Survival guide(s)

[Asulf]

By reading a few posts, I often see that the problem for most of people when they see the wish of another is "ok, but how your character could be able to know that, to have this skill, to master this or that, to even know that he could do this by using a or b things". And I was asking myself "And what about if we could find a kinda guide or books or even a note to learn basics or advanced skills of surviving". Personally I was raised in a farmers/hunters family so I get used to be close to nature. But that's right that the character we play could possibly not be aware of the possibilities he got when felt into wilderness (like this scene in the movie "The Wild" when he try to conserve deer's meat but that he discover fly's on it).

So I get back to my wish/proposition, what do you think of something which could learn to the character techniques of surviving. Plus, this could bring a new purpose to the game by looking for all this pieces of knowledge to master survival. Maybe this idea was already shared, but let me know your opinion about it.

PS I realized that I never said it before, but I would like to thanks Hinterland's team for bringing us a so contemplative game. Rare at the game where I enjoy to just stop walking, look at mountains with the sky above and listen to my breath smithing with the song of wind. Thanks a lot, you rock guys, or like we say it in France"Vous gérez!"

[Dirmagnos]

While generally im against simple "read book, learn a skill" idea, it could be implemented to some degree and also make books to of more use than they are right now in the game. Since once you lit fire enough times, books and accelerant become completely useless.

I think that reading a book, and rereading it, player could learn new techniques of survival. With 3-4 dozen topics each playthru would be slightly different, since there is only so many books to read. Reading particular book could teach player new recipes, enhance exiting ones or improve his effectiveness in one of the skills/actions. Like cooking book could decrease cooking times, or increase caloric value of the food, or both, but to a smaller degree. Increasing effectiveness of repairs/maintenance, fishing, athletics, crafting, etc

Each book could also have an actual content in it, so that player could actually read those and find out new information about things, like information about wolves, or some backstory to the game, or basics of winter fishing(player would be literally reading, with game time still passing). Things that could be useful in real life.

Player could have a separate option for "Literature", where he can view and read or change status(like to move to junk, that can be burned, once book has nothing more to offer) of books, with full list of currently available reading material.

[lucbay300]

I think these are great ideas as long they are not replaced with stupid skill trees because that would ruin any realistic element of the game

[SteveP]

There are some extremely useful guides created by the community. The best of them is

Wikia for The Long Dark

Especially useful are the notes on hunting but it covers all sorts of topics and even tactics.

This one has links to maps but fewer tips than wikia.

Official The Long Dark Wiki

[Diamondz]

Would maps be helpful?

[illanthropist]

Just posted similar on a different thread, I agree would have been nice to have given book/newspapers more use than kindling.  Both practical training and entertainment value, learning recipes for Reishi Tea or gaining +5 to sewing for example.  An alternative timesink to sleeping through a blizzard.

[bethany]

Thanks for sharing your suggestion and kind words.

Interesting note: The in-game description for a book does say "Eventually a source of knowledge". 

[cekivi]

2 hours ago, Bethany Williams said:

Thanks for sharing your suggestion and kind words.

Interesting note: The in-game description for a book does say "Eventually a source of knowledge". 

I am now very intrigued...

[PPartisan]

15 hours ago, illanthropist said:

Just posted similar on a different thread, I agree would have been nice to have given book/newspapers more use than kindling.  Both practical training and entertainment value, learning recipes for Reishi Tea or gaining +5 to sewing for example.  An alternative timesink to sleeping through a blizzard.

When I encountered books and newspapers for the first time, my immediate thought was that I would use them first as reading material and second as an emergency fuel. I'd assumed that they would be used for entertainment and to keep my sanity in check, given that it was the closest thing I had to conversation with another person. I was surprised when I eventually realised that their only purpose was for fires.