We gladly announce that our Indiegogo campaign for Icy will start in the next days. We aim to find the few funds we needs to properly polish Icy, in order to offer a better experience to all the players. With the occasion, we will cover another core mechanics in Icy, the scavenging.

At a first glance the scavenging system may appear similar to the hunting one, but offers different rewards and also a different approach to the situation.

Just like it is for hunting, the player’s scavenging skill is really important to increase the loot and reduce the risks, but a good scavenger need also proper tools to go through blocked or dangerous path, that are also the most rewarding paths since various generations of nomads already looted what was easier to loot.

To trigger a scavenging event the player must reach one of the many scavenging areas placed all around the map: farmhouses, gas stations, warehouses, apartments or even small ancient settlements lying in ruins. Just like it happens for hunting, the player will be able to decide whether to invest more time in the activity lessening the risks or to do a quick but dangerous scavenging in the area.

Scavenging is risky because of many different factors: the ancient buildings may lie in ruins and every step may lead to a collapse, many building relied only on electrical lighting to light the inner rooms and wandering in the dark may be risky, a scavenger willing to reach a higher floor whose stairs are fallen may have to climb his way up and falling down could mean getting hurt, even badly.

While scavenging the player will at first have an overview of the area he/she is scavenging in, then he/she may trigger a secondary event that is related to a specific situation, like a closed metal door or a massive hole in the ground that prevents the player to reach the opposite side of the room. That’s the moment when the proper tools may come in handy and the experienced scavenger can use a crowbar to force a door, a lockpick to open a sturdy chest, an explosive to blow up a fragile wall or a rope to help himself to climb without many risks. The player will be able to find those kind of tools around the world, scavenging, or to buy them in the various settlements.

According to the specific situation, there will be different ways to get through the obstacle and obtain the loot and each tool has certain pros and cons. A crowbar and a picklock may both be useful to open a door, but while the crowbar is not that light to carry around, the lockpick is small and light weighted. On the opposite side, the lockpick is a valuable item that can be sold for some nice bullets and it can also allow the player to open doors that a crowbar doesn’t. Each tool is different and the player will need to plan what to sell, what to buy and what to leave behind.

Scavenging is the cheapest way for the player to obtain useful or valuable items, which can be used during dialogues, to appease a companion or to sell them in exchange of bullets. Having the right tool for the right situation will not only improve the chance of finding valuable loot during the scavenging, but it will also allow the player to have more ways to pass through certain obstacles during dialogues, gaining an advantage over a possible threat.