No Looking Back—Community Challenge

[WanderingPalm]

The goal of this challenge is to survive as long as possible.

The rules of the challenge:

>>You may only enter an area that requires your game to save, ONCE each. This means that if you start in Mystery Lake, you may leave it, but you may never return. This also means that if you enter a house, you may not leave it, unless it has an exit that would put you in a different zone than the one you entered from. The idea being that you are unable to turn back, and will only move forward—retracing your steps is not an option (but for the sake of gameplay and accessibility, let’s say this doesn’t limit paths within a zone).

>>You can spend as long as you want in any zone, provided you do not return to a zone

>>The game mode should be set to Voyager

>>You choose where you start your game

>>No feats are allowed

>>Report how long you survived, and what your path was

Feel free to discuss! This was a fun one for my roommate and me to theorycraft the best route and determine what the best location would be to end in. 

Edited May 12, 2020 by WanderingPalm
Forgot to mention feats

[ManicManiac]

Interesting challenge.

I like the idea.

[Bean]

Could be boring to “win” this challenge.  
optimum strategy would be to collect lots of resources in the outdoors and then enter an indoor location and just camp out there for days or weeks until food runs out.  Then move on and repeat.  
 

Actually, theoretically i could survive forever in one zone never going indoors, starting in that zone. Timberwolf Mountain.  Start there, make a quick summit for gear, then camp out at the climbers shack (not a separate zone) and haul resources there while slowly building gear to

optimum.  I guess if you wanted to start in pleasant valley first, you could collect some arrows to take with you up the mountain and then just stay up there forever.  I’ve spent  the first fifty days up there before just getting all possible gear and making fur clothing and moose bags. 

Edited May 13, 2020 by Bean
Because

[WanderingPalm]

47 minutes ago, Bean said:

Could be boring to “win” this challenge.  
optimum strategy would be to collect lots of resources in the outdoors and then enter an indoor location and just camp out there for days or weeks until food runs out.  Then move on and repeat.  
 

Actually, theoretically i could survive forever in one zone never going indoors, starting in that zone. Timberwolf Mountain.  Start there, make a quick summit for gear, then camp out at the climbers shack (not a separate zone) and haul resources there while slowly building gear to

optimum.  I guess if you wanted to start in pleasant valley first, you could collect some arrows to take with you up the mountain and then just stay up there forever.  I’ve spent  the first fifty days up there before just getting all possible gear and making fur clothing and moose bags. 

I think you may be overestimating what you can carry, or what not being able to go into buildings truly limits you to. Sure, this challenge is a little different in style from the “how long can you last” challenges that pit you against very limited supplies in one location, which can generally be measured in days or maybe weeks. This challenge is more likely to run weeks to months in game, unless I bump it up to Interloper (but I honestly think it would be too undoable then), but it just means it’s a different style for those interested in a challenge with a lot more variability in the method to your success. Part of what I find interesting here is the planning and discussion of different methods. And discussing which specific buildings and places might be still accessible even with the limitations of this challenge.

The hard mode version of this would potentially be one that doesn’t let you use anything with a door, I think. Perhaps that creates a more finite experience?

EDIT: Actually, the more I think about this, the more I like the hard mode of not using anything with doors. No more cars, no fishing huts with door, no mountaineer’s hut that kind of wrecks the curve with not trapping you inside, and no dam for all those resources. It’s just you, the weather, and what caves or ruined buildings you can find (and maybe snow shelters if you can get enough cloth). I’m going to have to add that to the challenge.

Edited May 13, 2020 by WanderingPalm

[Bean]

Interloper might be a challenge.  I could still do it on Timberwolf mountain for a long time until I ran out of matches.  Lots to do there.  
the door thing would be super difficult especially to get started on interloper.  

[WanderingPalm]

1 hour ago, Bean said:

Interloper might be a challenge.  I could still do it on Timberwolf mountain for a long time until I ran out of matches.  Lots to do there.  
the door thing would be super difficult especially to get started on interloper.  

Hm, what if we remove the option of starting at TWM? You can choose to end there if you want, but that means you’re out a lot of matches, clothes, and tools right at the start. Maybe I should make different levels to this challenge.

Any game mode Voyageur+, but state what game mode you used in your run.

Easy- rules as listed originally

Medium- Easy rules, additionally, no doors allowed (no cars, no fish huts with doors, etc)

Hard- Medium rules, additionally, starting zone cannot be Timberwolf Mountain

Very Hard- Medium rules, but you may not access TWM at all

Insane- Very Hard rules, but also may not utilize any man-made construction (eg. building, shelter, car, train, etc), or loot contained within such a building or vehicle (ruined or otherwise) ((this is essentially the No Looking Back—Natural Survivor challenge))

Edited May 13, 2020 by WanderingPalm