A few observations / questions / suggestions...

ManicManiac

By ManicManiac
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ManicManiac Pathfinder

ManicManiac

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Please bear with me, I'm just trying to get a few thoughts off my mind... (I originally posted this in the Steam discussion forums, but was advised to post it here as well)
I've been playing this game for years and I will preface this by saying, I absolutely love this game.  I do have a few things that have been lingering on my mind as I started a new run (after having been tragically killed by an amazing combination of a bear on thin ice).

Below are my ideas for the wish list:

- Why not add a few more craft-able items for the accessories slots? I would really love to be able to craft a wolf hood or bear hood.  I mean after all Jeremiah has one... ;)
- Why can't we break down recycled cans for scrap?  Is there a possibility that could be an option in the future...
- If we can "repair" heavy hammers and hacksaws... why can't we "repair" pry-bars?
- I would think that someone on Great Bear Island would have a refillable lighter (i.e. 'Zippo'). Is there any chance that could get added to the world?
- Why can't we consolidate lantern fuel containers (at least ones in the same condition) or by being able to use them to fill a Jerry can? (and maybe have the condition come out to be the average condition of the fuel poured into it).  I always find myself wanting to consolidate my fuel when I get a Jerry can or two... or a I see a bunch of different Lantern Fuel cans filling my inventory.
- Could a survivor not craft a sort of makeshift sharpening stone by using a suitably smooth/flat rock?  Is there any possibility of a craft-able sharpening stone (perhaps less effective or wears out even faster than the standard manufactured one)?
- Shouldn't you be able to use a stick/cat tail stalk and a piece of cedar as a hand drill for making a friction fire? ...It seems like there should be some kind of "long haul" way to make fire other than a magnifying glass.
- Shouldn't we be able to mark outdoor fireboxes/campfires and prepper cache hatches on the map?  I always try to, but they never show up...
- I feel like the camp stoves (hotplates) found in some cabins and indoor locations should work during the Aurora for cooking and lighting torches.
- If the Aurora "charges" the flashlight, shouldn't we be able to use the flashlight until the charge is expended? (As opposed to now were once the aurora is over, it's dead again)
- I would still love to be able to find & befriend a wounded wolf, nurse it back to health, and have a hunting companion/protector (I've had this idea kicking around in my head since 2015).
- Would you considered bring back the brandishing mechanic.  There is no reason why both brandishing and throwing can't be implemented.  Maybe a quick-tap right click would brandish and a right click+hold to throw?
- I would ask you consider adding bear traps to the game.  I can't imagine the old trapper didn't have some bear traps, and I think they would have a good functional use for wolf defense.
- Items usable as tinder should provide at least some kind of bonus for starting fires (even if only a small one), it only makes sense...  Otherwise it's a completely wasted resource after your get your fire starting skill to level 3.  In a game like this, nothing should be useless.  Right now, after level 3 tinder is only good for filling the pockets of corpses. :P
---
Anyway, these were some thoughts that I usually think of as I play the game...  I have to believe others have made similar observations/suggestions, so I thought I would raise my hand and add my thoughts as well.

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BareSkin Pathfinder

BareSkin

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Just now, ManicManiac said:

- I would still love to be able to find & befriend a wounded wolf, nurse it back to health, and have a hunting companion/protector (I've had this idea kicking around in my head since 2015).

Made me laugh. You'd better have it very well fed then.

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deathbydanish Pathfinder

deathbydanish

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5 hours ago, Ape88 said:

It would have to be a young one...

I was just visiting a zoo yesterday and a lot of their animals were rescues, one common story I heard was an animal's mother was killed when it was a baby, humans found them, and raised them, from then on they were socialized to be with humans.

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ManicManiac Pathfinder

ManicManiac

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or if not an injured or orphaned wolf... perhaps a sled dog (husky/malamute)... this way it would be easier to distinguish it from the wolves.  I just thought a companion in the sandbox would be a cool if very challenging addition... after all you'd have to keep it's condition up, maybe even at the cost of your own... daily food and water requirements while it healed up/learned to trust you.  Then after that, a hunting partner and maybe even a defender.  Even with the extra help it would still be another mouth to feed though.  Just a thought.  I was thinking about dropping this into the mailbag to see if he'd weigh in on it.

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On 11/2/2018 at 4:53 PM, ManicManiac said:

Why can't we break down recycled cans for scrap?  Is there a possibility that could be an option in the future...

It would make the can heavier by breaking it down - which is a bit curious. Also scrap metal isn't really scarce ... maybe surplus cans are just that: junk.

On 11/2/2018 at 4:53 PM, ManicManiac said:

If we can "repair" heavy hammers and hacksaws... why can't we "repair" pry-bars?

Because as it is you find so many pry-bars in the game that there are not enough lockers / cars to wear them down. :D

On 11/2/2018 at 4:53 PM, ManicManiac said:

I would think that someone on Great Bear Island would have a refillable lighter (i.e. 'Zippo'). Is there any chance that could get added to the world?

Even thant thing would wear down eventually. I mean a real fire striker can light more than 40-ish fires - but that doesn't stop them from dying in TLD.

On 11/2/2018 at 4:53 PM, ManicManiac said:

Why can't we consolidate lantern fuel containers (at least ones in the same condition) or by being able to use them to fill a Jerry can? (and maybe have the condition come out to be the average condition of the fuel poured into it).  I always find myself wanting to consolidate my fuel when I get a Jerry can or two... or a I see a bunch of different Lantern Fuel cans filling my inventory.

That would be awesome.

On 11/2/2018 at 4:53 PM, ManicManiac said:

Shouldn't you be able to use a stick/cat tail stalk and a piece of cedar as a hand drill for making a friction fire? ...It seems like there should be some kind of "long haul" way to make fire other than a magnifying glass.

Not exactly a new idea, and HL has already hinted that something like this will probably make it in the game at some point. That being said: the opportunity cost will have to be kinda high to not just make this plain superior to matches. Like ..... 2 kg heavy and / or takes 20 minutes to start a fire. Or something like that. The maglens only works in clear weather, for example.

On 11/2/2018 at 4:53 PM, ManicManiac said:

If the Aurora "charges" the flashlight, shouldn't we be able to use the flashlight until the charge is expended? (As opposed to now were once the aurora is over, it's dead again)

Since nobody really know how this aurora thing actually works .... no? Yes? Maybe? The aurora does things I have a hard time explaining on a very far fetched level, and I actually am more than apt in actual physics. I see it more like a fantasy story / game play vehicle. So basically: the aurora giveth, and the aurora taketh. How .... who knows.

On 11/2/2018 at 4:53 PM, ManicManiac said:

I would still love to be able to find & befriend a wounded wolf, nurse it back to health, and have a hunting companion/protector (I've had this idea kicking around in my head since 2015).

Wolves clearly are nuts in The Long Dark. They act like they have the rabies on steroids. Not sure I wanna go cuddle with one of those. Probably the aurora fried parts of their brains. How .... who knows. :D

On 11/2/2018 at 4:53 PM, ManicManiac said:

Would you considered bring back the brandishing mechanic.  There is no reason why both brandishing and throwing can't be implemented.  Maybe a quick-tap right click would brandish and a right click+hold to throw?

Yes, please! Actually good and intuitive controls you propose there.

On 11/2/2018 at 4:53 PM, ManicManiac said:

I would ask you consider adding bear traps to the game.  I can't imagine the old trapper didn't have some bear traps, and I think they would have a good functional use for wolf defense.

Leg-hold traps are so controversial (and rightfully so) that adding them to the game would produce so much backlash .... nah. Not gonna happen.

On 11/2/2018 at 4:53 PM, ManicManiac said:

Items usable as tinder should provide at least some kind of bonus for starting fires (even if only a small one), it only makes sense...  Otherwise it's a completely wasted resource after your get your fire starting skill to level 3.  In a game like this, nothing should be useless.  Right now, after level 3 tinder is only good for filling the pockets of corpses.

Excellent point. Simply make it gift you an additional like 5% starting chance - or make it actually burnable like... half a stick or so. All those cattail heads died in vain!

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deathbydanish Pathfinder

deathbydanish

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6 hours ago, jeffpeng said:

Leg-hold traps are so controversial (and rightfully so) that adding them to the game would produce so much backlash .... nah. Not gonna happen.

 

I think bear traps are anachronistic as well, but I think we should be wary of falling prey to the perceived "backlash". This maybe overall a higher level topic, but I think the freedom of expression in these boards is often hindered because of stuff like that. While you and I may think that bear traps are not personally tasteful, our taste does not necessarily reflect the majority of The Long Dark playerbase.

Anyway back on topic, just to play devil's advocate, I'd say that because of its remote location and isolated location, Great Bear Island may not be up in the current zeitgeist when it comes to the use of traps. In a more blunt way I am saying they are far behind the times and it should not be unexpected to see anachronistic implements like a bear trap still being in use. I'd actually say for example it could be set randomly in the areas around the poacher's camp in Forlorn Muskeg, since obviously poachers care less about the law and even less about the safety of others.

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52 minutes ago, deathbydanish said:

While you and I may think that bear traps are not personally tasteful, our taste does not necessarily reflect the majority of The Long Dark playerbase.

Maybe not the playerbase, agreed. But I am fairly certain the media backlash would be most unfavorable. It often times pains me that freedom of thought, speech and expression is something that has a difficult standing in our times - not just on these forums - but since I don't know how to change that I guess to navigate around things that are prone to cause people to get into social justice mode is the only thing you can do unless you want to face an all-on outrage. And as a corporal entity interested in selling games HL is very wise to do so.

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deathbydanish Pathfinder

deathbydanish

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2 minutes ago, jeffpeng said:

Maybe not the playerbase, agreed. But I am fairly certain the media backlash would be most unfavorable. It often times pains me that freedom of thought, speech and expression is something that has a difficult standing in our times - not just on these forums - but since I don't know how to change that I guess to navigate around things that are prone to cause people to get into social justice mode is the only thing you can do unless you want to face an all-on outrage. And as a corporal entity interested in selling games HL is very wise to do so.

Will it though or are we assuming?

When I use the word "call out" I am not using it to initiate confrontation, quite the opposite, I would rather socialize through the problem as opposed to responding in a way as to "shut down" another person's perspective. So for me I am calling out the media backlash, will it have the actual effect that is being feared here? What is the actual fear? To my earlier point the playerbase occupies a high position in Hinterland's mind as far as stakeholders do we not? If we choose to have the bear traps in, we own that suggestion, not the media, does that make sense? I'm not caring so much about the media backlash because they are not stakeholders, you, me, and the rest of The Long Dark players are.

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ManicManiac Pathfinder

ManicManiac

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Look, when I originally jotted down that particular thought... I was thinking about the Trapper's homestead, and thinking about it from this perspective:
A trapper... a person who basically trades in pelts for a living, would likely have all kinds of traps and snares to aid with their livelihood.  This would probably have included steel traps.  I was not attempting to start a discussion on ethical use of old fashion trapping methods... I was just positing that an old trapper would likely have had some... that's all.

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4 minutes ago, deathbydanish said:

Will it though or are we assuming?

When I use the word "call out" I am not using it to initiate confrontation, quite the opposite, I would rather socialize through the problem as opposed to responding in a way as to "shut down" another person's perspective. So for me I am calling out the media backlash, will it have the actual effect that is being feared here? What is the actual fear? To my earlier point the playerbase occupies a high position in Hinterland's mind as far as stakeholders do we not? If we choose to have the bear traps in, we own that suggestion, not the media, does that make sense? I'm not caring so much about the media backlash because they are not stakeholders, you, me, and the rest of The Long Dark players are.

I think that's a fair and well positioned point of view and we could debate this very thoroughly. But I think this thread - or even this forum - isn't really the right place for that. But I definitely respect your opinion on that and even tend to agree.

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1 minute ago, ManicManiac said:

I was just positing that an old trapper would likely have had some

And I was just posting that I believe it won't happen for the reason I believe it won't. :-) No argument, calling out or anything. Just my opinion.

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deathbydanish Pathfinder

deathbydanish

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1 minute ago, jeffpeng said:

I think that's a fair and well positioned point of view and we could debate this very thoroughly. But I think this thread - or even this forum - isn't really the right place for that. But I definitely respect your opinion on that and even tend to agree.

True, but I'd like to think that this is happening, just inside Hinterland's offices, whatever we discuss may not have a real impact and will remain academic, but whatever they do most likely will.

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ManicManiac Pathfinder

ManicManiac

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8 hours ago, jeffpeng said:
On 11/2/2018 at 8:23 PM, ManicManiac said:

Shouldn't you be able to use a stick/cat tail stalk and a piece of cedar as a hand drill for making a friction fire? ...It seems like there should be some kind of "long haul" way to make fire other than a magnifying glass.

Not exactly a new idea, and HL has already hinted that something like this will probably make it in the game at some point. That being said: the opportunity cost will have to be kinda high to not just make this plain superior to matches. Like ..... 2 kg heavy and / or takes 20 minutes to start a fire. Or something like that. The maglens only works in clear weather, for example.

I was thinking that the easy answer would be to make it so that once you got to level 5, you were finally good enough at making fire that this option would unlock (being able to make a friction fire with a stick/cat tail stalk and a piece of cedar I mean).

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deathbydanish Pathfinder

deathbydanish

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12 minutes ago, ManicManiac said:

when I originally posted this I was just jotting down ideas that came to mind as I was playing the game.  I was not aiming to start any political debates  :)

I don't think you should feel afraid, I am not a confrontation person by nature and I think the same can be said of most of the long term community here. I'm all for expression, silly or serious, not everything that gets posted here may end up in the game, but the process for those that do, often involve working through various suggestions and maybe even improving on them for easier incorporation into the game.

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deathbydanish Pathfinder

deathbydanish

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48 minutes ago, ManicManiac said:

Naturally, and I agree.  I'm not afraid of the conversation.  In fact I don't offer any opinion for or against... I was just making and observation that was diegetic to the environment I found myself in.

After all... how far would you go to survive?  :)

Sorry if I made it seem tense in this thread, I think that sometimes maybe there is a more delicate way to discuss issues such as this?

I'm sort of utilizing the work place norms that I am being exposed to in my new job, a lot of the project management teams I am working with often discuss their points in such a way, I found it productive and was hoping to start utilizing it here.

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4 hours ago, ManicManiac said:

I was thinking that the easy answer would be to make it so that once you got to level 5, you were finally good enough at making fire that this option would unlock (being able to make a friction fire with a stick/cat tail stalk and a piece of cedar I mean).

That's actually a very reasonable way to gate this. Given that they fix the Fire Starting rush exploit it takes a reasonably long time to get there - and it would be quite the reward to finally be free of being gated by matches. Good approach - me likes.

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FrumpyFurling Wolfbait

FrumpyFurling

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On 12/5/2018 at 12:55 PM, ManicManiac said:

Look, when I originally jotted down that particular thought... I was thinking about the Trapper's homestead, and thinking about it from this perspective:
A trapper... a person who basically trades in pelts for a living, would likely have all kinds of traps and snares to aid with their livelihood.  This would probably have included steel traps.  I was not attempting to start a discussion on ethical use of old fashion trapping methods... I was just positing that an old trapper would likely have had some... that's all.

In fact, I also thought this very same thing...so much so, that the "snow covered rocks" I had to check twice to make sure that they weren't sprung traps and was weary of them for a long time. lol 

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