Sons Of The Forest: Adding Hotkeys Back Was a MISTAKE – Hear Me Out
# Adding Hotkeys Back Was a MISTAKE, Hear me out
When the game **Sons Of The Forest** was released, one of the most controversial changes was the removal of hotkeys. Players were frustrated and felt limited by the lack of freedom it allowed. After playing the game for more than 20 hours, I have changed my opinion and here I will make a case as to why adding hotkeys back was a mistake.
## Promotes Intelligent Combat
When entering a combat situation, the player is required to think about the weapon that would be best suited for the situation. Since weapons cannot be easily switched in the heat of the moment through the backpack, it is the player’s responsibility to make a smart decision.
Giving the player 9 hotkeys eliminates the need to fight intelligently. The player can switch easily from a shotgun to an axe to meds etc, making them invincible. This removes an element of player accountability, something which should be heavily promoted in survival games.
## Better Paced Combat
Sons of the Forest is a survival game, not a fast paced action shooter. You can’t rush into a combat encounter and expect to finish of every enemy immediately. With the necessity to leave the combat space to switch weapons, the fight is broken up a little. This forces the player to think about the situation and make an intelligent decision.
## Unique Survival Mechanics
Survival games should not be implementing mechanics to make the player’s life easier. The game picks elements of real life in order to up the difficulty. For example, in Sons of the Forest, the player is required to actively look at their backpack and select the item themselves, often in high intensity situations. This is a unique survival mechanic and should be encouraged in the game.
## Conclusion
It is sad that the developers spent some time on this mechanic, only to have it made redundant by the players before they even had the chance to learn to utilise it. I suggest that the change be reverted, at least in Hard Mode. Relying on the backpack in this way is a unique survival mechanic and should be encouraged.
I understand that some players may disagree with me, but I hope that this article has provided some insight into why I think adding hotkeys back was a mistake.
