Confused by the SW corner of the Mystery Lake Map...

[Thrasador]

Is anyone else totally confused by the SW corner of the Mystery Lake map? I have tried to explore it many times, but somehow the terrain makes no sense to me. It's like the holodeck in Star Trek or something. The Trapper's Cabin is supposed to be basically in that bottom SW corner, yet when I TRY to go further West, I seem to get all turned around and keep ending up North somehow. It's really confusing to me. I want to find the western border of Mystery Lake....but I never seem to find it. I always THINK I'm going West, but somehow I never am. It's like the Bermuda Triangle or something over there.....

Is this just me, or has anyone else experienced this phenomenon?

[The Wanderer]

It's not just you. I HAVE to go to the trapper's cabin the exact same way everytime. If I don't, I end up in the clear cut most of the time. I can't even figure out how it happens. One second I'm looking for, so and so's, body at the pond. Next second I'm seeing flat ground and stumps. Here's the super-weird part, FROM trapper's cabin I have no problems finding my way to anywhere.

[Thrasador]

Just now, The Wanderer said:

It's not just you. I HAVE to go to the trapper's cabin the exact same way everytime. If I don't I end up in the clear cut most of the time. I can't even figure out how it happens. One second I'm looking for so and so's body at the pond. Next second I'm seeing flat ground and stumps. Here's the super-weird part, FROM trapper's cabin I have no problems finding my way to anywhere.

Yes...that's what I mean. Leaving trappers I know due East along the mountain wall is the train tracks and the entrance to FM. I know out the front door and North is the pond. I know South is the mountain wall behind Trapper's.....but West? Somehow if you go West, it's like you are still somehow going North....I seriously don't get it....

[Piggy]

You're not alone, happens to me all the time, I think the map boundary just leads you north right away. Also, I can find my way from trappers to other locations but getting there I always take the cliff face off the tracks.. I seem to always get lost in those two valleys if I'm heading from the camp office. 

[SweetNightmare]

If I don't stick to the train tracks I get lost going pretty much anywhere in Mystery Lake, tbh. But I have an awful sense of direction.

[RossBondReturns]

Ever since I started seriously going everywhere in the map looking for bunkers I can now find the Trappers Cabin from just about any direction.

[TROY]

dude, you answered you own question in the description of your problem. The trappers cabin is southwest. you are in the corner. If you go west, you hit the mountain walls/cliff walls within a few meters, and start sliding north. EVERYTHING on the map is north or north east or east of trapper cabin.  THINK about it. 

 

[TROY]

6 hours ago, Piggy said:

You're not alone, happens to me all the time, I think the map boundary just leads you north right away. Also, I can find my way from trappers to other locations but getting there I always take the cliff face off the tracks.. I seem to always get lost in those two valleys if I'm heading from the camp office. 

The reason you're getting lost is because the hills aren't climbable in the spots that would be a straight line hike, so you are naturally sliding one way or the other to climb the hills, and when you come down them, you're coming into another valley and looking for the best spot to climb the next hill rather than adjusting your direction of travel to compensate for the change in course you already made. Further complicating it is the fact that one or two of those hills can actually spill you into more than one valley. It IS a confusing place, made worse by natural tendencies taking over instead of calculated corrections to direction.  If you don't have a very good natural sense of direction, that corner of the map can be confusing as hell. 

[Thrasador]

1 hour ago, TROY said:

The reason you're getting lost is because the hills aren't climbable in the spots that would be a straight line hike, so you are naturally sliding one way or the other to climb the hills, and when you come down them, you're coming into another valley and looking for the best spot to climb the next hill rather than adjusting your direction of travel to compensate for the change in course you already made. Further complicating it is the fact that one or two of those hills can actually spill you into more than one valley. It IS a confusing place, made worse by natural tendencies taking over instead of calculated corrections to direction.  If you don't have a very good natural sense of direction, that corner of the map can be confusing as hell. 

I think it's the hills like you said....

I was purely curious if it was only me, or if others were confused by that western region past Trapper's. I'm sure not EVERYONE is confused by it. Some people have a better sense of direction than others....

I was just curious if others encountered what I was trying to articulate....and went what they thought was West....and then were like, "WTH? Where AM I?" 

That's not the only spot on the Mystery Lake map I get confused by. Someone up there brought up another spot. I get turned around a lot in the Deadfall Area....and the area past where the weapons bunker might be. Basically you leave the Camp Office cross the train tracks, and go up over that hill....you get down the other side in a valley surrounded by hills, and I get all turned around back there too....I just pick a direction and start walking, and I basically have NO idea where I'm going to end up....Deadfall? The lonely pond? The clear cut? Anything is possible....

[Blinkin]

Hahaha I've been playing for a few year now and I still have this. I do like it though because it adds a kind of exploring even though I know this map so well.
Glad I'm not the only one having this.

[Thrasador]

57 minutes ago, Blinkin said:

Hahaha I've been playing for a few year now and I still have this. I do like it though because it adds a kind of exploring even though I know this map so well.
Glad I'm not the only one having this.

Thank you for your reply.....I am glad I am not the only one getting lost, even though I know the maps pretty well....

[Mike in GA]

I end up at the deadfall a lot! And I also follow the tracks to have a straight shot. From Un named pond it seems way longer.

I really believe @TROY has the right line of thinking in this. PV is easy to navigate, following Troy's logic, because it's flat. Same as CH. I need to spend more time in TWM area because I would think given the map terrain it would be somewhat like that corner. 

The flat maps don't have that sliding to the left or the right on unclimbable hills/areas. 

So many times I'm like "how did I end up here?" Lots and lots have to shelter in the logging trailers during bad weather. 

With no Fluffy I take that opportunity to comb through the Dam now!

 

[Thrasador]

5 hours ago, loriaw said:

I used to have an awful time getting to Trapper's. Now I can find it anywhere, but a straight route (more or less) from the Lake Office is to turn left out the door, cross the tracks and veer just to the left of the big rocks (where a body sometimes spawns). Head straight down through the dip to the burned house at Deadfall. From inside the house (with the tracks behind you) look slightly to the right and walk through the small gap between the rocks. Head up the hill sticking close to the fallen tree (and follow the direction of the trunk). At the top there is a 'dip' ~ standing there and looking down you see a fallen tree, lots of rabbits, and a cave where the bear sometimes spawns. Go straight down and continue between that bear cave and the large rocks on the right. When you pass those rocks on the right Trapper's is straight in front of you. That opening in the rocks at Deadfall, the tree up the hill, etc. are fairly easy to locate even in a blizzard. 

Nice path, and landmark useage!

[Hackfleisch]

On ‎28‎-‎8‎-‎2017 at 6:36 AM, loriaw said:

I used to have an awful time getting to Trapper's. Now I can find it anywhere, but a straight route (more or less) from the Lake Office is to turn left out the door, cross the tracks and veer just to the left of the big rocks (where a body sometimes spawns). Head straight down through the dip to the burned house at Deadfall. From inside the house (with the tracks behind you) look slightly to the right and walk through the small gap between the rocks. Head up the hill sticking close to the fallen tree (and follow the direction of the trunk). At the top there is a 'dip' ~ standing there and looking down you see a fallen tree, lots of rabbits, and a cave where the bear sometimes spawns. Go straight down and continue between that bear cave and the large rocks on the right. When you pass those rocks on the right Trapper's is straight in front of you. That opening in the rocks at Deadfall, the tree up the hill, etc. are fairly easy to locate even in a blizzard. 

Was just about to post this route, it's how I always travel between the Office and Cabin and it's by far the fastest and easiest route. Hell, you could risk it even in a blizzard, especially since the burned down hut also has a stove inside it, so you have a resting point halfway through.

[Cattleman]

I think that corner of ML is more rounded than other corners so leaving Trappers to the west will curve you around to the north rather quickly and soon you will be at the pond.

[Samsonguy920]

On 8/26/2017 at 4:23 AM, Blinkin said:

Hahaha I've been playing for a few year now and I still have this. I do like it though because it adds a kind of exploring even though I know this map so well.
Glad I'm not the only one having this.

It adds a certain spooky quality to the world. I've gone in the same direction twice away from TC, and once ended up at Unnamed Pond, going at a complete 90 degree direction from where I ended up before.  It's like Trapper's Cabin is in a warp zone, like something out of Bioshock Infinite.  Definitely a bit of creep factor and I like it, too.

[MarrowStone]

I tend to avoid the deadfall area and go between max's last stand and it, wolves always jump me at the deadfall and max's is too long of a route so I go in between, I basically head straight from the tracks from the body like im going to pay that small bear cave a visit.

The burmuda triangle is anywhere between the lonely pond, the firewatch tower and the area behind the shortwave tower.

Theres also a strange place behind mystery lake where its pure wilderness till you end up at the entrance to FM.

[cannajan]

I'm so glad its not just me!  I have spent a long time learning this part of ML, you need a good route for the challenges as trappers is used so much in them. I also have problems with logging cabins area and the changed layout cos of the new tower.