As The Dead Sleep progress

[Guest jeffpeng]

So, final information gathered:

• The game conforms to all aspects to Interloper settings, unless otherwise mentioned:
• No health recovery except except from stims (didn't test, but others seem to conform)
• Calorie consumption is roughly 10% lower than Interloper
• Also I "feel" that fatigue is slightly lower
• There is no prey wildlife whatsoever. No rabbits, no deer. Haven't seen moose, but I've seen bears (one awefully close). I would suspect fishing also doesn't work (needs confirmation!)
• Conforms to standard Interloper loot tables, including item density, item decay and item quality (meaning no Peanut Butter, no Mariners Pea Coat, no nothing you'd get in Stalker but not in Interloper. The Energy Bar indeed (verfied) is a starting item you cannot obtain otherwise.
• No Birch Bark Tea
• Possibly slighty more common matches than on standard Interloper (needs confirmation)
• No aurora? (Needs confirmation, but 16 days without an aurora is rather unlikely)

Other than that it is worth mentioning that

• Sapling are in the game, so all crafting options are available (except those you need rabbit "parts" for, and possibly moose "parts")
• Ingredients for ammunition crafting are in the game, but without an aurora those would be useless

If anyone can expand on this please do.

Edited December 15, 2019 by jeffpeng

[Guest jeffpeng]

Also my opinion on "As The Dead Sleep":

Single best challenge in the game, possibly my most fun experience since the release of HRV, and with so much to still improve on, so ATDS will certainly see me again next year - more than once. I feel like this Challenge brings out the best in The Long Dark: the old fear of the wild, managing what you have in order to achieve what you need, planning your route on which you will be always on the move. Since there is a final ending you can work towards a goal, which means you actually get to spend all those resources you'd otherwise hoard for the theoretical day 3650 that never comes. It feels remarkably well balanced, and shows that the "finite health" gameplay doesn't actually need all the "Deadman settings" to work and to be fun.

Thank you @Raphael van Lierop and everyone at Hinterland. And please: more of this.

[Ice Hole]

Great job!

[Guest jeffpeng]

13 minutes ago, Ice Hole said:

Great job!

Ah right. Didn't see a single battery. Sorry.

[ManicManiac]

1 hour ago, jeffpeng said:

There we go...  

Well done!

[spreerider]

there are moose in it i was killed by one in FM

[Guest jeffpeng]

So that's good to know I guess  

[Ice Hole]

4 hours ago, jeffpeng said:

Didn't see a single battery.

The next challenge awaits the Dead Battery Man!  Deliver Battery to each location.

🎵The road is long

🎵With many a winding turn

🎵That leads us to who knows where

🎵Who knows where

🎵But I'm strong

🎵Strong enough to carry him

🎵He ain't heavy

🎵He's my Battery

 

[Guest jeffpeng]

If you provide the video I'll write and record you that song.

[Ice Hole]

I will certainly try but for me it might take awhile.  Next year should work.

[Guest jeffpeng]

4 minutes ago, Ice Hole said:

I will certainly try but for me it might take awhile.  Next year should work.

Good. Because I got the music written already  

[Goodzilla]

Gratulation, welll done!!!

I saw the moose already twice and also had an Aurora night.

 

I hope I will finish it also within this year, I needed to start again after your explenations about healt not raising anymore exept with stims.

[Guest jeffpeng]

12 hours ago, Ice Hole said:

I will certainly try but for me it might take awhile.  Next year should work.

I've taken the liberty of adding a second verse and making minor modifitions to the lyrics to accomodate tempo. Also it's a 1:45 minute folk-rock anthem.  

[Folk intro, picked guitar, 4/4 95bpm]

Verse:
The road is long, with many a winding turn
That lead us to who knows where - who knows where

Chorus:
But I'm strong, strong enough to carry him
He ain't heavy to me
He's my battery!

[50% tempo up here, guitar strummed no capo, 145? bpm]

Verse:
Are we chased by one more wolf or is it fate crawling up our trail?
What does it matter my old friend cuz in the end we're going straight to hell!

Chorus
Yes I'm strong, strong enough to carry him
He ain't heavy to me
He's my battery!

[Finale (half tempo, double beats)}
He's my battery! x4 (xD)

[ajb1978]

I kind of wish I'd taken better notes..or notes at all..but I just completed this challenge.  Notable milestones: Finding an Improvise Hatchet at the Poacher's Camp, being nearly dead at the Maintenance Yard, e-stimming myself up to about 60% while making the ascent to Milton, spending a few days in MIlton dodging wolves and sewing up my gear, stoning bunnies, getting Well Fed, mittens and hat.  Tackling the HRV grave site in one push (there and back in a day).  Getting wolved as I was leaving Milton, took the doggo out with that hatchet. Retreated and spent another couple days repairing crap.  Finally throwing caution to the wind and burning through the final grave sites, ending in DP by the Riken around day 20-ish.

I've no desire to repeat this. Ever.  Screw this challenge.  I play this game to relax, not to add stress.  I did it, I'm done, it's retired.  In the bag. Adios.

Edit: I'm going to start up a nice easy Pilgrim game, to earn the 3 new badges.  I've earned the right.

Edited December 17, 2019 by ajb1978

[ManicManiac]

@ajb1978
Bravo!

30 minutes ago, ajb1978 said:

I'm going to start up a nice easy Pilgrim game, to earn the 3 new badges.  I've earned the right.

"Yes... rest... forever sleep... earned it *you have..."
     - Grand Master Yoda (*paraphrased)

[MarrowStone]

Maybe the challenge description or objective notes needs to include the helpful tidbit of "hey survivors, you wont regen health!" Those who don't visit the forums and know of Deadman won't understand why they can't get condition back and might assume it's a bug. 

The only clue was "as your life ebbs" in the description.

Edited December 17, 2019 by MarrowStone

[Drifter Man]

Why the rush? I'm on Day 10 and have only ticked off one grave  Like @ajb1978 said, I want to relax, not to add stress

Just to add to @jeffpeng's observations:

• I found an improvised knife, so far the only non-interloper find, otherwise all loot looks just like loper.
• Aurora or no aurora, would ammunition crafting be of any value when there are no guns? Or can you make IED's to place at bear caves?
• I haven't seen a moose, but I heard one, and it was enough for me to fall through weak ice...

 

Edited December 17, 2019 by Drifter Man

[Guest jeffpeng]

9 hours ago, ajb1978 said:

I've earned the right.

 

7 hours ago, MarrowStone said:

Maybe the challenge description or objective notes needs to include the helpful tidbit of "hey survivors, you wont regen health!" Those who don't visit the forums and know of Deadman won't understand why they can't get condition back and might assume it's a bug. 

The only clue was "as your life ebbs" in the description.

I think that would be fair. Even I wasn't really sure if there was health regen or not, tried Birch Bark and took notes if maybe they sneaked in some daytime recover. And I practically live on the forums.

1 hour ago, Drifter Man said:

Why the rush? I'm on Day 10 and have only ticked off one grave  Like @ajb1978 said, I want to relax, not to add stress

See, that's how people are different.  I'm on my second round, 2 days 34 Minutes in, currently residing at the Milton Farm House, and I've already ticked the grave in Broken Railroad. My new route is

 

BI -> FM via Spence's -> BR (Maintenance Yard and out again) -> FM via Marsh Ridge -> Milton via Farm -> HRV (Cross and out again) -> Milton via Grey Mother's & Orca -> ML via Trappers and Camp office (and notably Skip the Dam) -> Ravine (Cross and through) -> CH via Bear Creek, Fishing Village, Jackrabbit and skip Quonset -> OIC -> DP (skip lighthouse, Cross at Riken and out again) -> OIC -> CH via Quonset -> PV skip everything and got straight to -> TWM

I have no bedroll, yet, have no pry bar, no hacksaw, no hatchet, no knive. No coffee, and my food supply is seriously short. Matches again appear to be more common than interloper. I had to stim up to make the climb from the Milton Basin, which came in handy since I was down to 80% anyways. My clothing is fine-ish with a Mackinaw and a Parka from Spence's, and Working Gloves from the MYard. Since I was basically always followed by a wolf both my stays in FM I had little opportunity to collect a lot of cattails there, and I had no time to lose in the Milton Basin fighting impending fatigue. Having no hacksaw makes harvesting carcasses unfeasible. So .... I guess I'll see what this tour de force earns me. Probably a premature death  

Edited December 17, 2019 by jeffpeng

[Drifter Man]

49 minutes ago, jeffpeng said:

I have no bedroll, yet, have no pry bar, no hacksaw, no hatchet, no knive. No coffee, and my food supply is seriously short. Matches again appear to be more common than interloper. I had to stim up to make the climb from the Milton Basin, which came in handy since I was down to 80% anyways. My clothing is fine-ish with a Mackinaw and a Parka from Spence's, and Working Gloves from the MYard. Since I was basically always followed by a wolf both my stays in FM I had little opportunity to collect a lot of cattails there, and I had no time to lose in the Milton Basin fighting impending fatigue. Having no hacksaw makes harvesting carcasses unfeasible. So .... I guess I'll see what this tour de force earns me. Probably a premature death  

Deadman runs depend so much on luck... if you are in luck, they are almost easy, if you are out of luck, then the fun begins.

Edited December 17, 2019 by Drifter Man

[Guest jeffpeng]

7 minutes ago, Drifter Man said:

Deadman runs depend so much on luck... if you are in luck, they are almost easy, if you are out of luck, then the fun begins.

So far my luck is somewhere in the yellow part of the meter. I dodged both the blizzards, but wolves have a particular interest in me, apparently. No tools is bad, but Mackinaw and Parka is good. So ... yeah, probaly in the average category.

Edited December 17, 2019 by jeffpeng

[Drifter Man]

18 minutes ago, jeffpeng said:

So far my luck is somewhere in the yellow part of the meter. I dodged both the blizzards, but wolves have a particular interest in me, apparently. No tools is bad, but Mackinaw and Parka is good. So ... yeah, probaly in the average category.

Then I wish that it stays at the right level to keep things exciting

[Guest jeffpeng]

On 12/15/2019 at 11:06 PM, Ice Hole said:

The next challenge awaits the Dead Battery Man!  Deliver Battery to each location.

Just realised that those lyrics were from a Hollies Song ^^ Dammit. 

[Guest jeffpeng]

2nd run, first update: 3 days, 9 hours, 51 minutes. I've just entered the Milton -> ML transition cave. I have been to HRV and back, and had a near collision with a wolf - but managed to walk him off. Still no bedroll, still no hacksaw, but a singular cup of coffee (yaaay) and a pry bar. Condition: 100%, but that's with the new acquired Well Fed (yes, I avoided starvation, albeit by the skin of my at times underutilised teeth), and after the one stim I used to get up from the Milton Basin. After looting Grey Mother's, the bank and Orca's my food resources look promising for at least two days. Not sure if I can beat 9 days, 3 hours, but I should be able to beat my previous 15 days 16 hours by a longshot.

Edited December 17, 2019 by jeffpeng

[ajb1978]

On 12/15/2019 at 11:08 AM, jeffpeng said:

• There is no prey wildlife whatsoever. No rabbits, no deer. Haven't seen moose, but I've seen bears (one awefully close). I would suspect fishing also doesn't work (needs confirmation!)

Definitely rabbits and moose, didn't see deer but I wasn't really on the lookout for those.  I only know about the moose because I was unlucky enough to get moosed straight away on my first attempt, as I was leaving BI, so I just scrapped the save and started over.  I forgot how far they aggro on Interloper settings.  And found rabbits in Milton, which is where I got my hat and gloves.  I actually was not on the lookout for deer so I don't recall if I saw any or not.  My plan wasn't to try for long-haul survival, but to power through as quickly as reasonable.

[Guest jeffpeng]

1 hour ago, ajb1978 said:

 And found rabbits in Milton

I haven't seen a single one in two playthroughs. Which leads me to....

I rest my case. *drops the mouse*

I used two stims in the playthrough, one to climb from the Milton Basin to the Farm, one ..... on my victory sprint through TWM to the cross, which was my final destination.

I probably could have saved a few more hours. I went out of my way to get the hacksaw from the dam, and took a slight detour to the dam via Alan's Cave since I suspected correctly I would find a bedroll there. In the end I wouldn't have needed either of those. I also contracted Food Poisoning leaving the Dam towards the ravine snacking on some 44% sardines. Luckily I was rather tired already, so I didn't lose more than 2-3 hours. I also had 40 ish cattails left, and some other snacks.

But other than that I was very lucky with the weather. Clean sailing through ML, CH twice, OIC, DP and PV. So under optimal circumstances I could have maybe saved 6-12 hours, but at least for me that's as good as it gets.

Edited December 17, 2019 by jeffpeng