Beachcombing Part 2 - What have you found?

[Glacia]

3 hours ago, Serenity said:

I think the amount is a bit much though what with there being a a blizzard every other day. Before it took a long time for the loot to refresh. Don't get me wrong, I think there should certainly be stuff on Interloper. And probably even more than before. The old loot was a bit low to make it a truly interesting mechanic for my tastes, but now it seems a bit overtuned.

Indeed, the amount of loot refreshing every blizzard it's considerably high and likely unbalanced. However the loot tables are good, the problem lies about the frequency of the items washing at the coast (Every blizzard).

This system should be perfectly balanced if items wash every 2 or 3 blizzards than after every blizzard, but anyways im not sure if a change is needed. Beachcombing it's mostly for very late game and at this point you just play for a challenge or casual fun; If you get a lot of items isn't that bad anyways, you already should have everything at this point.

[Serenity]

1 hour ago, Glacia said:

Beachcombing it's mostly for very late game

You can actually live perfectly well right from the start just from beach combing. For food you have fish and whole carcasses, which also give you hides and guts. It's sometimes more than you can eat. And there is a good amount of clothing to be found. The only thing holding you back is matches. And a hammer to forge.

Edited April 10, 2023 by Serenity

[Dan_]

Well, got my quality tools on loper, a marine flare and a big surprise:

Not much inside, just some rotten fish. Pumped for the quality tools though.

 

[UpUpAway95]

I think cutting it back to every 2nd or 3rd blizzard doesn't work well with the variable blizzard settings... that is, they occur less frequently in the easier difficulties (Pilgrim and Voyageur).  Rather than a reduction across the board, I think it should on more of a sliding scale with the blizzard setting... that is, the higher the blizzard frequency, the greater the number of blizzards that can happen where loot will not wash up on the beach.

[ajb1978]

I have been finding an INSANE amount of arrows, both broken and with 2-3 shots left in them. And by insane I mean I did a literal spit-take (had to pause and grab a towel) when I pulled out my bow and realized I had 37 arrows.

Hatchets too, I've taken to chopping up limbs just for the heck of it until the hatchet breaks, then harvesting that too. Just because they're literally disposable at this point.

[hozz1235]

Yeah, BC has made it very much a reality to "live forever".

14 hours ago, Dan_ said:

Well, got my quality tools on loper, a marine flare and a big surprise:

Not much inside, just some rotten fish. Pumped for the quality tools though.

 

Looks like DP?

[Dan_]

9 hours ago, hozz1235 said:

Looks like DP?

Precisely. Shore ends right ahead into the slope to Katie's. 

Agree with the sentiment that you can actually live forever with a quick weeklong trip to the beach every now and then. I'm fully expecting HL to tune the riches down a bit in timely fashion. 

Edited April 14, 2023 by Dan_
grammar

[Glacia]

BC it's incredible overpowered right now, mostly on voyager/stalker.

The amount of arrows, tools, and other resources it's just too abundant to let a player almost survive exclusively with BC resources. Also, giving the players tools with a quick beach trip, makes searching for tools early game useless (On stalker).

I think a good start to balance the system could be:

- On any non-loper settings:  Remove tools (Or make an extremetly rare drop) from the BC tables, nerf the amount of arrows (Or again, remove them) and other core resources and fish.

- Interloper:  Reduce the amount of fish from the BC table, the other items are balanced right now.

[Serenity]

34 minutes ago, Glacia said:

Interloper:  Reduce the amount of fish from the BC table, the other items are balanced right now.

Carcasses could be reduced too. You get tons of deer and wolf carcasses washing up.

Also lots of shoes for leather. Which isn't bad altogether of course, but it doesn't need to be this much.

And just in general I'd reduce the amount of stuff washed up after each blizzard. Could be a bit more than with the old system overall, but it's just soooo much right now.

[Mistral]

TBH this needed more rebalance fixing than bringing "Tales" to Loper... beachcombing is horrendously easy now. Especially when blizzards are set to max.

I now almost wish to complete disable it via custom options if it's to be like this...

Edited April 17, 2023 by Mistral

[Glacia]

4 minutes ago, Mistral said:

TBH this needed more rebalance fixing than bringing "Tales" to Loper... beachcombing is horrendously easy now. Especially when blizzards are set to max.

I now almost wish to complete disable it via custom options if it's to be like this...

Changing the % of the loot tables or removing certain items it's more than enough to balance the system.

Im pretty sure HTL it's gonna address BC earlier or later, because actually the system even makes several game features meaningless.

[Mistral]

1 hour ago, Glacia said:

Changing the % of the loot tables or removing certain items it's more than enough to balance the system.

Im pretty sure HTL it's gonna address BC earlier or later, because actually the system even makes several game features meaningless.

I'd be fine with new items after every storm if the chance of getting garbage like sticks or recycled cans was the most likely outcome. It would make getting those valuable items once every 50 storms or so more rewarding

[UpUpAway95]

On 4/5/2023 at 2:57 PM, Glacia said:

I suspect region may change the loot, it makes sense to loot marine flares on bleak inlet. You get common flares on interloper? I haven't see one yet.

I can't see why the "low-end" loot (i.e. stuff that has always washed up on the beach like flares) would now become region-specific.  I can see why some types of boats might be region specific.  Personally, I haven't done enough beachcombing to know... beyond my "blizzardless" test that resulted in no respawns of items on the beach in CH and no unusual loot to start with anyways.

[Blizzard Walker]

On my Voyageur run I had been exploring TWM and AC when the the improved beach combing mechanics took effect.  Returning to CH I found one overturned canoe/row boat my first day back with some ruined fish, hatchet and oar.  Otherwise, apart from the usual sticks, cloth, wood, I found a first ever used rifle cartridge. In a usual spot I search at the end of Jackrabbit island (closest to Misanthrope) I found yet another broken arrow.  On this run I have found so many arrows (deer carcasses, beach combing, prepper caches and memento caches) - 32 in all - that I have not bothered to visit a forge to make arrowheads.

[Glacia]

1 hour ago, UpUpAway95 said:

I can't see why the "low-end" loot (i.e. stuff that has always washed up on the beach like flares) would now become region-specific.  I can see why some types of boats might be region specific.  Personally, I haven't done enough beachcombing to know... beyond my "blizzardless" test that resulted in no respawns of items on the beach in CH and no unusual loot to start with anyways.

Currently, there is no enough evidence to prove region-specific rewards or loots. Also, it seems the Boat can't spawn at least in bleak Inlet and old island connector.

On my old run, i have tested more than 100 days on bleak inlet beachcombing and i only noticed that certain items maybe have an internal "cooldown".

For a example, there are times where i find marine flares a lot but then more than 30-40 days without seeing a single one. The same applies to several non-common items.

However this can be pure luck.

 

[hozz1235]

1 hour ago, Glacia said:

For a example, there are times where i find marine flares a lot but then more than 30-40 days without seeing a single one. The same applies to several non-common items.

Almost makes me wonder if there are multiple loot tables which "cycle".  I find that unlikely though.

[Glacia]

2 hours ago, hozz1235 said:

Almost makes me wonder if there are multiple loot tables which "cycle".  I find that unlikely though.

I think so.

We can only know with further testing. With the current info, there is little evidence to a cyclical system on beachcombing.

[Shadox]

I dont really get how People can complain about the amount of leather or whatever you get via beachcombing. In my opinion its nice to have sort of a respawn of crucial materials here in this game. Also the amount of shoes you find there makes wearing the aviators hat a little more viable, which has a tiny bit more windproof by a little less weight compared to the rabbit hat. Everything else is very balanced. Sometimes you find a few flares or a blue tool, but then none of them for many days, with just fishes and carcasses and sometimes a sapling (that has been there before anyways)

On Interloper, beachcombing is NOT gamebreaking because you dont find tools, let alone 5 hatches on every run, compared to lower difficultys.

Below Interloper, you get swarmed with such an insane amount of loot anyways, that getting more of this via beachcombing dont matter

[Serenity]

41 minutes ago, Shadox said:

In my opinion its nice to have sort of a respawn of crucial materials here in this game.

Of course it is. But it doesn't need to be this much. If you get that amount of leather over a far longer time it's still more than enough.

Same with fish really. It's nice to find them and they were there before, but they make any other other food source unnecessary. Which would be fine later in the game when you can be swimming in bear beat anyways (though it can be argued that you shouldn't get as many fish from beach combing as with actual fishing). But it really alters early game balance.

Edited April 18, 2023 by Serenity

[Mistral]

I'm a simple man. The less stuff there is in offer, the happier I am. It comes closer to true Survival and living off the land, rather than hoarding. Therefore not only would I love to be able to disable this luxurious treasure cove Beachcombing 2.0, but also have the Custom options to offer loot tables worse than the lowest setting now available. Currently the only way to achieve this (and rekindle the old TLD spirit where the World was small) is to do One Region challenges or just ignoring stuff on purpose. Which you of course have to do anyway in any game to some extent but I'm also talking of things like matches which still spawn in millions

Edited April 19, 2023 by Mistral

[xanna]

6 hours ago, Mistral said:

I'm a simple man. The less stuff there is in offer, the happier I am. It comes closer to true Survival and living off the land, rather than hoarding.

I feel exactly the same. I am a simple xan. If there were a 'no, even less loot than that' setting on Custom, I'd use it.
I will probably ignore beachcombing unless there is a specific thing I need that I can't get elsewhere.

[ManicManiac]

20 hours ago, ManicManiac said:

I could agree, I think (from the sounds of it) that it might take some tuning to get it feeling right.
I haven't had a chance to see it for myself yet... but like any gear/supplies found in the game, if I feel like I'm finding too much stuff... I just won't use it. 🤭

I mean just because it's there doesn't mean we have to take/use it.

  Also in the meantime, if we really want "less stuff"...  we could also simply not go beachcombing.

 

Edited April 19, 2023 by ManicManiac

[Shadox]

20 minutes ago, ManicManiac said:

  Also in the meantime, if we really want "less stuff"...  we could also simply not go beachcombing.

 

This. Those who want to restrict themselves can do it, just like those who pick 1 Region Challenges or whatever. But others like me who enjoy wandering and surviving with an existing character for as long as possible, Beachcombing helps alot for the long term survival. My Gunloper even found Matches, thats not possible for Interloper (i think) but with a flare from time to time, emergency fire is renewable.

I do enjoy the early game, looting and all the struggle one has until you get stuff like double bearcoat, cooking 5 etc. Thats where the survival pressure hits the most.

But the real fun starts when i can slowly explore and re-visit all maps again, taking as much time as i want, without a hurry to hit all the best Lootspots as early as possible. Getting things like saplings, leather, metal etc help with that. Without this new Beachcombing, i would not wear that nice new aviator hat, for example. Without the regular new saplings, i'd probably not shoot all the wolves that start stalking me, and conserve arrows for animals that give twice as much meat, which would be more risky overall.

Beachcombing just makes late game more comfortable, while not being game breaking for overpowered at any part of the Game. Its perfectly fine as it is.

And even if you get some easy fishes, carcasses and shoes there in the early game, you cant just take them by hand in that cold, you wont find any tools, and if you beachcomb for too many days without doing the routine you should do during the first 50 Interloper days, you'll either die or things turn alot more diffcult, compared to how difficult it would be if one uses time in the early game more productively. That means, finding hacksaw and hammer, forge knife and arrowheads, craft bow, loot TWM peak, get backpack, loot other areas. This will get you stuff you wont find by sitting 50 Days in Jackrabbit's.

Below Interloper? Well, if you loot 50 Knifes and Hatchets in all the regions with probably 100 whetstones, and all that cloth/clothing available, having more loot from beachcombing is completely irrelevant. Theres nothing wrong with this new system.

[Blizzard Walker]

Playing Voyageur, returned to CH from PV on Day 620 to try out the new and improved beach combing. Now I am on Day 647 with a bounty of extra loot.

I have taken to using the two fishing huts to the east and west of Jackrabbit Island as mini bases just waiting for more blizzards.  Each hut is stocked with wood/sticks, water and food.  Washed up sticks, cedar logs, boards and pallets provide fuel.  Washed up salmon and bass provide sufficient food.  Deer and wolf carcasses found on the beach add to my stock of hides and guts.  After each blizzard - maybe 8 so far - I walk the entire waterfront to find what washed up.

I encountered the ship once so far: 1 Hacksaw, 3 Flare Shells, 2 Marine Flares, 1 Piece Cloth and 2 Fish onboard.  I tried using the bedroll both on the deck and in the enclosed cabin - cannot be done. The cabin might provide some shelter during a blizzard but I would not want to put it to the test.

Other notable items - apart from those noted on ship - include the following:

2 quality tools, 5 rifle casings, 1 rifle round, 1 Whetstone, 1 Stim, 1 Flashlight, 7 broken arrows, 6 intact arrows, 6 birch saplings, 3 maple saplings,  2 more flare shells, 3 red flares, 1 more marine flare, 3 hatchets, 1 spray paint, ketchup chips, beef jerky, Old Mans Beard lichen, birch bark, pain pills, antibiotic pills and cattails.

Clothes have included climbing socks in repairable condition and shoes/boots too numerous to mention.  Broken down these have netted at least 35 pieces of cloth and 25 pieces of leather.  

I have seen no degradation in loot quality over time.

Prior to the change in beach combing I viewed the CH Fishing Camp, PV Farmhouse and TWM Mountaineers Hut as all equally good long term bases.  Now the CH Fishing Camp/Jackrabbit Island area is by far my preferred area for a 5,000 day plus run.

 

Edited April 22, 2023 by Blizzard Walker
spelling and grammar

[Glacia]

Beachcombing have enchanced survival on coastal regions, notably Bleak Inlet have a niche of being the arguably, safest region in the entire game even on Interloper.

This may sound rare but once you get to the worker residences with enough fishing tackles and common stuff, didpatch the bear and the place is safe for around 50 days. Just a trip to the cannery every 10 days to kill one timberwolf and control population, and done, everything 100% safe.

Having beachcombing in the front of your home gives a lot of resources, and pickup everything takes very little time, unlike CH with a massive coastline. BC gives all resources needed to have everything renewable, plus the milling machine to have tools at perfect state and unlimited food with fishing.

Definitely worth to try 😉