The Compass

[FJ!]

I'll start this by offering an apology if this is something that has already been brought up or already announced as in the works...I've only been lurking on these forums for a month or two and haven't seen anything.

As I wander around the various areas of the game, I find myself lost a lot more than I would care to admit.  Animals, weather, and discovering new things can all get a person off track, and in many of these situations it would be very handy to have a compass to reference as one of things you can find out in the world.  Such an item would be one of the more common things to find out in the wilderness where people would rely on more rudimentary means of navigating.

i definitely wouldn't want this to be a UI overlay that would give the user a constant, precise source of direction.  I see it being easily implemented as a tool that is selected from the rotary, held up, and the player must read the dials and align the sighting device to a reference point.  

Overall, I think this is a must have for gameplay and enrichment of the environment.  There's obviously the 'geo-magnetic disaster' which could affect the usefulness of the item, but unless it would be too difficult to put into the game, I can't think of a reason to not have them be present.

Cheers!

 

 

[ArcherAC3]

I don't believe a compass itself should be implemented because of the geo-magnetic disaster. It wouldn't only affect the usefulness of the item, it would make it not work at all.

But maybe, we should use other forms of navigation, such as Celestial (stars pattern and movement - including the sun!), or even your wrist watch (assuming you can see the shadows and the watch wouldn't be affected by the disater - not sure if all watches use batteries). Here's an example of using the watch in DayZ, maybe this could work in TLD as well?

 

[CalNieDaGtarGuy]

You can technically still use the sun as a reference point. Having a compass won't help you find any locations unless you know which direction they're in. The sun rises in the east and sets in the west. So from Trapper's Homestead, north would then lead you to Max's Last Stand, and South towards the Unnamed Pond. I'm sure you have probably played the game for a while @FJ!, but the maps created by Whiteberry online are very useful.

[mattyboi]

On 3/21/2017 at 6:20 AM, CalNieDaGtarGuy said:

You can technically still use the sun as a reference point.

What is this "sun" you speak of? I only ever see clouds and a withering hail of snow.

[mattyboi]

To respond to the original post in all seriousness; I've personally relied on Songlining to navigate the frozen waste.

Something simple like navigating from Camp Office to Trappers Cabin might be:

Uphill to the railroad
Turn left
Bear right at the frozen body
Under the arched tree
Past broken cabin
Through small clear cut
Bear right at the rock wall
Past the birch trees
Hill top view of the cabin
Downhill to the clearing
Up the walkway to the cabin

The only other advice I have is basic survival advice for navigating pretty much anywhere you're unfamiliar with; every so often you need to turn around and look at what's behind you; particularly when you have to make a turn, so that you know what you'll be looking at when you're trying to navigate back.

 

[CalNieDaGtarGuy]

7 hours ago, mattyboi said:

What is this "sun" you speak of? I only ever see clouds and a withering hail of snow.

I suppose sometimes it's difficult to see, but on a good day it's the brightest point in the sky

[Lovehandel]

You are supposed to get lost in blizzards. A compass would make the game way too easy

[Mpat120]

Geo MAGNETIC storm=compass no point in right direction no more, say like the poles shifted to the tropics.