Taking on Stalker

[AmericanSteel]

It is evident I am not ready for Stalker. Or maybe I just have to pay my Stalker dues. Decided to start a new game with the series of updates this week and now I wish I had my well stocked, 75 day save back

First run I lasted about an hour. Came down a frozen creek and out onto the Coastal Highway and immediately was jumped on by a wolf. I managed to drive it off with my bear hands, but It left me at 10%. I hit the Fishing Huts nearby. Very little food and clothing that looked like rags, I decided to press on to the log sort. Never made it past the front stoop. Soon as I came out of the door, a wolf jumped me. I was down in like a second.

Second run, I started on the same frozen creek and immediately took to the high ground. As I walked over the rise I saw two wolves in stalking mode about 20m away heading to my position... they were flanking me. WTF over? That is awesome! I ran down the hill and cut back toward the highway. I made it to the fishing huts at 100% this time. Woot! I then made it to the Log Sort and picked up a crowbar. Made it as far as the next fishing hut before the weather went south on me. Decided to eat, stock up on water and take a rest. It was clear before dawn, so I pressed onto the Coastal Village. Plundered the first home nearest the water (the one with a deck at the front door and a side door) and established a base camp. I then left out the side door and heard the wolf bark, diving back into the house. I decided to repair some of my clothing for an hour and the head out the front door. I then discovered the home was being circled by two wolves and I could see a third coming my way off the ice. I dodged back into the house and decided to recharge. I went back out with a few hours of light left and plundered the next home, returning the loot to base camp. Here I am about to finish my first day and I still dont have a knife, an axe or even a can opener. The excitement of the game has returned

I then went back out and tried to make it to the gas station. Before I could clear the rise I was jumped on by a wolf. I managed to knock this one off of me with the crowbar but I was pretty torn up (down to 34%). I looked and saw another one trotting my way from down the hill and heard the bark of another. Son of a... so I made a dash for the gas station with one fast on my heals. I heard the attack growl/bark right as I flew through the door. Damn am I lucky it was not locked. I banged up and then plundered the station. Deciding to press my luck I went toward the house but the car parked in front interested me. The patch notes said there was "more stuff" in car trunks, so I decided to put my prybar to good use. I found a bottle of water, some scrap metal and a candy bar. While pondering my fortune I walked around the passenger side and was pounced on by a wolf. Dead. Looks like I need to cross off my list going outside wounded in Stalker mode.

This brings me to a "wish list" to go with my story:

1. I wish we could peek out of a door or a window before walking outside. This would give us a chance to to see the wolf right before we jump into its mouth. I know the inside and outside are different zones right now. However, I wish they would put houses into the game like the Abandoned Watchtower on the Coastal Highway. A player could then attempt to look out of the frosted windows to see what was outside. A player could then open the door and then close it, like we can on the screen porch in PV.

2. Make some doors locked in the game, car doors and structures. Maybe we could add keys as a item, and a particular key was tied to a particular door. When the game spawns, all the doors are given a number with a cosponsoring key. The game then determines if a door is locked the first time you access it. This chance could be modified by the game difficulty as Pilgrim would have most doors unlocked and Stalker would have more doors lock. It could mean there are keys for unlocked doors, keys for locked doors and no key for a locked door (its lost). This would mean the player would have to kick in a door, axe down a door, prybar a door or maybe even bust a window to get in. If this was put in place, the devs then need to add a way to pop the trunk from inside a car. It seems like all the cars in the game are circa 1980 or before, as we can't pull the trunk release from the glove box, drive side door, console or drive side seat.

[Hotzn]

Welcome to Stalker.

You are ready for it. Never mind dying, every death teaches you something.

Reconsider whether you want to set up your main base in the Quonset Gas Station. It has good infrastructure inside, but exiting and entering can be tricky with all the wolves. I found it easier to enter and exit through the back door (not to the road). Also when exiting there, make sure to stay at the door and carefully check around for wolves before moving away. If you spot one (or it spots you), there is always enough time to turn around and slip back in.

There is a house up the slope behind Coastal Townsite which is wolf-free. If you establish a base there, you can always exit and enter without problems. The same goes for the house on Jackrabbit Island. Remember that you may get into an emergency situation which requires you to run back to your base camp. It's convenient if the trip there is not blocked by wolves then.

And good call on the locked doors. I suggested that in another thread some time ago, and I presume I was not the first to do so. It would be really exciting to have the thrill of spending extra time opening doors in wolf-infested territory. However, I doubt that the idea of keys is feasible, that might become too complicated with different keys. I would prefer using the crowbar to open a locked door for the first time. That would also increase the value of the crowbar in the game.

[AmericanSteel]

Coastal Highway is loaded with supplies but it took me four days, a bear attack and a wolf attack just to loot the Coastal Village. I set my base up on the first house to the right if you are looking at the front door of the gas station. However, a bear still strolls around my house every day or so.

On this run I have gathered all the nearby supplies but the only tools I have found is a can opener, a pry bar and one fishing line. I think I am going to hang here for a bit, recharge and then head up the road toward the last remaining encampment on the ice. Right now I am going for the "not killing an animal" achievement, since I can't even skin an animal.

Also, this is the first game I have had food poisoning (sure this 78% condition fish in the freezer looks fine) and dropped a piece of bait to get away from a wolf. Well, that is a misnomer. It was about three wolves and I am not sure by the commotion the caused if they were fighting amongst themselves, over the meat or what. I know I was not going to turn around to find out! My thin behind made in through my front door and I was happy to have made it.

[Nemesis]

Welcome to stalker mode Steel! On CH I always use Rabbit Island for my HQ. I never venture outside at less than 100% unless I absolutely have to. Always exit the gas station by the back door like Hotzn says. Stock up on the old man's beard/bandage combo. Pray to the random number generator gods every day. You are ready and you will get better and better each run, but not before many tragic deaths. One day you will have a great run and last 80, 100, 150 and beyond days. Then you will have the confidence to say "I belong in stalker, only to die in the first hour of the next run.

[pulkmees]

****ing 3 wolves in the townsite, 1 near fishing camp, 2-3 next to jackrabbit island, 2 near the creek, 2 near the damn abandoned outlook, 2 near the Water Front cottages, 1-2 near the Log Sort, 2 near misantrope or between misantrope and rabbit island.

+ bears

And what 2-3 deer ?

WTF.

And they respawn. and they are somehow always hungry and always aggressive.

I want to die to starvation or sleep deprivation or thirst or poor body temp management

[wolf359]

I always like a home base that has a patio, or some sort of deck. Any wildlife won't come onto these extensions. I always take the bears out with one bullet, (and one evening), from the safety of the patio, and I don't even have to run. He staggers off, and when you get up the next morning, his carcass is very near by. The only downside, I find, the wolf or bear will actually stalk you, and you may have trouble getting off the porch. I carefully thrown flare will scare them off for a while, but they will be back. The bears in the game are very vindictive. Like they are programmed to remember. I spent almost 15 days, moving about the map, and every time I got up in the morning, there was a bear outside. Not sure it was the same one, but it freaked me out so bad after time, I shot the bugger.

[coryduran]

Personally I start my stalker runs on ML. I would consider starting on PV as well. I think CH is one of the harder places to start a stalker run due to the density of wolves there and the lack of supplies you start off with. ML has more open space, a lower wolf density, and an abundance of cat tails and other supplies to live off of, including the dead deer carcasses scattered around the map that you can scavenge for meat and hide. Typically if you start in ML you can have a pair of deer skin boots pretty quick without having to even fight a wolf if you play slow and really avoid the wolves. There is pretty much no where in the map that you have to go through a wolf to get to, which is much harder to get done in CH.

[wolf359]

I always play on the mid level difficulty, (not sure the name), but after reading this, I thought I would try stalker, and I can't get more than a few hours into it. Wolves everywhere, and they are aggressive. I have yet, (on 4 different tries), to get inside a structure. One time I started with 6 hours of darkness left, and it was -28. I couldn't see two feet in front of me, so I concentrated on a fire. The game graciously gave me the materials to start a fire, but no axe. I ran in one direction till I ran into a rock face, which I used for cover, and tried to build and keep a fire going. I was only able to keep the fire going as I could only forage 1 piece of wood in the time it took for the fire to nearly burn out with bare hands, so I couldn't sleep to build body heat. Nearly froze to death, then a wolf came by and finished the job. I didn't even see him coming and I only heard some distant barking, then nearby growling and then he was on me. It's too hard on stalker.

[AmericanSteel]

Stalker does not suffer fools lightly. And everyone is a fool when they first start. You are going to die. You n3ed to learn what killed you. Then move out with th at knowledge. I commonly search an entire zone on Stalker and only find half of the tools. I played for about 15 days once with out an ace or a knife. Freaking hard run but I learned a lot. When to fight and when to run, . When to hole up at home even when cabin fever forcestries to force you out. When to hunker down in some half-assed shelter and juggle sleeping with gathering wood. After a while the medium difficulty will be like child's play and you won't want to go back to it. It is the challenge that makes stalker fun. Sirviving at your wits end and two steps ahead of the Cold Reaper.

[Alvinius]

I really recommend any experienced gamer to pick that stalker mode on first play and never look back.

Stalker does not suffer fools lightly. And everyone is a fool when they first start. ... I played for about 15 days once with out an ace or a knife. Freaking hard run but I learned a lot. ...

My favorite start are like these and I have had a few of not being able to find a blade for close to ten days recently.. love it.

Yep , I shun the rifle as much as possible too.

[AmericanSteel]

I really recommend any experienced gamer to pick that stalker mode on first play and never look back.

Stalker does not suffer fools lightly. And everyone is a fool when they first start. ... I played for about 15 days once with out an ace or a knife. Freaking hard run but I learned a lot. ...

My favorite start are like these and I have had a few of not being able to find a blade for close to ten days recently.. love it.

Yep , I shun the rifle as much as possible too.

I agree. The drive to search for the tools you need to survive long term tempered by the need to eek out the day. However, I don't have a problem sporting the rifle. I do hate to kill an animal and then not have any way to butcher it. It is more than the waste of the round, it is the waste of all the resources. My current game I am floating around Day 8 and I still don't have an axe. I want to test out the bow so darn bad BUT I can harvest the saplings. Gads!

[Alvinius]

At first the introduction of the rifle was a bit of a disappointment for me. Was this going to put the game into permanent easy mode? I have warmed up to it a bit and now of course we have bears.

IRL

I worked for well known outdoor leadership school for a number of years and there was only one course throughout the whole world that I outfitted with a rifle and that was of course in Alaska. Ursus arctos horribilis does not play well with humans. A simple double barreled rifle bear stopping caliber is a good choice. A few warning shots used over the years, never any charges, wounds or kills.

[AmericanSteel]

At first the introduction of the rifle was a bit of a disappointment for me. Was this going to put the game into permanent easy mode? I have warmed up to it a bit and now of course we have bears.

IRL

I worked for well known outdoor leadership school for a number of years and there was only one course throughout the whole world that I outfitted with a rifle and that was of course in Alaska. Ursus arctos horribilis does not play well with humans. A simple double barreled rifle bear stopping caliber is a good choice. A few warning shots used over the years, never any charges, wounds or kills.

We when hunted big game in Colorado everyone packed a side arm. I carried a Ruger .357 Mag with a heavy load and I was the small fry of the bunch. As a "brush beater" I carried a pump action 12 ga with slugs. The great shots would sit on the ridge line and wait for us to scare game up the high side of the following ridge. If one back ran toward us, we killed it. If it high sided, they killed it. In the two seasons I hunted that way I never saw a bear or a mountain lion. In one day on Ft Carson I saw both.

A bear with a pair of cubs was feasting on the trash at the golf course, and taken a liking to a retired general's errand ball. As an MP, it was my duty (as he told it) to retrieve said ball. A 9mm against a mamma bear, like hell. I told the General I would give him a free drop and annotate his score card accordingly. He accepted. Later that day I was called to a home where a "cat was fighting a dog", I came on scene to see a mountain lion had a 100 lbs+ rottweiler in its mouth. It made a guttural noise through its full mouth and I drew my weapon. I thought I was gonna soil myself. The only thing keeping us alive was the dead dog in its maw. I ordered the Private with me to lock and load, then start praying. The mountain lion bounded up and over a 9 ft wooden privacy fence and took off to the ridge line just outside of post.

I can tell you for absolute certainty I would not like to get into the business end with either of those animals with anything less than a 12 ga or a .44. I would prefer to do it will something larger and from a great distance. They look big in the zoo, but they are a damn sight bigger less than 20 feet away with the only measure of protection is your BDUs and a Beretta 9mm.

[bethany]

Well, that was an intense story.

[AmericanSteel]

Well, that was an intense story.

They don't call Ft. Carson "The Mountain Post" for nuthin

[Yarbrough08]

They don't call Ft. Carson "The Mountain Post" for nuthin

lol, when I was stationed there, they wanted to call it "The Best Hometown in the Army"