Red Paint

The Red Paint is a special item that can be worn by the player, similar to mud. It was added as a decoration in update v0.45, though made a use-able in update v0.49 in The Forest.

Gameplay
Currently, red paint is contained in open paint buckets, and can be found in several locations on the Peninsula. It is often accompanied by a paintbrush. Once picked up, the player will automatically wear it. The cannibals, upon witnessing the player wearing the red paint, can act in a passive manner (though they can still become hostile upon attack). Their interactions with the player consists of: following and staring at him; stepping back if the player tries to approach them; some will even kneel and pray at him as if was some sort of sacred being, or other divine entity that has significant value to the cannibal people. Red paint can have an effect on all cannibals in the area, causing them all to kneel. However, if the player starts attacking, the cannibals will become hostile again. Additionally, kneeling cannibals will rise up after a short while if not killed, and will again become hostile, or will keep kneeling once they get up. Pales will just stay kneeling sometimes. Mutants are unaffected.

Note: The red paint will be removed with rain or if the player starts to swim in any water source.

Locations
Red Paint can be found:

- in one of the cannibal longhouses overlooking the ocean.

- in one of the River longhouses with slides into the water.

- near the Main Village.

- against the cliff wall in the Fertile Lands.

- in Cave 7 - Chasm Cave, as the player enters the climbing entrance and continues to the waterfall room, the paint will be found on a ledge on the way down to the bottom of the cave.

- within the Cave 2 - Hanging Cave at the same room as the modern axe.

- Multiple can be found in the Sahara Laboratory.

Background
It is theorized that the Sahara company, in their research lab, used fear-conditioning with their patients, who later became the cannibals. This can be evidenced by a number of things. Because of all of this, it can be deduced that Sahara fear-conditioned red into the cannibals, making them associate the color with pain or death or something else unpleasant, or perhaps something pleasant such as rewards for kneeling instantly. This was done to better control the cannibals, as they grew into larger and larger numbers due to the increasing extensiveness of Sahara's tests. Dr. Cross uses the red paint because he used to work at the lab and knew this. The buckets around the peninsula were put there either by him for easy access at all times, or perhaps by Sahara employees a while ago so they could safely traverse the peninsula.
 * 1) The entry hallway to Sahara is bright red all the way through, with red walls and floors.
 * 2) The secure doors that the player cannot enter, throughout the facility, are bright red.
 * 3) The red paint induces a passive, non-hostile state in the cannibals, who will sit and kneel, or at the very least, back away.
 * 4) Dr. Cross knows to use Red Paint to induce the passive state in the cannibals.
 * 5) Red paint can be located all over the island, notably in three different large cannibal camps.

Alternatively, the cannibals found around the island were most likely aware of the artifact and its powers before Sahara Labs purchased the island. Given that Dr. Cross was able to harness the power of the artifact and create mutants/other life forms the cannibals respect Dr. Cross and the color red because they are aware to some extent of his capabilities. This would explain why they kneel before him, they see him as a God capable of wielding the power of the artifact and as someone that runs the Lab that now surrounds the artifact. The mutants do not have this association to Dr. Cross or the artifact and attack the player regardless if he is covered in Red Paint or not, because they do not carry the religious association that the island natives had.

Trivia

 * After the plane crash, Dr. Cross can be seen wearing the same red paint (the red man), though his does not wear off, as evidence shows him being red still while on the yacht surrounded by water.