[POLL] Snowshoes or Nordic Skis?


Bjern

[Poll] Snowshoes or Nordic Skies?  

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I agree with @FluffyEskimo

Skis are a lot more fun.

We could still see both implemented though, but honestly skis would be less work since they dont need deep snow mechanics.

Also, there are ski/snowboard boots in the game currently. 

And who doesnt want to slide down the logging roads in coastal highway and down timberwolf mountain? 

Risks should be:

Collisions

Animal encounters

Sprains (unless you have the boots)

Ramping/Air Time (we arent professionals and it would be very dumb to try and do this in a survival situation)

... avalanches........ just kidding, would be way too performance heavy and deadly.

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8 hours ago, MarrowStone said:

Sprains (unless you have the boots)

That's the other big problem with skis. Anyone can use snowshoes since they don't require special equipment. Unfortunately almost all the modern skis I've seen require you to have boots that can clip into them. You can't just suit up and go anymore.

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maybe they could have both, where skiis gave you a bonus on travel on certain types of terrain (travel faster? less stamina burn?) and snow shoes on other types of terrain.  There are whole sections of Pleasant Valley just made for skiis and others that would be perfect for snow shoes.  Actually, I'd be happy if snow shoes simply reduced your sprain chance on steep terrain.  I think a sled would work better than a travois but I'd be happy with either.

 

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This poll is quite interesting.

In my wishes I would have to say Nordic Skis first.  But facing programming development the snowshoes would be easier to implement.  Implementing any idea so that it adds to the game experience is tricky.  It will require some new code to develop these new tools.  Clearly the Nordic Skis and Snowshoes will share this newly developed code. 

Snowshoes compared to Nordic Skis would seem on the easier side to implement.  I say this only from a Nordic Skier experience.  I waxed the Crawford Creek trail plenty and developed an understanding of waxing and boot binding that applies to Nordic Skiing.  The easiest way to implement skis would be a waxless type.However having waxless skies would seem to take away from the experience.  The choice of wax based on weather and snow conditions is important. End up with snow sticking to the skies and now you have a harder time and burn more calories.  Not enough grip wax and hills become mountains.  Even toboggan and sleds could use wax to improve glide.   Wax choice is dependent on the weather and the resulting snow type and adds to the variables to be concerned over.  

 As far as I can remember about  snow shoes was that the larger the hoop the deeper the powder you are able to traverse.  The overall results of snow shoes are an ability to float above the snow powder and cross weak ice without breaking through.  Walking over the thin ice crust that forms over deep powder is a shining example of the utility of snowshoes.  This new snow mechanic that changes based on weather.could add a significant obstacle to both developer and player.

By developing snowshoes first it acts as a stepping stone towards Nordic skis.  Some new code that both snowshoes and Nordic skis share would allow the development team time to experiment with the different snow types and how the weather conditions alter the crystalline nature of snow.  The snow drifts deep powder and icy conditions would.result in greater immersion overall.  The new snow system could even be started first and be tested with pedestrians.

The waxing system adds new crafting and many variables to overcome.  Waxing is an art a science and maybe witchcraft (I am looking at you Klister).  I hope the developers would choose wax type skis. Compared to waxless types it is more difficult to implement. In my opinion it would be well worth the efforts.  So the decision for snowshoes to be developed first is logical and only because I would prefer that Nordic skis and wax be developed to its fullest potential.

 

 

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1 hour ago, Farrgin Ice Hole said:

As far as I can remember about  snow shoes was that the larger the hoop the deeper the powder you are able to traverse.  The overall results of snow shoes are an ability to float above the snow powder and cross weak ice without breaking through.  Walking over the thin ice crust that forms over deep powder is a shining example of the utility of snowshoes.  This new snow mechanic that changes based on weather.could add a significant obstacle to both developer and player.

Depends on style. I personally favour long (6'6") snowshoes that are narrow (14"). They let you traverse a lot of terrain (especially wooded terrain) without compromising how you normally walk. Due to the length the snowshoes still have the surface area to spread enough of your weight to not sink into the snow.

Actually, another benefit of snowshoes over skis: you can make them yourself. Lash some evergreen boughs together and you'll have makeshift snowshoes. Lashing two cured saplings together, forcing in a cross piece and then using rope/guts to make the webbing will also give fairly functional snowshoes. They won't be comparable to anything commercial but they'd work unlike trying to make your own skis in a hurry ;)

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13 minutes ago, cekivi said:

Depends on style. I personally favour long (6'6") snowshoes that are narrow (14"). They let you traverse a lot of terrain (especially wooded terrain) without compromising how you normally walk. Due to the length the snowshoes still have the surface area to spread enough of your weight to not sink into the snow.

Actually, another benefit of snowshoes over skis: you can make them yourself. Lash some evergreen boughs together and you'll have makeshift snowshoes. Lashing two cured saplings together, forcing in a cross piece and then using rope/guts to make the webbing will also give fairly functional snowshoes. They won't be comparable to anything commercial but they'd work unlike trying to make your own skis in a hurry ;)

I've made a pair of perfectly-functional round quasi-bearpaw snowshoes from nothing more than spruce boughs in a couple of minutes.

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