New Challenges

[SteveP]

Please contribute your ideas for new challenges. I've added two simple options with a caveat that we can add more options later. Please add your ideas in the comments and in a month or so, we will revisit the options and call for votes. If I am unavailable to do so, I assume the Moderator can do this action whenever convenient and when the ideas for new challenges get exhausted.

[Wastelander]

No rifle usage.

[SteveP]

By no loot I mean no food items. The options for gathering food are limited so you have to scavenge natural foods and rely heavily upon snares. How many snares might one need to survive the initial period. Perhaps the player starts out with a hatchet or knife and perhaps a bow and arrow or a number of fishing lures. It might be interesting to add different kinds of fishing lures with various degrees of effectiveness for the different species of fish.

[SteveP]

Tougher weather; perhaps this is a challenge where you have one or two weeks to harvest a sufficient supply of food to last out an extended storm. It would let us explore the strategic options for weather conditions.

[SteveP]

I loved the bear challenge; its an almost hopeless situation that forces us to develop new tactics for dealing with the bear. With the moose and other animals being possible in the future, the options for changing behaviours of those animals can also be explored! A moose or elk could be extremely dangerous especially during the rut season.

[SteveP]

No matches. What an interesting idea! Is it even possible to survive in such a situation?

[Wastelander]

12 hours ago, SteveP said:

No matches. What an interesting idea! Is it even possible to survive in such a situation?

If you are lucky and find a magnifying glass on your very first day, then yes. Otherwise, nope I guess.

[Scyzara]

40 minutes ago, Wastelander said:

If you are lucky and find a magnifying glass on your very first day, then yes. Otherwise, nope I guess.

Sure, you just need to find a firestriker. There are usually 1-2 of them to be found per map. It's also possible to use flares to light a fire in case you're really desperate and need to boil some water. 

Magnifying lenses are a little scarcer, but there are at least 2 secure spawn locations where you will always find one. So for the first one or two days I would recommend to use flares to light a fire, afterwards you should have found a firestriker or lens anyway.

[Wastelander]

Just now, Scyzara said:

Sure, you just need to find a firestriker. There are usually 1-2 of them to be found per map. It's also possible to use flares to light a fire in case you're really desperate and need to boil some water. 

Magnifying lenses are a little scarcer, but there are at least 2 secure spawn locations where you will always find one. So for the first one or two days I would recommend to use flares to light a fire, afterwards you should have found a firestriker or lens anyway.

Ah, I forgot firestrikers are a thing. Now that you mention it, I'm pretty sure I actually have on in my base on Coastal Highway, but I don't think I ever used it. However, they are also pretty rare spawns compared to matches, and it all comes down to luck of finding either a firestriker or a magnifying glass before you need a fire. Difficult, to be sure, but not impossible.

Also, you can use a flare to light a fire? I never tried that! I should actually read the changelogs from time to time

[Scyzara]

3 minutes ago, Wastelander said:

However, they are also pretty rare spawns compared to matches, and it all comes down to luck of finding either a firestriker or a magnifying glass before you need a fire. Difficult, to be sure, but not impossible.

As said: You can use flares to bridge the time period until you've found a firestriker or lens. Flares aren't really hard to find, hence I'm pretty sure everyone would find enough of them to get along until they've found a firestriker. Even if it takes a whole week or longer.

[Wastelander]

Just now, Scyzara said:

As said: You can use flares to bridge the time period until you've found a firestriker or lens. Flares aren't really hard to find, hence I'm pretty sure everyone would find enough of them to get along until they've found a firestriker. Even if it takes a whole week or longer.

Now you made me want to try it. Expect a thread in the coming days....

[Scyzara]

Good luck! If you want some hints where lenses or firestrikers are to be expected, just PM me. 

[Wastelander]

Just now, Scyzara said:

Good luck! If you want some hints where lenses or firestrikers are to be expected, just PM me. 

Thanks for the offer, but it wouldn't be a challenge if I knew, right? I know a few possible spawns, and as you said, flares are also good.

Oh, and another challenge idea: The Gourmet challenge. I.e. only eat what 'normal' people eat - no wolf meat, no raw meat, possibly no bear meat (though I heard you can buy canned bear in Canada, is that true?), no cattails.

[knightjoke]

no loot hardcore

[Wastelander]

Just now, knightjoke said:

no loot hardcore

Can I rename it to "Embrace your fate and the cold embrace of death"-challenge?

[knightjoke]

I like that name well done. What do you think about meeting a dog in a cabin with an npc/person or in story mode? (Wastelander)

[Wastelander]

1 minute ago, knightjoke said:

I like that name well done. What do you think about meeting a dog in a cabin with an npc/person or in story mode? (Wastelander)

On one hand, it's one more mouth to feed. On the other hand, dogs are immensly useful, and I say that as a person who's afraid of dogs due to childhood trauma. The Flame in the Flood had a quite useful dog which functioned as an alarm and beast of burden. A dog could also reduce cabin fever by being a companion. All in all, I'm in for it.

[ShawnB]

I've already played a no food loot player challenge. It wasn't as hard as you would think but the first few days can be desperate. Explore fast, find a rifle, kill a deer and things get much easier from there.

Fewer buildings is a fun challenge. Right now I'm doing a play through where every time I find a man made structure I roll a dice. On a 1-5 it is out of play as if it burnt down or collapsed. Less loot to find and shelter is hard to come by. Lots of fun.

[cowboymrh]

I guess my idea for a challenge would be the opposite of "no loot". And it would be a challenge that you would surely eventually die.

Mine would be no hunt, no trap, no fish challenge!!

All you could eat would be the canned and packaged food found in the game, cattails, teas, coffee, and scavenged animal carcass's.

Weapons would only be for self defense, not hunting. Any animal killed with a weapon cannot be eaten!

If you see a wolf feeding on a deer, you can scare it off or kill it to get the deer meat! But again, you cannot eat the wolf meat if you kill it.

I'm thinking survival would probably be around 100 to 150 days depending on how lucky your were finding additional dear carcass's.

I've always wondered how much food is in the game just scattered about .... this would be a good challenge to find out.

[cekivi]

My idea for a new challenge is simply "the long dark": swap the day night cycle. Can you get all you need to survive in 8 hours of daylight, 1 hour of dawn and dusk and 14 hours of night? It'd certainly be a challenge especially with colder weather to reflect less sunlight.

[Tbone555]

the no loot challenge seems interesting, though there are some people such as myself that are used to living with no loot. just living off of the land most of the time

3 hours ago, cekivi said:

My idea for a new challenge is simply "the long dark": swap the day night cycle. Can you get all you need to survive in 8 hours of daylight, 1 hour of dawn and dusk and 14 hours of night? It'd certainly be a challenge especially with colder weather to reflect less sunlight.

would like to add that i LOVE this idea! never quite got the hang of traveling at night, i'd be interested in seeing how i'd handle this

[Wastelander]

Here's a challenge that's probably impossible: 'Indecent exposure' - you're not allowed to wear any pants.

[Tbone555]

6 hours ago, Wastelander said:

Here's a challenge that's probably impossible: 'Indecent exposure' - you're not allowed to wear any pants.

does this include long johns too? xD

as hilarious as this is, i think i could personally deal with it as long as i had the craftable clothing... well, except for the deerskin pants, anyway

[Wastelander]

Just now, Tbone555 said:

does this include long johns too? xD

as hilarious as this is, i think i could personally deal with it as long as i had the craftable clothing... well, except for the deerskin pants, anyway

No legwear at all. I started a new sandbox today to try it out, and it's surprisingly managable as long as you find shelter or start a fire every few hours. Still, my inner 12-year-old giggles about the idea of a screaming, pantless man fighting with wolves in the wilderness. Also, because fortune just ain't mine, I have found 4 pairs of cargo pants in this sandbox, and I haven't even fully explored my starting region, ML, yet.

[Tbone555]

yeah, it would definitely be a sight to see! just imagine if, in the full game, you came across a completely naked from the waist down survivor fighting off a wolf. i'd stand there and laugh my head off at the glory of that display xD

might have to try this out!