UGH - caches

[SquanderBot]

this might be a spoiler for some...

So I've been searching high and low for this abandoned prepper cache that I KNEW I had found in a certain area of Mystery Lake in previous sessions. Countless hours and sprained ankles later, I learn from a YouTube video description that these things spawn RANDOMLY and may not always be there. How would we possibly guess that? At least tell the player up front about these arbitrary factors so they don't go INSANE looking for something that's not there any more. It goes entirely against the standard of realism of the rest of the game.

[RossBondReturns]

I dunno there are other random factors in the game.

The number of burnt cabins on ML...and at Coastal Townsite...

Where the Cache spawns in PV...

I like that element of randomness. It means I just have to check all the spawn points I know,

[Miniwizard]

While the basic geography might stay the same each playthrough, many things (most notably items, and carcasses, and even many of the smaller buildings) are not guaranteed to be there. Each new game, they have a chance to be present or not. Some buildings might be burned down, or not. A Preppers Cache will be present, but it could be one of several possible set locations. Your spawn in point is also chosen from a list of possibilities. It's part of what makes every run unique and with it's own challenges. While some locations have a good chance of spawning specific items, these too are not going to appear. Some things are, however, guaranteed to be available at least once somewhere on the map.

[JAFO]

10 hours ago, SquanderBot said:

Countless hours and sprained ankles later, I learn from a YouTube video description that these things spawn RANDOMLY and may not always be there.

Actually, there will always be one cache in ML, and one in PV. The location is what will vary. (There's also a second cache in PV, that's always there, and always in the same place)

[SquanderBot]

Thanks for the responses guys... I was super salty and confused at first but now I understand the concept.  I think I was especially confused because there was a cache in PV that was always there when I looked for it, and it was in a spot surrounded by other landmarks so the location was unmistakable. If that one had vanished I would have known for sure I was looking in the right place but it just wasn't there. In ML the location is harder to pinpoint so I was thinking I must be looking in the wrong place. I still question the use of this mechanic as surely there are other more plausible/intuitive means to randomly reward the player. Plus the cache wasn't exactly a game-changer as far as what was in there.

[cannajan]

I believe that what the cache contains depends on where it spawns, in one spot it might have medicine, in another it might be food, this makes some spots worth checking more than others, the hunting cache is near the lodge on ML so its one I often check, not found it though:P

[Samsonguy920]

I'm not sure what there is to question. The cache is supposed to be somebody's bunker of end-of-the-world supplies that they don't want anyone to find.  The randomness of their spawn location emphasizes the fact that they will not be on any map, and they will be in an out of the way spot, off the beaten trail. Granted a couple are somewhat near a beaten trail(such as one near a point that takes you to Timberwolf Mountain or another region. It's been a while since I saw that point so memory isn't serving me so well), so you can't credit every person who builds a bunker with complete brains.

Seeing as there is a good chance of NPC's added to sandbox either when Wintermute releases or a bit after, I wouldn't take those bunkers for granted. One might end up inhabited after August 1st by someone very cranky and likely armed.

[dookiejones]

There are no caches on interloper if you play that mode. 

[wahchewie]

I feel your pain. Just finished - and I knew it was random,  looking for and finding my cache on mystery lake. Started in a clockwise direction from bottom left,  and would you bloody believe it,  it was the god-damn last one I checked,  the tool cache. Current mood temperament is filthy.  I now have 5x simple tool boxes. One quality box too,  and I reckon that's the only useful thing in that cache.  Oh,  4l of lantern oil too.  And that's about it 

[SnowWalker]

On 2017-07-04 at 0:37 PM, RossBondReturns said:

I dunno there are other random factors in the game.

The number of burnt cabins on ML...and at Coastal Townsite...

Where the Cache spawns in PV...

I like that element of randomness. It means I just have to check all the spawn points I know,

Yep, I'll start a new sandbox over and over again until I get my fave Coastal house to spawn...the one on the lake with the veranda, by the town. Sometimes it takes a few tries, lol.