Game Development: Season's Greetings

[borka]

Cattail fibres, abandoned places, friendly neighbours ...

[abt79]

Cattail fibres, abandoned places, friendly neighbours ...

cattails become less easy to find when entire lakes freeze, and require not insignificantly higher perexp than taproots/nettles
new players shouldn't have to depend on those other two for resources, especially since a situation where they are impossible/extremely difficult to come by is always possible

And like Granger said, you can't make hide straps without dried hides, and can't make dried hides without string for racks in the first place. The obvious solution in my mind is to make taproots spawn on winter snow (it's not like plants just stop having roots in winter) but obviously some other winter forageable could fulfill the same role.
I think this is pretty big, since ten days is plenty of time for a new player to get burnt out of not being able to progress/build a protective pali and just quit

[truckkun]

The obvious solution in my mind is to make taproots spawn on winter snow (it's not like plants just stop having roots in winter)

this

[Agrik]

As I found taproots and nettle spawn not worse than usual when the snow is removed... I don't know. Taproots under snow, not on it, is quite realistic approach, it just feels a bit insufficient. Maybe some additional way of getting string in winter could be thought, or removing a snow is made a bit cheaper energy-wise.

And there should be a way to remove snow from an area in one command, as with harvesting or at least plowing. Maybe a snow plough or snow shovel with newbie-affordable requirements and low energy usage.

[Granger]

Question is if a newbie would have the idea to de-snow a relevantly big part of the map to spawn-scum things.

I guess not, thus the resources needed to set up a beginner camp should be available in all seasons - without the need to know all dirty tricks that can make stuff appear...

[Agrik]

As for "having the idea", it seems to me that the large part of the game is about having ideas. And anyways it's not much trouble to advise people to look for roots under snow.
As for stressing a big part, I agree. And that's why I suggest to make de-snowing easier, as making it easier makes it feel like a smaller area in the sense of efforts spent.
As for dirty tricks, well, I totally agree on this. Reloading the tiles doesn't look a right way to play a game, so... the spawn should be checked somehow at the moment of cleaning the tile of snow, I suppose? It would be nice to instantly see a Taproot after shoveling away the snow (with appropriate probability).

In any case one additional way to obtain a string, probably never of high quality, will be a good solution. But what it could be?

[sabinati]

NEW PLAYERS CAN’T GET STRING

hide straps

rabbits, squirrels, and hedgehogs are still plentiful

How do you bootstrap drying the first hides?

hmm yeah that's a bit shit isn't it.

[Zentetsuken]

finding cordage in winter is legitimately hard in most temperate climates, it's a big topic in irl bushcraft

I think a few additional plants can be added to fill in this gap though

dogbane, fireweed, yucca, there is probably more


some plants persist through winter, some just leave behind dead plant material that can still be used for reliable cordage


also might be worth considering something like leaving swamps to freeze in random patchy ways, allowing cattails to spawn through winter, since I think they persist through winter too, atleast the roots anyways

[mvgulik]

Question is if a newbie would have the idea to de-snow a relevantly big part of the map to spawn-scum things.

Have been thinking the same thing ...

Think that it is a unlikely thought for most city dwelling humans. (me included btw)
And even if they do think of it ... its probably going to be dismissed as to much work for just the potential of something spawning.

...

An alternative way of clearing snow might work better. ... anything that puts a serious dent in the current involved click rate in this case would do.

[Agrik]

I think a few additional plants can be added to fill in this gap though

The main trait of such plant needs to be to stick out of a snow cover, as we already have taproot and nettle now, it's just they're legitimately covered with snow. Or... should nettle be not?

fireweed

I like it! It looks high enough to stick out of snow. Especially AFAIK it was more traditional source of tea in Russia than those southern tea bushes.

some plants persist through winter, some just leave behind dead plant material that can still be used for reliable cordage

Yes, to give different edible/usable parts and string in summer, while only string in winter.

allowing cattails to spawn through winter, since I think they persist through winter too

I googled "cattails in winter" and it seems so, they persist in winter. It will be a cool solution to have them sticking out of ice so they can be harvested for string only (or maybe with roots if ice was broken?). But how they can be made to exist but not grow, i.e. not appear? Or this unreal behavior can be tolerated?