Thee Flashlight

[matchstick]

Noob, 1st game, Voyageur. Day 195. I just got done looting Milton. Question about the flashlight. Does anyone use it?

It only works during the northern lights, I understand. However if you've got the Aurora, you can read, craft, etc. What good is it? Do people use it to hunt? Just curious. Thanks.

[Serenity]

It stops wolves from charging you

[RegentRelic]

I use it all the time. As scrape metal.

[matchstick]

I'll tried it on a wolf, pointed it at him and turned it on. Didn't even slow him down. Got attacked, blood loss, etc. Thank you for the tips, however the new patch may have changed the wolf behavior. I noticed dropping bait makes them run most of the time. Anyone else have similar experiences?

Edited October 26, 2019 by matchstick

[Serenity]

That was during an aurora hopefully. It obviously doesn't work any other time. Zombie wolves hate the light. They also don't enter areas lit by the various lamps

Edited October 26, 2019 by Serenity

[ajb1978]

You have to use the high powered light, and shine it directly into an aurora wolf's face.  They will stop a short distance away, similar to how normal wolves will stop if you hold a lit flare.  If you keep the light trained on them for several seconds, they turn and run away.  It must be the high beam, and it does take several seconds, which means a single fully charged flashlight will only repel one aurora wolf.

I like to use these to just find my way around "home" during an aurora, or to make coal runs in a mine with zero lamp oil cost.  I typically won't carry one early on when every kilo counts, but after I'm settled, I will carry at least one on me at all times.

[ManicManiac]

@ajb1978
Good information.  I've never had it actual cause a wolf to flee... though I admit I may just not have waited long enough with the high-beam.  I've just used it to buy some time to get away or to make it to a light source that I know will run them off immediately.  I admit I don't generally carry one around with me, as I tend to always want to travel light in the off chance I do come upon some good loot (or just to make room for all the sticks I end up collecting en masse)

Edited October 26, 2019 by ManicManiac

[ajb1978]

16 minutes ago, ManicManiac said:

 (or just to make room for all the sticks I end up collecting en masse)

I've had to seriously curb my enthusiasm on that one, after I accumulated enough sticks in a pile to crash the game 50% of the time I enter/leave!  It took hundreds of game hours to burn it all up.  I had a permafire going for several months without needing to ever once gather firewood.

[ManicManiac]

8 minutes ago, ajb1978 said:

I had a permafire going for several months without needing to ever once gather firewood.

My hat's off to you sir... I've been mapping so I tend to only gather up maybe 96-135 sticks in a given day (assuming good weather and abundance).  Once I hit that threshold, I call it quits on the sticks for that day.  You must have been collecting nearly twice that (or more)!

I suppose my other issue is that I never use fir, cedar, or reclaimed wood... (I save fir for repairing the hammer, I won't touch the cedar unless it's an emergency, and reclaimed wood is always reserved for snares) most of my actual wood, just ends up in piles outside

I generally only burn sticks and coal, so I guess I have a hard time accumulating (though I do manage my own fairly decent reserves I generally lay off when I know I have about 5 full days of fuel).
 

Edited October 26, 2019 by ManicManiac

[ajb1978]

16 minutes ago, ManicManiac said:

My hat's off to you sir... I've been mapping so I tend to only gather up maybe 96-135 sticks in a given day (assuming good weather and abundance). 

In regions with a fishing hole I will spend 2-3 days straight without sleep pulling fish out of a hole, then I won't have to worry about food for a very, very long time.  Sacrificing 3/4 of my health to exhaustion can result in a month or more of food, especially at level 5 fishing.  And since "pass time and sleep" is not a fun use of my time, I spent it gathering sticks instead. Edit: And moose scouting.  I gather sticks and scout for moose, then go home and eat fish.  If I find a moose, I go back for my rifle.

Edited October 26, 2019 by ajb1978

[ManicManiac]

@ajb1978
These are some really good strategies, I appreciate you sharing them.
I guess I have a tendency towards mundane habits.  I'll keep a hammer and tackle in the fishing hut and only devote 12-18 hours on fishing at a stretch, then go get some sleep... rinse and repeat for a few days or maybe a week.  Your method definitely saves a lot of wear and tear though, I'll have to think that over for my play style. 

[Enigma]

On 10/26/2019 at 10:59 PM, matchstick said:

I'll tried it on a wolf, pointed it at him and turned it on. Didn't even slow him down. Got attacked, blood loss, etc. Thank you for the tips, however the new patch may have changed the wolf behavior. I noticed dropping bait makes them run most of the time. Anyone else have similar experiences?

Hold the right button of your mouse and SPOOK the cold out of them. 

 

In addition, if you find yourself in a *not nice* situation find the nearest working streat lamp, it will save you...for a bit

[K63]

18 hours ago, Enigma said:

 addition, if you find yourself in a *not nice* situation find the nearest working streat lamp, it will save you...for a bit

Good tip! I will try it out!!!

[Guest jeffpeng]

When I play a game where they are even in the loot table (since they are not on Interloper) I usually keep them at home to maybe make funny lighting effects with them. You can switch them on, then drop them, and then place them switched on on a table or something like that. Makes for a few cool screenshots. (This also reveals that the player character is a vampire  )

Aside from that ... I find it more reliable to use fire to repell wolves (all kinds, really). When I'm in a game with flashlights I'm also in a game with a bazillion matches, and chances are I'm carrying a torch anyways. If they were the supercharged variant from 4DON .... maybe. But the normal version that drains so fast your highbeam might not even scare away a single wolf? Nah. Also: 1kg is a lot of weight for a conditional light source that may or may not repell a wolf.

So, no, I don't really use them.

[Kaisentlaia]

On 10/26/2019 at 10:28 PM, ajb1978 said:

If you keep the light trained on them for several seconds, they turn and run away.

Is that how it's supposed to work? During 4DON I just waited for them to stop and then ran into their faces with the high beam on until they fled (or got stuck) 😂