Weapon Selection?

[keith_shaw]

cat/wolf gut for a string and feathers for fletching

[Dalec]

So I've seen @LoganG and @robdoar along with others mention the .22lr and the bow/crossbow. I agree with these. An axe/hatchet and a good knife would be great as well. A bush pilot would probably have the latter. But the axe/hatchet would really help when trying to make usable firewood, cover for the night in cold environments (above or underneath you), and protection.

(Protection from the cold ground is just as important as cover from the wind/elements, if not more so, unless your talking rain and snow. )

(I'm going from the alpha video for this one) If you come up on someone living out in the middle of nowhere where wolves are commonplace and you have any kind of livestock, (The barn he made the fire in.) your going to have a gun. A shotgun most likely, for home protection and for clearing out wild animals. I know out on the farm where my family lives, a .22 and a shotgun are the two they keep around for that kind of thing, with a 30-06 for hunting. We don't have bow or a crossbow, .22/.22lr or hp rounds are really cheap and still accurate at long distances and you can easily pack a shotgun round with a little training or repack a 30-06 round. (Ie: repacking manual that would go along with a repacking kit, or a book.)

[keith_shaw]

Only problem with guns are they are bloody noisy and will scare off more game and give away location to others. Nice and stealthy is the way to go for me. Guns would be good though as a last resort, maybe a hunting rifle??

[robdoar]

Funny you mention that Ryan, my "go-to" backpacking / survival gun is a single shot 12 Guage. In the butt-stock, I have 2 shells of birdshot of birdshot, 2 rifled slugs, and 15 rounds of .22lr (I have a 22.lr insert for it) I typically carry more rounds in the pack, but for an all-in-one survival rifle, I love it.

If only I could design THAT for my item in the game. :-)

[logang]

That would be a great in game item.

[alexander]

I am expecting a good deal of melee options. I'm a big fan of the company Cold Steel. But I'm also really hoping for traps. All different types and sizes for different prey (human included).

Also, what about thrown or slung?

I definitely would like to see crafting in an open way. Ex: using a propeller from your downed aircraft along with a handle and some rope to create a cricket style bat. Or how about using the oil out if the engine, soaked into a rag, on a branch, for light and minimal heat at night?

definitely traps along with some sort of bait. I love the idea of traps because you have the decision to eat the bait now or wait and risk getting hungry for bigger game. Little decisions like these make a huge difference in how you play.

[Dara]

I'm very curious about this as well.

Ammo will be like gold in a post-collapse environment. (Probably more valuable)

I'd love to see a reloading press in the safe house. (Maybe that's what I'll design for my item. :-) )

Mystery is good. I can't wait to see what the developers come up with.

My one fear about ammo is that because its rare we will be coming across 1 and 2 bullets in random places rather than one half box in one place and then very little.

If you can imagine yourself being in that situation then you would imagine that you would either come across some or alot of ammo or not at all.

Myself and friends have discussed things like this at length (friend of mine started a company that disguises survival training in Zombie apocalypse fun) and most of us had a fair idea where to get certain things but outside of that no. Especially when it comes to weapons, in Ireland they are in Army barracks, some police stations (but rare and you would imagine that the cops would take them with them), some rare sports shops with the licences and farmers houses and thats about it tbh.

I just hope I dont turn over a stone or kill a wolf and get 3 bullets

[brendan_meyer]

@Dara - I would think that out in the wilderness, those rugged enough to live out there would have ammo as necessary for daily survival. Who knows, rather than finding random bullets, you may find an NPC that is willing to barter and give ammo for oil or batteries. Likely, they would have finite numbers of bullets, but that would be one of those critical decisions you weigh as you sacrifice oil for ammo. That may be one way to work around the random finds.

[robdoar]

In Alaska, it used to be a state law that you HAD to have a rifle and ammunition in the airplane as part of a survival kit.

I'm know many Canadians who won't fly without one.

[Kessa]

I hope one of the books in the safe haven is about Inuit culture! I'm sure they'd have some great comments on best weapons in this environment.

[logang]

I would imagine this team would be smart about ammo placement, perhaps finding a few rounds on a dead body or in an abandoned safe house.

@Kessa It would be great to find a book explaining how primitive weapons were made which would give you the insight necessary to create weapons like bows/spears especially if the information was accurate which would help the character and player gain knowledge at the same time.

[RollingCarey]

If my gaming career has taught me anything it is that I will feel safest with a crowbar...

[Kessa]

Yes!

;

[kristian mattila]

The true survivalist weapon

[out2lunch]

For me I think a long hefted axe over my shoulder, and walk with a long staff, add it can be unstable out there in the snow.

Staffs/staves are great protection device with out much menace when it's in your hand. Makes people see you as weary, defensive, but tolled up with out to much threat. Our think about how you would see a man waking with a staff vs a machine gun/shoot gun.