Add moss growing on trees

[Teh Pizza Lady]

I'd like to suggest the addition of moss as a harvestable resource in the game. It's something that genuinely feels like it should already be in the game given how grounded in realism the rest of the survival mechanics are. I think it has enough utility to justify adding it without breaking the other systems in the game.

Where it grows:

On trees, obviously, but I was thinking it could grow on the south side bark of large oak and maple trees or present as a wispy texture hanging down from tree branches like Spanish Moss does. This keeps it rare enough and situational enough that it's something you'd notice, bookmark and come back for later. Since it doesn't grow from new oak trees (similar to how resin won't spout from new pine trees) this keeps it as a finite resource and not something you can farm easily. Harvesting it would require the player to deliberately seek it out and its delicate nature means that yields would be small.

Vanilla uses:

The most immediate use would be as a replacement for grass in crafting a fire pit. Grass is used a tinder in that construction. Substituting moss would allow the player to get a fire going. The traditional firestarter takes one piece of grass and two sticks. Moss could also serve as a substitute for the grass component here. Both options would give players an alternative in situations where they haven't made a knife or are trying to conserve a nearly broken one. It's historically accurate, too. Moss has many well-documented uses as tinder and fire-starting material across many cultures. The Primitive Survival YouTube channel shows it being used as tinder many times.

Moss also has antiseptic properties that make it a natural fit as an ingredient for poultices or bandages. It could also be used as an insulating material that could be sewn into clothing by a Tailor to give a small boost to cold resistance.

Modding potential:

Moss as a base resource also opens up interesting possibilities for the modding community. Mod authors could incorporate in ways that had smaller, niche uses such as water filtration, or as a material that could be tilled into the soil to boost nutrients or aid in water retention.

 

Let me know what you think and whether you can think of any additional uses for moss that I hadn't considered.

[LadyWYT]

9 minutes ago, Teh Pizza Lady said:

it could grow on the south side bark

Isn't moss supposed to grow on the north side of trees though? As I recall, that's supposed to be a way to determine direction in certain areas.

13 minutes ago, Teh Pizza Lady said:

Let me know what you think and whether you can think of any additional uses for moss that I hadn't considered.

Bedding. It probably depends on the type of moss used, but moss doesn't have pokey bits like grass does, and is quite springy.

Incidentally, if alternatives for bedding and firestarters/pit kilns are being added, I think it's worth considering altering grass drops. Currently, the player can get grass tufts from any grass that hasn't been harvested, however, grass that is very short probably shouldn't yield a good handful like it currently does. I think if the grass drops were restricted to taller grass(or otherwise reduced for short grass), it could shift the balance slightly and make alternatives feel more valuable in some cases, without necessarily making things much harder.

[Teh Pizza Lady]

3 minutes ago, LadyWYT said:

Isn't moss supposed to grow on the north side of trees though? As I recall, that's supposed to be a way to determine direction in certain areas.

Mistake on my part. In my defense I have a really bad headache that I've been trying to ditch since yesterday. But you are...more right than me.

4 minutes ago, LadyWYT said:

Bedding. It probably depends on the type of moss used, but moss doesn't have pokey bits like grass does, and is quite springy.

Incidentally, if alternatives for bedding and firestarters/pit kilns are being added, I think it's worth considering altering grass drops. Currently, the player can get grass tufts from any grass that hasn't been harvested, however, grass that is very short probably shouldn't yield a good handful like it currently does.

I actually considered this and see no issues with it. Only tall grass should yield the big handful that we use in that game.

[BoogerWarlock]

Unfortunately, I think moss would be superfluous in the game at this point in time.

A lot of the ideas you had for moss are already purposes grass has, with grass being much more easy to get. It's everywhere, and it's very very simple to get a knife. I like the insulation and water filter ideas, but I think cattail fluff would be a better insulator, and cattails are already in the game. A water filter could be made using gravel and charcoal as well. 

That being said, I love moss in real life, and if they found a good unique use for it(beyond being a pretty sight), I would be happy to see it!