Tips for how to not get bored?

[Catlover]

Let me know if this is in the wrong thread but I would appreciate some advice. 

I'm trying to last longer in TLD (vanilla stalker) but after 30 days or so, I get bored. I don't even know why.

I see people with 1000+ days and I'd love to know their secrets.

Anybody else struggle with longish term survival, and what can I do to keep with a save for longer? Any personal challenges, etc, would be appreciated. Thanks

[Leeanda]

6 minutes ago, Catlover said:

Let me know if this is in the wrong thread but I would appreciate some advice. 

I'm trying to last longer in TLD (vanilla stalker) but after 30 days or so, I get bored. I don't even know why.

I see people with 1000+ days and I'd love to know their secrets.

Anybody else struggle with longish term survival, and what can I do to keep with a save for longer? Any personal challenges, etc, would be appreciated. Thanks

Do you actually cover the entire map In 30+ days?   

Have to admit I do get bored sometimes on some runs ,even after day 2 . Then I throw her off a cliff and miss a day's play. Not quite the same thing I know  but it works for me anyway.  Very rarely I  try an interloper custom with everything on the hardest possible settings, just to see how long I last. My record is about 50 minutes real time🙂

[UpUpAway95]

10 hours ago, Leeanda said:

Do you actually cover the entire map In 30+ days?   

Have to admit I do get bored sometimes on some runs ,even after day 2 . Then I throw her off a cliff and miss a day's play. Not quite the same thing I know  but it works for me anyway.  Very rarely I  try an interloper custom with everything on the hardest possible settings, just to see how long I last. My record is about 50 minutes real time🙂

Basically, this is me too.  I plan for shorter runs in single regions and try to see how far I can level up my skills while staying in that region and when I'm bored with that, I end the save and move onto the next one.  Typical save length is maxed around 100 days.

Tips to the OP though based on the couple of 500-day saves I've done... play those saves in short bursts, interspersed with starting new files with a variety of unusual custom settings and the challenges Hinterland provides and maybe even a Wintermute run.  Change those short-run files up between Will and Astrid (so they at least sound different).   Keep your longest and go back to it only periodically, minutes at a time.  It will wait there on your hard drive for you.  Use your journal to remind yourself of where you left off each time.

Try taking lots of screen shots (or if you stream, get involved with your chatters)... and finally, if all this fails, take a break from the game altogether and play/do something else.  Running the same game over and over again with the same settings is boring... no two ways about it.

[mfuegemann]

I am at this point too. I started a long term run to achieve the "max all skills" and "faithful cartographer" Steam achievements. I was done with these around day 175.
Then I went over to Blackrock to roam around and find out all of its secrets. Now I have resettled to TWM and try to get the 500 days achievement. But it is getting quite boring - and another 240 days to go . . .

[peteloud]

I have a few runs over 1,000 at straight Stalker and Voyager levels.  I always like to completely draw the charcoal map which involves me in lots of travelling around and going to small places where there is no other reason to go.  Recently drawing the map has become easier.  Using a Polaroid to aid mapping exposes a very large area of the map. Previously using charcoal only exposed a small area of the map.

I prefer the long runs.  Obviously runs in which you have all skills at level 5 and good clothes are much easier than the struggles of the first few days in a game.  I play TLD to relax. Those first few days can be stressful.  I don't want to die of a stress induced heart attack.

[Ahad Ahmet]

12 hours ago, Catlover said:

Let me know if this is in the wrong thread but I would appreciate some advice. 

I'm trying to last longer in TLD (vanilla stalker) but after 30 days or so, I get bored. I don't even know why.

I see people with 1000+ days and I'd love to know their secrets.

Anybody else struggle with longish term survival, and what can I do to keep with a save for longer? Any personal challenges, etc, would be appreciated. Thanks

hello! i know exactly what you are talking about cuz i had the same feeling before. after looting the summit, there is nothing  you can find in the world thats actually an upgrade and you have TONS of manmade food (like granola bars, MRE's, canned food etc.) that you dont even worry about being hungry. at this point you can try to play in interloper (which will solve all these problems ;) ) or you can do what i did and make a challenge for yourself. my challenge is this, you start a new game with custom, pick the stalker settings then  max up the hunger and thirst . you can only pick 3 badges ( or less if u want it to be more challenging) and i recommend you to not pick the badge that reduce the hunger  and you are not allowed to eat manmade food. you can only eat cattails, meat and fish. personally i dont want to carry around extra 5 kgs to have a rifle so i use bow and that makes everthing more spiced. with these challenges i wander around and learn every corner of the maps. it is definitely much more fun like this.

[Pınar51-06]

I am around my 280-290 days of run and now ı am trying to find all cairns and collect all buffer memories.  Faithful Carthographer is also an option (which is my favourite).

[Jimmy]

I'd suggest setting goals to mark your ability to improve at the game.

Once you have the basics down, set yourself a goal of being able to survive on higher difficulties. See if you're ready to graduate from Stalker to Interloper.

Then, set yourself further goals. Get your Interloper to Day 50 and enjoy those -40°C mornings. Hit TWM Summit, HRV Signal Fire, AC Gold Mine, BP Prison, and bring your loot back to your base. Work on getting those skills to cap. Have a stockpile of food and water at every major base.

Have you finished all the challenges? It's fun to get a few badges, and each challenge offers some very different playstyles for a bit of variety. They'll also help teach you some interesting tricks by forcing you to play the game differently to your normal style.

Most importantly, make sure you're not overdoing it in front of a screen. Gaming marathons are a sure-fire way to burn out. Get up, move around, do some exercise or go for a walk outside. It's good for your body and your mood. Gotta be ready in case of the apocalypse, am I right?

[Catlover]

Oh wow thanks guys for all the help, I didn't expect to get so much advice. 

Thank you@Jimmy  (No I haven't really done the challenges yet but I'll give them a try)@Pınar51-06 @Ahad Ahmet @peteloud @mfuegemann @UpUpAway95 @Leeanda (also to answer your question, no I don't make it all the way through the entire map, I stop playing a save long before then) 

Everyone's tips are really helpful. A problem I have is that I try play it for a while, not in short bursts, so if I take a break every half hour or so that would help, hopefully. 

I'll also try get everything to level five, etc and @Ahad Ahmet Your personal challenge seems really cool so I'll give that a go.

Again, I appreciate the help, thanks

 

Edited February 4, 2022 by Catlover