Ledge Grabbing

[Josiah Gibbonson]

On the topic of better character movement, should we be able to grab ledges in the future? It would make parkour easier for some people who just aren't very good at it. (Your character could grab the ledge if you missed the jump by half a block) And it would also make sense; Why can't my two-block high character reach up with their arms and hoist myself over a 2-block high wall?? (It always drove me bonkers in minecraft...WE HAVE ARMS. USE THEM! AAAAA ) 

 

Some story locations would need reworked, sure, but it'd be a good step in making movement feel more immersive as a whole. 

Edited April 6, 2025 by Josiah Gibbonson

[LadyWYT]

I think a better option is something @ifoz suggested a while back--climbing picks. I think with a designated climbing tool, the story locations wouldn't need reworks, since using a tool on a block would qualify as attempting to tamper with said block and thus render the tool impossible to use within a story location.

Of course, adding something like that then renders rope ladders a lot less useful, so I'm fine with climbing being left to the mods. A better option is just adding the ability to crawl instead. That would be more useful for caves and other tight spaces, wouldn't break current story locations(that I'm aware of), and would open up more options for hiding goodies in ruins and story locations.

[Josiah Gibbonson]

1 hour ago, LadyWYT said:

Of course, adding something like that then renders rope ladders a lot less useful, so I'm fine with climbing being left to the mods.

I still fail to see the logic of why our character can't just...reach up and hoist themselves atop a 2-block high wall. You shouldn't need a tool for that if you have arms! 

 

On the other side, it'd make walking across hilly terrain less of a pain in the butt. Wouldnt have to stop, dig some dirt, and tower up, halting the momentum of exploring. 

[LadyWYT]

1 hour ago, Josiah Gibbonson said:

I still fail to see the logic of why our character can't just...reach up and hoist themselves atop a 2-block high wall. You shouldn't need a tool for that if you have arms! 

For the same reason that you can't do other basic things in videogames--it's not how the game was designed. And of course, to make climbing with your bare hands work in Vintage Story, you'd need to redesign the story areas already implemented to make sure they still offer the intended challenge...which is a lot of work in itself. Personally, I'd rather see the resources invested into other areas of the game, given that there's really not that much climbing I need to do that isn't already handled in the current iteration of the game.

1 hour ago, Josiah Gibbonson said:

On the other side, it'd make walking across hilly terrain less of a pain in the butt. Wouldnt have to stop, dig some dirt, and tower up, halting the momentum of exploring. 

Rope ladders. Easily crafted, easily picked up once placed.

For those really wanting to climb with their hands, I highly recommend this mod: https://mods.vintagestory.at/verticality

[Josiah Gibbonson]

25 minutes ago, LadyWYT said:

Rope ladders. Easily crafted, easily picked up once placed

I counter your solution again with...literally just dig up dirt and tower up. Unless you plan on going back and forth between that location a bunch, rope ladders are probably put to better use elsewhere. Unfortunatley both are rather ugly solutions to a minor inconvenience in my opinion.

 

As for that mod, until they change up the story locations to suite the new movement mechanics, it'd feel like two puzzle pieces that don't quite fit. A shame too, I'd love to give it a whirl. 

25 minutes ago, LadyWYT said:

For the same reason that you can't do other basic things in videogames--it's not how the game was designed.

It's definitely more jarring in a first person experience that's been quite immersive so far. It's always what drove me nuts about minecraft. Now, granted it makes restricting the player during puzzles a lot more difficult. Would require some creative brainpower. Maybe put little overhangs you couldn't crawl over to ledges.

 

Is it needed? Definitely not. Would it be cool as hell and make movement feel better? I'm in the party that would say yes.

25 minutes ago, LadyWYT said:

Personally, I'd rather see the resources invested into other areas of the game, given that there's really not that much climbing I need to do that isn't already handled in the current iteration of the game

Everything has a time and a place. When they eventually look back at player movement to make it "feel" better perhaps it'd be a good idea to mull over more options.