I don't really see dew collection as "obviously correct"; I kinda see it as a terrible compromise.
Oh, I don't really like the dew collectors as is, mainly because they are so limited in how much water they can collect, as well as how much they can store.
- Rain collection would make sense, but that's a programming problem; rain isn't tracked when players aren't around. But that was the plan, and that's why the design is what it is...
Yea, if we had separate dew condensers and rain collectors, it would be a more immersive system, but also more complicated as well. As a compromise system, I think the folks at TFP did a good job.
- Dew collection is a thing IRL, but really rare. Only suitable in places where you have plenty of fog, but very little rain; some ocean beaches etc. Not usually a hot desert or a frozen tundra. And the devices for dew collection look nothing like the one in-game, you'd get a teaspoon a day in optimal conditions with that.
Where have you lived? I lived most of my life in the US state of Michigan, and we always had to have a dehumidifier running constantly in the basement. If we didn't empty the tray out, the thing would stop working, and then mold would result.
On an entirely different slant, did you ever hear about the June, 1942 battle of Midway? In a clever attempt to figure out where the Japanese advance was going to take place, the US Intelligence guys, had Midway atoll broadcast a fake message that their water condenser unit had broken down...
Some time later, they intercepted a Japanese broadcast, saying that objective "AF" was short on drinking water.
Even the dinky little dehumidifier we had in the basement, would fill the pan several times a day, in the summer, and that was a gallon pan. Military "water condensers" in contrast, could supply a remote islands entire garrison with all the drinking water they needed.
- Steady, dependable is what they wanted to create, to put crafting on easily adjustable tracks. But it's a survival game, supply variance would be a nice spice.
Not for me, I like engineering that works dependably. That little dehumidifier was not expensive, ran on just a little electricity, and reliably produced quite a bit of water. In a survival situation, I could see folkes putting a dozen of those in their base, and all their water needs would be met.
Changes in rain conditions messing up your plans is basically a staple in the genre. So they did succeed in "stable", but that's a "sadly" in my book
I hear ya.
But yeh, I dunno; I try not to let other people's opinions bother me too much, that usually helps no-one.. calling vague groups of people "whiners" hasn't convinced anyone of anything yet ..
Best I can do is try to understand, and offer my ideas in exchange.
Now that you got me thinking, I have to wonder just how many folks lived in homes where, you had to have a dehumidifier running 24/7 in the basement, or you risked black mold.
If most folks never experienced this, then I could understand how they think that water could be a problem. The ingame dew collectors work for me, because I have experience with an electrically operated dehumidifier, and I know how much water they can output. I would be able to see myself, going door to door, and looting all the ones I could find, and then having infinite water.
Just to be clear, the dehumidifier we had, was a small box, smaller than the humidifier we had for winter months, and the only limit was the size of your pan/tray at the bottom. If the pan/tray filled up, the device would automatically cut off, and wouldn't work again until you emptied out the pan/tray. Reusing this technology for 7 days to die, we would just run lines to a water storage system, and the whole disconnect over the availiablity of water, and empty bottles being "created out of thin air", just drys up and blows away.
Thanks for the help.
