Thoughts and suggestions after my first 9 hrs of gameplay.

[CmdrB]

First and foremost, thank you devs for this great gaming experience. This is the only early access game that I have enjoyed and decided to actually make a contribution both financial and to the community.

Looking forward to every update and progress.

I refrained myself for item(s) wish lists and primarily focused on improvements on existing UI and game mechanics.

UI (User Interface):

• Survival Panel: Current and Survived Time/Feels Like/Condition/Calories should be completely separated from Survival Panel Actions. Instead, the former should stay defaulted to TAB but as a form of enabling/disabling OSD (On-Screen Display) as most people would constantly monitor these and would like to be able to check it in-game while character is in motion. The latter (the Survival Actions), should be a separate key bind.
  Indoor Heat Sources: Indoor heat sources warmth area goes through walls. I.E. Pot Belly Stoves in small cottages. Character can stand outside the cottage in the middle of a blizzard and still have his Cold Condition level decrease.
  
• Searching Container Timer: Timer should adjust depending on the size of the container being searched. Currently, small plastic containers should take less time while a fridge should take longer.
  Repair Menu: Add a filter for Clothing and Tools.
  
• Start Fire Window: When Start Fire window is open and the character dies, the Start Fire window stays open throughout the Main Game Menu.
  
• Repair: Required Tools should show below required Materials for the player to know missing tools on top of missing materials.

Game Mechanics:

• Stamina: Add a Stamina meter
  
• When encumbered: Character should not be able to run.
  
• When encumbered: Character should not be able to forage or should have a forage time penalty.
  
• Water: Character should not be able to carry water without a container.
  
• Water: Character should not be able to melt snow or boil water without some sort of fireproof container.
  
• Forage wood/tinder: When in a warm area, forage for wood should not decrease character cold level, it should increase it instead depending on the outdoor environmental weather condition.
  
• Ice Fishing Holes: Holes Freeze Percentage should slightly decrease timely when warming the surrounding area such as lightning up a stove or placing a lantern right next to it. (It stays 100% frozen)
  
• Snow for melting: Snow should be gathered.

And thanks again for this great game!

[a-z-booka]

[..]I refrained myself for item(s) wish lists and primarily focused on improvements on existing UI and game mechanics.

UI (User Interface):

[spoil]

• Survival Panel: Current and Survived Time/Feels Like/Condition/Calories should be completely separated from Survival Panel Actions. Instead, the former should stay defaulted to TAB but as a form of enabling/disabling OSD (On-Screen Display) as most people would constantly monitor these and would like to be able to check it in-game while character is in motion. The latter (the Survival Actions), should be a separate key bind.
  
• Indoor Heat Sources: Indoor heat sources warmth area goes through walls. I.E. Pot Belly Stoves in small cottages. Character can stand outside the cottage in the middle of a blizzard and still have his Cold Condition level decrease.
  
• Searching Container Timer: Timer should adjust depending on the size of the container being searched. Currently, small plastic containers should take less time while a fridge should take longer.
  
• Repair Menu: Add a filter for Clothing and Tools.
  
• Start Fire Window: When Start Fire window is open and the character dies, the Start Fire window stays open throughout the Main Game Menu.
  
• Repair: Required Tools should show below required Materials for the player to know missing tools on top of missing materials.

[/spoil]

Game Mechanics:

[spoil]

• Stamina: Add a Stamina meter
  
• When encumbered: Character should not be able to run.
  
• When encumbered: Character should not be able to forage or should have a forage time penalty.
  
• Water: Character should not be able to carry water without a container.
  
• Water: Character should not be able to melt snow or boil water without some sort of fireproof container.
  
• Forage wood/tinder: When in a warm area, forage for wood should not decrease character cold level, it should increase it instead depending on the outdoor environmental weather condition.
  
• Ice Fishing Holes: Holes Freeze Percentage should slightly decrease timely when warming the surrounding area such as lightning up a stove or placing a lantern right next to it. (It stays 100% frozen)
  
• Snow for melting: Snow should be gathered.

[/spoil]

Welcome to the forum!

Here is what I think about your suggestions:

1. Survival Panel.
   I can agree on that. I think that pressing TAB should bring up HUD for a few seconds instead of Survival Panel, or say, hitting TAB should show HUD and holding it for about half a second should show Survival Panel.
   As for what should be shown on the HUD, I agree that there should be time, calories and condition, but I would rather see cold level indicator instead of "feels like" parameter.
   
2. Indoor Heat Sources.
   You mean it's like that right now?
   If yes, then it's surely a bug. I'm certain it shouldn't be like that. You should report it here.
   
3. Searching Container Timer.
   Also agree. I'll add that in my opinion searching empty containers should take very small amount of time.
   Please take a look at what I've suggested about searching mechanics here. (6th spoiler)
   
4. Repair Menu.
   Having a filter would be nice, but I think that intelligent sorting should be implemented.
   Here you can see what do I mean. I've made an explaining animated gif for that (end of GUI spoiler)
   
5. Start Fire Window.
   It's a bug, please report it here (though it may be already reported).
   
6. Stamina.
   A Stamina meter would be great thing to have on HUD!
   
7. When encumbered.
   Well you should be able to run, but slower and your fatigue buildup should increase significantly.
   Agree about foraging.
   
8. Water.
   Agree. Water bottles were suggested many times.
   
9. Snow for melting.
   I don't think it should be gathered by player. At least not if you're outdoors.

[EternityTide]

lies, you can melt snow in a paper bag if you are careful enough.

Prior to the introduction of metal pots, native americans used hide cauldrons and cured animal stomachs to boil water.

The trick is to balance the rate of the leather drying with the rate of the water soaking into the leather. Then the leather bottom doesn't burn (it could be paper, so long as it's a semi porous fabric)