Harvesting FM

[hozz1235]

In my longest run, I'm always looking for things to do.  My latest mission was to completely loot FM.  This means all non-respawning harvestables.  Have to say, FM has a LOT!  Far more than any other zone IMO.  Plenty of opportunities to hone my wolf-hunting skills while I was at it.

[Schrodingers Box]

That’s why when I get an interloper start in FM I restart to get another random location. The ridiculous amount of plants makes it OP.  HRV is also OP for an interloper start too because of the clothing right from the start and abundant food. 

[manolitode]

17 hours ago, hozz1235 said:

In my longest run, I'm always looking for things to do.  My latest mission was to completely loot FM.  This means all non-respawning harvestables.  Have to say, FM has a LOT!  Far more than any other zone IMO.  Plenty of opportunities to hone my wolf-hunting skills while I was at it.

Agree, FM is nature's great pentry and the many wolf encounters with thin ice increase the challenge. When I try to loot the whole region I usually divide the map in half where the railroad runs and spend 2-3 days per side looting, depending on weather and condition. Even if I try to pick up all cattails I have to miss a couple on each playthrough.

I guess it's all relative but after years I still don't think FM is that easy. You get caught in sudden (very, very sudden) heavy fog so you try and get to the railroad except you're not going in the direction you think you're going. Suddently there's two wolves stalking you so you're kind of trapped and choose a shortcut over thin ice but for some reason the 4 second rule (or is it 5?) doesn't apply on this particular spot. Now you're soaked and an otherwise splendid playthrough is suddenly at risk. 

[hozz1235]

On 2/5/2021 at 6:29 AM, manolitode said:

When I try to loot the whole region I usually divide the map in half where the railroad runs

Yup, that's what I did as well.  The tracks (and powerlines!) are one of the best landmarks to keep orientation.  If fog, or bad weather, began to show, I would immediately begin looking for cover for the same reason you mentioned in your 2nd paragraph.

[Schrodingers Box]

4 minutes ago, Vince 49 said:

If you have an arrow with you, you don't need to loose your bearings.  You may not know exactly where you are, but you certainly can know in which direction you are going.  I recently started a game in PV that began a couple of hours before dawn.  Within a few minutes I was in a full blown blizzard.  Without the arrow, I would have wandered around until I was dead.  As it was, I saw an abandoned tractor and thought I knew approximately where I was and if I could walk due east I should eventually reach the main road.  So I would walk a few steps in a straight line, walk backwards a bit so I could see my footprints, then dropped an arrow.  Since a dropped arrow always points north, I knew which direction I was headed in and how to turn to head due east.  I did finally make it to the road and from there to the farmhouse--alive.

It works with a stick too. The pointy end always points north- except in PV where it points east. 

[Vince 49]

I recently made a post where, near the beginning of the game, I used an arrow to get my bearings.  As I read it over a few minutes later, I thought to myself, how would I have an arrow at the beginning of a game?  I realized that I had accidentally combined parts of two games, so deleted the post.  Below is the post as it should have been.

If you have an arrow with you, you don't need to loose your bearings.  You may not know exactly where you are, but you certainly can know in which direction you are heading.  I recently started a game in PV that began a couple of hours before dawn.  Within a few minutes I was in a full blown blizzard.  I though I knew where I was and luckily made it to the barn, already at risk of hypothermia.  Finding no new clothes, I was still below 0, so needed to make it to the farmhouse if I was to survive.  I left the barn and took the time to get an arrow from the archery target.  Without the arrow, I would have wandered around until I was dead.  As it was, I started walking in what I thought was due south were I should eventually encounter the river just north of the farm house.  Every little while I would walk backwards a bit so I could see my footprints, then drop an arrow.  Since a dropped arrow always points north, I knew how to adjust my direction to keep heading south.   I did finally make it to the river and from there to the farmhouse--alive.