Barkcloth

[Taagraa]

I was recently thinking what other cloth material besides cotton could be added to the game, and then it hit me. Bark cloth. Since it would be very easy to get stuff to make it (trees) it may be the one fabric that requires a simplistic loom to make it, and a big amount of logs to balance it out against flax. Compared to linen it could have a slight yellow tinge if used in sails. It could also allow the player to make some simple early game clothes in the style of the last image, but those themselves are not barkcloth.

[Thorfinn]

You might have to use some machine to debark logs. At least I can't think of anything that has two outputs that is not a machine or a lootable. Currently debarking just returns a debarked log. Or maybe add bark as a drop from cutting a tree?

Might be the API supports multiple outputs. I have not looked. I can't do the artwork for bark anyway, and definitely not for bark clothing.

[MKMoose]

2 hours ago, Thorfinn said:

At least I can't think of anything that has two outputs that is not a machine or a lootable.

Bear pelt with head. Combined in the crafting grid with a knife produces a bear pelt and a bear pelt head.

 

2 hours ago, Thorfinn said:

You might have to use some machine to debark logs.

I'd say just right-click a log with an axe (and perhaps a hammer in offhand) to debark it. A double-output recipe is possible, but it could also be removed altogether, as I think it benefits the game when things are moved out of the UI and into the world.

 

10 hours ago, Taagraa said:

I was recently thinking what other cloth material besides cotton could be added to the game [...]

Personally, after cotton I would turn to wool, silk, jute and hemp. Barkcloth is an interesting but rather niche choice, and it was historically replaced by other textiles. I'm not sure if it would actually have the desirable properties of linen and similar cloth. It's also worth mentioning that it is primarily produced from one specific family of trees generally native to Asia, most significant of which is paper mulberry but breadfruit and fig have been used as well.

It does work in favor of the suggestion that bark has a large variety of uses besides clothing, which makes it more likely that it gets added to the game eventially. Of these uses I can list out a few I've looked into recently, and it's frankly a pretty short list compared to what you might find elsewhere:

• a bunch of uses in construction, for roofing, canoes, shoes, bags and other useful items (primarily birch, but some cases are more generic and could be made from barkcloth as well),
• rope (important historically in northern Europe, often from one specific species but a lot of different ones could be used),
• birch bark tar (an early adhesive used for hafting, I think),
• food (pine bark is a staple for the Sami people, apparently, and they're mentioned a few times in item descriptions),
• cork (from cork oak, primarily for sealing bottles, though an oil-soaked rag could serve the same purpose),
• mulch (for farming, as fertilizer if nothing else but can also have some special uses),
• cinnamon (from a few specific trees, would be nice if we ever get any spices added to the cooking system),
• aspirin (from willow, kind of an odd fit for the current state of the game but willow extract might be a cool thing to add along with herbalism).

Alongside all these other ideas, barkcloth could add a lot of functional purpose to different trees, and in this way it could greatly enhance the variety of the early and mid game depending on starting climate. It would also create further incentives for exploration and promote planting a larger variety of trees beyond purely aesthetic reasons.

Honestly, this is starting to look like a separate suggestion in the making. But either way, if we do end up with bark at some point, then I like the idea of barkcloth as one of its uses.

 

10 hours ago, Taagraa said:

Since it would be very easy to get stuff to make it (trees) it may be the one fabric that requires a simplistic loom to make it, and a big amount of logs to balance it out against flax.

Barkcloth doesn't use looms from what I've read, I think it's just strips of inner bark beaten into thin sheets. The long-term goal seems to be to introduce a proper weaving system, so it's not clear how the balance of all that is gonna look in the future. Realistically, barkcloth should be cheap and easily available (at least in the right climate), but less useful for late-game recipes, and I think that would fit the game's progression quite well.

Edited December 1, 2025 by MKMoose

[Tabbot95]

3 hours ago, Thorfinn said:

You might have to use some machine to debark logs. At least I can't think of anything that has two outputs that is not a machine or a lootable. Currently debarking just returns a debarked log. Or maybe add bark as a drop from cutting a tree?

Might be the API supports multiple outputs. I have not looked. I can't do the artwork for bark anyway, and definitely not for bark clothing.

you should be able to debark logs with a club or a "wooden mallet" + knife;

 

this has been something that has bugged me for a bit anyway;

 

a wooden or stone mallet should be able to take the place of a hammer in some specific instances, and have some specific instances where a wooden mallet is better (primarily because it's slightly softer)

 

bark should also be able to be used in things like Canoes; or as a primitive writing surface.

Edited December 2, 2025 by Tabbot95

[Bruno Willis]

22 minutes ago, Tabbot95 said:

a wooden or stone mallet should be able to take the place of a hammer in some specific instances, and have some specific instances where a wooden mallet is better (primarily because it's slightly softer)

In modern stone masonry a wooden mallet would still be a preferable option to a metal hammer. We have rubber nowadays, but it used to be wooden or rawhide mallets.

Give the wooden club a new use! Make mallets out of rawhide and sticks! Don't damage hammers as much when chiseling! Honor the stonemason's tradition!

(sorry, off topic. I just got passionate)

Edited December 2, 2025 by Bruno Willis
Got off topic.

[Heart_Afire]

7 hours ago, MKMoose said:

It does work in favor of the suggestion that bark has a large variety of uses besides clothing,

Even if Barkcloth isn't added, I agree with MKMoose on this one. Bark has a ton of uses, and ignoring it just isn't good for me. Personally one thing I'd like to see added...in addition to the cork...would be the ability to use cheaper cloth like barkcloth to act as coverings or screens, even if only for cosmetic purposes.

[Vexxvididu]

I agree that being able to debark logs seems like a great thing to add. Certainly not an urgent priority but it would be cool to be able to use debarked logs as a building material and to have some uses for bark.  ..even if not barkcloth.  Being able to make rope out of bark would be cool.

EDIT:  Just wanted to add that I think it's important not to make this TOO useful from a gameplay perspective.  It would break a lot of current game stuff if you could easily debark the log, then still use the log for boards or firewood and also have very useful bark material!  Might make sense to lock the use of bark behind a machine that takes longer to get.... I don't know... it's realistic to make bark available and useful, but the more I think about it, the more I think this might break too much early game mechanics.

Edited December 2, 2025 by Vexxvididu

[LadyWYT]

1 hour ago, Vexxvididu said:

EDIT:  Just wanted to add that I think it's important not to make this TOO useful from a gameplay perspective.  It would break a lot of current game stuff if you could easily debark the log, then still use the log for boards or firewood and also have very useful bark material!  Might make sense to lock the use of bark behind a machine that takes longer to get.... I don't know... it's realistic to make bark available and useful, but the more I think about it, the more I think this might break too much early game mechanics.

Ancient Tools handles it pretty well. You can use bark in healing supplies, eat it(depending on the bark), make it into small chests, burn it...etc. Generally it's not terribly useful, but it can be in the early game if you want to save reeds or don't have grain yet. It's also a lot more satisfying to strip logs with an adze, than it is to do in the crafting grid with a hammer and axe.

I think it'd be fine to allow bark to be eaten, or used for baskets/handbaskets since that would be incredibly useful for colder playthroughs. Making clothes out of it...eh, not needed, since we already have rawhide clothing and furs. I think in terms of material, it makes more sense to add jute for turning into burlap--that way the player gets a resource that takes some time to produce and process, but remains useful in the late game(storage sacks, specialized bags, etc).

[MKMoose]

2 hours ago, Vexxvididu said:

Just wanted to add that I think it's important not to make this TOO useful from a gameplay perspective.  It would break a lot of current game stuff if you could easily debark the log, then still use the log for boards or firewood and also have very useful bark material!  Might make sense to lock the use of bark behind a machine that takes longer to get.... I don't know... it's realistic to make bark available and useful, but the more I think about it, the more I think this might break too much early game mechanics.

While this may be a concern in some cases, most of the time bark would only be either a suboptimal early-game alternative to another resource (e.g. rope, clothing, food) or an exclusive source for a special item (e.g. cork), plus it may have decorative uses. As long as it isn't allowed to fully substitute a resource which is normally unlocked later, I think the risk is minimal.

I'll also mention that realistically, many uses of wood absolutely require debarking first (or bark just gets removed as part of processing), especially for anything that is meant to last a long time.

For fuel, I think an appropriate solution may be to simply reduce the burn duration of debarked logs by an amount corresponding to bark's burn time or slightly more. And by a quarter of that for debarked firewood if we do make this distinction, and we might ever so slightly reduce its charcoal yield while at it.

Edited December 2, 2025 by MKMoose

[Teh Pizza Lady]

joining in late here.

18 hours ago, MKMoose said:

aspirin (from willow, kind of an odd fit for the current state of the game but willow extract might be a cool thing to add along with herbalism).

might be useful if boiled in water to make a drink with mild healing properties. Could also reduce damage taken by some percentage for a while, too.