Backpack as a findable item

[Coccolo]

Here's something that came to mind while at work.

(yes, that's how bad TLD got me!)

- you could start with a small backpack, maybe limited to only carrying 5Kg of stuff (backpacks are actually usually categorized by their capacity in volume rather than how much they can carry; I'm here thinking of weight just for the sake of playability).

- you might then hope to find a bigger one, allowing to carry more stuff.

- it might also have a condition, like most of the other items in the game: if it is in bad condition, it might start loosing items through holes or tears! :shock: In that event, hopefully you hear the items falling, otherwise you might have to backtrack your steps in hope of finding them again!

- this limit on how much the backpack can carry would be different from how much the character is strong enough to carry: the character could easily run with a full 5Kg small backpack, but would have to walk with a full 40Kg large backpack (like what happens now when hauling 40Kg of stuff).

- it might also be craftable out of animals skin.

[sierra 117]

+1Agreed

I think we should work toward bow much we can carry ,like atleast start us with a small/no backpack , i mean this guy starts with almost nothing that will help him survive like food ,water , decent clothes ,yet he has an awesome rucksack. Then we can find one that enables us to carry what we can now.and if theyre not going to make clothes half weight when worn or something then a cfaftable backpack with wolf pelt etc should be made available so we can atleast carry a bit more than 5 kilo once we.have all crafted clothes and a gun equipped.

[quinch1199]

Initially you do seem to have a rather large rucksack don't you! Fact is that as backpacks themselves are neither lootable or craftable then this mechanic is a necessity.

I'd hope though that eventually, similar to DayZ, you start with nothing and be able to loot or craft a back pack. It would be a helpful addition.

Truth is that early stages you don't even really need a pack as you have so little...you tend to manage until you find shelter and that becomes your storage so adding a craftable/lootable back pack for you would slip right into the game easily without damaging early gameplay.

Also, if you think about it, where do we get those massive water bottles from?

[Coccolo]

Truth is that early stages you don't even really need a pack as you have so little...you tend to manage until you find shelter and that becomes your storage so adding a craftable/lootable back pack for you would slip right into the game easily without damaging early gameplay.

I understand that by using shelters as storages means the limited backpack capacity wouldn't damage gameplay a lot, but that depends on the availability of better backpacks (something to be trimmed with testing).

If better backpacks were harder to find, I think it could be one more thing that the player has to fight against. Imagine having just killed a wolf that just killed a deer: that's a lucky fluke that usually means at least 10 Kg of meat. And imagine you still only have a 5Kg backpack: you couldn't bring all that stuff to your shelter in one trip.

Also, if you think about it, where do we get those massive water bottles from?

I actually mentioned that very same "issue" in another thread

http://hinterlandforums.com/viewtopic.php?f=59&t=8495

[SEAplane]

Having sized packs would be welcomed. Backpack, daypack, belt.

Limited pack capacity with weight but also keep a max load at the character. (Run two packs at once)

Packs we could drop at shelters, or tailor to daily activities would add a nice wrinkle to a day's events(oops I left my med kit)

Also would save a great deal of time in terms of game play not 'living' in the menu system. :idea:

[Genktarov]

Another mechanic that might be implemented is a mode, like the mode that lets you carry lanterns, is a mode where you're carrying something you've picked up and don't have in your pack. This would increase stamina drain, an maybe make it so you can't sprint (or if you sprint, you automatically drop what you're carrying).

[Drazon]

Packs we could drop at shelters, or tailor to daily activities would add a nice wrinkle to a day's events(oops I left my med kit)

I think this is superb idea.

[TheIncredibleHibby]

+1!

[Cathail]

A variation on this idea would be either a hand pulled sled or a travois. As long as you are pulling it you can't run, and perhaps it even slows you a bit, but doesn't use more stamina. If you need to run from something you can release it possibly with right click.

A simple one could be made with two cured saplings and a few cured guts. A better one could be made with either more of those materials or even skins of one sort or another.

And while we are at it tents or lean-tos made from skins.

[LucidFugue]

This idea has come up before, perhaps more than once, but I +1 It every time. I absolutely love the inventory management in this game - the moment options we get and mechanics that fold in have really started to enrich the choices around what to take. Experienced players can forego the rifle, it's possible to consider a casserole hacksaw instead of a hatchet now, the can opener is something I normally leave in a drawer, and generally my late game carry weight is close to 15kgs.

I would love to see different packs with some advantages and disadvantages, a smaller starting pack for example, and a tweak to fatigue loss such that carrying 30 kg is much more tiring, and being over encumbered has a hard limit so having a small pack is more about strictly prohibiting excess carry weight

[n0xiety]

I think a backpack is quite hard to carry. I can't really think you could carry more than 30kg for a long period of time. But on the other hand people in survival situations creates makeshift ways of carrying stuff around just like this. https://nationalpostarts.files.wordpress.com/2010/12/apocalypse-1.jpg

Seeing as there is snow and ice everywhere we could craft or find something like this instead and pull it around.

Using a sledge seems to be a very legit and easy way of carrying more stuff around as you would need in an end of the world kind of survival situation. This kind of carrying stuff around also would be impossible between Mystery Lake and Coastal Highway because of the destroyed train bridge which would be balanced. You would have to take the sledge into your inventory to pass it to other side and then move the stuff that was on the sledge in your inventory so this adds a new challenge too. I should add that this would be great for hunting trips where you allready carry 20kg of stuff and only have 10kg free space which hinders your ability to carry everything back to camp.

[SteveP]

As a game play item, this is just another way to increase the limited carry weight. I don't think it adds much to the game except perhaps making it more linear and drawn out.

I think the better alternative would be a sled for carrying things on the lake or ocean. A sled can have its own limitations.

[Magniff]

While I really like the idea of different backpacks,

I'm missing some details on how you'd like to implement this.

Wouldn't a backpack feature require at least some basic inventory management.

Obviously the clothes you are currently wearing are not carried in your backpack.

But how about the rifle or the bow - are they shouldered, while you don't carry them in your hands?

How to deal with other stuff like hatchets, knifes and crowbars - are these things carried on your belt or inside your backpack?

How to impart information about the carry position to player in a simple and convenient fashion?

In addition, should different kinds of packpacks alter your fatigue based weight capacity or do you intent to introduce an additional capacity related UI element?

(As I understood you intended the second version)?

Unfortunately an additional UI element might be rather confusing, likewise alterating your fatigue based weight capacity according to your current backpack might be considered as unrealistic.

From my point of view, all these questions would need to be adressed, in order to properly implement the feature.

[Eachna]

+1Agreed

I think we should work toward bow much we can carry ,like atleast start us with a small/no backpack , i mean this guy starts with almost nothing that will help him survive like food ,water , decent clothes ,yet he has an awesome rucksack. Then we can find one that enables us to carry what we can now.and if theyre not going to make clothes half weight when worn or something then a cfaftable backpack with wolf pelt etc should be made available so we can atleast carry a bit more than 5 kilo once we.have all crafted clothes and a gun equipped.

You also don't start with a plane, which means you're not at the crash site. You must be wandering an indeterminate amount of time (iow: more useful supplies have already been consumed).

Why would clothes lose half their weight when worn? My pants don't weigh less when I put them on. Try ultra light backpacking, you'll learn exactly how much weight there is to your clothes.

I'd like to see more craftable items, but I don't see the benefits to a hand made rucksack.

Hand made clothes/bedroll = warmer than mass-produced version.

Hand made rucksack = ??? (it's going to be heavier and it'll rot over time).

A sled of some sort would be a good idea although I'd rather see a way to make jerky (which would significantly reduce the weight we'd need to carry).

[SteveP]

dried salted meat (jerky) can last a really long time and should not spoil! If there isn't a thread for it, we should make one and put our ideas in it. Making jerky is an involved process and would be a nifty addition. I think the game is getting close to finished for this particular game; I hope there will be many sequels!

[Grymm]

It would be very nice to have backpacks that are both portable and required for transport of large amounts of materiel. I'm also a huge fan of the sledge idea…at which point, the notion of possibly domesticating a wild wolf becomes compelling!

But I would also like to see a number of different styles and capacities of carriage available…especially if the "Plane Crash" ever becomes part of the story line or a playable scenario. You could start with some unwieldy suitcase or something. Upgrade to hiker's packs. But also eventually find duffel bags for large amounts of large items, grips, gear bags, etc. Backpacks and duffels would be unique in that they would be wearable on your back. But perhaps grips, valises, suitcases, gun bags, etc., could only be carried, and would take up a hand, preventing combat. Setting them down would liberate the hand and turn them into containers with two options (kind of like a sleeping bag): "Pick Up" or "Search." If the latter is chosen, they would then function like any other Searched container.

[yoshiro]

+1 to these ideas!