TLD can be extremely difficult!

[Glacia]

3 hours ago, UpUpAway95 said:

but I think most interloper players prefer FM in order to manage the cabin fever risk and they don't like the narrowness of the entrance to the zone.

The office of the maintenance yard it's a safe place to sleep/hunt and does not contribute to cabin fever risk. You can literally stay in the office forever, using as a main base than the maintenace yard itself.

The most problematic aspect of the BR region on interloper early game it's how dangerous can be. Avoid wolves at narrow places can be tricky, and there are a lot of places in the entrance where a wolf can appear without making sounds and attacking you inmediatly.

[UpUpAway95]

1 hour ago, Glacia said:

The office of the maintenance yard it's a safe place to sleep/hunt and does not contribute to cabin fever risk. You can literally stay in the office forever, using as a main base than the maintenace yard itself.

The most problematic aspect of the BR region on interloper early game it's how dangerous can be. Avoid wolves at narrow places can be tricky, and there are a lot of places in the entrance where a wolf can appear without making sounds and attacking you inmediatly.

Wolves have to be cleared out of the area around Spence's as well to be safe.  Yes, you can sleep in the office in BR, but you cannot forge in the outdoors (or craft for that matter).  You must be inside for that.  As I said, it is my perceived reason for there being a preference.  My reason for preferring BR is simply to avoid walking around onto "thin ice" in a fog... nothing more. 

Note:  You also have to pass through a narrow area with several wolves to get to DP and the Riken (Crumbling Highway).  Getting into BR is really not much different.

 

Edited November 27, 2022 by UpUpAway95

[Semple Fi]

11 hours ago, UpUpAway95 said:

I also like the Broken Railroad forge, but I think most interloper players prefer FM in order to manage the cabin fever risk and they don't like the narrowness of the entrance to the zone.  Personally, I don't like getting to the FM forge over the ice in the heavy fogs that tend to prevail in that area.  I have often ended up breaking through, so I prefer to stay with the tracks (which go into Broken Railroad).  I like desolation point, but I just never seem to be at that corner of the map these days. 

I’ve just found it works out better for me early on by not deviating from the tracks 🙂

[James Hickok]

On 11/26/2022 at 11:03 AM, peteloud said:

I have already died more than a dozen times, fortunately I cheated and saved as I went along.  That earlier carelessness will probably put me in an irrecoverable state soon.

You got me confused here. Didnt you say something about cheating? Playing like this is no fun at all 😕If you dont feel up to it just play a bit more on lower difficulty.

 

18 hours ago, UpUpAway95 said:

I also like the Broken Railroad forge, but I think most interloper players prefer FM in order to manage the cabin fever risk and they don't like the narrowness of the entrance to the zone.  Personally, I don't like getting to the FM forge over the ice in the heavy fogs that tend to prevail in that area.  I have often ended up breaking through, so I prefer to stay with the tracks (which go into Broken Railroad).  I like desolation point, but I just never seem to be at that corner of the map these days. 

I know FM very very good and even in the fog i know where i am. I understand that it can be a problem for some. There is also a way to get to the FM safe but it takes a bit longer thus needs a stop or two for fire. If you go along the tracks towards BR, just before BR enterance you go left and there is a way to go up the hill and then pass the fallen tree and you exit near the cave with the broken signal tower. From there is easy to go down to forge. If its foggy and you dont feel safe its a good way to go there safe. BR can be nasty with blizzard and there are some choke points with wolves.

[UpUpAway95]

3 hours ago, James Hickok said:

You got me confused here. Didnt you say something about cheating? Playing like this is no fun at all 😕If you dont feel up to it just play a bit more on lower difficulty.

 

I know FM very very good and even in the fog i know where i am. I understand that it can be a problem for some. There is also a way to get to the FM safe but it takes a bit longer thus needs a stop or two for fire. If you go along the tracks towards BR, just before BR enterance you go left and there is a way to go up the hill and then pass the fallen tree and you exit near the cave with the broken signal tower. From there is easy to go down to forge. If its foggy and you dont feel safe its a good way to go there safe. BR can be nasty with blizzard and there are some choke points with wolves.

Thank you.  Yes, I am aware of that route (a poster here even made me a video a few years ago as I was having trouble finding the path up to the fallen tree and was winding up in the drink trying to get by the small island near that tree - which is surrounded by thin ice).  If I do opt to go to the FM forge instead of BR, I do usually take this longer route rather than venture across the ice.  Fog and thin ice are often my nemeses in this game.  My IRL vision frankly sucks and I get turned around easily.   Yes, the route through BR has choke points, but as long as the winds are calm, one can dissuade them with torches and stones... just the same as they can be dissuaded anywhere else until one finishes their bow (hopefully, one has carried in a maple and a couple of birch to cure there).  Then it's open season in the maintenance yard and perhaps even a quick moose by the bridge or up by the hunting lodge (which is, IMO, the nicest location on the map so far).  If there is a blizzard, you can usually get in without encountering wolves... and one still has the tracks to guide them most of the way.

[UpUpAway95]

An obviously auger-drilled hole in the ice would still be a sign of human habitation and would still likely break with the theme of the area.  Fishing is not really needed right in the zone anyways.  The could, instead, pop a fishing hut onto the pond in Mountain Town on the pond closest to the entrance to the transition cave and people can then quickly pop out of the zone to craft and fish at the same time (since exiting the zone to craft would still be necessary).

[Bean]

Setting: I don’t save games, and I don’t edit them.  I do remember a lot about where things spawn. 
 

Loper is several games in one.  When you spawn (always in a difficult zone) you must get matches and/or get to an indoors zone before you freeze to death, which can happen pretty fast!   Try to collect some sticks and reeds on your way to such things.   
 

second game is finding food and clothing to keep you going.  This is also tricky, sometimes, as loot can be ridiculously rare.  
 

The Warming Up buff is critical for these early days.  Make yourself hot drinks and chain torches/fires from one place to another.  It helps to keep moving and don’t backtrack.  Once you have found a hacksaw and a hammer, head to a forge.  I prefer Desolation Point because of all the indoor zones, plentiful coal, and plentiful scrap metal.  Try to have gatherered a bunch of cat tails to eat while you forge your knife and axe and arrow heads.  Get at least 20 arrow heads.  
 

the next game is making bow and arrows and hunting for food.  I like CH for this as game is plentiful and there are lots of open spaces and loot.  This is also where you manufacture some leather clothing, and a wolf skin coat.  After forty days, I finished all this and left CH with 24 °C of clothing.  There is enough meat left there to eat for two months.  
 

then the game is exploring and finding stuff to upgrade your wardrobe.  I headed to Timberwolf mountain summit first, which was frankly disappointing.  Then I went to ash canyon and got the technical pack and crampons as well as more loot.  
 

now I’m in Milton nosing around for loot.  HRV will be next.   Basically I move through every zone gearing up slowly and establishing bases.  Eventually I’ll return to CH with the best loot and settle in.  
 

 

[Serenity]

Quote

and chain torches/fires from one place to another.

People keep mentioning that all the time, but it's really not necessary. Sure, it helps and it conserves some matches here and there. But it's not something you absolutely must do to survive. Interloper isn't that hard and allows for multiple approaches.

What regions you visit on what order, or if you are stationary or more nomad-like also comes down to personal preference. Plenty of options.

Edited December 2, 2022 by Serenity