Survival Simulation Megathread: How do you joust a bear?

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Video Games > Survival Simulation Megathread: How do you joust a bear?

Toadsniff: Apr 10, 2006; Fire Down Below: Crab Company 2

Everyone always talks about survival horror games but where is all the love for just good old fashioned survival games? Granted there wasn't much produced over the years and the games that are about wilderness survival tend to have another gimmick to mix up the gameplay. Because let's face it, if the game just put you on an island without much danger, finding water in coconuts can only be so fun. Most of these games have some kind of sci-fi or supernatural aspect to them to keep them from being food eating simulators.

This thread is not for Survival Horror games, for that discussion please go here.

�The Long Dark (PC)

Released: Still in development
The Long Dark is a first-person open world survival simulation video game in development by Canadian company Hinterland for multiple platforms. The player assumes the role of a crash-landed bush pilot who must survive the frigid Canadian wilderness after a global disaster.

5/5 Birdshit-Water Enemas

�Don't Starve (PC)
Released: 2013

Wikipedia posted:

The game follows a scientist named Wilson who finds himself in a dark, dreary world and must survive as long as possible. Toward this end, the player must keep Wilson healthy, fed, and mentally stable as he avoids a variety of surreal and supernatural enemies that will try to kill and devour him. The game's "Adventure" mode adds depth to the sparse plot and pits Wilson against the game's antagonist, Maxwell.

�UnRealWorld (PC)
Released: 1992
Status: Still loving going 22 years later

UnReal World is a Finnish Iron Age survival game. The game still gets regular updates as of 2014.

Wikipedia posted:

"The game is set in a very realistic gameworld, full of elements from Finnish mythology and folklore. Instead of standard AD&D character classes, you play as member of one of the ten Finnish cultures with authentic occupations, including a fisherman, a hermit, a trapper, or even a tradesman."[1]

The game has both real time and turn-based elements. The main aspect of the game is on survival. Unexpected events like a snowstorm can lead to a quick death of the player character.[3] UnReal World focus is simulating a harsh environment, where survival is the main challenge for most players. The game simulates a lot of details like frostbite of individual body parts.[4] The world includes different animals, cultures, vegetation and climate. The player can roam freely in the world and manipulate a wide range of aspects like hunting and skinning animals, constructing shelters, etc.

Goon thoughts:

TresTristesTigres posted:

Unreal World is like a mix between Harvest Moon and the adventure mode of Dwarf Fortress. It's challenging at first to make a character that can survive very long, but rewarding once you do. For me, the key is being able to drop a large elk/deer/bear within the first couple of weeks and living long enough to smoke the meat and bury it - if you can do that, you probably have enough food to survive the first winter and can focus on trading for clothes and armor in the coastal cultures that have shops. I recommend creating a hulking character (because equipment plus a full suit of iron armor is heavy) who is good with a bow. I also recommend keeping close track of where your dogs are in combat or you will accidentally hit them with an arrow and then feel bad in real life. Finally, keep a good stock of captured Njerpez weapons so you can arm the townsfolk you take with you to raid the enemy camps.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDQ9SJHs7_4

5/5 Birdshit-Water Enemas

�Robinson's Requiem & Deus (MS-DOS)
Released: 1994 & 1996 resp
Price: $6

Robinson's Requiem and Deus (to some extent)are sci-fi wilderness survival games. They have a complex interface complete with surgery system. Your hunger, thirst, and stamina all need to be closely monitored to survive the elements. One of my favorite parts of Requiem involves the damage system, eagles can pluck your eyes out, you can lose limbs, etc. Overall a very satisfying experience if you can get over the numerous bugs. You can get them from GOG here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RllFvqrMlcY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QYL14fwp_kc

�Day One: Garry's Incident (PC)
Released: 2013
Status: "Finished"
Price: Should be free

I don't know what the gently caress, better to just watch the video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27nqqn2jbhY

�Haven & Hearth (PC)
Released: 2008
Status: Alpha
Price: Free

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v72vZb2FL5M

�The Forest (PC)
Released: 2014
Status: Alpha
Price: $15 USD

The Forest is basically The Descent: The Game, all the usual survival aspects are there with the only real danger being some cannibalistic natives. Has some definite potential

3/5 Birdshit-Water Enemas

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4qTtVMM3uqQ

�Wayward (PC)
Released: 2014?
Status: Beta
Price: Freeware

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDfbA-O2ydw

�Wolf & Lion (PC)
Released: 1994/1995

Goon thoughts:

TresTristesTigres posted:

Wolf was an amazing concept for a game but the fun wore off quickly. It's very educational, but since it is Trying To Make A Point you are constantly getting murked by wandering hunters or machinegunned from helicopters. I believe one of the developers was also a gay furry since their self-insert wolf character could mate with other dude wolfs and have puppies. The graphics were ok and the music was very good.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-EKY950LloY

�Frontiers (PC)
Released: Not yet

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WB5DvDOOvAY

�Stranded 1 & 2 (PC)
Released: 2003 & 2007
Status: Released
Price: Freeware

Wikipedia posted:

The game has no campaign mode, but its "random island" mode is wrapped up in a story where the player is stranded on an abandoned island. Resource management is a vital component of gameplay, since the player character has a constant need for food and water, and has to sleep. The game features a day and night cycle. Sleeping in the open injures the player, unprocessed food is not very effective against hunger and aggressive animals threaten the player. So the player is forced to gather resources like branches, stones and vines to construct tools, buildings and weapons. Each building that is finished will unlock another, more sophisticated building, until the player is able to build a raft to escape from the island and reach his homeland.

The terrain in the game is completely modifiable.

There are also some mini-missions such as rescuing kiwi birds or fighting off a pack of blood-thirsty raptors under a time limit. Such custom maps can be created with the built-in map editor. Several of these fan-made maps can be downloaded from the Stranded home page. Although there are some limited settings, such as turning off the need for food, water and sleep, any way of story-telling is limited to a single briefing message after the map has started and creative terrain design.

�NEO Scavenger (PC)
Released: 2003 & 2007
Status: Released
Price: Freeware

Galaga Galaxian posted:

You should consider adding NEO Scavenger to that list, its a Post-Apoc survival game that pretty much fits this style. Here is the SA thread for it. The dev (its a solo project) is a pretty cool guy and has an SA account and posts in the thread occasionally.

Its an early access game, but he puts out content at a good pace. Steam Page

�Wilderness: A Survival Adventure

Wikipedia posted:

The player must keep track of hunger, thirst, and fatigue temperature in addition to Health; given as a percentage. This require the accomplishment of "every day" tasks such as eating, drinking, and sleeping, as well as hunting, cooking, gathering, and finding a place to rest.

Another important aspect of the game is the item-crafting system. Many are useful, but absent. However, the game allows the player to create tools, weapons, and other items to assist in the player character's survival. for example, to use a splint, required if you sustain an injury, you must have/acquire rope and a stick

Many of the items, such as kindling, and arrows, degrade overtime and ultimately break, making the building of additional items necessary. Foods, such as meats, can go rotten in just an in-game day, but there are some which will not, due to being preserved

The game features a non-linear structure, giving the player the freedom to progress through the game without specific goals in mind beyond attaining the basic necessities of survival.

�Echo of the Wilds

Echo of the Wilds is a 2D pixel-art Survival game, the game even controls like an old 80's Sierra game, which sucks but the graphics are gorgeous. You can buy it for $5 here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ct98Re4zhCY

�Survival: The Ultimate Challenge

I haven't had the pleasure of playing this just yet but from watching some video it is like if the Sims got lost on an island. The graphics are pretty charming looking and it'll definitely run on your laptop. This game was released in 2000 and is probably made by a Russian sweatshop.

�Eidolon

Developer: Ice Water Games
Release: 2014, Steam

StarkRavingMad posted:

Eidolon probably fits on this list as well. Although it's kind of a soothing exploration game for the most part, you do have to forage for food and you can die of starvation, cold, sickness, etc. Not super-difficult by any means. Giant Bomb did a quick look just today, you can find it here.

�Miasmata

Developer: IonFX
Release: 2013, Steam, GOG

StarkRavingMad posted:

Miasmata also belongs here. Exploration and survival, while fighting off and trying to find a cure for a mysterious sickness, and contenting with a large unknown monster out in the wilderness. Giant Bomb quick look here.

IonFX posted:

About the Game:

Miasmata is a first-person survival adventure game, independently developed by brothers Joe and Bob Johnson.

The Story:

You play as Robert Hughes, a plague-stricken scientist on a journey to discover a cure. Your adventure begins on the shores of a remote island called Eden. Long ago, Eden was inhabited by a group of indigenous people, whose extant monuments still decorate the island landscape.

Eden is now home to a scientific research outpost, and it is your hope to reunite with your colleagues working there. Unfortunately, you'll soon discover that something has gone terribly wrong.

The Gameplay:

Miasmata is a game of survival, exploration and discovery. Our goal was to create gameplay that challenged convention. We wanted an immersive experience that gives the player the freedom to discover the world at his/her own pace and in his own way.

During his adventure, the player will encounter a mysterious and deadly creature. This creature can stalk the player for miles, lurking behind grasses and vegetative cover. By treading carefully and quietly, the player may be able to elude the creature. If he's careless, however, the player will be forced to confront the creature head-on.

The island of Eden is filled with dozens of plants and fungi, many of which have unique medicinal properties. Some of these plants hold the secret to curing the plague, so the player must harvest them and run lab experiments to determine their worth.

Exploration is a key component to Miasmata, so we developed an interesting cartography system. The player can use landmarks, such as ruins and statues, to triangulate his location and construct a map of Eden's boundaries and contours.

Biosys
Developer: Jumpstart Interactive
Release: February 1999
Genre: Point & Click, FPP, Adventure

Demiurge4 posted:

Biosys was a pretty cool game.

You were a scientist with amnesia trying to survive in the biodome he built on a remote mountain. There was some sort of accident involving biodome 4 which was being constructed as a tourist resort and was completely dead and polluted. You had to open this dome to the rest of the system and distribute the smog and pollution to the other domes without killing them so you could revitalize the systems and escape.

Let's talk about Survival games!

Toadsniff fucked around with this message at 17:07 on Aug 10, 2016

# ¿ Aug 6, 2014 04:19

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# ¿ May 10, 2024 10:30

Toadsniff: Apr 10, 2006; Fire Down Below: Crab Company 2

Thanks for all the suggestions, guess there are more out there than I thought. Also Neo Scavenger looks pretty neat, but I just spent too much money on The Forest and Planet Explorers so it'll have to wait a week. Will add all these games to the OP tomorrow.

# ¿ Aug 6, 2014 07:13

Toadsniff: Apr 10, 2006; Fire Down Below: Crab Company 2

The Insect Court posted:

It would be nice to see at least brief reviews for the posted titles when possible, because a lot of them are old/obscure and poo poo and it's almost impossible to find reliable reviews for those.

I didn't really want to post arbitrary reviews and only posted reviews for RR & Deus because I've played those games a bit, if some goons have any stories they'd like to share about any kind of survival games they might have played. I really just wanted to get this thread going because the genre is like a unicorn. Hopefully with some of my PTO this week I'll get some play time on some of these games and get some personal thoughts posted.

# ¿ Aug 6, 2014 14:21

Toadsniff: Apr 10, 2006; Fire Down Below: Crab Company 2

Found an old obscure survival game eponymously called Wilderness: A Survival Adventure, haven't played it yet.

Wikipedia posted:

The player must keep track of hunger, thirst, and fatigue temperature in addition to Health; given as a percentage. This require the accomplishment of "every day" tasks such as eating, drinking, and sleeping, as well as hunting, cooking, gathering, and finding a place to rest.

Another important aspect of the game is the item-crafting system. Many are useful, but absent. However, the game allows the player to create tools, weapons, and other items to assist in the player character's survival. for example, to use a splint, required if you sustain an injury, you must have/acquire rope and a stick

Many of the items, such as kindling, and arrows, degrade overtime and ultimately break, making the building of additional items necessary. Foods, such as meats, can go rotten in just an in-game day, but there are some which will not, due to being preserved

The game features a non-linear structure, giving the player the freedom to progress through the game without specific goals in mind beyond attaining the basic necessities of survival.

# ¿ Aug 11, 2014 16:54

Toadsniff: Apr 10, 2006; Fire Down Below: Crab Company 2

�Echo of the Wilds

Echo of the Wilds is a 2D pixel-art Survival game, the game even controls like an old 80's Sierra game, which sucks but the graphics are gorgeous. You can buy it for $5 here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ct98Re4zhCY

# ¿ Aug 15, 2014 07:50

Toadsniff: Apr 10, 2006; Fire Down Below: Crab Company 2

There is a new game being kickstarted called K�na - A Survival Adventure Game, it bills itself as a murder mystery survival game set on Hoth. Check it out.

# ¿ Aug 19, 2014 14:50

Toadsniff: Apr 10, 2006; Fire Down Below: Crab Company 2

Extreme0 posted:

Couldn't The Long Dark be considered a Survival Simulation game? It's a survival game based around surviving the northern wildness with a fancy art style that looks like something from XIII.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JcdT1fQQuwY

Wow that art aesthetic looks really good. Looks like it is only a month away from release too.

# ¿ Aug 19, 2014 15:34

Toadsniff: Apr 10, 2006; Fire Down Below: Crab Company 2

The Snark posted:

Has anyone here had a good stab at The Forest? I have to say it looks excellent so far, but with no thread here (that I have found yet) I lack the input necessary to overcome my resistance to the idea of buying into yet another early-access game.

I've put a few good hours into it, it is pretty awesome if you like wilderness survival with a little mix of horror. There is a peaceful mode so you can craft and camp in safety but the real fun is trying to survive the cold nights while evading night patrols of crazed cannibals. The cannibals have some pretty decent AI when it comes to aggression and some enemies will act more timid/aggressive/coordinated than others. The game is still really early alpha and there are some major glitches and game-breaking bugs (traps can't be reset yet, constructions can't be deconstructed yet, etc). It is definitely worth the $15 if you want to be Les Stroud Cannibal Fighter.

Check out this page on the wiki for more info on bugs/glitches

Toadsniff fucked around with this message at 20:22 on Aug 21, 2014

# ¿ Aug 21, 2014 19:44

Toadsniff: Apr 10, 2006; Fire Down Below: Crab Company 2

one young pup's ultimate struggle

# ¿ Aug 22, 2014 07:01

Toadsniff: Apr 10, 2006; Fire Down Below: Crab Company 2

Found another gem that got lost in the bargain bin 14 years ago, wonder how many of you have played this one?

�Survival: The Ultimate Challenge

# ¿ Aug 22, 2014 14:39

Toadsniff: Apr 10, 2006; Fire Down Below: Crab Company 2

GreyjoyBastard posted:

I can't believe you left Don't Starve off the list.

You know I've been meaning to put it on there but get side tracked, I will put it up this afternoon I swear! As well as some others people have mentioned like Eidolon and Cataclysm (the latter of which I just recently played, it is not easy).

# ¿ Aug 22, 2014 15:42

Toadsniff: Apr 10, 2006; Fire Down Below: Crab Company 2

MorgaineDax posted:

There's a thread here.

Wow I had no idea there was a thread (partly because the forums were broken). Strange given how popular the game is people sure don't like talking about it much.

# ¿ Aug 22, 2014 19:27

Toadsniff: Apr 10, 2006; Fire Down Below: Crab Company 2

Added Don't Starve, Miasmata and Eidolon to the list.

# ¿ Aug 22, 2014 19:48

Toadsniff: Apr 10, 2006; Fire Down Below: Crab Company 2

Bitter Mushroom posted:

You've got the wolf blurb under the unreal world bit, please don't slander my iron age finnish bros. Enormous Elk, who develop URW are pretty drat badass, and the game is highly educational. It also features excellent combat mechanics that should be stolen my any and every RPG imo.

Thanks for the heads up! I wanted to give URW a go but it looks rather cumbersome, but then again I can play Dwarf Fortress without key references so it probably wouldn't be that difficult to learn. I'll probably give it a shot this weekend.

e: also the pictures of dudes larping in ancient Finland is awesome

# ¿ Aug 22, 2014 20:02

Toadsniff: Apr 10, 2006; Fire Down Below: Crab Company 2

So I've stumbled upon a game currently sitting in Steam Greenlight called Forsaken Isle, it is basically Minecraft but more focus on the survival and no real digging but a lot of crafting. It is pretty minimal right now and there is no music and the SFX are directly ripped from Minecraft but hey, check it out, it only cost me $5 here.

I recorded a short video for you:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y8h_nGkuRIY

Toadsniff fucked around with this message at 00:59 on Aug 26, 2014

# ¿ Aug 26, 2014 00:56

Toadsniff: Apr 10, 2006; Fire Down Below: Crab Company 2

The Long Dark now has a release date of Sept 22nd. If you pre-order on the website you can still get a DVD copy. I am so loving hyped for this game it's crazy.

# ¿ Sep 3, 2014 15:17

Toadsniff: Apr 10, 2006; Fire Down Below: Crab Company 2

~~Got an extra key for The Long Dark right here in my hot little inbox. First person to email me at username at gmale.com will get it.~~

taken

Toadsniff fucked around with this message at 19:15 on Sep 22, 2014

# ¿ Sep 22, 2014 19:05

Toadsniff: Apr 10, 2006; Fire Down Below: Crab Company 2

The Vosgian Beast posted:

What, no Survival Kids?

Sabaibaru Kizu wa nani o non desuka?

# ¿ Jun 19, 2015 19:33

Toadsniff: Apr 10, 2006; Fire Down Below: Crab Company 2

Admiral Joeslop posted:

Someone should probably make a Long Dark thread, we're not getting much traffic here. No offense, Toadsniff

None taken, it took making this thread just to find out that survival games in general are a pretty niche market.

# ¿ Aug 21, 2015 21:24

Toadsniff: Apr 10, 2006; Fire Down Below: Crab Company 2

Anyone checked this game out yet? Came out of nowhere on Steam today.

The Flame in the Flood
"A rogue-lite river journey through the backwaters of a forgotten post-societal America. Forage, craft, evade predators."

It looks like a linear version of Don't Starve.

# ¿ Sep 24, 2015 19:49

Toadsniff: Apr 10, 2006; Fire Down Below: Crab Company 2

I finally got a around to playing The Long Dark and it's great, really fun and fairly realistic, but the 24/7 blizzard is really getting to me. I haven't tried any of the newer scenarios, but I'm wondering if there are any mountains in this game that aren't a freezing hell. Really hoping for a tropical or temperate mountain experience sometime.

# ¿ Aug 10, 2016 15:33

Toadsniff: Apr 10, 2006; Fire Down Below: Crab Company 2

Evil Mastermind posted:

Humble has a survival game bundle going on right now. Are any of them worth grabbing?

If you're looking for non-horror non-space survival Shelter 2 was pretty decent.

e:Thanks for the heads up on a survival pack Evil Mastermind.

Toadsniff fucked around with this message at 16:38 on Aug 10, 2016

# ¿ Aug 10, 2016 16:31

Toadsniff: Apr 10, 2006; Fire Down Below: Crab Company 2

Galaga Galaxian posted:

The Long Dark is set in the Northern Wilds of Canada so you're going to be disappointed in those hopes, I'm afraid.

It's just a shame that these mechanics aren't being applied to other survival scenarios. Stranded Deep is terribly linear, The Forest is boring, and everything else is a pixelated artsy game. I could always fall back on Robinson's Requiem and get my eyes gouged out by a hawk. In other words, gently caress Canada. Good game though.

# ¿ Aug 10, 2016 19:14

Toadsniff: Apr 10, 2006; Fire Down Below: Crab Company 2

I just played The Forest again the other day, it's been years. Last i remember you couldn't reset traps. They've come a long way since then and it's now unnerving as gently caress to play. Definitely a must have for the horror fans.

I'm too much of a bitch to really play it like a man

Think I'll just do sandbox for a bit and look at some fat lizards.

# ¿ Mar 21, 2018 03:37

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# ¿ May 10, 2024 10:30

Toadsniff: Apr 10, 2006; Fire Down Below: Crab Company 2

Anyone tried out Dead in Vinland?

# ¿ Sep 20, 2018 09:40

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