First time Interloper problems

[JMK]

On 1/22/2020 at 11:29 PM, sierra 117 said:

That's a great early game find for Interloper.

A golden opportunity.

On 1/22/2020 at 9:14 PM, Makex said:

Question is: How would you handle the situation?

 

Set a fire, get 4 kg of meat, cook  2 pieces of meat while you skin it. Cook 2 new pieces of meat ...

At this stage, you surely want that moose skin for a satchel !

[Guest jeffpeng]

12 hours ago, Jimmy said:

Also, for what it's worth I've found a mackinaw jacket in the cars on the Spruce Falls Bridge in Mountain Town, in the front seat, not inside a boot or other container, so it's worth risking the wolf and bear here for a quick check of this location each game if you're looking for one.

That one I never heard of. Nice.

[dbmurph22]

Yep, I 've found a Mackinaw there.  And I think in Stalker you can find an Expedition Parka there.   But I can't remember how consistent they are or if it's a static spawn.  I don't think so - since I think I've not found them there before, too.  But I'm not certain.  It might be a high level RNG spot.

[Stein15]

I love starting interloper in Forlorn.  For me it is the preferred map because you have access to so many cat-tails which are great for starting fire and eating.  I also try to get as many reishi mushrooms and rose hips for making tea.  These are great for warming up.

My first goal is to get to the spence homestead and hopefully find a hammer or hacksaw and matches.  Once thereI really try to warm up, gather coal and some firewood in between making some water.  If it is possible to warm up and move on I try to do that.  One of my goals is to leave at least 8 coal so that I can forge later.  If the weather is horrible you can break down some of the boxes for wood until the weather clears.  Don't try to spend the night though.

From here I move on to the deer blind closest to mystery lake trying to gather cat-tails on the way where possible and snag the hacksaw if it wasn't at the spence homestead.  These will be my supplemental food until I can start getting rabbits.

Once I make it to Mystery lake depending on the direction the wind is going I'll head to the trappers cabin or the mystery lake lodge.  There are plenty of rabbits in both places that I start getting with stones.  I don't bother with the snares as it seems I have a better chance bringing food home if I do it myself.  If I can find it I try to hit the birch and maple saplings whenever I see them and get them curing.  If the trappers cabin doesn't yield the hammer I head up to the lookout closest to the lodge.  Typically it is there or in the dam.  I will leave the rabbits in a spot until I'm ready to cook a batch of them.  In the meantime I munching on the cat tails.

Because the rabbit hides cure so quickly and they are a great source for early warmth bonuses when you make the hat or mittens.  Each give you +3.6 F.  As I'm exploring I do try to get hide and meat from fallen deer.  I really try to not put myself in a position to worsen my health so I'll likely start a fire.  Get a torch as soon as you can by adding a little extra firewood to a fire.  If I need to leave a fire early I'll keep taking torches until it won't let me.  Always start your torch with a match(100% guarantee light) and then start your fire with the torch.  Save you a ton of matches early on.

Early on I really try to avoid the wolves at all cost.  Once I have the hacksaw I head to the dam and scavange some scrap metal.  It is helpful if you find the toolbox at some point so you can repair the hacksaw.  Essential in my opinion.  Once you have enough scrap metal make a dash to the spence homestead again and make arrow heads and two knives.  I haven't been making the axe lately which means you won't be able to break down fir limbs.  So far this hasn't hurt too bad.

The last bit of advice is don't keep yourself full.  I will typically only eat enough to give me some health increases while sleeping.  During the day I don't eat but do drink water to keep hydrated.  Also when repairing clothes just make sure you are hydrated, don't worry about having food in your stomach.  The food is only needed when you need to read for advancing your skills.

When harvesting your rabbits early on, and you should get a ton, do it by hand.  It passes time and save both your knife and hacksaw.

Hope that helps.

[Jimmy]

6 hours ago, jeffpeng said:

That one I never heard of. Nice.

I know, it's a great little find if you've just hit HRV for the mackinaw and come back to find a second one a short hop away. All I'd planned on getting that trip was a fistful of cattails and a bunny breakfast below the bridge, so my eyes nearly popped out of my head when I saw that jacket.

5 hours ago, Stein15 said:

The last bit of advice is don't keep yourself full.  I will typically only eat enough to give me some health increases while sleeping.  During the day I don't eat but do drink water to keep hydrated.  Also when repairing clothes just make sure you are hydrated, don't worry about having food in your stomach.  The food is only needed when you need to read for advancing your skills.

When harvesting your rabbits early on, and you should get a ton, do it by hand.  It passes time and save both your knife and hacksaw.

Hope that helps.

Good advice all over, though personally I prefer to maintain Well Fed for the bonus carry weight. That's ten sticks, five coal, a survival bow and ten arrows of free stuff! With food so plentiful if you know where to look, I can't justify not spending a bit of extra effort.

When I start a game, I don't typically harvest rabbits for anything but their meat while I travel. I'll usually use my hacksaw or improvised knife, since I want to maximize the calorie value of my catch, and wasting extra calories doing it by hand isn't something I can easily justify. The exception is seven rabbit pelts that I put aside at Carter Hydro Dam for crafting mitts and a hat.

Similarly, the five deer hides are easily gained from the surroundings of Carter Hydro Dam as jeffpeng has mentioned, typically with three in Winding River and two in the Ravine. I don't bother with more than one pair of deerskin pants, since combat pants are a guaranteed spawn and completely superior inner option with about a third of the weight.

Strangely enough, I have remarkably regular luck getting the spawn point above the bear cave near Spence's on my new Interloper games. Which, if I'm not quick, can mean a fast finish of the run courtesy of Mr Bear.

[lore-nmj]

The safest place in The Long Dark is.. The menu system. Everything else is trying to kill you.

[manolitode]

5 hours ago, lore-nmj said:

The safest place in The Long Dark is.. The menu system. Everything else is trying to kill you.

If you're finding interloper too easy you can use the menu system to kill yourself. Just change language to mandarin. 

[JMK]

On 2/11/2020 at 12:23 AM, Stein15 said:

The last bit of advice is don't keep yourself full.  I will typically only eat enough to give me some health increases while sleeping.

Yup. Until you get a bow and hunt some deer,  there is pratically no way you can sustain well fed bonus so eating out of sleeping time (or reading) is mostly useless.

The exception is coastal highway because fishes are huge over there.

 

[Jimmy]

1 hour ago, JMK said:

Yup. Until you get a bow and hunt some deer,  there is pratically no way you can sustain well fed bonus so eating out of sleeping time (or reading) is mostly useless.

The exception is coastal highway because fishes are huge over there.

I beg to differ!

So long as you follow a few simple strategies, maintaining a Well Fed bonus is quite possible from spawn.

1. Always harvest calories
2. Stay warm
3. Avoid sprinting
4. Keep a light load

For the first rule, if you see a rabbit, bop it! If you see a deer carcass, harvest it! If you see a cat tail, grab it! Move from point to point via these resource nodes. Don't bother harvesting hide or gut from rabbits or deer carcasses unless you're near where you plan to make your base in game, and even then, only grab what you absolutely need for crafting. Just grab the calories from the carcasses you find, and make sure you use your best tool to save yourself time. Cook and eat your meat wherever you find it, and drop leftovers on the ground in case you come here again.

For the second rule, if your temperature meter is zero, two bad things are happening. You're losing health, and you're burning 50% more calories. Always stay warm whenever you can manage it. The best habit you can develop is to carry a torch as you walk. This adds +3°C to your feels-like temperature. That's half a bearskin coat! Plus, you have a source of free fire handy to build a quick campfire if you drain your temperature meter. Secondly, drink hot teas when moving over long distances. The extra +4°C on top of your torch is adding up to be a better bonus than a bearskin coat to your temperature at no extra weight. You don't need ten rose hip teas, but you do need to stay warm. And as an added bonus, you get a few free calories from them too.

For the third rule, sprinting is simply a waste of energy and calories. Reserve it only for crossing thin ice or for dashing through a blizzard to safety. If you're moving smart, you don't need to sprint to avoid freezing. You've got a +7°C bonus from your torch and tea, after all, and if you get cold, you can just start a campfire and warm up while you cook that rabbit you just caught. Take movement slow and steady, plan your route to pass through resource rich areas, and avoid the temptation to sacrifice your resources needlessly for a slight increase in speed.

For the fourth rule, it goes without saying. Being encumbered slows you down and burns more calories. These are two mortal sins in Interloper. Just drop it. Come back later if you absolutely need it. An organized inventory equals a healthy, happy, well fed survivor!

[JMK]

@Jimmy A first time interloper can't optimize his play like this. You got to run before you run.

[Makex]

How many days has passed when you have almost all crafted? Now it is day 54 and i have two deerskin pants, rabbit mittens and hat. Bow and seven arrows (three is missing somewhere). Two bear hides curing for the jacket. 8 rabbit hides and plenty of guts (25 or something). Knife and hatchet. I think thats it what i have right now.

I just got the second bear and have to wait 12 days for hide to cure. I think the first one is already cured. First bear was at Desolation point and this second one in Milton.

[manolitode]

25 minutes ago, Makex said:

How many days has passed when you have almost all crafted? Now it is day 54 and i have two deerskin pants, rabbit mittens and hat. Bow and seven arrows (three is missing somewhere). Two bear hides curing for the jacket. 8 rabbit hides and plenty of guts (25 or something). Knife and hatchet. I think thats it what i have right now.

I just got the second bear and have to wait 12 days for hide to cure. I think the first one is already cured. First bear was at Desolation point and this second one in Milton.

That's neat, only the moosy stuff to go then How many days depend on the current strategy. Right now I'm trying to loot thoroughly around 95% or so in each region so it takes longer, as that's my main objective then, not to get warm as fast as possible. I like to stone 3-4 bunnies in the first days and leave them to dry, takes away the stress to gather guts for me. But probably around day 30-60 depending on whether there's find moose and bear in decent locations. I haven't used the bear coat for a long time cause it slows you down so much but should probably give it another shot. Anyone know how much more effective it is than the wolfskin coat at scaring wolves away? 

[Makex]

38 minutes ago, manolitode said:

That's neat, only the moosy stuff to go then

I saw moose at day one and tought "this is some sort of f u from game"  . After i got bow and arrows, no moose sightings. I tought i have all done by day 70 but atleast this time it takes more than that. I think i got bit carried away with rabbit hunting, i had fifteen hides at day 6. One would say i was swimming in rabbit meat  

For me bear coat is just something i want to test. Is it really that bad what others say. I know it takes huge chunk of your mobility circle? and it weighs a lot. I can only hope it keeps wolves away from me most of the time and that time it doesn't it provides fairly decent protection against biting.

[manolitode]

1 hour ago, Makex said:

I saw moose at day one and tought "this is some sort of f u from game"  . After i got bow and arrows, no moose sightings. I tought i have all done by day 70 but atleast this time it takes more than that. I think i got bit carried away with rabbit hunting, i had fifteen hides at day 6. One would say i was swimming in rabbit meat  

For me bear coat is just something i want to test. Is it really that bad what others say. I know it takes huge chunk of your mobility circle? and it weighs a lot. I can only hope it keeps wolves away from me most of the time and that time it doesn't it provides fairly decent protection against biting.

For sure, they love to tease us with an early game moose 😄

Yes, two cons but I suppose you can skip the underlayer jacket slot and it's not too bad. Gotta try the bearskin jacket and bedroll sometime soon, been to long, just to count how many wolves they scare away, but I'm sure someone here has the numbers.