5 hours ago, Riamus said:If that's true, where are the complaints about the missing empty cans?
Sure, some people are complaining about missing jars. They've not fixed their frustration in the correct place, so they complain about missing empty jars. It's the obvious target. I don't think a love affair with empty jars is the real issue. So, yeh, pointing out the lack of other containers seems like a convincing argument -- and it is -- just not in response to the real complaint.
I think what some miss is the ability to carry water away from a water source. Not only is it a fundamental human thing, but it puts the player in the driver's seat (as opposed to a loot table) and rewards their planning. Make the game such that when you point at a water source and click E you get murky water and that would be resolved without empty jars.
However, free murky water on demand (if you're standing by a pond, river, or ditch) runs contrary to the early game's water scarcity goal. I think few oppose this goal. The real trick would be how to do both. I think there are options and I'd happily talk of them (again) if I had any sense it might be useful.