Crafting ignition sources

[Savage Source]

I'd like to be able to craft myself Wood Matches, Cardboard Matches, Firestriker and Magnifying Glass in order to start fire without afraid of running out of them in the entire game and only Magnifying Glasses will left behind which are useful only on clear daytimes.

[Manel84]

I think it's impossible to make matches, you don't have the materials and the chemistry.
Another point is that you would kill some of the difficulty and challenge.

[lkandrb]

Ditto. At 248+ Stalker days I had multiple mag glass, firestrikers & 300+ matches. There is almost no chance of running out of sources unless you are wasteful and don't improve you tactics over time. You only need a fire every few days. I had enough matches for another 1000 days.

[Maenethal]

Flint and steel, fire ploughs and drills are all things you can create. But it's not possible to create matches without a deicated chemistry lab and specialized machinery. I think flint and steel or bow drills would be a nice addition. They take a long time, are difficult for the untrained and can take a lot of energy, but it allows you to make a fire without matches.

[lkandrb]

The old boy scout bow drill is something I could get behind as an alternative to the sunny day mag glass. With both of those in play, I could go for MUCH rarer matches, even only the occassional fireplace matches that would go bad if you got dunked in thin ice even once. Realism and challenge both. It would require tinder for all fires, even after leveling up, but honestly is tinder hard to make?

[Savage Source]

Originally posted by Maenethal:

Flint and steel, fire ploughs and drills are all things you can create. But it's not possible to create matches without a deicated chemistry lab and specialized machinery. I think flint and steel or bow drills would be a nice addition. They take a long time, are difficult for the untrained and can take a lot of energy, but it allows you to make a fire without matches.

I was thinking about a similar solution to the game not so long ago. I should be able to use a stick as well for fire starting.

This idea is inspired by the method that you can shake the end of the stick right onto the tinder. On this way, you can start fire without any actual ignition source. Hope this become a thing on later levels of fire starting skill.

[lkandrb]

That didn't translate very well, You mean like a bow drill http://www.practicalsurvivor.com/bowdrill ? It does take some skill and patience. I'm not really sure which is harder flint and steel or a bow drill. I think the bow drill is harder work; it would definitely warm you some :)

[iwasa]

I think he means you rub a stick in a groove of another stick or branch with tinder at one end. The tiny hot bits from the action of rubbing the stick in groove eventually will be hot enough to have a chance of igniting the tinder. I don't think that the mechanism is that different from hand drill or bow drill but only in the way you get to having hot bits.

[Jericho]

Over 100 days in stalker and i used 3 matches so far( one at beginning, two when ascending Timberwolf) .... all other fires i made was with magnifying lens, IMO there is not "really" need for another firemaking source as a necessity.
That said, bow-drill starting technique would be nice step towards "realism" and another primitive ways of survival like spears and stone tools. ^^

[Savage Source]

Originally posted by lkandrb:

That didn't translate very well, You mean like a bow drill http://www.practicalsurvivor.com/bowdrill ? It does take some skill and patience. I'm not really sure which is harder flint and steel or a bow drill. I think the bow drill is harder work; it would definitely warm you some :)

As of the page you shown, it's exactly the same thing I'm talking about so it's basically a bow drill. Yeah. It's questionable to do it with Sticks only. I don't know if Birch Saplings would be capable to it like cure them 100% completely, then create 3 pieces of Arrow Shaft and then sharpen their edge somehow. Sticks aren't seem as difficult to craft it out, however might be more difficult to start a fire with them.

[lkandrb]

It would take a little artisic license to use a spare arrow shaft, just because birch it pretty light weight. I could wrap my head around it though. I think I could buy into just a stick and either a piece of birch bark or stick and chunk of cedar. Depending on how far you took salvaging footwear, I would like to get a piece of leather and/or cloth and a shoe lace. The shoe lace could substitute as the string on a bow drill increasing the chances and reducing the time to start a fire by that method, or as a fishing line. I don't think you would really need to craft the 'bow' part, just another stick and either gut or shoe lace would do the job.

Some things sound great, and would further immerse you in the scenario, but I really think the current methods are quite adequate. People will always want more, and there is nothing wrong with that, but that's what modders are for :) They can put a little TLC into a nice to have concept and develope something the authors haven't the resources or desire to do.