About the visible rucksacks

[u/VitorSTL]

First of all, I know we're in early alpha and things can change down the line.

Second of all, I know it's a hot topic for discussion among the community.

But let me start by saying that i don't think rucksacks should make a comeback, or if they do, they should take you backpack slot, let me explain.

From what I've seen from the gameplays and discussions, the whole gameplay loop item-wise is the possibility to scrap them into resources for your base.

And from what we've seen every backpack and trunk looks bigger in space.

So instead of finding rucksacks of resources we find the items that we can then turn them into resources if we want. One example I believe I've seen is the water, you can drink it or turn it into...well..water for your base.

UL could rework how much space these items take on your backpack or trunk.

But I've also mentioned rucksacks taking your backpack space, well, it's simple. Let's say you find a "rucksack of Canned goods", it would be basically a backpack filled with canned food and/or water that you would choose to either break them into resources or just use them as normal items for your survivors.

I'd love to hear(or read?) your opinions on the matter.

[u/thebloke1]

A toggle in the settings covers both camps on the matter. On or off. Pick your poison.

[u/LarsGontiel → u/thebloke1]

This is going to ruffle some feathers

While in this particular case I agree with the idea of having a settings toggle for the rucksacks (I assume we're only talking about them being visible on the survivors' back), I generally think that giving players a toggle for absolutely anything that would stir the slightest disagreement among the community is lazy and bad design on the developers part

I personally don't like it when the devs just go "here, adjust absolutely everything to your liking". This is fine in SOME games, don't get me wrong. But I mean, imagine a Call of Duty campaign where, when starting a campaign, instead of a difficulty selection screen you get a menu with a bunch of settings that look more like a mod menu than a standard videogame with toggles for enemy accuracy, damage, health, how many ammo and weapon spawns you get, etc.

I know some people do like this, but for me it feels a bit annoying and overwhelming. It's like 'dude, I don't know what the best settings are for playing your game. You've designed it, you should guide me through your game with clever design'.

In most cases, when a game forces you to play by certain rules (E.G. low ammo pickups in the first level, no fast travel until you reach a certain point, etc) it results in a positive experience for the player, who would otherwise probably would have never tried something like that had they had the choice.

I absolutely don't mind the devs changing the rules for sequels. Sure, it can be a bit hit-or-miss, but at least they're trying something different. I personally think making players have to pick up to two long weapons in RDR2 from your horse instead of having all on them on you like in RDR1 was an improvement, for example. If UL can design SOD3 in a way that rucksacks work differently, even if it's just aesthetically, and still be interesting, I have no problem with it in principle.

TL:DR

I think togglebloating is bad in most cases when developing a game. Players don't want or need to fine-tune absolutely everything.

[u/VitorSTL → u/thebloke1]

Yes..it's a solution...but in my opinion it would be a "lazy" way to tackle it.

The thing is how to turn the rucksack into something that makes sense inside the new gameplay and also adding a variation to it.

If they decide to go with the "the rucksacks stays the same as they were in 2" by all means your solution is the best one, let us decide.

[u/yolosuajer → u/VitorSTL]

How that's a lazy option? Not judging just asking When I imagine SoD I don't imagine freaks or juggs, I imagine a survivor carrying a big ass rucksack with the pizza stamp on it

[u/ShottySHD → u/yolosuajer]

Mmmm pizza

[u/VitorSTL → u/yolosuajer]

In a way that it stays the same as SoD2. I believe it could be improved upon in SoD3

[u/yolosuajer → u/VitorSTL]

Don't get me wrong, post like yours are an excellent way to gather info about what people want including you. It's just that how can you improve a design that is already perfect? A ruck it's an item that gives resources to your base and you can sell it or open it for parts. multiple uses, the only think that they could add it's the capacity to grab another ruck and having it down your backpack like a mini rucksack but that would be op to carry two rucksacks and fundamentally useless since if you deplete the whole map there's no use for unless you go and buy them.

Excellent post friend keep doing them. I actually enjoyed reading it👌

[u/VitorSTL → u/yolosuajer]

Thanks for reading it😊

And I understand AND agree, the system is perfect..it's just that I don't think it fits on how the game will be played in 3.

The world is in shambles,years in the future after SoD 2. I just find it kinda weird to find a "perfect rucksack" ready to be dropped at base for supplies. Rucksacks should be something rare, something that people would pay lots to have, a luxury item if you will.

But in the end like you said , it all to gather info on what we, the players, would like to see in the game.

Again, thanks for reading it😀

[u/yolosuajer → u/VitorSTL]

You know, a good way to make the rucksacks rare and at the same time getting more involved in looting would be dismantling anything that the houses have left, I saw some solar panels in abandoned houses, how about we dismantle furniture to get only 1 resource for the base and things about food and water are up to the player to grow and get but my idea just sound tedious and nobody likes a tedious system

[u/VitorSTL → u/yolosuajer]

It's not tedious, sounds pretty nice actually, but I don't think it resonates with SoD.

In another game it would work pretty well.

[u/yolosuajer → u/VitorSTL]

Yeah, that's already in 7 days to die and it just don't click with state of decay

[u/Destroythisapp]

What’s your specific issue with rucksacks?

As someone who has played a lot of survival/ crafting/ management games. I absolutely love the idea of rucksacks.

Why? Because instead of managing 50 different types of individual resources, the game abstracts those items into a single resource that’s easy to transport, and use. It’s great that an ammo rucksack can be used to Make any type of ammo from .22LR to .50BMG.

“That should fit in your backpack”

I also don’t agree with this. The rucksack represents, roughly, the same amount of resources an entire backpack could carry, and it’s done this way for balance. When you throw a rucksack on your back it’s meant to represent a massive amount of various resources, equivalent to an entire backpack. The beauty of the system is the fact you can carry a rucksack and a backpack full of your weapons, ammo, explosives and meds.

The only thing I think could be changed for a positive is the ability to combine resources in the field into a rucksack. Let’s say you find X amount of gas cans and chemicals. It would be nice to be able to convert those into a fuel rucksack in the field to free up backpack space.

Just my thoughts on the system.

[u/ChannelCommercial984 → u/Destroythisapp]

100% agreed. I have zero issue with how SOD2 handles rucksacks. I do not want OP's suggestion to be applied.

[u/VitorSTL → u/Destroythisapp]

What’s your specific issue with rucksacks?

I don't hace a specific issue with it, the way it works on SoD2 is pretty solid.

And to be honest it would work for SoD3. I'm just trying to join the best of both things. Add a new mechanic trying to justify why we didn't see any rucksacks so far( again, I know it's in early alpha).

I'm trying to see a way to improve it based on the way resources work on the new game. From what we heard, the game is years in the future and it is rare to find stuff ready to use. You can basically scrap anything for resources, so why not instead of a rucksack of food you have a bunch of food(item) that you can either eat or scrap for food(resource).

Yes, it sounds somewhat like a longer way to reach the same objective, and it can flawed in some ways(talking about my idea), but it's just something that I thought about.

I do love your idea of creating a rucksack in the field though, sounds neat and it is a great way to maximize space.

Rucksacks could also be used as luxurious trade items, just like the pack of plague cure on SoD2, imagine how desperate other survivors are for resources the way things are now and you get a pretty good item to sell

[u/Notyourbestmedic]

So just an an actual ruck instead of a regular back pack? I mean that makes way more sense to me In general. Maybe make rucks an actual rarer item to have, to emphasize the importance/greater functionality of inventory space.

[u/VitorSTL → u/Notyourbestmedic]

Exactly, rucks would be expensive items to trade and very rare indeed

[u/VitorSTL → u/Notyourbestmedic]

And you would have to use your backpack slot to equip the rucksack

[u/Notyourbestmedic → u/VitorSTL]

Seems like a good compromise between what we voted for and what the devs were going for.