Observations on Map Clues (Spoilers? Maybe?)

[Mikhail_Reign]

I think it would be a geomagnetic solar storm - there was one in 1859 that is the largest on record. 'They' reckon that if one hit now, it would be like the end on Escape from. Reports at the time include telegraph wires throwing sparks, people getting shocks from them and people being able to send messages over the wire without being connected to a power source. That was in 1859 when the only 'antennas' to catch all that electrical energy was the telegraph wires. Since then we have covered the planet with 'antennas', every thing from skyscrapers to cars to USB stick to our telecommunications power, and probably water (long metal pipes=get shocked from the tap) infrastructure, the world would be dancing with electricity and everything would fry.

Solar storm of 1859 - Wiki

 

Another interesting point that I found. In the winter of 1880's there was a few great blizzards - since I'm pretty new to the forum, I cant remember if anyone has mentioned/talked about them, but given that they are what I believe somewhat inspired that game I imagine that they would have so I wont go into it. Links for those who haven't at the bottom - some of the stories are harrowing. tl;dr In both cases it went from 5-10 degree C, clear calm and fine, and then in the space of minutes to changed to -40 degrees C blizzard, cant see my hand at my face, I cant make it 50m without dying weather. There are a few books written about them (In All Its Fury and The Children's Blizzard for first hand accounts). It was while reading these that I came across an interesting piece of information.

A couple of quotes from The Children's Blizzard - bolding mine.

Quote

Meanwhile 173 miles to the northeast, inside the long, sturdy brick structure that housed the Fort Assinniboine weather station, the Signal Corps observer on duty was observing something he had never seen before. The telegraph wires that connected the station’s receiver to the endless loops of wire strung over the plains were emitting strange flashes of light—“a constant play of light,” as the private noted in the station’s journal—and were so charged with electricity that they could not be handled. Even inside the station the air fairly crackled with electricity. And outside the weather was turning fiercer by the minute. The warm chinook wind that had blown out of the southwest all day was now howling out of the northwest at a velocity approaching 50 miles an hour.

Quote

As the patchwork curtain ripped over the prairie, the very air began to tingle with electricity. Sailors used to call this phenomenon Saint Elmo’s fire, or the corposants (holy bodies), and meteorologists have since renamed it corona or point discharge. Very likely, the electrical field at the surface was enhanced by lightning aloft—“thunder snow” is another sign of a violently intense cold front. But since the visibility was so poor and the wind so loud, no one saw the lightning bolts or heard the booms of explosively expanding air.

Quote

At Fort Buford near Bismarck, Signal Corps observer Sergeant A. Schneider wrote that the air was charged with electrical sparks God’s Burning Finger 177 “more than an inch long” that jumped from the telegraph wires to the switchboard. As Schneider moved his hand toward the switchboard, a spark jumped off the ends of his fingers when they were about two inches from the board and nearly knocked him to the ground.

Quote

Sergeant Glenn in Huron spent the evening at the weather station watching sparks of electricity leap from the gilt molding used for hanging pictures and play over the gilt stamping of the curtains, the stove, and the chains from which the lamp fixtures were suspended. Glenn was literally stunned when an electrical shock passed from his hand to the hand of an acquaintance standing just outside the office. Many settlers became so terrified of the sparks showering off their stoves that they would not go near them, even to add more fuel.

For starters - it seems just a REALLY massive blizzard is totally capable of really screwing with the electrics on it's own. Through friction, like a static shock - from ice/snow on wires, but also though the friction of air on its self. All the different 100km gusts going in every direction would cause a lot of build up.

The next point tho - a blizzard could have caused the wild fire that burn down Skeeters maybe? A lighting strike and then a fire fanned by blizzard winds - I'm not sure if that possible, but seeing a wall of flame appear out of the nothing of a -40 degree blizzard would be terrifying.

The build up of electricity in basically anything metal - could this be why all the new electrical points, lights etc etc have been added inside the houses recently? Option A is maybe being inside during a blizzard might come with its own dangers - getting shocked. Or option B - maybe would could harness this electrical power somehow? Instead of building a generator, we just choose the right type of house, and it would be its own 'blizzards powered generator', even if only for some flickering lights, or maybe we would see by 'sparklight'?

Finally, while probably not God fearing Mennonites who think it would be signs from god, but could the last point I drew attention to be a reason why we find so many people inside who are dead, but still have plenty of wood around?

 

7 hours ago, MarrowStone said:

The fishing hut point is very odd indeed, maybe in 2019 they make ones that are anchored and float like a buoy? 

Just helping the devs here XD

Yeah I think I would go with that. I think that the fishing huts are the outlier here. Since the note mentions the date, everything else fits with an accelerated/early/instant cold snap that was drastically different to the current weather catching everyone out. The fishing huts imply that it was already really cold making them the odd one out. Maybe a really industrial person set them all up before they died? Maybe the Dev's could remove the fishing huts, and just allow us to cut a hole in ice anywhere, where certain areas being better/worse for fish, and the ability to make/move some kinda lean-to to block wind.

[MarrowStone]

@Mikhail_Reign

Yay, someone else read about Children's Blizzard!

To be honest I never saw the correlation between the geomagnetic storms around the same time and those blizzards but it makes total sense! 

I just assumed the extra friction in the Air caused the static and "ThunderSnow" but its easy to believe that there might be something more...

Also, friction from the wind during the Dust Bowl created incidents where fencerows and metal objects would crackle with energy.

[Mikhail_Reign]

Oh no. Just for clarification, the electrical interference from the geomagnetic storms and the electrical interference from the blizzards is different, its just the I believe either, or both could apply as far as the game is concerned.

[MarrowStone]

1 hour ago, Mikhail_Reign said:

Oh no. Just for clarification, the electrical interference from the geomagnetic storms and the electrical interference from the blizzards is different, its just the I believe either, or both could apply as far as the game is concerned.

Oh, oke, Still a great book. Nice new profile pic btw

[cekivi]

15 hours ago, MarrowStone said:

The fishing hut point is very odd indeed, maybe in 2019 they make ones that are anchored and float like a buoy? 

Just helping the devs here XD

While neat ice has a way of disturbing those plans as do seasonal fluctuations in water levels

[common]

The event came without warning and that is why some things seem frozen out of place.

The reason why some people seem to have had a heads up on leaving is not because of the event but because of other PEOPLE after the event has already happened.

....i think

p.s.  take a look at the video, there is clear human on human violence.