nobody is going to like this camping suggestion...

[lochaber]

So, I was just camping and farming reagents/food in Book II.

I got one of those messages about upcoming rain, and thought the weather is a nice touch, but I haven't noticed it affecting much other then torch lighting/burnout, and visibility at night (both nice touches).

I was also thinking about how miserable camping can be if you are caught out in bad weather with faulty/inappropriate (or even worse, no) equipment.

Every time we camp, there is a little tent and fire. Maybe have a tent be part of the standard inventory (5-10lbs, considering it's probably oiled/waxed canvas or some such?), but if we don't have that in our inventory when camping, we are subjected to reduced recovery rates (or possibly even damage/risk of disease) in inclement weather or hostile environments. Also, I think it would be perfectly reasonable to have this penalty reduced by the foraging/survival skill, as the character would have the experience/knowledge to find or set up a quick improvised shelter or something.

pretty minor detail and all, but it just sorta occurred to me, and felt I had to share it...

[BasiliskWrangler]

I have considered requiring special items to be in your inventory in order for some skills and actions to work, such as:

- A tent, in order to camp.
- A crafting hammer and scrap metal, for the Repair skill.
- Medicinal herbs, for the Medical skill.
- A compass, for Quick Travel.

We already have numerous inventory requirements for other skills and actions:

- Lockpicks required for picking locks.
- Reagents required for Alchemy.
- Food and Water, for eating and drinking.
- Arrows (and other projectiles) for ranged attacks.

But...I don't want to make it overly complicated for everyone. I think that perhaps requiring a tent is going too far in terms of "improving the realism" of the game. I don't want to add new requirements for actions that were "free" to do in Book 1 & 2, just to make the game more challenging or realistic in Book 3. Thoughts, anyone?

[Kreador Freeaxe]

I'm all for not messing with success. There are minor tweaks that can be made, but things like adding a tent and other necessary items for other skills (whet stone to keep your blades sharp?) starts to get into the "too much" territory. A few elements like this are great, but as you pile them on, it gets boring pretty quickly.

[IJBall]

I'm all for not messing with success. There are minor tweaks that can be made, but things like adding a tent and other necessary items for other skills (whet stone to keep your blades sharp?) starts to get into the "too much" territory. A few elements like this are great, but as you pile them on, it gets boring pretty quickly.

Agreed.

[Lord_P]

Medicinal herbs (or bring back bandages!) could be a nice touch, since regeneration is very slow in the early levels. Otherwise I pretty much agree with the rest.

[Painted Lady]

Realism is great, but the main thing a game player wants to do is to run around looking for bad guys to take out. It wouldn't be all that much fun to spend most of your time performing housekeeping chores. I think you already have a good balance going.

[munster]

You could perhaps do it early on, as a very short quest (like the one in Book II to get back the sword for the blacksmith from the constable).

Something along the lines of "Hey, deliver this for me to the merchant in Town and in return I'll give you this handy wilderness kit, containing all you need such as a tent, torch, and dried rat-meat rations!" to get you started; once you have that, you can then camp out etc.

But yes, the balance is fine as it is and there wouldn't really be anything added to make it more 'realistic' by incurring penalties if you don't have a tent or the Foraging skill to be able to build shelter out in the wilderness.

[Morgan Terror]

Such a quest sounds more like something that would give you a foraging skillbook or something similar. Getting a book that early and without fail (which i don't recommend) aside, getting the camping equipment that early would negate it's purpose, unless you could somehow lose it. If you can't lose it, get it right at the start, and it's required for proper survival, it only means some extra occupied inventory space and nothing else.

What could be a good idea though is a quest like you mentioned that serves as a survival tutorial. But that's drifting off topic.

[Dragonlady]

I'm all for not messing with success. There are minor tweaks that can be made, but things like adding a tent and other necessary items for other skills (whet stone to keep your blades sharp?) starts to get into the "too much" territory. A few elements like this are great, but as you pile them on, it gets boring pretty quickly.

Agreed. Not to mention adding all that stuff adds up the weight carried, the more of that the less loot you can carry. Unless someone invents a Bag of Holding...

[MyGameCompany]

I'm all for not messing with success. There are minor tweaks that can be made, but things like adding a tent and other necessary items for other skills (whet stone to keep your blades sharp?) starts to get into the "too much" territory. A few elements like this are great, but as you pile them on, it gets boring pretty quickly.

Agreed too! And I also think the balance is fine in this area. I'd rather see you invest the time into an extra side quest or two, or release the game a bit earlier.

Not to rain on your idea, lochaber...

[lochaber]

wow. I didn't think that many people would read this, let alone reply :/

Anyways, yeah, I think the game is pretty well balanced as is, and adding in complications are unlikely to make it any more balanced/enjoyable.

For the most part, just an idea that popped in my head that I felt compelled to share.


As to what BasiliskWrangler mentioned:

I have considered requiring special items to be in your inventory in order for some skills and actions to work, such as:

- A tent, in order to camp.
- A crafting hammer and scrap metal, for the Repair skill.
- Medicinal herbs, for the Medical skill.
- A compass, for Quick Travel.

We already have numerous inventory requirements for other skills and actions:

- Lockpicks required for picking locks.
- Reagents required for Alchemy.
- Food and Water, for eating and drinking.
- Arrows (and other projectiles) for ranged attacks.

But...I don't want to make it overly complicated for everyone. I think that perhaps requiring a tent is going too far in terms of "improving the realism" of the game. I don't want to add new requirements for actions that were "free" to do in Book 1 & 2, just to make the game more challenging or realistic in Book 3. Thoughts, anyone?

I like the idea of having inventory items tied/connected with some of these skills. Would it be possible to set it up so that instead of being a requirement (making it a sort of a reduction of the current skill system), they just give a very rudimentary base level of the skill (is it possible to give a fraction of a skill point?), giving a potential addition/bonus.
So, like having a hammer/toolkit/whatever(duct tape?) would give a .1 or a 1/2 point in repair, or maybe cap out at 'good' quality or something - that would allow people to do minimal gear maintenance, very slowly, by carrying a kit, until they picked up the skill.
Or go back to having bandages or something, but they actually heal a small amount of health based on the medicine level of the character - it wouldn't be a
lot, but would be the sorta thing if you found some in a dungeon/on an enemy, would be worth using a couple (plus, since bandages are basically scrap (clean) cloth, they should be relatively cheap.

As to the arrows/quiver bit, would it be possible to modify the quiver to hold thrown weapons as well? I don't know if this affects people enough to be worth messing with, but instead of carrying the entire stack of 20 javelins in their hands, to carry one, and have the rest in the quiver?

Again, I just want to say I really love the games so far, and I don't want this to come across as criticism, just things that came to mind and all.

[Firall]

Part of me really likes the original idea, but I'm also a fan of survival sims, which Eschalon isn't.

The idea of items giving a small passive boost to skills just for being in your inventory(Such as a tent) sounds appealing if possible. Would require that the boost be limited the boost to 1 of each item, so that I can't just stock up on hammers and scraps to become master of all that is repairing.

As much as I like the idea, things like more quests/areas to explore/harder difficulty option would be preferred.

[Vroqren]

wow. I didn't think that many people would read this, let alone reply :/

I think that most people who are active on this forum read every post that's made.
Anyway, I like the suggestion, but feel that it might not be entirely necessary, and could become tedious.

[Necromis]

I think this would be both a good thing and a bad thing. Including what you have suggested Thom. I have a possible solution. Just as you added thirst/hunger/rain effects to Book II with the option of not having thrist/hunger. Why too could you not do the same with Book III. Just make it an option that those who like it can implement if they should choose to have it in their play through.

I honestly think it would add more play through challenges. Playing it w/o the first time, and with the second time as an added challenge.

[Dragonlady]

wow. I didn't think that many people would read this, let alone reply :/

I think that most people who are active on this forum read every post that's made.
Anyway, I like the suggestion, but feel that it might not be entirely necessary, and could become tedious.

Yes, I come here to read posts every day. I don't talk as much as some folks here..

I like Necromis's idea of having option to turn on/off things, that way we can try, as he said, a turned off on the first run through and turn it on for later trials.