Some thoughts on the Water system…

Following the discourse around the Water system since launch was very interesting to me and i have some opinions about it.

The reason for this system to exist is, that the devs felt the need to confront the player with a consistent overarching threat. In its nature this game is very hardcore, punishing every wrong move, forcing you to think critically and outside of the box.

My impression is, that a lot lot of you guys are criticizing the water system, because it punishes you for not playing the game. The narrative of the game is fight for survival, and this should be a constant theme in the gameplay and missions aswell. Just taking that threat away would be against the whole philosophy of this game and its narrative.

So whats the alternative?

I think some kind of round based solution would be a great option. Did anyone of you play chernobliyte or dave the diver? In theese games one run equals one day. This would also force the player to make conscious decisions about what to take home, what to risk bringing in. Having to decide between going out for a quest or just for water would be a real difficult decision!

In other words: i think it would make the game a lot more fun if we had a round based water system because of decisions/critical thinking bla bla… I also think it would make the game way more punishing, way more hardcore.

The advantage of the current system is that you can just test out a lot of things, fuck around with the ai. Bring some weapons and try to shoot somebody. It works way better with multiplayer as well. You can have as much rounds as you want in a day and thats awesome! Its easier to learn, more beginner friendly.

Conclusion:

There is a conflict between the need of the player to feel some kind of constant threat that plays into this games narrative and gameplay and not making it too hard and punishing, to provide a good new player and coop experience. This is a fine line. The current water system is the solution the devs came up with.

Taking away the real time water system without replacing it with something else would be against the games philosophy. There are great alternatives but they may make the game a lot harder. The more hardcore your game becomes less people play it and i think we all want this game as successful as it can be, while staying true to its philosophy!

So i am very much looking forward to what the devs and you guys will come up with regarding the water system, because there is a lot to improve!