My character drowned, please change swimming!

[ArPharazon]

Are there any rivers that cannot be crossed with 5-6 tiles' worth of swimming? Currently, if a river blocks off some place, no one will want to go there and most won't be able to. The rivers are essentially concrete walls. This provides obstacles to hunters, explorers, settlers and farmers, as well as thieves looking for hideouts. These obstacles were sorely lacking in the previous map, I think.

If swimming was not dangerous as it is right now, water would cease being a barrier unless there were either:

a) variable width, including much wider rivers
b) seas separating landmasses.
c) several kinds of water tiles (with at least some of them distinguishable visually and/or by an action) with widely differing stamina drains to represent currents/swimming difficulty
d) copious mountains and cliffs which block passage as rivers do now
e) areas of "nasty forest" which is difficult to clear cut (due to low wood yield and/or absurd density of trees and/or cutting the nasty trees being extremely time consuming and tiring) and traverse (due to absurd density of foliage (vines/thorns/brambles enormous boulder as well as big trees) and/or very numerous, aggressive, powerful animals which possibly give little LP and bad loot)

On the current map, once swimming is feasible with attainable Con levels (say, 20 minimum for a 5 tile river) the rivers become transparent to enough players that what we have is essentially the old map with more forests.

Personally, I don't have a problem with current water/swimming mechanics (I would love the above additions but I can live without them - I'm happy with the game as is). This isn't because I was lucky/cunning enough (depending on how you look at it) to not drown, though if I did drown I would probably be annoyed, but mostly at bad luck and my own stupidity than the game. That said, a lot of people seem to be complaining about swimming, and let's face it, except for very few people, swimming is impossible right now. I think they might have a point that swimming is at least slightly annoying, especially with no confirmation/toggle.

tl;dr: I love how the map is more "topologically interesting" to quote the devs. I don't like how rivers are the new level 10 bears, although to a lesser degree.

I'm not gonna suggest anything because I'd like to ask: Do you think my analysis makes any sense at all and if so how can it be improved?

[Brosephine]

Personally, I don't have a problem with current water/swimming mechanics

You will when the server lags for 5-10 seconds while you're on the edge of a river.

[ArPharazon]

That is why I'm very glad I never got swimming.

[Jackard]

That is why I'm very glad I never got swimming.

hi5 bro

well wait for swim toggles and boats and bridges together

[theTrav]

I like the c idea quite a lot:

c) several kinds of water tiles (with at least some of them distinguishable visually and/or by an action) with widely differing stamina drains to represent currents/swimming difficulty

[Bacolonel]

That is why I'm very glad I never got swimming.

hi5 bro

well wait for swim toggles and boats and bridges together

me too

[Delamore]

That is why I'm very glad I never got swimming.

Rivers are fine! I just speak on a subject I completely avoid by choice!

[ArPharazon]

Come now, Delamore. That's a straw man.

[Vlad]

I say there should be fish that you can actually see, and an ocean filled with bigger fish to fish from the ocean and eat. Or to be eaten by.

[BlueCloneNinja]

Started swimming at an encampment, only to die seconds after entering the water with full stamina. I hope this hasn't happened to anybody else, seeing as it killed my leather goods.