Stones need more uses.

[Mobscene]

I think stones could need some more uses in-game. Possibly some crafting recipes or something.

Right now it seems they were only added to knock out bunnies with. Yet they are everywhere.

A couple possible crafting recipes I'd like to see:

Improvised Whetstone
-25 Stone
-1 Fir Firewood
-1.0L Lantern Fuel(another item that could use more uses). Incentive to Fish.
Requires Forge, Hammer, and Work Gloves to be crafted.

Make it heavier than the default ones, maybe 1kg so carrying them around isn't practical, but about the same degradation on use.

Create or Upgrade placed Fire
-5 Reclaimed Wood(or some other non renewable resource)
-15 Stone
In Radial Menu with regular Fire. Option to upgrade already placed Fire.

A placed Fire that retains heat for a couple hours, slowly loses heat over time. 10c Bonus when the fire burns out, drops to 0c over 2 hours.

Basically something nicer looking than the regular fire, that will let you sleep near a fire with a heat bonus for an extended period after it has burned out.

These are just a couple simple ideas I had for Stones being more useful, since they are plentiful but mostly useless. Obviously they could be balanced different to make them harder or easier to create depending on game difficulty.

[Mixxut]

You can distract wolves with stones, so it's good that they are near. And they are everywhere because you might not be carrying stones in your bagpack so it's good that they are near rabbits. Its also pretty logical that stones are common.

 

Upgraded fire is gonna be either useless or OP.

And forging stones, oil and wood? Hahahah

[Mobscene]

29 minutes ago, Mixxut said:

You can distract wolves with stones, so it's good that they are near. And they are everywhere because you might not be carrying stones in your bagpack so it's good that they are near rabbits. Its also pretty logical that stones are common.

Upgraded fire is gonna be either useless or OP.

And forging stones, oil and wood? Hahahah

Who uses stones to distract wolves though. No one, that's who

Why would an upgraded fire be useless or OP, pick one, and explain.

For the wood component of the Whetstone, the stone is attached to the wood as a base, like the one in game and some real ones. The oil component would be because you often want to lubricate your whetstone when using it irl. Plus it would make Lantern Fuel actually sought after and useful. There's very little reason to fish in the game at the moment. Fish are heavy, you often need to keep a fire going to do it, and it's time consuming. Hunting is 10x better than fishing

[Mixxut]

51 minutes ago, Mobscene said:

Who uses stones to distract wolves though. No one, that's who

Why would an upgraded fire be useless or OP, pick one, and explain.

For the wood component of the Whetstone, the stone is attached to the wood as a base, like the one in game and some real ones. The oil component would be because you often want to lubricate your whetstone when using it irl. Plus it would make Lantern Fuel actually sought after and useful. There's very little reason to fish in the game at the moment. Fish are heavy, you often need to keep a fire going to do it, and it's time consuming. Hunting is 10x better than fishing

I use rocks to distract wolves. You obviusly haven't tried harder modes, huh? That's a life saver.

 

The better fire can be a huge help and make normal fire useless if you just keep some wood and stones with you. More heat, long lasting etc. Or ot can require too many materials and kill you while sleeping when the heat degreases. Might as well make a 9H fire and the heat will not go away.

 

Good luck with trying to stuff 25 stones in a piece of wood and then pouring some oil on it and hit it with a hammer. There are better ways to use your firewood. 

 

And fishing is a safe way to get food. I like to basically live in a fishing hut and have a fire going if needed. With good gear you only need a fire when a storm is raging (of course craftingg gear by hunting is a great way to go). That's thousands of easy calories. Of course hunting is a great way to get food too. And that oil goes for my lantern so I can have my lantern on almost whenever I want to. And you never have to carry your fish with you. Just leave them somewhere outside where they are easy to get.

No offence dude we all have our opinions and playstyles

[Prestermatt]

I like the idea of making a better fire pit.  Instead of giving extra warmth, maybe it just makes it more wind-resistant.  I'm not outdoorsy at all so correct me if I'm wrong, but this seems realistic.

Make it take a while to construct and don't make the bonuses too strong, but it would be a nice addition to the game when you want something more permanent or are willing to trade time for better/more reliable warmth.  Kind of like building a snow shelter vs just throwing down your bedroll on the snow.

[Mobscene]

1 hour ago, Mixxut said:

I use rocks to distract wolves. You obviusly haven't tried harder modes, huh? That's a life saver.

The better fire can be a huge help and make normal fire useless if you just keep some wood and stones with you. More heat, long lasting etc. Or ot can require too many materials and kill you while sleeping when the heat degreases. Might as well make a 9H fire and the heat will not go away.

Good luck with trying to stuff 25 stones in a piece of wood and then pouring some oil on it and hit it with a hammer. There are better ways to use your firewood.

And fishing is a safe way to get food. I like to basically live in a fishing hut and have a fire going if needed. With good gear you only need a fire when a storm is raging (of course craftingg gear by hunting is a great way to go). That's thousands of easy calories. Of course hunting is a great way to get food too. And that oil goes for my lantern so I can have my lantern on almost whenever I want to. And you never have to carry your fish with you. Just leave them somewhere outside where they are easy to get.

No offence dude we all have our opinions and playstyles

All I play is Interloper. Easier to just avoid wolves, or drop a decoy and shoot them with an arrow.

Sounds like you're contradicting yourself. "better ways to use your firewood", yet say that building up a 9H fire would be better than say a 6H fire with an Improved Fire... kthen.

Fishing is nice and all, but I never do it in Interloper. Get all the food I need hunting animals.

Currently Lantern Oil is only used for the Lantern, which you somehow get from fish. Meanwhile you say that "Good luck with trying to stuff 25 stones in a piece of wood and then pouring some oil on it and hit it with a hammer." What are you even on about. Most of the crafting in this game is unrealistic. Would love to see you make a Bow out of a branch and animal guts...

Just trying to give some suggestions, yet you seem intent on being a dick.

[GreenBeing]

I always like to be given interesting choices in games, but I think that the sharpening stone idea would work against the game progression. As it stands now, you hoard all sharpening stones that you find, and when you can no longer maintain the tools that you have, then you are forced to manufacture new ones. In this way survival is progressively harder, and you experience this in other aspects of the game too. I am not a slave to game mechanics though, and I personally enjoy game elements that are there for realism's sake. I think that the chance of you finding a suitable sharpening stone up there, not to mention under heavy snow cover, would be right around nil. Most of North America's sharpening stones come from Arkansas. There are other silica based rocks around, for sure, but best of luck finding them. Your post reminded me of an article I had read years ago, and I was able to find it online. It is pretty darn interesting, check it out: https://www.motherearthnews.com/nature-and-environment/sharpening-stone-zmaz83mazraw

Regarding using stones as fire rings: the purpose of fire rings is to prevent the fire from spreading, nothing more. I think that whatever warmth that the stones would have gained from the fire would dissipate very quickly in the open air. Moreover, if you pick the wrong rocks, they will explode! (I made that rookie mistake once, and it scattered my fire!) I have used the old trick of making a 'fire bed', where you dig a shallow trench, best lined with your heated rocks, then pour the fire's coals over them, add a couple inches of soil over the top, then make your bed on top of that. It works great! It would make a fun game mechanic, except for the fact that nobody in their right mind would try to dig that trench in this frozen ground. 

I am sorry to poop on your ideas. Keep 'em coming tho!

[Mixxut]

9 hours ago, Mobscene said:

 

Just trying to give some suggestions, yet you seem intent on being a dick.

I gave my opinions and if you can't stand them making wish list isn't your thing then

[mystifeid]

12 hours ago, GreenBeing said:

As it stands now, you hoard all sharpening stones that you find, and when you can no longer maintain the tools that you have, then you are forced to manufacture new ones. In this way survival is progressively harder, and you experience this in other aspects of the game too.

This.

12 hours ago, GreenBeing said:

Regarding using stones as fire rings: the purpose of fire rings is to prevent the fire from spreading, nothing more.

Maybe so but it would be something else to do. Just went past day 400 and it's all I can do to keep my eyes open after playing a day or two. Wouldn't really matter to me if there was a bonus attached to it or not but it might be cool if it shortened the amount of time it took to light a fire - possibly the same time used by a level 5 fire starter. (It would be interesting if the game had a stat showing how much time you'd spent in a game watching progress bars.)

14 hours ago, Mobscene said:

Easier to just avoid wolves, or drop a decoy and shoot them with an arrow.

Yes, or not drop a decoy and shoot them with an arrow.

14 hours ago, Mobscene said:

Fishing is nice and all, but I never do it in Interloper.

Usually the same but not this game. See the comment about nodding off.

14 hours ago, Mobscene said:

Currently Lantern Oil is only used for the Lantern

Can be used as an accelerant when lighting a fire and is also used when crafting torches. And yes, we both probably never do these things.

[dragonslayer587]

2 hours ago, mystifeid said:

Can be used as an accelerant when lighting a fire and is also used when crafting torches. And yes, we both probably never do these things.

I discovered it just a few days ago and I have been playing for a month or two hahahaha

 

I think the improvised whetstone would be a little OP in my humble opinion because you could maintain your best tools forever 

[darkstarmike]

I like the idea of a stone-lined fire-pit; better wind resistance, larger charcoal yield, etc. 

[ChillPlayer]

 

22 hours ago, Mobscene said:

Who uses stones to distract wolves though.

Me - alot and if you disregard stones you are making things harder for yourself than necessary. I use them for so many things:

- when camping in a fishing hut I throw a stone right outside the door before I leave to check for a wolf
- I lure them to a spot where I can conveniently kill them with my bow. Fishing huts work well for this too or a ledge like the one above the fence of the Dam towards the Ravine. I just killed two wolves a few minutes ago by luring them under that ledge with some stones.
- whenever I have to go around a corner in possible wolf county I crouch down, throw a stone and ready my bow in case a wolf comes around. In short, no more surprise Ninja Wolf attacks

Wanna know how to kill all wolves on the CH frozen sea plus a bear in one night with a bow? Stones make this happen:
1. go to the fishing hut down Jackrabbits and pack yourself full of meet so your smell meter goes to three
2. Step one step outside, crouch and wait, soon you'll see wolf eyes everywhere
3. Wait until they are close by but before they charge you, go back into the hut
4. Throw a stone straight out and wait until the biest comes to investigate, kill it with the bow
5. Rinse & repeate until there are no more wolves, I've once killed 7 in one night this way
Be careful to check towards fishing camp from time to time because the bear will get attracted by your smell too, apparently even while sleeping inside the hut. Once it reaches you, proceed the same as with wolves.

Stones rock man, one of the best recent additions

However I don't use stones anymore for hunting rabbits, that's what I use the bow for now to get the archery skill to max. Works surprisingly well, I think I have a higher success rate now with the bow than with stones, especially in hilly terrain.

[cekivi]

19 hours ago, GreenBeing said:

Regarding using stones as fire rings: the purpose of fire rings is to prevent the fire from spreading, nothing more. I think that whatever warmth that the stones would have gained from the fire would dissipate very quickly in the open air.

You'd be surprised but this is really situationally dependent. Large stones will act much like your trench and block a portion of the wind. Moreover, large stones will heat up and provide a more consistent heat. If it's windy, you won't really notice but on a calm day you should be able to tell the difference between the stones versus no stones. Although I've never done it, you can also heat rocks in a fire and bring them into your shelter for some additional warmth. 

However, in all cases, these are not small stones. Hot rocks are roughly fist sized and an effective fire pit stone would need to be about 20 cm diameter. When I'm out an about in the woods I never bother (way too much work) but if there is a boulder nearby I will build my fire next to it for the additional radiated heat and wind protection. Snow also makes for a decent wind break. I've built more than one cooking fire and have it melt its way down to be protected. Also, more than one cooking fire that I've accidentally set on the ice too!

Turns out, sticks poking through the snow does not gaurentee that there's dirt beneath it!  

[deathbydanish]

The only other way I could think of to use stones is the way I saw them being used in a episode of Survivorman. The host heated a bunch of stones near a fire and he waited until they had absorbed enough heat to be used in a makeshift boiling pot (I think he used his boonie hat or something). Once the stones were dropped in, the water started to boil and he could boil some tubers he had found.

[cekivi]

I remember that episode. He had mixed results as I recall. 

[MRE_MAN]

I’ll suppourt your first suggestion, but that crafting rescipee is wack. Maybe two rocks make a sharpened rock?

[Riotintheair]

I guess to each their own, but I only use stones to distract wolves and once or twice a bear I wanted to trundle in a different direction (CH bears sometimes are very inconvenient to bypass). I never waste time or condition stoning rabbits after I have snares. My active time is better spent doing something my passive time can't do like hunting larger game or gathering sticks - one can never have too many sticks.

[deathbydanish]

20 hours ago, cekivi said:

I remember that episode. He had mixed results as I recall. 

lol I think he wanted to remove the horrid taste of the tubers, he tried them raw and he tried them cooked, the taste was still there. Good thing Will doesn't care about taste as much as calories.

[Shane Retter]

I'd also like to see them used around fire places .... especially for wind protection. Also, when I was a trapper, I'd use river stones to sharpen my knife ..... so maybe finding a second type of stone to use in place of a whetstone, one that's harder to find, or the same stones, but one a single use for each one, or very small amount of knife / hatchet repair to keep it interesting

[StrayCat]

19 hours ago, MRE_MAN said:

I’ll suppourt your first suggestion, but that crafting rescipee is wack. Maybe two rocks make a sharpened rock?

That's a good suggestion. That would make a really bad emergency knife, but that would be better than nothing.

[cekivi]

21 hours ago, deathbydanish said:

lol I think he wanted to remove the horrid taste of the tubers, he tried them raw and he tried them cooked, the taste was still there. Good thing Will doesn't care about taste as much as calories.

The funny thing was in the pilot episode (7 part mini-series on Discovery) he did cook and eat tubers with no difficulties. In the later episode I always figured he wasn't able to cook them properly hence the horrid taste.

[Boston123]

I would love to see a sling implemented. It is one of the "Key Three" survival weapons that everyone should learn how to build. Infinitely easier to craft than a bow, lightweight and easy to carry, and ammunition is always at your feet. Difficult to use, technically (the action of using a sling is simple: if you can throw a ball, you can sling a stone, but actually getting good takes a lot of practice), but the pros heavily outweigh the cons.

On the plus side, it would make rabbit-stunning and wolf-scaring more difficult than it currently is, that is: hilariously easy

With regards to everyone naysaying an improvised whetstone...... all you need to sharpen a knife in the wild is a close-grained bit of stone with a flat surface. I've whetted my knife and my spear using a piece of slate I picked up on a riverbed. Wood and oil isn't necessary, nor is water.

The "whet" in "whetstone" refers to the act of sharpening, not that they have to be used "wet". Granted, using a lubricant makes the stone more effective, but it isn't necessary. I've got my knife sharp enough to pop hair using a dry stone.