Chopping wood should heat up the body

[jumpingbean77]

I have noticed that even when chopping wood i still freeze.

I think that a heavy chopping session should actually warm up my body, not other way around.

(same goes for rope climbing, running and walking with a heavy backpack)

To that topic it is commonly knowledge, when you freeze move yourself. Jump, make sit-up, pushup and so on to heat up the body.

When I was in the army I was doing my service in the mountain area, very similar to the game. (live in Sweden).

When I had my backpack of 20-30kg and skies I had just a windproof outer shell and long underwear in -20 -40 and it was no problem with the cold when moving. During still standing time a heavy outer clothing was needed but mostly still with a cold feeling about it.

I was out in the same type of weather for weeks never sleeping in heated tent or building without dying of hypothermia.

[Pillock]

I think the mechanics for body heat need to be fleshed out a bit more to make them more intuitive.

For example, you can go running about barefoot in the snow with no ill effects (in game), as long as your other clothes compensate for the lack of warmth normally provided by wearing boots. In a similar way, chopping wood might heat you up overall compared with walking or standing about (in reality), but your legs and hands and face could still be freezing if they're not covered properly - but the game doesn't recognise this.

If you haven't got a decent pair of gloves, doing anything outside should be painful no matter how warm your other clothes are. The same with boots, hats and maybe scarves to cover your face.

[[wOrm]]

I'll back this proposal up - as its something I've thought about many-a-time while playing. The caloric requirements and body heat generation could reflect the actions being done by the player!

[jumpingbean77]

Pillok, I so agree that it is completely strange that walking without shoes in a -20C even is possible.

But as we all know the game is just semi realistic. The re-spawning times of animals. being able to regenerate from close to death in just 1-2 in game days. Water bottles magically appearing when needed (incl snow no melt).

I just wanted to point this specific thing out since I don't recall it being discussed.

Worm, I agree with you. But I do think the caloric requirements already differs with different activities. I also think that a heat bonus is added when sprinting. maybe also a heat bonus is added when copping wood, but if so it must be really low.

[[wOrm]]

Worm, I agree with you. But I do think the caloric requirements already differs with different activities. I also think that a heat bonus is added when sprinting. maybe also a heat bonus is added when copping wood, but if so it must be really low.

It does seem like you stay warmer when sprinting. But the only times I've ever contracted hypothermia is when chopping wood. Mainly when exploring unknown areas, it's a bit of a buzzkill to get hypothermia gathering 3 pieces of wood in a blizzard. :oops:

[ThresholdSeven]

":3707lxw8]

Worm, I agree with you. But I do think the caloric requirements already differs with different activities. I also think that a heat bonus is added when sprinting. maybe also a heat bonus is added when copping wood, but if so it must be really low.

It does seem like you stay warmer when sprinting. But the only times I've ever contracted hypothermia is when chopping wood. Mainly when exploring unknown areas, it's a bit of a buzzkill to get hypothermia gathering 3 pieces of wood in a blizzard. :oops:

I totally agree and think it would fit especially since heating up while running is already implemented as well as the hypothermia mechanic and the mechanic of wet clothing when falling through the weak ice.

I can attest that chopping wood does heat up the body substantially enough to last longer in the cold (at least to feel comfortable for longer in the cold) as I chopped wood to heat my own house for years in the minnesota winters.

To top off the mechanic and make it even more realistic, that fact that overexertion and consequently sweating in a freezing environment can be deadly could be implemented. Ill never forget a particular time when I was chopping wood in the middle of winter a half mile away from my old house in the middle of the woods. I usually end up shedding layers of clothing as I heat up to stay comfortable while chopping (technically I was using a chain saw and hauling logs to my truck) but it was so cold this time that I keep all my layers on. I started to sweat a lot but didn't shed clothing because the air was so frigid.

The sun started to set and the temperature started to drop drastically and quickly. I was almost done filling the back of the truck with logs so I just kept working faster to finish. My clothing and my overalls were nearly soaked with sweat and all of a sudden, it literally felt like it happened instantly, my sweat soaked overalls froze. I could barely bend my arms and legs and walked like a stiff limbed robot back to my truck and headed home.

If I was stranded in the wilderness I might have been screwed since once clothing is wet and especially once the moisture starts to freeze, it is worse than no clothing at all, which is why if one falls through the ice, gets soaked and is able to get out, the first thing you want to do is get out of the soaked clothing and find a means to wring them out and dry them ASAP.

It seems counter intuitive and isn't apparent to those not familiar with wilderness survival, but the danger of sweating in freezing temperatures is common knowledge to those versed in cold weather survival.

If running heats you up and falling through the weak ice makes it critical to take your clothes off is already a part of the game, I can't help but guess that the dev are already working on or at least put more than a fleeting thought into implementing a mechanic for heating up while working and potential and consequential dangers of sweating in freezing temperatures. The implementation of the hypothermia mechanic relatively recently makes adding this mechanic seem even more like it's something that is just bound to happen.

It's no secret that the devs greatly consider realism, but it is a tough balance to implement effectively with fun gameplay, especially in a way that will please the most amount of people. That brings me to my opinion that modding support and a few more difficulty modes (or other drastically different game modes) should be added to the game to give all sorts of players the chance to find a mode that suits them, but that's a topic for another discussion. I could write a book on the things and changes I'd like to see implemented, but that's only because this is my favorite game and it has so much potential even though I thoroughly enjoy it the way it is.

[pacificwing]

My father always said "Wood heats twice". Once when you cut; once when you burn.

As someone who has lived in a house that heated with wood since birth, these are true words.

[ThresholdSeven]

My father always said "Wood heats twice". Once when you cut; once when you burn.

As someone who has lived in a house that heated with wood since birth, these are true words.

Indeed. I would love to be able to chop down an entire tree also in game. I like that the typical "stand at this tree whacking it with an axe until your beard grows long" game mechanic isn't in this game and I'd bet the devs are actively avoiding doing just that, but why can't I walk up to a tree and harvest it the exact same way I harvest a fallen log or branch? Of course it should take longer, but would reward much more wood. It would be nice if you could take a break and finish chopping a tree down later if you had to. This could also be tied to the fallen dead wood mechanic already in the game, i.e. cut down a tree and no more dead wood will spawn around it ever so chop down the forest at your peril.

A wilderness survival game can't really take itself seriously, even this one, if I can't chop down a tree.

[Stratocaster_master]

TLDR: Should be possible to wring out clothes to get non-potable water.

Awesome to see a year later most of these features are now in the game with the Resolute Outfitter update. A somewhat related story: My first play through on interloper, spawn on the beach line on desolate point, get closer to the water to check out the beachcoming gameplay, stupidly fall through the ice. So my clothes are now wet and beginning to freeze. I sprint to the lighthouse, clean it out before darkness and realise that I have no way of starting a fire to make water. Check inventory, clothes are all wet... Can I not wring these out to get some water at the risk of getting sick? Food for thought.