If you could add one gameplay element to the game what would it be?

[Bill Tarling]

4.) the presence of a forest/brush fire and its effects on your achieving a goal/task - your actions causing a fire and the long term effects on your environment (less cover for hiding, vegetation to each, etc.)

Oooo, love that one! It would probably be quite a challenge adding into the game, but sure would add a snap wake-up call to not just randomly do things... need to think twice about how/where and the effect of making decisions without attention to surrounding effects.

[thrasher1016]

4.) the presence of a forest/brush fire and its effects on your achieving a goal/task - your actions causing a fire and the long term effects on your environment (less cover for hiding, vegetation to each, etc.)

Oooo, love that one! It would probably be quite a challenge adding into the game, but sure would add a snap wake-up call to not just randomly do things... need to think twice about how/where and the effect of making decisions without attention to surrounding effects.

Oh... Too soon...

Well, not really.

I lit fire to my grandparents' pasture when I was a kid. Not a traditional fire, but a ground fire that didn't spark a surface flame for at lease 9 hours, when we were asleep. I'm glad we all had our windows and a sense of smell!

Fire, like electricity, is a wild beast, and is to be COMPLETELY respected!

Thanks - T

[FalconHalo]

Faraday cages. What sort of hidden caches of usable items might we find, protected, inside?

Sounds really cool, but finding a Faraday Cage with useful electronics inside in the Northern wilderness seems like one hell of a long shot to me.

On top of that, the aurora would probably screw with any modern functional electronics quite a bit, to the point where they're not usable after all.

[Bill Tarling]

An empty case for a video game called TLD2

[fire]

I would like to see some interaction with people you encounter ( assuming you can encounter people in this game.), and maybe even build a group or have a follower, like in Fallout 3 or Skyrim.

[TarjaS]

I'm going tell what I would NOT want to see (or rather hear). The same line of dialog each time you retry something after failing it (in this game that would probably apply to, for example, lighting a fire).

I'm a non-violent person, but I'm currently having some anger issues with a particularly tricky part of Remember Me, because each time I fail and the section starts from the beginning, there's the same line, which probably was funny the first couple of times, but after about 20 times of hearing it, you just want to strangle the game developer.

[sadoka_ytrap]

I think I would like to see some senses - for example, like spider man has spidey sense, perhaps the main character in teh game can trigger his own senses that will help him survive.

Scenario: It's dark outside, you have no lamp, you're looking for wood, and then perhaps your sense is triggered by something following you, maybe something dangerous - the screen dims slightly to suggest that something dangerous is heading your way, or you hearing improves as you stand still in the blizzard when something is following you - standing still you can hear footsteps in the snow, the sound emits from the rear speaker, so you know something, or someone, is behind you.

I really like this idea of senses. Maybe not so much this sixth sense idea, but more at the base level. One thing that I started thinking about was sight, in particular. In real life, when you are outside in the dark, your eyes slowly get used to the lack of light around you. However, when you glance at a street lamp, or see a car's headlights, you are almost blinded. Everything around you seems darker, and your "night vision" wears off instantly.

(This is a good reason why stargazing is really bad in cities)

If this were in game, the visual might slowly adjust at night. You could see movement better, and see trace shadows. It would make staring at a campfire a very bad idea; life can be just as active during the night as during the day, and breaking line of sight from the darkness would further disrupt your vision.

I can't think of any games that use this effect, but if it was implemented in the right way, it could greatly add to immersion, and add a neat new mechanic in the process.

[Orwell 1984]

This thread is something worth your time.

I will include the already suggested ideas here in a short list (with my notes added), to make your day easier and to avoid duplication.

- Senses, like a sixth sense that you are followed, you are in danger, etc...

(I am personally not a fan to change the perfect clear user surface with meters and bars, so I guess the right way would be some sort of monologue from the protagonist, to make you listen to the game more)

- Progressive skill tree, new skills

(We can see this a lot on the forums, so I dont bother adding my own viewpoint about it here)

- Sense of direction [compass not working because of the aurora]

(Just like above, I do prefer keep the surface clean)

- Climbing trees

(One of my personal favorites)

- Mark landmarks, wildlife, Objects for a map.

(One of my personal favorites)

- New skill learning from books

- Crafting mini games

(Nice idea)

- Weather changes terrain and the map itself

(would perfectly fit to TLD)

- Natural fires (lightning for example)

(I like it)

- Food preservation (Drying, salting, smoking)

(would perfectly fit to TLD)

- Alcohol

- Wet/dry factors (for wood for example)

(It could change the % quality of the wood what would have an impact on your fire)

- Sanity meter

(you may refuse to eat or sleep)

- Ear protection (improved hearing)

- Edible herbs with temporal booster affects

(one of my personal favorite)

- Frostbite

(I would extend this with temporal, permanent and long lasting physical or mental affects)

- Bartering system (including information from terrain as value)

- Faraday cages

- Seasons

- Locked doors

(Nice idea, may be boring after a while)

- Empty case of video game about TLD2

(some stylish easteregg)

- Have pet/follower/NPC

I would include a multiplayer factor in the sandbox and in the story mode too with far less work required than what you expect from involving a serious stuff like multiplayer in a game like TLD, which is clearly stated that it was not designed for it.

The reason I checked this topic, and trying to revive it is because I have designed something especially for TLD, and I played with the idea to post it here, instead I will just wait until I can get in touch with the dev team to explain it properly.

[toebar]

can we stop resurrecting 2 year old threads?

[Orwell 1984]

I read over the topics, and I found 3 topics what would help for new members here.

Avoiding suggestions about the same ideas, and to get some overall view of how things happened before they even knew something about TLD.

Now, these are valid reasons.

And yes, as I stated above, it is finished, I found 3 of them worth the time of anybody whom register here.

(and thanks for your constructive participation in the topic)

[toebar]

The reason I checked this topic, and trying to revive it is because I have designed something especially for TLD, and I played with the idea to post it here, instead I will just wait until I can get in touch with the dev team to explain it properly.

this does sound intriguing

[Orwell 1984]

Just because it is

[elloco999]

...instead I will just wait until I can get in touch with the dev team to explain it properly.

Or you could just PM Ryan to get in touch with the dev team...

[Boston123]

Spears: H1Z1 style

In real life, if I were to find myself in a situation similar to that in-game (AKA wolves that attack you), the first thing I would do is make some sort of spear, either from wood, or using a knife blade or scrap of metal.

They are some of the oldest weapons used by humanity, and allow the survivor to keep an angry animal at a safe distance while simultaneously keeping them off balance by jabbing at them. If you think you can nail the animal with a throw, a spear will kill an animal up to deer-sized easily (with proper "shot" placement), or if a bear is running at you, just brace it on the ground and let them impale themselves.

Of course, spears aren't foolproof: the longer you make them, the farther away you can keep an animal, but you've both got more "dead space" (where if the animal gets "inside" the reach of the spearhead, the space where you can't bring the spear to bear and get chewed on) you have, and the more cumbersome the spear will be in confined spaces.

[toebar]

its a decent idea.. and been suggested before.

It might work alright defensively against wolves--they come nice and close and pause if you have a campfire, flare or torch.

I think it would be pretty hard to bring down a deer with it from a distance.. You can't get particularly close to them in-game.. then again I've never tried that hard.

Implementing a mechanic where you brace the spear on the ground as a bear charges would be pretty problematic, and really clumsy, I suspect (discussions of whether or not it could even be effective aside). I certainly think getting poked by a spear would piss the bear off if its not a hit in exactly the right location

It would add some variety to the available defenses, and that could be good. Once again it becomes a question of is it worth carrying the weight? But, this is a good and fundamental question that applies to many things in TLD.

Also, if it is effective against wolves, then it would be a good reason to increase the rarity of rifles and/or other effective wolf defenses. This could make the gameplay less formulaic (omg, must find rifle, where is it?), and more scavengey (omg, what can I craft to protect myself if I don't find a rifle?)

[Boston123]

its a decent idea.. and been suggested before.

It might work alright defensively against wolves--they come nice and close and pause if you have a campfire, flare or torch.

I think it would be pretty hard to bring down a deer with it from a distance.. You can't get particularly close to them in-game.. then again I've never tried that hard.

Implementing a mechanic where you brace the spear on the ground as a bear charges would be pretty problematic, and really clumsy, I suspect (discussions of whether or not it could even be effective aside). I certainly think getting poked by a spear would piss the bear off if its not a hit in exactly the right location

It would add some variety to the available defenses, and that could be good. Once again it becomes a question of is it worth carrying the weight? But, this is a good and fundamental question that applies to many things in TLD.

Also, if it is effective against wolves, then it would be a good reason to increase the rarity of rifles and/or other effective wolf defenses. This could make the gameplay less formulaic (omg, must find rifle, where is it?), and more scavengey (omg, what can I craft to protect myself if I don't find a rifle?)

The spear wouldn't just function as a spear, it also acts as a "third leg" when walking through snow or across ice. This makes you much less likely to fall down, which IRL is probably both one of the more common methods of injury in survival, and the most dangerous.

AS for hunting deer, it is possible, but remember: spears, and other "primitive" weapons, are AMBUSH weapons. Yo don't just stroll out and throw it at whatever strikes your fancy. You make a trap, or wait for them to enter an enclosed area (streambed, etc), or you lure them in with food or bait.

That guy is in a tree, but the tactics are the same. Is it easy, or are you guaranteed a kill? Nope, far from it, but you do what you have to do to survive.

As for the bear-bracing-spear thing, it is a last resort. Same principle as hunting boar with a spear: let it charge you, then let it impale itself on the braced spear. You then wait for it to bleed out, or hope it gets too injured to follow you as you run away.

[Ryan CM]

...instead I will just wait until I can get in touch with the dev team to explain it properly.

Or you could just PM Ryan to get in touch with the dev team...

yep I am around if you want to send ideas. We do get a lot of them, so of course all will be considered, but understandably not all can make it in

[Orwell 1984]

...instead I will just wait until I can get in touch with the dev team to explain it properly.

Or you could just PM Ryan to get in touch with the dev team...

yep I am around if you want to send ideas. We do get a lot of them, so of course all will be considered, but understandably not all can make it in

Thank you for your reply, I thought you may find these ideas too much, because no reply from both of you on 1 previous forum related PM, it is hard to miss, and you already read it so I decided to wait until I got some kind of reply.

Thanks again.

[Fuchikoma]

Some might consider it a cheat, but what about the option to sleep until blizzard stops? It would be one way of addressing the issue about blizzard duration apparently depending on your actions (another area of improvement for pseudo-randomness?). As for justification, I guess one could argue that silence would be enough to wake one up if one is sufficiently stressed-up! ;-)

[Fuchikoma]

Still thinking that some sort of "orienteering" feature would be nice...

I agree that a full-fledged and accurate map, even one that is progressively revealed through exploration, goes against the spirit of TLD, but there has to be a viable alternative.

Trying to imagine what I would actually do to keep track of my whereabouts in such circumstances... I think I would attempt to draw something like an old-fashioned "treasure map" (see e.g. AC4 "Black Flag"), showing my perceived location of landmarks relative to each other. For instance, in Mystery Lake, the railway clearly bisects the map. The lake and field office is on one side, the logging camp and dam on the other, with the former coming first when following the tracks towards the coastal road etc.

I guess I could draw this sort of map on paper or in another application, but wouldn't it be nice if there was a basic "map editor" within the game? Perhaps "hand-drawn" icons could become available as you discover places of interest (alongside generic ones such as "tree", "mountain peak"...) and you could drag-and-drop them on a blank piece of paper, progressively populating a "mental image" of your surroundings?

[Ryan CM]

Still thinking that some sort of "orienteering" feature would be nice...

I agree that a full-fledged and accurate map, even one that is progressively revealed through exploration, goes against the spirit of TLD, but there has to be a viable alternative.

Trying to imagine what I would actually do to keep track of my whereabouts in such circumstances... I think I would attempt to draw something like an old-fashioned "treasure map" (see e.g. AC4 "Black Flag"), showing my perceived location of landmarks relative to each other. For instance, in Mystery Lake, the railway clearly bisects the map. The lake and field office is on one side, the logging camp and dam on the other, with the former coming first when following the tracks towards the coastal road etc.

I guess I could draw this sort of map on paper or in another application, but wouldn't it be nice if there was a basic "map editor" within the game? Perhaps "hand-drawn" icons could become available as you discover places of interest (alongside generic ones such as "tree", "mountain peak"...) and you could drag-and-drop them on a blank piece of paper, progressively populating a "mental image" of your surroundings?

We are looking at options around this for the future.

[Greavette]

It's small.....I'd like my eyes to adjust to the light when coming in and out of a cabin / darkness. Presently, when I light a fire, I expect the see the room a little more lit up, especially after my eyes adjust to the darkness. Right now, I can't see a thing. It would add a lot more realism to the game. It doesn't have to be drastic...perhaps almost barely noticeable, but it would hopefully end my frustration of not being able to see a thing in the room even when I have a fire going.