"Realistic" Fishing in the Standalone

[Chaingunfighter 917]

Of course, it's been discussed and suggested just as many times as hand-to-hand combat and underwater environments, but let's elaborate. I mean, everyone says their thread is different, it's the one different thread. Well I come to tell you; I'm different than them, because mine is the most different thread on this topic!

FISHING

Anyone who's ever been fishing (And many people who haven't) knows that fishing can actually be quite complicated and there are many different methods of fishing. These are some propositions that would make an actual planned fishing system at least somewhat more realistic;

1. Different aquatic species of fish as well as other lifeforms.

There are thousands, if not millions of different species of fish in the ocean, who's to say that only one kind would live up by Chernarus. It's not realistic that every kind of fish would inhabit the cold waters, but a viable ecosystem would need at least a few different aquatic species.

Spice it up a little, create different kinds of them;

You could have salmon in the (hopefully to be added) freshwater rivers inland, or spinal fish off the coast. There could also be other species, like king crabs, jellyfish, sea-turtles or horseshoe crabs. There could be underwater plants, like kelp, which could be harvested.

Each different specie would have different uses; maybe one type of fish provides sustaining meat, or another type has a poison gland which could potentially poison a person if they were to eat the fish, or maybe provide some use later.

(Sorry for this one's size)

2. Variety of fishing tools and bait.

Fishing cannot all be done with one single method or tool. If you were to attempt to catch a crab with a standard rod, you would probably never catch it. As such, there should be many different tools, some that can be used on many different kinds of fish, or maybe only on one, and have different levels of success. For organization purposes, this is split into smaller categories.

Rods.

Crafting has already been confirmed as a feature in the standalone, so I say; why not be able to craft your own fishing rods using various parts and pieces found around the infested wasteland of Chernarus. It's quite possible to do so, and depending on how well it's done, they can actually be sturdy and able to hold their own for a while. Crafted ones could be supplemented as well by pre-apocalypse ones, which also have their own potential for usage. Generally, they'd require more maintenance but would perform better for specific scenarios. This, however, is just a generalization, as there are poorly-built fishing rod models as well as very well made hand-crafted versions, so it would all depend on the material and type used. Fishing line should be able to be tangled or broken by stronger fish, as such, line quality could be put in as another factor so people would think twice about tearing apart a shirt for the string (Not that anyone should ever use cotton for a fishing line, trust me, it doesn't work.)

Lures.

Another aspect that could be taken into account is the type of lure used on the end of a fishing device (Not necessarily a rod). Different lures are able to attract different kinds of fish better; certain kinds will 'daze' the fish or confuse it into believing that it is witnessing its' prey. Water-bobbing ones which stay on the surface would perform significantly differently than a jig or a spinning lure, as each are made for different fish of different sizes. Something else to take into account is that not all bait can go onto all lures, so a fisherman would have to balance the importance of what they are after, if you've got a large group of fish, you might not want to waste your bait; instead, take a lure which can work better without it and isn't depleted. It is possible to craft lures as well, improvising them from natural or artificial bits and pieces.

Fishing nets.

Like other fishing tools, nets can be crafted relatively simply out of common objects. Fishing nets can be used in a fashion that is a lot less specifically geared towards one kind of fish. They can be used to capture many kinds, and also do not always need the patience of a rod (They still need some, half of the battle IS patience.). Of course, small fish can easily swim right through nets, so size is indeed a factor. A fishing net won't generally attract fish either, so it is another choice the player has to make (if they have the choice to begin with!).

Crab traps/cages

Aquatic animals like crabs obviously can't be fished with a rod, though they CAN be fished with nets. However, a common method used by commercial fishermen is to sail out to areas of large crab population and drop crab-traps, filled with bait that (Like the name suggests) trap them inside. No player with a sane mind is going to swim off of the shore and drop these down, but if they have access to a boat, they could easily just drop them (And most traps have a buoyant marker that floats on the surface of the water, so you know where you left the trap) and then return at a later period to see if they'd caught anything. This could encourage the use of boats more often, and could add an interesting depth of gameplay because other players could steal your boat, and then travel along the coast looking for any traps.

On a followup; I think a realistic and expansive fishing system would be much more fun and immersive than just a; find a rod and a lake and you're done. Added alongside different features like plant harvesting, it would make getting food a more enjoyable as well as intricate process, much better than just forcing yourself to risk your life scavenging one of the few supermarkets for a can of food (Which is also fun, but alternate methods would 'spice it up', at least in my mind.)

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[applejaxc 2500]

Eat well. Beans.

Edited May 25, 2013 by Applejaxc

[Jakalanche 3]

I was just thinking about this today at relatively the same time as you posted this :huh:

Edited May 25, 2013 by Jakalanche

[Derpy_Hooves (DayZ) 4521]

After about 5 years trying, i've caught 1 fish in my life, i'd starve well too quickly

[Lidskjalf 132]

This is something they definitely need to try implementing! B)

Cheers,

Lidskjalf :beans:

[wisper 61]

Fishing should be included as a source of nourishment, but let us not go overboard with it. There are specialized games for this subject. Rod, net, trap as alternative methods should be enough. After all, this is a survival game, not a "get the biggest catch" one. Foraging is a very good idea to be included. Can't imagine passing up an apple tree, so I can sneak in a z-infested town to scavenge for cans...

Ed. Use also dynamite for fishing

Edited May 26, 2013 by Wisper

[Chaingunfighter 917]

Fishing should be included as a source of nourishment, but let us not go overboard with it. There are specialized games for this subject. Rod, net, trap as alternative methods should be enough. After all, this is a survival game, not a "get the biggest catch" one. Foraging is a very good idea to be included. Can't imagine passing up an apple tree, so I can sneak in a z-infested town to scavenge for cans...

Ed. Use also dynamite for fishing

Yes, it's a survival game, but that doesn't mean you can't have an extensive system.

Of course, it's obvious that not everything I have suggested will be implemented, and I was mainly pointing to what you said (Alternative methods and crafting and the like) but of course if it could be as realistic as possible, it would be better (I love fishing)

[Schmeddy 9]

I'd love there to be fishing, but if it does make it in it won't be as elaborate as the OP suggests. My thinking is that you will go find a fishing pole, and bait. Than go to a pond or the ocean and you would have a percentage chance to catch something. Any fish that you might catch are worth some blood amount or healing properties depending on the health system on the health system in SA. Maybe there could even be special ways of storing/preserving your catch like smoking it or canning it. It needs to be simple though that is the key.

[rocket 16567]

Fishing is absolutely something we will be investigating after the release of the initial version.

[Felixthefriendlycat 92]

Fishing is absolutely something we will be investigating after the release of the initial version.

[burritoman259 593]

I do not mean to hijack the thread but this kinda bugged me.

Being somewhat of a fishing person I noticed the absence of these: Hand reels.

These would be really nifty things to have in game

1, They are small and compact for those who don't want to have a fishing rod cluttering up their inventory, besides if your fishing for guppies you don't have to go over kill.

2, Could be crafted from some spare fishing line or any other string like material I guess and say a stick if you wanted to go low tech and just spool it up when your done.

3, These are once again good for catching small fish like brim, whiting or maybe even a small Flathead or just what ever the hell inhabits the waters of chernarus.

Just a little suggestion.

Edited May 29, 2013 by burritoman259

[Felixthefriendlycat 92]

Nice suggestion. Would also make a simple crafting object. Input: Hand reel + wooden pole. output = fishing rod. Maybe the difference could then be how far you could throw the bait into the water and what kind of fishes you could catch at that distance

[Chaingunfighter 917]

I do not mean to hijack the thread but this kinda bugged me.

Being somewhat of a fishing person I noticed the absence of these: Hand reels.

These would be really nifty things to have in game

1, They are small and compact for those who don't want to have a fishing rod cluttering up their inventory, besides if your fishing for guppies you don't have to go over kill.

2, Could be crafted from some spare fishing line or any other string like material I guess and say a stick if you wanted to go low tech and just spool it up when your done.

3, These are once again good for catching small fish like brim, whiting or maybe even a small Flathead or just what ever the hell inhabits the waters of chernarus.

Just a little suggestion.

Ah, yes. This seems like a great idea, I can't believe I missed em'. I guess when I posted this I was thinking about them being apart of the rod in general (Or not at all)

+Beans!