Is having wind speed and direction useful to you?

[Raphael van Lierop]

Hello,

We're reviewing some UI/HUD stuff in the game, looking to improve our information architecture. Some questions for you:

• How are you currently getting information on wind speed and direction in the game?
  
• Is it useful for you to know the wind speed and direction?
  
• What kind of decisions are you making with this information?

Getting a litte more feedback on this stuff will help us improve the overall UI/HUD in the game. Thanks!

[Bill Tarling]

• [*]How are you currently getting information on wind speed and direction in the game?

With high winds, I watch the direction of the blowing snow... otherwise I check it when in the TAB panel

• [*]Is it useful for you to know the wind speed and direction?

The speed helps from the TAB panel which is good enough for me. Direction might help, but I mostly navigate by landmarks rather than sun rise/set so I don't notice actual compass point directions much -- or at least I don't find I need for now.

• [*]What kind of decisions are you making with this information?

Most valuable is checking and watching TAB panel for wind speed changes... if picking up fast, need to find cover... if dropping then blizzard finishing and can get out and on the way almost right away.

It often leads to my decisions whether to prep more supplies or heal -- or whether to press on for next destination while I can

[RJIII]

So far wind speed and direction has not been very useful to me. it might mean something if I were building a snow fort as I would try to have the opening facing away from the wind. For now all I know is it's cold and windy and I need to get to shelter regardless of the direction of the wind or it's speed. Moreover, I have learned not to ever sleep outside and there are structures somewhere nearby, part of that is because I have been playing since day one and the first time I tried to sleep outside I froze to death. But as far as minute to minute play I could care less where the wind is coming from and unless I will be flying a kite the speed is even less important.

[accurize2]

If I was on a map that I was unfamiliar with or was lost (like my early game plays). I would use the wind direction to determine north and my general direction of travel, so I knew I wasn't traveling in circles. However, I don't think this is realistic and is sort of cheating a little. I don't think you would know "hey the wind is coming from the northeast", if you were disoriented in fog or a blizzard. You would simply know, "that damn wind is coming from that-a-way"...especially if the sun was not visible. I think simply having an arrow pointing the wind direction would work fine (without the north-south-east-west label).

Now that I'm thinking about it. Knowing the exact time of day doesn't seem right either. Mr. MacKenzie should simply know, it's morning/mid-day/afternoon/evening/night/midnight/early morning. Choosing to sleep 6 hours, ect...is fine with me since it is used directly for first aid. It's sort of a must have for that, as you need some way to clearly communicate how long you want to sleep.I think switching from exact time to general time frames would add to the disorienting nature of the survival situation. Also, eliminating the exact direction, but keeping the arrows (so the player can "feel" the wind direction even when it isn't visually obvious) would cause more of that general disorienting feeling of being lost after a plane crash.

[Raphael van Lierop]

Accurize2 -- yup, the notion of dropping the actual specific time from the game has been discussed at various points and we've always shied away from it, but I'm ready to open the conversation on that one again, as I think we have new "tools" to make it possible. I've always liked the idea of the extra disorientation of not knowing the exact time and having to depend on the world to tell you. We'd have to simulate circadian rhythms a bit better than we do currently, but perhaps not for a first pass...

But back to wind...

[TarjaS]

Wind speed change is the most important info for me, because it tells you when a blizzard is starting to die down or if there's any point even trying to go out. I don't really pay much attention to the direction of the wind, because I use the terrain for orientation.

[RJIII]

Just to add a bit, I tend to use the audio as guide. If i'm in a cabin and I can here it ripping outside I will take a nap, if it's quite... time to go exploring.

[TattooedMac]

Accurize2 -- yup, the notion of dropping the actual specific time from the game has been discussed at various points and we've always shied away from it, but I'm ready to open the conversation on that one again, as I think we have new "tools" to make it possible. I've always liked the idea of the extra disorientation of not knowing the exact time and having to depend on the world to tell you. We'd have to simulate circadian rhythms a bit better than we do currently, but perhaps not for a first pass...

I love the idea of knowing N

But back to wind...

Wind direction isn't a BIG thing for me. The speed of it is, but from where it comes from, plays no big part in anything survival wise IMHO

If I was out in the day, and needed to sleep rough overnight, I would place my swag either Nth/Sth or E/W depending on where I am, just so I know if I need to get up through the night and toddle off. This way as well will tell me which way the wind is coming from, but again, what purpose would wind direction play. In a Vally/Hole or in rocky outcrops IRL it swirls around the place its only in the open it would be on a Heading . . .

[john_jason_deroy]

Knowing the time of the day is not impossible. I haven't owned a watch that depended on electricity since I was a teenager (over 30 years ago). Every watch I own is a mechanically auto-winding model that would not be affected by any type of electromagnetic space storm.

[Raphael van Lierop]

Mackenzie would be proud.