Travois Blows

[gimley]

Your travois is about the most useless POS in the game. For something that is supposed to "Traverse" it does a seriously bad job of it. It's especially awesome when it gets stuck in both directions. Screw this thing!! Give me a sled I can make with pallet in an hour, versus this Anti-Travois joke that takes way to long to make and requires "ONLY" deer pelts to fix. Why can't I use one of the 8000 wolves pelts that are otherwise useless. Or here's a novel theory, converting pelts to leather, and all harder fabric repairs just use leather. The limited 25% view while using it makes spotting danger a issue. Apparently he pulls it with a leather strap between his teeth, just to show the wolves how tough he is. Considering how much he eats and can't walk without panting, more like he a giant marshmallow that weights 400 pounds. Okay, back to the sled, a sled, you can drop a sled off a cliff with rope, or rid it down a hill, instead of stopping, unpacking, walking 10', packing back up, only to have to do it again somewhere.

Since I'm already ranting, if you're in an apocalyptic situation by yourself, I don't think mountain climbing or spelunking is a great idea, unless of course you're an idiot, or have a death wish. I'm going to climb to the top of Mount Doom and take a picture of Frodo's frozen hand. The only time you'd actually risk something like that is to get the hell out of the situation you're in. I realize it's about map diversity, but come on, think McFly! I really hope the new game is about the fragments of civilization and less about walking around the outback looking for your inner worth.

I have a ton of hours in the game, and I do enjoy it, but there are things that just leave me scratching my head.

Last thing, I really think the survival mode needs a more to do. I pitched this to the wind a long dark ago, but I still think it holds merit. That is finding all the dead, reading their stories, i.e. dying words, and giving them a decent burial. I'm especially curious about the couple in the cannery. I think it was hit by a tidal wave which would explain the destroyed light house, and why they didn't light a fire when they were indoors.

Rant over, Peace out!

[Silky Nicoletti]

Nice rant, mind if I join you? lol

I find that having two travois is the way to go. If you have to move stuff 10', just set the second one up and start transferring. Same as going through caves and such. As long as you understand their limitations, they are very handy. You can leave them outside, full of meat or gear. Having four (or more) of them is even better. You can swap them out so you don't wear one down as quickly.

As far as using the male character, I found him to be a drama queen. He complains too much and that heavy breathing/panting made me insane. I now use the female character. She is much more laid-back. There is no difference in their abilities.

I couldn't agree more about making leather from a pelt. You can turn a steel pry bar into scrap, by hand, but can't make leather from a pelt. I don't know about you but if you ever held a pry bar IRL, there's no way you're gonna make scrap metal out of it, by hand or otherwise.

How is it that simple and quality tools wear out after several uses? I have heavily used wrenches, ratchets, and sockets I bought in the 80's that aren't worn out. Come on now. Even the pry bar, they're pretty tough IRL and I can't imagine wearing one out unless you take a grinder to it. Knives and hatchets wear out too quickly, too. Your knife wears out more from cutting up curtains than quartering an animal. Thank goodness the woodworking tools don't wear out.

Also, IRL, firearms can shoot hundreds of rounds, if not thousands, with no maintenance, and they still work. I can see the rifle having issues because they are surplus but I think the revolver would hold up very well. Gun cleaning kits would last much longer, IRL. Why no 1911? I'm pretty sure they have those in Canada. What we need in this game is a shotgun. A nice side by side or over/under would be very nice. Even a single-shot would do. How about a coach gun? I do appreciate the devs use proper terminology for cartridges and their components and also the animation for closing the cylinder on the revolver is proper. The one most important thing they left out when making new ammunition is the primer, there are none. I guess you can't have it all.

I assume our characters are average, everyday people who magically appear randomly in this frozen wasteland. They can't climb over a log but can climb a rope up or down a 200' cliff. Man, I couldn't climb a rope to save my life. Also, that freakin' trestle in Ravine, I don't think there are many people on Earth who, while wearing 100 lbs of gear and heavy clothing, could go across those rails.

Being on a trestle and walking a rail over a 10' gap a couple of hundred feet up, grossly overweight, in freezing weather with hurricane force winds, I'd say is almost impossible for most people, IRL. I've fallen off that trestle twice because I get so nervous my mouse hand freaks out and down I went. However, I've learned to crouch and take my time (you'd think I would have learned after the first fall), at the same time I turn my speaker volume to 0.

Same with rope bridges which I think are hideous (I've never fallen off one, yet). They did a good job on those bridges with the sway and the sounds which psychs you out. Turn off the sound and they're not so bad, me thinks. I've been over a few rope bridges IRL and they don't sway independently of you. When they sway, you go with them because you're standing on them.

Being able to make a sled would be very nice. Wouldn't a snowmobile be the shizz? Some have pull start engines and would easily run after an EMP. How about chain saws? All the logging camps and not a single chain saw. Fuel for both could be siphoned from vehicles. They could need new spark plugs which you'd have to find somewhere. Cross-country skis would be amazing, too. Where are the axes?

One more thing I think that sucks is as you unlock feats they don't apply to your current save. That's a load of manure. I hate manure.