What about bear traps?

[Elrond Hubbard]

I'd like to hear your guys' thoughts on this:

What about having bear traps in the game? Certainly not craftable bear traps, but bear traps that have a percent chance to spawn randomly in a forest area on the map? Preferably ones that are semi-covered with snow such as the frozen corpses so they're harder to see.

The one thing I like about wolf attacks is the ensuing panic that occurs after, knowing that the nearest warm bed is far away, as you try and hobble yourself to shelter. Bear traps could provide an alternative to that, without fluffy potentially killing you. Stepping on a trap would have a chance to sprain your ankle, and cause bleeding. This would require medical attention, and would give you the ensuring adrenaline rush of being injured in the wilderness. As well, unlike wolves, surviving the bear trap would 1) give you an important piece of map information, unlike fluffy who will just run away once you swat his nose, allowing you to better adapt, and 2) give you a bit more empowerment after surviving since you did gain that map information, a sort of conquering the environment.

I don't think it would make sense to allow the traps to be picked up, or used for scrap metal, as that might tip the balance of power too far in the players favor. But they could potentially be reset, which could give you a plan of defense against our furry, four-legged friends. A plan to have them get trapped by a bear trap would be balanced in that, in attempting to lure them, they may get aggravated and attack anyway, leaving you wounded. Or, if you try to backtrack with a flare, the flare could run out or the wolf could ignore it, and trigger an attack anyway.

What do you guys think of the idea?

[Fire2box]

step on a bear trap in real life and tell me it only sprains your ankle. Plus I think it's illegal to set bear traps in canada anyways.

[Elrond Hubbard]

Originally posted by Wuuffles:

fluffy wolfie has four legs
if he steps on a bear trap hes still going to ♥♥♥♥ you up and eat you with a smile on his furry face

Yes, but with only three legs you might be able to backtrack a bit further before Fluffy's brother, Wolfenstein, comes up from behind and eats your face.

Originally posted by Fire2box:

step on a bear trap in real life and tell me it only sprains your ankle. Plus I think it's illegal to set bear traps in canada anyways.

I think we abandoned realism the moment the game decided a mysterious geomagnetic storm killed all other humans, and turned wolves into vicious man-hunters with a taste for you.

Also, fairly certain it's illegal to use a gun in Canada without a license, but I've fired quite a few shots without the mounties getting on my arse.

[link1714]

Illegal doesn't mean it wouldn't happen, but I also don't necessarily think it should be so easy as using a Bear trap to kill a bear in this game. I think it'll more likely be a threat you have to evade and possibly dump 2 bullets into if it attacks you. No way we'll be able to "struggle" with the bear. Imo we'll either have traps, have to use the rifle, or some other new, added weapon that i'm not aware of.

I once considered suggesting digging holes for pitfall traps but i forgot the ground would be far too cold to dig and the snow would just fill the holes anyway. Maybe spears or bows will be introduced. I'm not sure what will balance the best. I'm looking to see more interesting wildlife like maybe mountain lionesque creatures. I think pumas occur in Canada. Or maybe other small game or birds of prey. Bears would most likely populate the cave areas. I wonder if they will have cubs.... Bears hopefully yield decent meat. I hope you can make like bearskin pants or osmething. Pants are really fragile in this game.