Snowballs: Hushed River Valley


Drifter Man

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On 7/19/2018 at 7:12 AM, JAFO said:

I saw that and was surprised too.. would be good to hear it confirmed.

Yes bears will react to stones... I have used it on several occasions to maneuver the bear on the lake in ML close to a fishing hut both for safe shooting from just in side the door and hopefully Insta kill close to hut for a retreat from wolves or weather.

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@Drifter Manas always I'm loving your tales of adventure... In currently doing a stalker run that I call "Hushed Destinations"... I tried a "Hushed Beginnings", but alas I too found HRV to not have what one needs to survive long term

So for my Hushed Destinations run I started and outfitted myself in ML with a quick trip to FM to forge arrowheads. Then after carefully picking my loadout to weigh exactly 77 pounds (total carring capacity with moose satchel) I headed to HRV on day 41 or 42.

HRV is brutal... I have been mauled twice by the same bear, and jumped by several wolves. There are just so many little hills that can hide them until you are right onto of them... Then its like "RUUUUUNNNN!!!" Just to be ran down inches from safety. And yes the wind is nearly constant... But like you I found that it most generally dies off into the evenings.

Its now like day 63 and I'm doing well... I found a nice little cave way up high that has close access to at least one deer, a couple rabbit groves, a possible moose, and best of all... No wolves! (At least not that I've seen in the 10 to 15 days since I moved into said cave) However gathering wood can entail quit a loop to gather a large amount in one go, so I'm constantly grabbing sticks as I explore. 

As always I'm looking forward to the continuing adventure of The Snowballs. I always learn so much from your survivors. Good luck and safe travels as your adventure continues.

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22 hours ago, Ruruwawa said:

I also have a wolf coat, stored back in Mountain Town, that I swap for the bear coat when I'm nearer to civilization.   It's ridiculously easy to keep repaired, given the number of wolves I kill. :P 

Which brings me to another question. Someone (I wish I could remember who) counted birch saplings and got to about 80 pieces in the world. You could make about 240 arrow shafts out of this, so the theoretical limit is about 1000 kills you can make with the bow. I don't think you can even approach the number - I killed about 200 deer in my "1000 days" run. But if you habitually kill every wolf you see, you might, at some point, start seeing birch saplings as a limited resource. How far are you in your game, how many kills do you have, and do you have any trouble sourcing material for arrows?

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Thanks @Cattleman. It's really a tough region, mainly because of the wind. Wind means no way to warm up and no defensive fires against wolves. I almost always managed to avoid wolves there but like you say, in some parts of the map it is very difficult.

I have my eye on the Lake Cave next to Watchful Falls - deer, moose, not sure about rabbits but there will be some... and only one wolf in the general area.

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Snowball 54 / Day 163

My cave is safe, yes, but my cave is also hungry. The deer in the Ravine have not respawned. As soon as I came back from CH, I picked up some necessities in the cave and the trailer and set out to the Camp Office to craft the wolf coat. First I went towards the Derailment, but already at Train Loading I could see a wolf crossing my path in front. It was sunny but very windy, I wouldn't be able to light a fire, so I decided to return while driving a deer into the dam wolf. The dam wolf liked the deer at first, but then decided it liked me more, and I used the "walk away" method and... walked away. After warming up at Alan's Cave, I continued to Mystery Lake and eventually to the Office. There I shot a deer, which ran away, and I was forced to go indoors as the night was falling and the weather was bad. Salty crackers and cattails for dinner :( Fortunately, next morning I found the deer lying dead close to the Camp Office. The food problem was solved, but I failed to recover my arrow.

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Business as usual. I remained for several days until the Wolf Coat was finished. Ready to move on.

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Which is better, double bear or wolf coat? Guess it depends really, double wolf coat for high wolf populations and its warmer and double bear coat for when its just freezing outside. I did see a streamer how got to day 500 interloper and even with the warmest clothing you could have on interloper, (Double bear coat, double deerskin pantaloons, 1 deerskin boots, rabbit mitts, double wool toques, no ear-wrap though) He still froze pretty fast, man interloper temperatures are brutal, how do the animals not have there breath freeze over the faces?

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5 hours ago, Drifter Man said:

I have my eye on the Lake Cave next to Watchful Falls - deer, moose, not sure about rabbits but there will be some... and only one wolf in the general area.

This is VERY close to my cave... Yes there are rabbits close to there... At least on stalker. I'm glad I'm not the only one that had thought this could be a good base camp area.

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The Lake Cave is pretty awesome that way, actually. The whole elevated area around Monolith Lake has a lot of resources and only one wolf that appears from time to time. Mind you, I've only ever been up there in the (very) late game; I think I arrived there around day 330 or so the first time, so there may be more predators around there earlier. However, even up at day 450 (where I am now on that run) it's got enough respawning resources to keep it going. Bouncing back and forth from up there to the mid-level area on a more-or-less monthly basis seems to be able to permit basically indefinite living, barring the need to make the occasional runs to MT to make new arrows and bows. Eventually of course I'll run out of saplings, but that's a long ways off yet.

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5 hours ago, Drifter Man said:

Which brings me to another question. Someone (I wish I could remember who) counted birch saplings and got to about 80 pieces in the world. You could make about 240 arrow shafts out of this, so the theoretical limit is about 1000 kills you can make with the bow. I don't think you can even approach the number - I killed about 200 deer in my "1000 days" run. But if you habitually kill every wolf you see, you might, at some point, start seeing birch saplings as a limited resource. How far are you in your game, how many kills do you have, and do you have any trouble sourcing material for arrows?

Day 126, I've taken 75 shots, with 58 hits.  I hunted rabbits with bow and arrow to skill up, which accounts for some of the misses. :D

Wolves: 30 shot (plus 2 struggles)
Deer: 5, Bear: 4, Moose: 3, Rabbits: 14

As you can see I don't shoot every possible wolf, just the ones that might jump me if I don't.  I lived at the Barker farm for a while, so I kept those culled.  I got a lucky bug there - one of the wolf carcasses never despawned.  It's been lying in the front yard for more than 50 days now.  And now I have only 2 wolves on respawn there, yay.

I'm not worried about running out of arrows.  I have 20 arrows made up atm, plus 24 more cured birch saplings.  I haven't done a systematic hunt for birch either, since I'm much more likely to get bored with my playthrough and ditch it before I run out of arrows.

5 hours ago, Drifter Man said:

The food problem was solved, but I failed to recover my arrow.

It seems like there's a change to arrow recovery since Vigilant Flame: there's a chance it won't be sticking out of the corpse.  I find it within a few meters just lying on the ground (or ice).   Slope might have something to do with where the arrow ends up, but I have only anecdotes so far.  I've seen a wolf carcass on the flat with the arrow lying right beside it, and another on a slope with the arrow 10 meters away on a clear, flat spot of ice.  For both, I could clearly see the arrow stuck in the wolf when it ran off.

You might want to search a wider area around the camp office, it's possible you'll find that arrow.

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On 25.7.2018 at 1:02 PM, Drifter Man said:

One practical question: does it make sense to craft a bearskin bedroll at all? With good clothes (around 20°C temp bonus) I can comfortably sleep in the warm part of a cave without fire. And outdoors even the bearskin bedroll won't make a difference - without fire I would freeze anyway. So, is it even worth it?

Probably not. Fun fact: I only created one single bearskin bedroll in what must soon be some 500 hours of playing the game. I did it for getting the "Wrapped in Furs" achievement, long ago.

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20 hours ago, Drifter Man said:

Which brings me to another question. Someone (I wish I could remember who) counted birch saplings and got to about 80 pieces in the world. You could make about 240 arrow shafts out of this, so the theoretical limit is about 1000 kills you can make with the bow. I don't think you can even approach the number - I killed about 200 deer in my "1000 days" run. But if you habitually kill every wolf you see, you might, at some point, start seeing birch saplings as a limited resource. How far are you in your game, how many kills do you have, and do you have any trouble sourcing material for arrows?

@Scyzaraonce did a run counting each and every resource, but the world has been expanded since then, so the sapling count may have gone up further (or it may not, if the devs reduced the saplings in the meantime).

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18 hours ago, Ruruwawa said:

I'm not worried about running out of arrows.  I have 20 arrows made up atm, plus 24 more cured birch saplings.  I haven't done a systematic hunt for birch either, since I'm much more likely to get bored with my playthrough and ditch it before I run out of arrows.

I see. It looks it is not likely for anyone to run out of arrows :)

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3 hours ago, Hotzn said:

@Scyzaraonce did a run counting each and every resource, but the world has been expanded since then, so the sapling count may have gone up further (or it may not, if the devs reduced the saplings in the meantime).

I remember her loot tables, but this was more recent (pre-HRV though).

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Snowball 55 / Day 1

Big things have hushed beginnings.1)

But this won't be my case because I spawn to the deafening roar of a waterfall. It is late afternoon, sunny and unusually warm - felt temperature -6°C ("Is this a sauna or what?"2) I run down the Hushed River, picking every cattail I can see. After a few cattails I realize I'd been habitually discarding the heads.

At Reclusive Falls I spot a wolf blocking the river. I don't feel like taking an icy bath just yet, so I pause and think. It doesn't see me but gives chase to a rabbit in my direction. I crouch and wait, then slip around. The wolf makes angry growls at me as I pass but soon gets back to its dinner.

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Cave: wool toque (40%), matches, soda, cedar firewood, coal.

Wind picks up and close to the fallen tree that connects the river with the right bank I finally start freezing. The deer carcass is here - good. I climb up the tree, hoping to find the snow shelter, but it doesn't seem to be there. I collect a few sticks and return back down to the river.

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Then on to the Ice cave. I start a fire inside (third attempt) and make water. I have only little firewood but I put in a few coals as soon as the fire is ready for it. I listen into the darkness if I can hear the wolf, but to tell the truth, I don't care. I need that bedroll.

Snowball 54 didn't use pulled torches for 1-match fires, only for getting through caves, but Snowball 55 will follow no such rules. I pull a few torches: 23%, not great. Then I make one step to the side and start pulling 44% torches. Is that how it works? Eventually I have about 20 torches and get on my way. The first bedroll place is empty - just a piece of cedar. I search the entire bottom of the cave, at the rope I find a dead guy with water purification tablets. The torch is mine by the way - I like to RMB it around until it burns out, then pick it up for later processing into a stick.

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The wolf isn't home today, good on Snowball 55. Eventually I climb up the rope and have to light a new torch - that's the fourth match tonight. Further into the cave I find the bedroll (55%), hacksaw, matches, some food and firewood, plus a book.

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It is almost midnight, I'm not very tired and I also haven't lost much condition. Still with the calories I spawned with in my stomach, I just drink some water and go to sleep. I wake up in early morning in 100% condition near the top exit from the Ice Cave.

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1)@Cattleman mixed with Lawrence of Arabia, take your pick :)

2)@Hotzn, 2016, Timberwolf Mountain run II (v325-332), Stalker Monthly Magazine 3(4), p. 19.

 

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Snowball 54's demise came along a little anticlimactic. How exactly did the wolf get him? Good to see Snowball 55 is already underway. And I like the cross-references. Made a mental note when I read the expression "Coastal Wolfsite". That's how I will call the place henceforth as well.

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IMM: Mr. Snowball, thank you for taking the tim...

Snowball 55: Don't you see I'm busy? I'm packing my bedroll. Now get out of here.

IMM: Just a few questions, please. Our readers mourn the death of your predecessor, Snowb...

Snowball 55: Mourn? There's no one and nothing to mourn. He was no proper Snowball, giving interviews from his deer ranch in Coastal Highway. He got what he deserved.

IMM: That sounds a little harsh.

Snowball 55: He got careless. He was moving some stuff from the Dam to Trapper's Homestead. Circled all of Mystery Lake in one day and was coming to Trapper's, low on condition from freezing, tired, encumbered. You're supposed to play it safe in such shape but no, he decided to take a shortcut via Max's Last Stand. Didn't even have the flare gun ready. The wolf jumped out from behind a crest and made short work of him. As I said, he got what he deserved for losing respect for the Great Bear.

IMM: Well, let's hope that you will be a more cautious Snowball.

Snowball 55: Cautious? Hell no! I'm a true Snowball.

IMM: Can you share your plans for the future? Do you also intend to gear up in Mystery Lake and in Timberwolf Mountain?

Snowball 55: What are you talking about? Haven't you heard that the rail tunnel to ML has collapsed? There's no way for me to get there.

IMM: So, are you going to stay in the Hushed River Valley?

Snowball 55: Hushed River Valley, Forlorn Muskeg, Milton Basin, Broken Railroad up to the Landslide that blocks the tracks. Mountain Town on the side of the Spruce Falls Bridge and up to the Crashed Plane. And the connecting path from HRV to Milton Basin that goes down the river - can't avoid that one. Nothing else exists in my world. But I may also get killed right here, in which case I stay in HRV permanently.

IMM: Let's hope for a better outcome, Mr. Snowball. Thank you for the insightful interview.

Snowball 55: Hm.

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