sticks more rare, but for now i am fine with it because its a new mechanic. If you have suggestions for things that force you to stay outside and more of that has been added, than the time to break down branches and limbs can be reduced without hurting

the game.

btw, if you take a closer look you will see that in fact getting wood is as easy as before - even more.

Most of the players dont survive so long and can easily break down the interior for their few-days-runs.

The more experienced players on the other side have to gather the wood after a while - thats why i really like this mechanic and would be really sad if it would be removed or balanced to insifignicance.

[romabysen]

I do not want to chop down entire trees. There is another game for that and the trees are used to build forts.

Perhaps but to be honest it feels really weird that I have a perfectly usable hatchet and yet I can't even cut down one of the small trees outside the PV farmstead.

[jackattack]

Would it help if there were a few trees that could be "broken down" into a "tree fall", which we could then chop into several pieces of firewood?

The tree fall might have multiple limbs that would disappear one by one as they are broken down individually, or the tree fall might allow us to harvest one piece of firewood at a time (or selected number of pieces) until it disappears all at once when it is used up.

Chopping a tree down/up should produce firewood, branches, and sticks.

[Scyzara]

I actually find it very unfortunate that you can get enough wood to survive for hundreds of days simply by breaking down furniture.

I always thought the intention of the deep forest update was to encourage a more active playstyle and force the player to leave his/her shelter more often. To make him/her venture forth into the woods and brave blizzards and fogs. I was (and am) very fond of this idea, but I lately realized that the huge amount of reclaimable wood that is available (in the form of furniture, wooden boxes, shelves, etc.) is totally counterproductive to achieve this goal.

During the first 200 or 300 days of a game, there is no need at all to spend any time outside to harvest limbs or branches. (Unless you need fir firewood to repair your tools ofc.)

If you break down every house's interior instead and pick up some additional sticks whenever you find them while hunting/exploring, your wood supply will be fine. Playing like this also saves you a lot of scrap metal as you won't have to repair your hatchet so often.

In other words, both the securest and the most resource-efficient way to get wood is exactly NOT to go out into the woods and chop down limbs. Not sure if this is actually on par with "the spirit" of the deep forest update.

[elloco999]

Before the update you could get 20 reclaimed wood from every building, now most buildings don't have enough furniture to get you those 20 reclaimed wood (well, maybe on CH they do, haven't been there yet since the update). So all in all I don't think you can get more reclaimed wood now than you could before. And before you didn't need the hatchet at all, like some furniture does.

But I agree that it is too easy to get a lot of reclaimed wood this way enabling you to stay inside a lot. Personally I use mainly sticks for fires so I don't bother with breaking down the furniture unless I need reclaimed wood for crafting, or if the piece of furniture gives me some cloth when I need that. Sticks are so easy to get...