Saxon1974 wrote:For these large white-out snow areas will the player be challenged with trying to survive while crossing them? I think making it a challenge to reach a settlement in the arctic regions would be very cool.
Some roleplaying games just slap on something like constant HP drain. But that's not so much challenging as irritating - and actually not very realistic if you're moving.
The big things to worry about in a cold environment are finding (or making) a warm place to sleep, and snow storms. Food useage might double; and be hard to find. (You would actually need the same amount of water as in a temperate climate.)
It's possible you might move slower - unless you have snow shoes. Special cloaks, etc., might provide more benefits. If there are no extra equipment slots for non-armor clothing, maybe the engine could be set up to count some types of benefits for stuff that's just held in the inventory.
Desert and arctic zones require planning, not just toughness. A character of any level should probably have to spend some time in periphery areas getting proper gear and training before he braved the heart of the wasteland.
Yep, nothing better to do each day sitting in my wheelchair surfing on my computer. Need a few ha ha's to lighten the day. 