Where do you live on Mystery Lake, and why? [ SPOILERS ]

[Jolan]

Until I think about moving on its the Trapper's Cabin for me.  Its got a good interior with what is evidently a very comfy bed (I seem to sleep better or something), plenty of storeage, no creepy dead guys, good sight lines, some days you can just park up on the rock and wait for the deer to mosey by, and decent access to bunnies and wolves without the furballs being navigational hazards.  Ample wood.  Plus it's windows light up at night.

 

[z00ey]

21 hours ago, Vhalkyrie said:

There is a nice little cabin that is similar to the Trappers Cabin on a lake, but I won't spoil it for you.   It is out there, though!

Well, if it's the same I'm thinking of, it is deceitful in it's coziness

[Vhalkyrie]

28 minutes ago, z00ey said:

Well, if it's the same I'm thinking of, it is deceitful in it's coziness

Oh yes, it's only for the truly rugged!  As the Boy Scouts say: "Be Prepared!"

(But it is a lovely spot.  It's my favorite...except for just that one thing...)

[cekivi]

OK... now I'm truly lost a to where this mystery cabin is. From the banter I'm no longer even sure the one you're thinking of is on mystery lake

[illanthropist]

12 minutes ago, cekivi said:

OK... now I'm truly lost a to where this mystery cabin is. From the banter I'm no longer even sure the one you're thinking of is on mystery lake

Hehe no, just mentioned on a lake

[cekivi]

Huh, well there's definitely more than one cabin that matches that description then. One has a particularly nice mountain view actually

[Wasteland Watcher]

On 3/11/2016 at 10:57 PM, Dirmagnos said:

Camp Office. Dam when im about to move out.

Optimal location in terms of being closest to the center of the map. Proximity to good rabbit trapping grounds(river mouth). While fishing potential exists, never use it, imo not worth it. I prefer to use fishing lines for clothing repairs to save sewing kits. Has plenty of open areas around to spot trouble ahead, plus there is a bear spawn in the west of the lake. Has plenty of space inside and bed/stove/workbench combo. Good proximity to 3 potential bunker spawns, with 2 of then easy to reach. Dam is good due to its proximity to both map exits and abundance of salvageable metal, while lack of stationary bed, overall darkness and need to make long walks for cooking, makes it less favorable.

Trappers Homestead, while have rather cozy interior has little space to drop stuff on the ground. Bed/stove/workbench combo. Located rather far from everywhere. I generally loot clean and move on, sometimes use it as midway point during long hikes/patrols.

Forester Lookout. Good view, unfortunately it serves no pactical purposes. Good lighting conditions. On the other hand, its not an interior area, so to save i need to sleep for an hour. Long way down/up, that makes going anywhere rather costly exercise(if game would have fitness skill it would be great, but right now...meh). Far from any point of interest. Lacks workbench. Midway point.

Unnamed Pond cabin. Its just a cabin, near a pond. Aside of bed, that most houses have, dont really have anything worth mentioning.

Logging Camp. Just 3 shipping containers with beds, even for cooking one must go outside.

 

I am, what one may call, a steamroller player. I prefer to move into area, make a fast march to my local HQ, set in and then start net-farming, starting from furthest points. reason for that is closer areas are easier and i generally leave them for times when im hurt or low on supplies or theres bad weather(or done with everything else) and need safe and fast opportunities without taking 2 much risks, while maintaining good game pace(i despise hibernating, unless its warranted, like hypothermia or food poisoning).

I dont hunt deer, like, at all. All my deer pelts come from deer-by-wolf hunting(1 arrow, ~10-13kg of meat, 2 hides, some guts) or from preset corpses. Dont fish, not worth it, both in terms of materials and time to calories output. Rabbit is a good and cheap way to get meat(plus guts, plus hides for mitten repairs), not much, but its just way 2 easy to pass on. Main source of meat are wolves, either by bow(if im below 40% condition or not in a mood to get into a brawl) or simply by meleeing it, they are way 2 easy to kill, while providing good amount of meat. In rare cases, when i overextend myself in terms of food resources, i go for a bear for a quick fix - only problem with that is bear requires rifle rounds(and rifle), that is far less abundant that arrows(but since its the only thing i use rifle on, not really a problem). Plus, getting bear bedroll is a nice additon, not really crucial(in full player-made set of clothings regular bedrolls do just fine, and theres plenty of them in the world - and players lacks, early on, ability to get that bear bedroll, so it makes it far less useful when you actually get to it), but a good thing to have.

My play-style is similar to yours down to not hunting deer and only using the rifle for bears.

So far since I like Mystery Lake best so have a long term plan to gather every limited resource from every map and move it all to Mystery Lake.  In all likelihood I'll stay at the murder cabin near the Unnamed Pond, Trapper's, or Camp Office...but not completely decided yet.

I like to be as close as possible to rabbits though because they seem to be a more stable food source than fish. 

On 3/12/2016 at 5:03 AM, Patrick Carlson said:

I like the usual places--Trapper's Homestead, the Forestry Lookout and the Dam. For a long time I would set up caches in each location so I could move between them. Typically I'm constantly on the move to somewhere else, so I don't have the need to set up a significant base. 

There's also a small cave wedged into a hillside near Trapper's that I like to hold up in to watch the weather and wolves pass by. It's funny though, I always forget how to find it. 

This is an interesting strategy. I may try this out even though it can be risky. All that travel increases chance of wolf encounters, right?
Still, it sounds fun.
I'm finally over Day 100 so this particular sandbox for me is important and I am being very careful about...everything.

On 3/12/2016 at 6:51 AM, cekivi said:

Because I'm not a player who enjoys the very late game this has never been a concern for me

I find the game play begins getting repetitive around the 100 day mark. I've got one sandbox that I went to 200 days on just for the achievements... but there's not much for me to do with that character now aside from wake up, trap/fish, sleep and occasionally eat. Not what I call stimulating gaming!

Everyplace has some sort of storage (even if it's only 5 kg capacity) and everything else can just be dropped.

Very different playstyle than mine so I really appreciate your comments -- they give a point of view of a 'living style' I'd never even considered before.  I'm so careful about putting my clothes and food away, carefully managing when & how I encounter wolves, choosing what to eat, when to do certain tasks. Everything is so rigid and planned.
Not an easy way to live but hopefully a good way to live a loooooooooong time. 
Your playstyle sounds a lot more fun than mine   Very carefree.

On 3/14/2016 at 5:43 PM, June said:

Obviously, the Trapper´s Cabin is the best choice for Mystery Lake, allthough it is a bit far off everything else. But it has every ressource you need, even a bunch of birch saplings, if you´re lucky ^^

I tried living in the Forestry Lookout some days ago, but the climb after a hunting day is just too annoying and there are no ressources on top of the hill.

For now, maybe out of boredom, I live in one of the fishing huts by the lake and live off fish and wolves ^^ As you can see here, I didn´t like the neighbours 

If there were rabbits by the lake I'd seriously consider living here. I love the view.  If I ever decide to try living off of fishing I'm definitely moving here.

Hilarious screenshot ...and I though I was antisocial

On 3/14/2016 at 0:35 AM, Vhalkyrie said:

My favorite place to settle down in Mystery Lake is the Trapper's Cabin.  At first, the Camp Office seems ideal, but I found the wolf situation to be a bit too "exciting".

The Trapper's Cabin is small, but I found that to be a good thing.  I can navigate and work in the dark.  I don't leave until I have crafted boots/pants/mittens because my productivity is so high - I can roll out of bed and start crafting while a blizzard rages outside.  There's an endless supply of firewood outside, which means I chop at dawn or dusk.  Even if a fog or blizzard rolls in, I'm not far from safety.  The bunny run means I have a steady food source - unless I have the bad luck of the bear spawning in the cave.  

I only use the Hydro Dam as transitional staging.  The lack of a bed is a big deterrant (first time I went there I nearly died of exhaustion because I didn't bring a bedroll!).  Also, it scares me!  Even though I know this isn't the zombie apocalypse, I don't like staying there any longer than necessary.

No joke about the excitement centered around the Office. Leaving the back door I'd encounter wolves either coming from the trees straight ahead, or sometimes coming from the Lake Trail.
Leaving the front door sometimes I'd see one coming down from the large hill straight out or coming towards the front door from the lake.  
At least with Trapper's it's generally only one wolf either coming from the hill to the left or on the flat ground straight out. Easy to avoid...and easy to hunt when needed.

Anyhow I crouch immediately when leaving either of those places and doing that has rewarded me so many times I've lost count.

[Wasteland Watcher]

20 hours ago, Jolan said:

Until I think about moving on its the Trapper's Cabin for me.  Its got a good interior with what is evidently a very comfy bed (I seem to sleep better or something), plenty of storeage, no creepy dead guys, good sight lines, some days you can just park up on the rock and wait for the deer to mosey by, and decent access to bunnies and wolves without the furballs being navigational hazards.  Ample wood.  Plus it's windows light up at night.

 

You had me at "no creepy dead guys." b *thumbsup*

If it weren't for that I'd definitely live at the small cabin near the Unnamed Pond: enough storage for three days meat + clothes, rabbits and plenty of firewood right outside the door, and it's safe: two wolf patrol locations are near but they don't patrol right outside the door like they do at the Camp Office.

And since this place is only an hour walk from Trapper's in one direction or the Forestry Outlook one hour in the opposite direction I can just travel between all three and live at all three
"No creepy dead guys." That's more important than it sounds.

[Dirmagnos]

2 be honest i never had any problems with wolves at Lake Office. Im pretty sure there are no patrol routes near it. Maybe some rare occasional stray wolf comes along, but thats about it. And you can see him far ahead and go the other way. Plus it has back door, had plenty of occurrences, when wolf locks on, i run into one door, cross the hall, exit another and again, proceed on my merry way.

And corpses... well, who needs "wilson" when you have an actual people, even if they are a bit stiff... 8)

[cekivi]

I think @Dirmagnos is right. There shouldn't be wolf patrols near either exit for the camp office. However, there is a patrol on the route behind the office (near the back door) and one on the railway tracks. If you're unlucky when you leave the office the wolf may see and begin moving towards you depending on their line of sight and the direction they're facing. If you have ever had a wolf immediately outside that's just bad luck. The wolf likely chased a deer into that area and moved near the entrance on the way back to its regular route.

Also, for the record, I do prefer to store things to make them easier to find... but I'm not super concerned if I can't. When camping in the dam for instance I'll usually have a collection of bottled water, firewood and other equipment laid out near the fire barrel downstairs so I don't need to go to the lockers upstairs. Again, I'm more interested in my nomadic lifestyle of moving maps as it suits my fancy than trying to get to 1000 days survived

[Jolan]

23 hours ago, Wasteland Watcher said:

If it weren't for that I'd definitely live at the small cabin near the Unnamed Pond: enough storage for three days meat + clothes, rabbits and plenty of firewood right outside the door, and it's safe: two wolf patrol locations are near but they don't patrol right outside the door like they do at the Camp Office.

And since this place is only an hour walk from Trapper's in one direction or the Forestry Outlook one hour in the opposite direction I can just travel between all three and live at all three
"No creepy dead guys." That's more important than it sounds.

I like that cabin too.... but Fred in the corner .....

[Jolan]

11 hours ago, Dirmagnos said:

2 be honest i never had any problems with wolves at Lake Office. Im pretty sure there are no patrol routes near it. Maybe some rare occasional stray wolf comes along, but thats about it. And you can see him far ahead and go the other way. Plus it has back door, had plenty of occurrences, when wolf locks on, i run into one door, cross the hall, exit another and again, proceed on my merry way.

And corpses... well, who needs "wilson" when you have an actual people, even if they are a bit stiff... 8)

I've been jumped by wolves coming out of both doors of the Camp Office.  Mostly they've been a nuisance trying to get back to the cabin - that one time two of them were there I think it was because one of the wolves chased a deer into the location.  And then there was the one that seemed to be "stuck" there, but that one wasn't really a problem, never did more than growl and run in place.  

[bkrownd]

On 3/15/2016 at 1:21 PM, Wasteland Watcher said:

You had me at "no creepy dead guys." b *thumbsup*
 

I want to be able to bury those poor guys (never girls?), or is it possible in some way I haven't found yet?

I have not quite made it to 5 days in voyageur yet, but my initial favorite home was the lookout tower because I love being able to SEE OUT THE WINDOWS.  However much I loved the living space, I got tired of the loooong climb after a few sessions and now inhabit the Camp Office because I haven't survived long enough to loot everything that's within easy walk from Camp Office yet.  I still keep a small stockpile in the tower in case bad weather comes up while I'm in the logging road area.

 

[hauteecolerider]

The Camp Office is actually pretty nice in my current Voyager playthrough. No Ranger Dave at the top of the stairs. 

Except now . . . I almost miss his company . . . 

[Vhalkyrie]

I don't doubt that I am unlucky, but I have always had problems with the wolves outside the Camp Office!  Don't know if it's a patrol or not, but I have often been caught by a wolf moving between the railroad tracks and the lake.  Then I have been caught by a wolf between the Lake and the rabbit run.  I even climbed up the big hill, came down it thinking I could avoid it, and somehow he came barreling straight at me!

YMMV, but Camp Office has been no good for me!  I just go there for supplies, then move back to Trapper's.

[SEAplane]

On March 14, 2016 at 1:55 PM, Vhalkyrie said:

There is a nice little cabin that is similar to the Trappers Cabin on a lake, but I won't spoil it for you.   It is out there, though!

On the Mystery Lake map?  

Trapper's cabin would work with bow and arrows and might use it for my long run final location.  Camp office is too good to pass up in early game.  I miss the forestry lookout, but now it's just too remote.

[Vhalkyrie]

Just now, SEAplane said:

On the Mystery Lake map?

No, it's not on Mystery Lake.  The person I was responding to said his idea would a cabin like Trapper's but on a lake.  Just trying to be vague and spoiler free.

[Wasteland Watcher]

On 3/16/2016 at 8:18 PM, Dirmagnos said:

2 be honest i never had any problems with wolves at Lake Office. Im pretty sure there are no patrol routes near it. Maybe some rare occasional stray wolf comes along, but thats about it. And you can see him far ahead and go the other way. Plus it has back door, had plenty of occurrences, when wolf locks on, i run into one door, cross the hall, exit another and again, proceed on my merry way.

And corpses... well, who needs "wilson" when you have an actual people, even if they are a bit stiff... 8)

Heh, you've obviously never smelled a human corpse. It's the worst smell I've ever experienced. Ever!

On 3/16/2016 at 7:58 AM, Jolan said:

I like that cabin too.... but Fred in the corner .....

Same here. On my next Sandbox the Unnamed Pond Cabin will be the first place I check. If there's a body inside I'll restart. I may start a new Sandbox after I achieve the '200 Days Survived' badge, all for the sake of being able to live in a "clean" cabin close to rabbits on Mystery Lake.

On 3/17/2016 at 7:55 AM, bkrownd said:

I want to be able to bury those poor guys (never girls?), or is it possible in some way I haven't found yet?

I have not quite made it to 5 days in voyageur yet, but my initial favorite home was the lookout tower because I love being able to SEE OUT THE WINDOWS.  However much I loved the living space, I got tired of the loooong climb after a few sessions and now inhabit the Camp Office because I haven't survived long enough to loot everything that's within easy walk from Camp Office yet.  I still keep a small stockpile in the tower in case bad weather comes up while I'm in the logging road area.

 

I also wish there was a way to bury the bodies.

You're right about that long climb. Besides the view the only benefit I see at living in Forestry Outlook is there are no wolves right outside the door.

On 3/17/2016 at 8:38 AM, Vhalkyrie said:

I don't doubt that I am unlucky, but I have always had problems with the wolves outside the Camp Office!  Don't know if it's a patrol or not, but I have often been caught by a wolf moving between the railroad tracks and the lake.  Then I have been caught by a wolf between the Lake and the rabbit run.  I even climbed up the big hill, came down it thinking I could avoid it, and somehow he came barreling straight at me!

YMMV, but Camp Office has been no good for me!  I just go there for supplies, then move back to Trapper's.

I also have had MANY problems with wolves outside Camp Office, regardless of door used: the prowl from the lake shore, from the Lake Trail, from the small mountain right across from the front door, and also from the trees near the railroad tracks. 
The only benefit to that infestation is I always see deer being taken down by wolves so acquiring meat is never an issue but it sure is hell on your knives and hatchets!

On 3/21/2016 at 9:11 AM, Vhalkyrie said:

No, it's not on Mystery Lake.  The person I was responding to said his idea would a cabin like Trapper's but on a lake.  Just trying to be vague and spoiler free.

Vhalkyrie, kindly keep this discussion Mystery-Lake-specific and please refrain from discussing map areas not in Mystery Lake. It's appreciated -- thanks

[Dirmagnos]

I did smell human corpse(even more than once), in early stages of decomposition tho(couple of days at the most). Not that it really matters, since in LD they are friggin frozen and barely emanate any smell at all. Only once ive smelled a corpse that was about a week old, and it was awful, but such "aromas" are not reserved to humans only.

In terms of smell, is it dear or human carcass, meat is meat and we are all build relatively in the same way. Rest is just placebo effect.

[togg]

Camp Office, I like to be at the center of the town

Wolves are everywhere but I like to fight.

[Wasteland Watcher]

On 3/24/2016 at 4:21 AM, Dirmagnos said:

I did smell human corpse(even more than once), in early stages of decomposition tho(couple of days at the most). Not that it really matters, since in LD they are friggin frozen and barely emanate any smell at all. Only once ive smelled a corpse that was about a week old, and it was awful, but such "aromas" are not reserved to humans only.

In terms of smell, is it dear or human carcass, meat is meat and we are all build relatively in the same way. Rest is just placebo effect.

You are correct about the stench of dead mammals being similar. But the size of the mammal definitely affects the strength of the ...aroma. People being fairly large, really make the concentrated smell....truly awful. 

3 hours ago, togg said:

Camp Office, I like to be at the center of the town

Wolves are everywhere but I like to fight.

Oh man you are not joking about liking to fight by living in the center of town!
Camp Office is definitely the second most dangerous place to live on Mystery Lake, the most dangerous place being the Logging Camp. I lived there for roughly one game month and never ran out of meat due to the amount of times I'd step out of one of those trailers and almost immediately have a conflict.
I started going through antiseptic and bandages at such a crazy pace I decided to move out and let the wolves "win" the territory war.

So since I don't like to fight I've decided to live in two safe locations (well...three actually):
I'll live at both the Cabin at the Unnamed Pond (there are two storage containers for food and plenty of shelving for tools) and spend nights at the very close by Forestry Outlook. It has a stove and great view but only 5kg for storage.
If a workbench is needed it's only an hour and a half walk to Trapper's and the wolves on the way are easy to circumvent  

[Dirmagnos]

I dont know why people consider places like Camp Office in ML or Gas Station in CH to be dangerous.

Even on Stalker with its abundance of wolves, 90% of them can be easily avoided or fooled. Rest can be just meleed.

If i hear a wolf, then i just turn around and run in opposite direction. If wolf is locked on me, then i just run in circles around rock or house, till it loses me. If wolf is 2 close for running away and i cant get behind something for him to lose los with me(so that i could run away), then i just moonwalk away from it. In 9 out of 10 cases i get away. Remaining 1 means free meat, guts and a hide.

[Vhalkyrie]

12 hours ago, Wasteland Watcher said:

Oh man you are not joking about liking to fight by living in the center of town!
Camp Office is definitely the second most dangerous place to live on Mystery Lake, the most dangerous place being the Logging Camp. I lived there for roughly one game month and never ran out of meat due to the amount of times I'd step out of one of those trailers and almost immediately have a conflict.

No joke.  I'm surprised by all the people who said they never ran into wolves around Camp Office.  I guess I am particularly unlucky in my games because I have always had wolf trouble around there, which is particularly rough to handle when starting a new game.  Living in 'wolf ghetto' is no problem now that I am well stocked with matches, bullets and arrows, but when starting a new game, running into or avoiding the wolves around Camp Office is way more trouble than I'm looking for.  There's a wolf that wanders between the lake and the rabbit run, which makes it too dangerous in my early games to use as a trapping spot.  Trapper's remains my favorite spot in Mystery Lake in early game because I can always avoid the wolf that wanders through there.

[Vhalkyrie]

59 minutes ago, Dirmagnos said:

I dont know why people consider places like Camp Office in ML or Gas Station in CH to be dangerous.

Even on Stalker with its abundance of wolves, 90% of them can be easily avoided or fooled. Rest can be just meleed.

If i hear a wolf, then i just turn around and run in opposite direction. If wolf is locked on me, then i just run in circles around rock or house, till it loses me. If wolf is 2 close for running away and i cant get behind something for him to lose los with me(so that i could run away), then i just moonwalk away from it. In 9 out of 10 cases i get away. Remaining 1 means free meat, guts and a hide.

Because they are dangerous.  

It sounds like you have worked out an avoidance technique.  It's not something that particularly works well for me - if I moonwalk away, I always get jumped.  Most likely I am doing something wrong, but it doesn't work well for me.  Keeping them away with torches is usually what I use, and while I use it with 90% success, it doesn't make it inherently less dangerous - the torch can get blown out by a shift in wind, or I can fumble my fingers and accidentally extinguish it.  Yeah, I can survive melees with wolves, but I personally try to avoid that as I'd rather not use bandages and repair clothing unnecessarily.

[cekivi]

2 hours ago, Dirmagnos said:

I dont know why people consider places like Camp Office in ML or Gas Station in CH to be dangerous.

Even on Stalker with its abundance of wolves, 90% of them can be easily avoided or fooled. Rest can be just meleed.

If i hear a wolf, then i just turn around and run in opposite direction. If wolf is locked on me, then i just run in circles around rock or house, till it loses me. If wolf is 2 close for running away and i cant get behind something for him to lose los with me(so that i could run away), then i just moonwalk away from it. In 9 out of 10 cases i get away. Remaining 1 means free meat, guts and a hide.

Agree. You can usually avoid the wolves and the Camp Office's central location and amenities more than makes up for the risk.