Adding Seasons - The Ice Fishing Huts

[Skap]

So a while back a read that Hinterland was planning to add seasons to the game sometime in the far and distant future. Now I love this idea, they could totally make a 365 days year, kein problem. But as I was walking over mystery lake dreaming about this magnificent future I came to wonder; what would happen to the ice fishing huts in summer? I have never been inside one of these huts irl, but they're just plunked right on the ice, right? So what would happen to them in TLD should the ice melt? Are we just going to have to watch as the ice cracks and the huts sink? Or would it be reasonable to give the player the option to move the huts somehow to the safer grounds so they could be used the next winter?

I really want to hear if anyone has any ideas, because it would kinda stink to lose the huts, should Hinterland implement seasons to the game.

[stratvox]

That's a good question. There's no way a player is dragging those huts around; just think about how much an iron pot-bellied stove weighs. Not gonna happen. Only thing I can think of is

• They're there for the initial winter;
• They all sink to the bottom of the lakes/ocean come spring; and
• The fishing mechanic gets a major overhaul, which would need to happen anyway.

One thing that would be awesome would be the introduction of canoes, both found and hand crafted: could be a use for birchbark resources. They'd add a lot to a non-winter fishing mechanism, not to mention one's ability to move around with a lot of gear; you'd be able to pull a boatload of stuff down from the dam to the camp cabin in Mystery Lake, for example. Yes, it would be time consuming ferrying it all to the river, and then ferrying it up to the cabin from the shore, but it'd be doable.

[EricTheGreat12]

1 hour ago, Skap said:

So a while back a read that Hinterland was planning to add seasons to the game sometime in the far and distant future. Now I love this idea, they could totally make a 365 days year, kein problem. But as I was walking over mystery lake dreaming about this magnificent future I came to wonder; what would happen to the ice fishing huts in summer? I have never been inside one of these huts irl, but they're just plunked right on the ice, right? So what would happen to them in TLD should the ice melt? Are we just going to have to watch as the ice cracks and the huts sink? Or would it be reasonable to give the player the option to move the huts somehow to the safer grounds so they could be used the next winter?

I really want to hear if anyone has any ideas, because it would kinda stink to lose the huts, should Hinterland implement seasons to the game.

They will be making “The Long Dark 2” with the different seasons, which means that the Long Dark will not have playable seasons. 

 

The Long Dark that we own today is in the winter, and Hinterland plans to keep it that way. The next game in the series may have interchangeable seasons. 

[Skap]

45 minutes ago, stratvox said:

One thing that would be awesome would be the introduction of canoes, both found and hand crafted: could be a use for birchbark resources. They'd add a lot to a non-winter fishing mechanism, not to mention one's ability to move around with a lot of gear; you'd be able to pull a boatload of stuff down from the dam to the camp cabin in Mystery Lake, for example. Yes, it would be time consuming ferrying it all to the river, and then ferrying it up to the cabin from the shore, but it'd be doable.

Now that is something I can get behind. Having canoes would be pretty sweet. 

45 minutes ago, stratvox said:

• They're there for the initial winter;
• They all sink to the bottom of the lakes/ocean come spring; and
• The fishing mechanic gets a major overhaul, which would need to happen anyway.

Yeah, that's probably it. I was also thinking about those stoves, since just moving them alone would be problematic. 

Edited June 9, 2018 by Skap

[Skap]

2 minutes ago, EricTheGreat12 said:

They will be making “The Long Dark 2” with the different seasons, which means that the Long Dark will not have playable seasons. 

 

The Long Dark that we own today is in the winter, and Hinterland plans to keep it that way. The next game in the series may have interchangeable seasons. 

Oh is that so? That's not what I've heard. Where did you read that?

I'm genuinely curious btw, I don't why that sounded so passive aggressive.

[EricTheGreat12]

9 minutes ago, Skap said:

Oh is that so? That's not what I've heard. Where did you read that?

I'm genuinely curious btw, I don't why that sounded so passive aggressive.

Hehe don't worry about it, the way I write is not very pleasant itself, and it has led to arguments with people on these forums more often then not 

 

This is a quote from Raph's reddit ama:

 

"Spring Sandbox would be in the next game -- let's call it 'The Long Dark 2'. Tips for any students breaking into the industry: work hard, network, create an amazing portfolio, make stuff. We mostly don't care about degrees, but we do care about seeing that you can create great work. Even more important is evidence that you can work with other people. Game dev is (mostly) not a solo effort. Good luck!"

[Khan_Drichthyes]

One possible way to make it work for all seasons:

Change all the ice huts into shanty boats.

Example: Lisa B Good Shanty boat plans

In the thaw, they are anchored fishing and camping platforms.  When the ice sets in, they're like ice huts.

[Skap]

17 hours ago, EricTheGreat12 said:

This is a quote from Raph's reddit ama:

 

"Spring Sandbox would be in the next game -- let's call it 'The Long Dark 2'. Tips for any students breaking into the industry: work hard, network, create an amazing portfolio, make stuff. We mostly don't care about degrees, but we do care about seeing that you can create great work. Even more important is evidence that you can work with other people. Game dev is (mostly) not a solo effort. Good luck!"

Ahh okay, I didn't even know Raph had a reddit ama. So I guess we have a the long dark 2 to look forward to in the far and distant future then 

[Ice Hole]

Too bad for losing multiple seasons.

The idea of fishing huts sinking in the warm thaw would make the following Winter that much harder.

Consider the game to have just a brief Spring/Summer and then back to Winter but now fishing huts are gone.  The benefit could be that the vegetable and fungi replenish after the season. Then back to freezing with the fishing huts sunk to the bottom.

To fish in the new winter a fishing hole would need to be created.  Cannot see why we are unable to break ice and fish anywhere.  We break weak ice already and a similar mechanic could be used to make new fishing holes.   Fishing off the coast from Coastal Highway all the way to Desolation Point should also be introduced.

If the new fishing area can be created then we are exposed on the open ice.  The weather and elements will be tougher to manage.  Now that you are no longer inside a hut the beasts also have a greater chance of attack.  All these factors are making a fishing trip incredibly dangerous.

Weak ice is another factor.  As the freeze and thaw cycles this should make crossing frozen areas more dangerous because the weak ice patches transform their shape.  Increasing and decreasing in size according to weather.   Travelling on land becomes the safer choice.

During the warm season weather is different and having a different set of clothing makes sense.  Travelling will be harder.  Muddy and swampy areas would make it slow going and easier to get sprains.  The clothing worn will need to be lighter otherwise heat stroke.  Now the beast injure greater because less clothing protection.

Rain is now in the forecast and a light shell looks to me like it would also keep me dry. The proper footwear would also be important.  Soakers are just awful.  Makes your feet rot.  Gathering snow is no longer an option.  Water must be sought out and if from a muddy area will need the sediment filtered.  Rain collecting is very important.

Aurora could make lighting thunder storms incredible.  Super exciting the discharge and igniting wood ablaze.  Buildings that you have all your stuff in could be burnt down.

I am thinking a new season would of made the game harder as each year progresses. 

[Skap]

@Ice Hole Mhhm you have some good points there, but then again this game was not meant to be easy. The idea of the fishing huts only being there for the first winter has kinda grown on me. Summer would be a time to prepare for the next winter. You can gather lots more food then and save it for the winter, that way you could compensate for the lost huts. 

Water doesn't sound to me like it's gonna be much of an issue. There are loads of streams in the game which have their origin in the mountains, if that's not safe to drink then nothing is. I base that on the fact that I've drunken mountain water straight from a river a million times growing up in Norway and I have yet to become ill because of it. 

[DoctorKajita]

Might be a long shot, but perhaps the next game will give us the ability to build/rebuild structures.

[Manbearpig]

The easiest way to deal with the fishing huts would be to make them float and be chained underneath so they don't move. While it's not very realistic you could think of it as a floating dock that can change with water level and when it's warm has enough buoyancy to float. Again it's not the normal but it would be possible.