Author Topic: The Long Dark (bring a sweater) (Read 28990 times)

MTK20 · « **Reply #75 on:** July 04, 2016, 07:06:30 pm »

Back now from desolation point and now with arrow heads! Being such a new player, I really wasn't sure if I would make it back to my beloved cabin in mystery lake, but I took 3 peices of cooked fish, 2 litres of water, 5 sticks (tinder and matches too), and every peice of scrap metal I had and off I went. I thought maybe that wouldn't be enough, but man was I wrong, I had way too much stuff when I limped back to my cabin with a back pack that was over 45 kilograms in weight.

If I keep stocking up like this, maybe I should try out the whiteout challenge?

WeTheArmed.com

coelacanth · « **Reply #76 on:** July 04, 2016, 08:43:00 pm »

You're working too hard at this. Its Independence Day - find out where the fireworks display is going to be and go enjoy yourself.

MTK20 · « **Reply #77 on:** July 04, 2016, 08:57:20 pm »

I agree. The fourth of July is my favourite holiday, but sadly I'm not able to be with family right now

. And my small college town is depleted now that it's summer.

If it weren't for businesses being closed, I would've tried to get some business out of the way in addition to the homework I completed today. Certainly not the way I envisaged spending the 4th.

MTK20 · « **Reply #78 on:** July 24, 2016, 10:08:52 pm »

Kona

A similar experience to The Long Dark, but with a smoking investigator and paranormal activity. I imagine the ghosts as saying "Boo!, Eh?"

.

https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2016/03/14/kona-review-early-access/#more-354015

Found it in my internet searches, but didn't think it deserved its own thread.

Grant · « **Reply #79 on:** July 24, 2016, 10:57:13 pm »

I just saw that.....looks pretty danged cool. Want to try something of these once winter shows up and summer work winds down.

Grant · « **Reply #80 on:** July 24, 2016, 11:43:53 pm »

Dang...after watching a few videos on Kona now I want to push forward my short story.......sorta semi-similar......yeah...gonna have to go write now. lol

Grognard · « **Reply #81 on:** July 27, 2016, 11:44:49 am »

I need to fire up my Cold addiction now that it is 90F+ outside.

gotta get the new updates ... do those auto-update thru Steam, or what?

GeorgeHill · « **Reply #82 on:** July 27, 2016, 12:13:04 pm »

It should update when you launch, automatically.

MTK20 · « **Reply #83 on:** July 27, 2016, 01:17:02 pm »

I waited too long! My beautiful meat shelf went rancid!

(Witness above photographs)

GeorgeHill · « **Reply #84 on:** July 27, 2016, 01:42:12 pm »

Okay, that's funny.

MTK20 · « **Reply #85 on:** July 27, 2016, 02:02:20 pm »

Quote from: GeorgeHill on July 27, 2016, 01:42:12 pm

Okay, that's funny.

I didn't think so! I took a chance on the fish and paid for it. I just left it where it's at as I've now moved to Jack rabbit island in coastal highway.

Grognard · « **Reply #86 on:** August 03, 2016, 12:10:03 pm »

I always store meat in a 'fridge. It does keep longer.
even with the update, the cooked meat I had in fridges, only dropped 10% in safe/freshness.

I'm in Pleasant Valley: I just found the entrance to Timberwolf Mountain.
but I've over a week's provisions in PV, so I'm staying.

I also found 3 other new locations, including the abandoned coal mine.
so I've a few more things to explore before vacating PV.

I've found that playing the game with the A/C on and pointed at me helps add realism to the sim.

MTK20 · « **Reply #87 on:** August 03, 2016, 12:21:13 pm »

Quote from: Grognard on August 03, 2016, 12:10:03 pm

I always store meat in a 'fridge. It does keep longer.
even with the update, the cooked meat I had in fridges, only dropped 10% in safe/freshness.

I'm in Pleasant Valley: I just found the entrance to Timberwolf Mountain.
but I've over a week's provisions in PV, so I'm staying.

I also found 3 other new locations, including the abandoned coal mine.
so I've a few more things to explore before vacating PV.

I've found that playing the game with the A/C on and pointed at me helps add realism to the sim.

Having spent a good many days on jackrabbit island (about a month), it has everything I need. The wood regenerates at an astounding rate and the bunnies are ample. Truly, it is paradise. But life has gotten so easy there that I have explored the majority of the map and now I am bored. I have left behind all of my nice things and walked to pleasant valley just to have some newness. If life gets hard I'll trek back to my bunny ridden mansion. For a place that doesn't have a workbench or a fireplace (although both are relatively close by), it is a wonderful location

.

ETA: Thanks for the refrigerator tip btw! I was just storing my 15 litres of water in there, with 2 cooked bunnies, and about 15 or so kilograms of firewood

.

Grognard · « **Reply #88 on:** August 03, 2016, 12:41:48 pm »

15 liters of water ? wowzers.

If they ever decide to let the seasons progress in game;

and make summer/fall zero precip & high heat, then I could see the benefits of stockpiling that much water.

I really do wish they would...

MTK20 · « **Reply #89 on:** August 03, 2016, 12:55:19 pm »

Quote from: Grognard on August 03, 2016, 12:41:48 pm

15 liters of water ? wowzers.

If they ever decide to let the seasons progress in game;

and make summer/fall zero precip & high heat, then I could see the benefits of stockpiling that much water.

I really do wish they would...

When you get tired of of pleasant valley hang out at jack rabbit island. 2 snares to get 2 bunnies a day for about 4 or 5 days until it peters out to one bunny a day. Then put your snares back in your house and wait for a few days and the island is already fully populated again. Even big wood respawns on the island (Ha! big wood! That's what she said!

), but branches respawn like crazy. You break those down by hand and then craft the stick into a tinder plug and you have unlimited tinder and wood without any damage to your hatchet. Your tools will last super long this way. In fact, as long as you are fast on the bunnies, you can save your knife by harvesting them with your bare hands (if the carcasses are below 50% frozen).

Btw, stockpiling that much water has helped me out quite a bit as when you get further in the game, I noticed that food poisoning is a very real thing. I'm actually kind of scared to see what happens when I run out of antibiotics. But when you need to sleep 10 hours but are way too weak to harvest wood, make fire, melt snow, and then boil the water; you become quite thankful just having that already potable water on hand.

By now you are wondering why on earth would I leave JRI if it rocks so much? Well, when I say that boredom was a threat to my characters exsistence, I mean it. One day I set out to pick a fight with the local Grizzly because all my ducks were in a row survival wise and I was tired of staring at his stupid bear face from the next island over (Misanthrope's Homestead). I shot him in the butt with an arrow and he started to charge me, no worries, I've got a flare. If I wait until the last second and then pop it he'll get the hint to leave me alone post haste. Sigh. Well

, that previous statement was answered in the negative, duck commander. That teddy gave me a good bye kiss and mauled me so hard that he shook the beef jerky and grape soda out of my pack.

Play stupid games and win stupid prizes. He bled out, but the game glitched and I couldn't recover the corpse. Just my arrow

. All that work. Gone. I wanted to sleep in a teddy sleeping bag, dangitt

.

coelacanth · « **Reply #90 on:** August 05, 2016, 01:41:55 am »

Grognard · « **Reply #91 on:** August 05, 2016, 04:52:56 pm »

one of the reasons I like PV is the farmhouse.
it has a covered, enclosed porch on the east side.
it is a perfect hunting blind.
I've nailed 5 wolves with arrows and I've killed 2 bears with my .303 from that porch.

but i have found that one MUST be careful when recovering the carcass.
I was gutting the 2nd bear, when a third popped out from behind a tree.
I was in the open, with nowhere to run for safety.
so I drew down on the bruin. put 2, maybe 3 into him.
***
.303 on a pissed off, charging bear is like spitwads at the Sun.

I got shredded down to 3% health before he got tired of mauling me.
and my .303 got tossed.
I did first aid to get back to 15-20% health, so I could stagger back to the farmhouse.
the wolves trailed me most of the way back.
i burnt all of my torches and all but one of my flares to get back.
lucky to survive it.
happily, the first thing I had harvested was the bearskin.
I lost all the guts and the bear steaks.
but by the time I was healthy and brave enough to go back, the carcass was too far gone.
I did manage to recover the rifle, tho.
and the 3rd bear carcass.

GeorgeHill · « **Reply #92 on:** August 05, 2016, 05:01:19 pm »

Pleasant Valley can be a bear...

MTK20 · « **Reply #93 on:** August 05, 2016, 05:18:47 pm »

Currently living at the farm house. Having good luck with snares. Wood is ok as respawn. I'm still on the question quest for a bear skin bed roll and currently pursuing a wolf coat. I have yet to see a single bear outside of pleasant valley homestead.

I was exploring the area and found the rope by draft dodgers cabin. I didn't realise how much stamina climbing a rope took. I climbed the first rope just to find myself on a rock shelf staring at another rope. The world's worst blizzard broke out and I found myself too tired to climb the second, yet it was too cold to sleep. I huddled a rock and scavenged what few sticks I could find to make a small fire to sit out the storm. I think it was a close call.

GeorgeHill · « **Reply #94 on:** August 05, 2016, 11:11:24 pm »

I always found bears in PV up in the hill about 2:00 from the front door of the farm house.

MTK20 · « **Reply #95 on:** August 06, 2016, 12:43:48 am »

Quote from: GeorgeHill on August 05, 2016, 11:11:24 pm

I always found bears in PV up in the hill about 2:00 from the front door of the farm house.

2:00 just as you step out the main door? On the hill?

Sir, you just gave me my marching orders *grabs Lee Enfield off kitchen table*.

I got a cleaning kit and brought my one rifle I found in pleasant valley from deaths doorstep to 90 something percent condition (so it doesn't jam any more). I've got 9 cartridges for it. I've also got 12 arrows in my quiver and a chip on my shoulder because I don't have a bear bed roll

.

I've been icing the wolfies on the regular with my rifle and I am half way towards my coat. I think I'll use my bow on Mr. Bear when I see him.

Canada failed to kill me, so it is the law of nature that I try my damndest to kill it

.

GeorgeHill · « **Reply #96 on:** August 06, 2016, 09:36:03 am »

You are making me want to fire up TLD again.
Maybe I will.

MTK20 · « **Reply #97 on:** August 06, 2016, 10:55:56 am »

Quote from: GeorgeHill on August 06, 2016, 09:36:03 am

You are making me want to fire up TLD again.
Maybe I will.

Good! I'm glad to hear!

I basically play the game like a cold steel promo video.

If it can be whacked with a hatchet or shot with a bow....

.

MTK20 · « **Reply #98 on:** August 06, 2016, 04:27:28 pm »

Bear killing debrief.

First the good news. I found and killed the teddy. I had never killed a bear before and something came to my attention: these things have too much meat don't they? I tried to be greedy and carry all of it, but I couldn't. I got caught in a blizzard, then I bumbled around until I was tired, then nightfall came, then I fell off a cliff and ripped my clothes and sprained my wrist (twice). I had to let a lot of that meat go due to weight and I cut it really close this time. I finally got out of it, but I only carried home maybe 15KG of meat. I think if one fully skinned a bear, the cooked meat would go bad before you could eat all of it.

Just one more skin to go before I can sleep inside a new sleeping bag. Same goes for the wolf coat.

Grognard · « **Reply #99 on:** August 08, 2016, 01:20:22 pm »

in PV, I recommend scouting the radio station on top of the mountain. You can clearly see the mast from the farmhouse.
I found a second!! rifle there and 10 rounds of ammo.
and MRE, several cans of food, hunting knife & antibiotics.
but
beware the wolves. they're thick on the way up/down.
once your're in eyesight of the station, they disappear.
downside.
no fireplace IN the station.
just a barrel outside.
and you need to carefully search the station.
most of the rounds are loose and under beds, shelves, etc.

pro tip.
once weather clears during day, carefully climb the radio mast.
you get an awesome view of PV & should make notes.