While SCUM is still in development, the game is well-known for its realistic approach. Once in a while a new development video gets online talking about the different skills and mechanics. As for this week the focus lies on the wetness system as well as how to get your clothes dry.
In SCUM there are a total of three ways to get wet, affecting not only your clothes but also your health. Firstly, the characters in SCUM start to sweat when running around, which will cause dehydration. Secondly, rain has a huge impact which can be avoided by wearing water resistant clothes or by finding a shelter. Thirdly, standing in water will make certain parts of your outfit wet. For example, if the water only reaches your waist, only your boots and legs will get wet while the rest stays dry.
In SCUM the character is able to wear different layers of clothing to protect himself from the weather. However, depending on the materials of the clothes, these will soak up the water adding more weight to it in the progress. Also, the lower layers will get wet if the top layers aren't wet resistant, as you can see below.
At the top the normal weight of the clothes. At the bottom the weight when they have soaken up water. Take a note how the raincoat keeps the top and shirt dry, while the tactical jacket doesn't.
So, if you are planning on taking a swim make sure to put your heavy bag on the beach as these will let you sink. The heavier you are, the faster you reach the bottom of the lake, this will cause you to lose stamina and drowning is at sight if you don't drop your heavy clothes immediately. However, keep in mind that the resistant clothing trick doesn't work while standing in water, as they aren't completely sealed off.
As mentioned before wet clothes will impact your health or more specific your immune system. As a result the character will catch a cold, which isn't beneficial if you have to survive. So, finding a way to dry your clothes is the next step we talk about.
Just as getting wet there are three possible ways of getting your clothes dry. The first one is simple as it takes advantages of your body temperature and wind. So, by running around your clothes will slowly start to dry. Secondly, you can use the sun by standing in the sunlight to get the top layers dry again. The drying rate depends on the materials of the clothes and how much water they soaked in. For example, a helmet will dry much faster than a backpack.
Thirdly, and the fastest way of drying is by using heat sources. Clothes that are placed directly near the fire will dry faster than clothes further away. But, just as previously mentioned drying depends on the materials as well as how much water they soaked in.
While all these new elements being still in development, we can say that SCUM is on its way become one of the most realistic and challenging survival games on the market. As the wetness system has an effect on your health, we are looking forward to an explanation about illness in the game.