Items despawning or not

[Master Gnocco]

I guess there are items which despawn after a while, and others which don't. Is there a rule? Which items can be left around and still be there after a while?
Being the weirdo I am, I wanted to mark the path between my camp and the nearby pool, and the most logical choice was obviously leaving several dozens of human and animal bones on the ground. To my disappointment some of them started disappearing as time went by. I'm quite sure all kinds of bowls won't disappear, what else have you observed?

[starlight78sso]

other than bowls I havent noticed anything that doesnt disappear after a time, you could maybe make planters and plant something to mark the path, that would be about the only thing I could really think of off hand, would also give you lots of food.

[Master Gnocco]

I replaced bones with bone knives, let's see how it goes. Have I mentioned my uncanny talent for getting lost?

[Jaunitta 🌸]

lol use a small stick BP and place it several meters apart then you can see them at night and day time. they will act like markers :)
I've dropped bone knives at the front of my small hut under the wooden frame they have not despawned.
But to be safe craft a weapons rack to store them on

[Skarmo]

I can't say for sure, but I think most natural objects (except bowls actually) can "despawn" when lying on the ground for a longer time. I have the impression that it depends on the kind of terrain and on being exposed to rain, that it happens more or less randomly and that it is rather "falling through the map" than despawning. Occasionally I have even watched some items (honey cumbs for example) being "baken" into the ground so that they are still there, but I cannot pick them up any more.

Since ghosts / blue prints interfere with my sense of immersion, I use to mark my paths with empty rope, leave or stone stands when I feel I have to.

[Jaunitta 🌸]

Items that donot despawn to satisfy everyone it has been modified over the years.
cheers
https://steamcommunity.com/app/815370/discussions/1/1626286205710629989/

[Master Gnocco]

Originally posted by Jaunitta 🌸:

Items that donot despawn to satisfy everyone it has been modified over the years.
cheers
https://steamcommunity.com/app/815370/discussions/1/1626286205710629989/

I somehow had already figured out the rule: renewable movable items outside of containers despawn, apart from bowls and bidons of all kinds which in fact are containers. From what I've seen coconuts (green or peeled, empty or full) and soopafroots (I always name them this way, the long greenish unspoiling fruits) are an exception, they won't despawn. Probably arrows and darts are another exception.
On the plus side, making a ridiculous amount of bone knives is a good way to increase your crafting skill, like making enough arrows for a wood elf army.
A considerable number of the bone knives already despawned, I think large numbers accelerate the process. This time I built some triangular frames, even a drunkard wouldn't miss them. Hold my ayahuasca and watch this...

[Limerence]

In regards to bone knives and arrows, I'm not sure if they will technically "despawn", but they will 100% eventually disappear. Any item with durability that's on the ground will slowly lose durability. This is noticeable when you're fighting natives and if it takes a while for the fight to end, you'll notice that the weapon for the first one you killed has a slightly lower durability than the rest. I tried leaving a 1% bone armor on the ground, and it took a few minutes, but it eventually vanished too. Arrows and bone knives both have durability, which means eventually, they'll disappear once their durability runs out (it WILL take a while tho, esp if it still has durability.)

[Master Gnocco]

Originally posted by Esmeray:

In regards to bone knives and arrows, I'm not sure if they will technically "despawn", but they will 100% eventually disappear. Any item with durability that's on the ground will slowly lose durability. This is noticeable when you're fighting natives and if it takes a while for the fight to end, you'll notice that the weapon for the first one you killed has a slightly lower durability than the rest. I tried leaving a 1% bone armor on the ground, and it took a few minutes, but it eventually vanished too. Arrows and bone knives both have durability, which means eventually, they'll disappear once their durability runs out (it WILL take a while tho, esp if it still has durability.)

Figured that out, but not everything loses durability at the same rate. The tribal spears I tried to stick in the ground as signal poles rotted away (durability went downhill fast). I'm sure many bone knives just disappeared into thin air while their former neighbors still had plenty durability, there's probably a % of just "losing" something you leave on the ground for a while. On the other hand arrows last way longer. Sometimes I crafted a bunch of arrows and left them in the ground (or stuck them in a tree if I felt creative) near my temporary camps just in case, and they were still there after weeks.
Building "totems" as path markers would be awesome, I dropped it in the suggestions thread a while ago.

[carl.wear]

Originally posted by Jaunitta 🌸:

lol use a small stick BP and place it several meters apart then you can see them at night and day time. they will act like markers :)
I've dropped bone knives at the front of my small hut under the wooden frame they have not despawned.
But to be safe craft a weapons rack to store them on

I do that as well but with the stick stand as its taller so easier to spot. Great to mark cave entrances and the stone bridges across ravines. Also a couple of unfinished frames on a base makes them stand out from a good distance away.

[Master Gnocco]

No, please, neon lights in the middle of the jungle are disgusting. I already have a hard time with the pottery table with the inevitable empty slot...

[carl.wear]

Item despawning is a pain and yet it makes perfect sense. With all the trees we cut down for logs but leave the sticks behind; imagine the performance issues if the game tries to keep track of thousands of sticks littered around the game world.

[Jaunitta 🌸]

Tip.
in some the ai buildings there is beds and mats on the ground like in the abandoned village anything you place on them never despawn :)