Crows and other (not so) brief thoughts

[J20shrapnel]

Some others have mentioned the role that crows could play as a carrion/carcass locator. Perhaps they shouldn't locate "fresh" kills -- only old kills perhaps? I certainly would like to see some consideration in that area. At least have crow murders move on from dilapidated or previously visited bodies/carcasses. Maybe the crow flight direction could point the general path to a fresh kill.

One reason the kill locator would be so useful is the limited number of arrows that exist in the current update. Its too bad that the game philosophy has turned out against having both plain/crude arrowheads made with tools at a workbench with limited damage as well as cast/forged arrows with increased damage. If realism is the goal instead of sheer difficulty it seems that players could make arrows like Native Americans used to as well.

The step/clamber/mantle thing is also important for realism as well. I get the deep snow thing -- I do. I have personal experience in that area. Though, in many in-game instances, I am on the uphill side of a tree trunk when my toes catch and I can't quite get past. I should be able to clamber past, but I can't. I suppose that sprain risk should increase around tree wells though.

Speaking of which, I know that sprains must have increased risk in certain circumstances i.e. being overburdened, steep slopes, looking aside from direction of travel etc. but that may need revisiting as I keep getting sprains not during risky conditions. Please consider this. Train tracks and frozen creeks are a risk too but consider implementing a chance of fall then chance of sprain mechanic. Not every fall results in a sprain.

Also, I'm not sure whether I should bring some of this up as devs have been extremely gracious with the survivabilty of the gap in the train trestle from Mystery Lake to Coastal Highway. I have to assume the weather is always so cold that its dry and grippy on the trestle. Thanks for not making all passes to/from Mystery Lake one-way.

If you want to dial something down, consider making it less easy to traversing rock faces. I no longer do this as its unbelievable even with my suspension of disbelief. Ice climbing gear might be able to mitigate fall damage but I'm not sure that really fits with the goals/needs of the game.

All said, The Long Dark is a wonderful gem of a game. I was initially turned off by the graphic style and steep learning curve but I was pulled back in months later by the nostalgia I have for the setting and the basic gameplay challenge of survival. Now I have grown to love the game as much as many of the others on this forum. It is wonderfully addicting and I look forward the new levels of depth in gameplay that are coming.

Stalker - not because it is easy, but because it is hard.

TL/DR: Please consider using crows to locate kills, bring back crude arrowheads from scrap metal with limited damage, add a step/clamber mechanic for only the smallest of steps, revisit sprain risk conditions, dial down the traverse ability on rock faces, and feel my gratitude for an awesome game so far.

[Drifter Man]

Crows: I would like to see crows locate kills that are 1-2 days old, too, when there is a carcass left (not completely eaten by wolf/harvested by player). I would also like them to stop circling above human corpses forever - they should gradually time out and get lost. On the other hand, using crow flight direction to find a fresh kill sounds a bit odd to me. Crows can fly anywhere. I personally like the fact that finding your kill is not guaranteed - it's part of the thrill of the game.

Arrowheads: With the forge at Desolation Point it is possible to make virtually unlimited arrowheads from scrap metal. I'm not entirely opposed to the idea of having a low quality sort of arrowheads that can be made at the workbench, but again, not having many arrowheads (at least initially, before going to DP) is part of the thrill. I would like all parts of my armory - rifle ammo, arrowheads, shafts and feathers - to be precious rather than plentiful.