Drifter Man

I think it's about moving fast, knowing how far you can go and how far the next shelter is, knowing when and where to stop and warm up. I'm pretty bad in unfamiliar territory. I'm sure it will come with practice! When I dropped to 14% in this run, I didn't expect to live for much longer either...

Three to go I'm in no hurry. Unlike one @jeffpeng who beat this challenge in a bit over 6 days. I bet it involved some traffic violations. I don't think game developers need to be the most hardened survivors - they know the game for sure, inside and out, but they probably don't have the time to play systematically at high difficulty levels. And deadman requires some sort of instinct that only comes when you have been playing in that mode for a while.

😲

I can't help out with that - I'm curious myself - but welcome back!

Then I wish that it stays at the right level to keep things exciting

Deadman 14 / Day 11 First thing out of the bunker - measure temperature. Minus 30, brrr! Two hours later, minus 35 in the wind. I have to wait for better weather, munching down my last cattails. Eventually I move to Mountaineer's Hut, with a warming fire along the way, which I also use to collect sticks around Landing Gear. Scratched trees - watch out for the moose. It does not appear, but it could turn up later when I take the same route out of TWM. For the rest of the day I collect sticks and cattails. There are two cans of dog food in the hut, which is excellent. On the other hand, no hacksaw. There's a mag lens under the bed, so there should be a hacksaw at the Summit if my memory serves. But I won't be able to break into any containers on the way up. Weather quickly turns from clear skies to snow and then to blizzard before nightfall, so I tick off the second grave and go to bed next to the fireplace. Later in the night I do two more rounds for sticks near MH and for cattails in the cattail bay. Just like old times. Oh, those snowball days. No wolves seen today. No wolves seen today.

Deadman runs depend so much on luck... if you are in luck, they are almost easy, if you are out of luck, then the fun begins.

Why the rush? I'm on Day 10 and have only ticked off one grave Like @ajb1978 said, I want to relax, not to add stress Just to add to @jeffpeng's observations: I found an improvised knife, so far the only non-interloper find, otherwise all loot looks just like loper. Aurora or no aurora, would ammunition crafting be of any value when there are no guns? Or can you make IED's to place at bear caves? I haven't seen a moose, but I heard one, and it was enough for me to fall through weak ice...

Deadman 14 / Day 10 The stim has exhausted me and my wake-up time next morning it timely - I'm fully rested when the day has already advanced, it's nearly noon, the sky is clear and the winds are still. It's felt -10 C out of the wind, -12 C when exposed. Good enough. I walk down the road from the mine. I can hear wolves howl in the direction where I'm going, so I'm cautious. As soon as I spot one in front of me, I divert to the river and continue on the ice. After a few moments I hit a cave that I wasn't aware of, or have forgotten. It even has a "feather bed" inside. I don't intend to sleep but I need a fire to warm up. It is clear so I save a match. Initially I wait for the coal, then I remember things have changed and I can add coal immediately. I think it was a change for the worse. Having to wait for coal gave the coal a different quality and forced the player to plan ahead. So this is an element that used to make the game challenging, now dumbed down. The skies are still clear when I leave. After a moment I return on the path on the right bank, near the bear cave on the way to Misty Falls. I check the cave - unoccupied. Should I make a stop for the deer carcass? Just as I'm sitting down, I see first snowflakes fall. The winds are strong. I can smell blizzard coming. The cave will protect me but I will lose the rest of the day. I stand back up and continue towards Misty Falls. There is nothing at Misty except 'shrooms (lots), and even the loot in the cave is a bit disappointing (plaid shirt - I take it). There's a new room in the cave separated by a waterfall. I start a campfire before going in so that I have a warm spot to come back to, then I take the icy bath. But I find nothing of use on the other side - just a cup of coffee. Quality Hinterland merchandise. When I'm done at the cave, there's a blizzard raging outside. That's annoying, I wanted to reach the bunker by nightfall. I drop some extra sticks to reduce load, drink hot coffee and make a run for it. I know I could find the bunker even blindfolded. I reach the bunker easily. It's empty as usual. Only in the last drawer I find something: a newspaper. I think Hinterland put it there so that I can't complain that there was nothing. I spend the last hour of the day putting some supplies that I don't want to haul to TWM and back into a locker, and repairing clothes. I'm down to only a few cattails - need to find more food tomorrow. But I'm already used to running out of food in this place, it's something of a critical point on deadman runs before I get my hands on new supplies.

And I'm trying to make it look that it's easy It's not harder than the old deadman - that's for sure. Yeah the wool scarf guy has always had a scarf with him... he's a notable landmark!

Deadman 14 / Day 9 A blizzard rages until noon, so I finish reading "Wilderness Kitchen" and start on the "Sewing Primer" to pass time. In the afternoon I sneak past the wolves out of Crumbling Highway, and then across the ice to Log Sort. While working on the carcass at Log Sort I notice an entrance or building I haven't seen before. But today is not a good day for this kind of exploration. There's another carcass past the Log Sort (both are guaranteed spawns I think), so I work into the night - have to relocate fire once due to wind, but I end the day on a full stomach. TLD is incredibly spooky at night, and although I'm passing through areas I know to be relatively safe, I keep jumping at every sound. The sound design of this game is just amazing. I'm a bit tired but I push on to the Cinder Hills mine. The loot seems to be similar to Interloper settings, so I should find my second stim as I am used to. I'm careful not to get greedy with coal as I already have more than I need. And yes, there it is: Stimmed, I fall asleep at the second (PV-side) exit. The second stim increases my condition to 49%, i.e. only by 15% as it has always been the case. Maybe the boost depends on your initial condition. Pleasant Valley is expecting me tomorrow. [EDIT: The extra 5% "after the first stim" is actually the well fed bonus. I keep forgetting.]

Deadman 14 / Day 6 Perhaps going to the Summit from here isn't the best idea. One of the graves is at Desolation Point. If I go to TWM from here, I'll have to retrace my own path - twice - one way or another. That's not a good idea because of the Dyson effect of Deadman games. Instead, I'll go to Desolation Point, to the grave there, and return as fast as possible. The Lighthouse is another objective (stim?). The weather is good, light fog at first, some snowfall but no winds in the afternoon. I make it to the Fishing Camp - find a well hidden can of dog food under a bed - and continue to Jackrabbit, then to Misanthrope's. An uneventful journey, I only get to see wolves from safe distance. I find just enough food to keep me going and some decent pieces of clothing, mainly a toque and a pair of wool socks. I'm tempted to try and push from Misanthrope's to Crumbling Highway but resist, as it is getting late and the weather could turn for the worse anytime. Instead I stay in the cabin a make repairs to my upgraded wardrobe, which is starting to shape up. Deadman 14 / Day 7 Today I move straight to Crumbling Highway. I check the situation from high ground but don't see any wolves on either side. I choose to go via the ocean side and reach the other end without any trouble. I choose to light a flare to get through Old Island Connector. An odd choice it may seem, but I already have three (plus the blue one) and in my experience they pile up unused, and are heavy. In the connector I find coal, another toque and a pair of new trail boots (I already have one but still nice). I drop plenty at the entrance as I have more than I need, and more than I can carry. Then I proceed to Katie's Corner and feast on the deer carcass. It's already night when I'm done and it would be very risky to go to the Lighthouse, so I move to the abandoned mine. Great find inside: matches. One of my big worries is pushed back by at least 10 days. Deadman 14 / Day 8 I set out earlier than usual - at felt -16 C it is quite cold bu I want to use the fog. I start out from the second entrance to the mine, close to Hibernia, but don't go to the processing plant. Instead I head straight for the Riken and tick off the first grave. The ship holds only two items of value for me - a Sewing Primer book and a can of tomato soup. I take these, warm up in a bed, and continue to Matt's truck. I only find a rope there and leave it in the back of the car. Then, carefully, I move to the Lighthouse. I reach it without seeing a wolf and open the door just before my temperature bar runs out. I get my sweet reward! Of course I don't apply it immediately, it is only early afternoon and a Deadman must move fast. I warm up in the bed - fully this time - and goat down to the sea via the wool scarf guy on the back slope. Then I pass by the rocks towards Katie's corner and eventually back to the connector. From there I walk carefully to Harris home - ideally I'd like to reach CH Misanthrope's but there's a deer carcass nearby and I decide to make a stop. The stop is well worth it, 1.8 kg meat - no need to reach into my precious reserve of cattail stalks for dinner. When I'm finished with cooking (Level 2 now), I sneak to the basement. Two wolves patrol the compound. The basement is empty, but it will be my home for tonight. I apply the stim and once the effect wears off, I collapse into the bedroll. It gave me 20% instead of the usual 15% condition. I think I have a chance now.

OK, I'll try not to disappoint by dying too fast

Deadman 14 / Day 5 Three questions: Rope? Stim? Flare Gun? These must wait for the afternoon, for it is too cold outside! Repairs first. I get my clothes up to astonishing +6 C bonus. Later, in early afternoon, I leave for the Ravine and reach my favorite cave first. The skies are clear and I have a mag lens - did I find it in the Lookout Tower? I don't remember. Wherever I found it, it saves me a match today. I warm up and process the carcass outside: good 1.5 kg. Once warmed up and done with the cooking, I leave the fire burning and head out. I focus on collecting stick and cattails first, then go to the derailed train cars. Only kerosene is inside - a valuable find, but no rope. I return to the fire, pull torches and go again. Now that Ravine connects to Bleak Inlet, and people may come from the other side, perhaps they put the rope up on the attachment point? The answer is nope, no rope. But there's another deer carcass and I process the meat, too. Then I cross the fallen tree and go to the second cave. There's a can of tomato soup at an abandoned campfire, but no rope. Not even the usual coal. It is getting late and it's windy. Should I stay in the cave for the night? A waste of time and fuel. I continue, make a warming break in the tunnel and cross the trestle. How many times have I been here? As I enter CH, I get an unexpected bonus: I head down the Bear Creek, collect more cattails and some coal, and reach the campground. The deer carcass is there but I decide to leave it - don't want to get caught by the bear. Instead I walk up to the cabin at Rabbit Grove and call it a day. If the weather holds I can go on like this for a while but at just 14% condition, I don't think I can make it all the way to the Summit.

Oh no, just one of many.

Deadman 14 / Day 4 It's too cold in the morning. I use my precious improvised knife to open my last food - a can of peaches - then sharpen the knife for about an hour. More sleep. Before noon it is foggy and the temperatures are tolerable. I light a torch (10 matches left) and get down from the Lookout Tower to Derailment, where I make camp next to a deer carcass. The meat is good but otherwise there is nothing to be found here. I stay for a while, warming up and nervously observing a wolf that blocks the tracks in the direction of the Loading Area. When I'm done with my lunch - mouldy venison and reishi tea for warmth - I climb up the hill and decide to reach the river, for cattails. I do reach it but it costs me an arm and a leg, as expected. On the river I collect cattails, then proceed to the trailers. I only search the one with beds and find a can opener. Then I move to the Dam entrance and make another fire at the deer carcass there. 1.3 kg this time, which is great. I gulp it all on the spot. The rest of the day (and the beginning of the night) is spent searching the Dam. I include the upper offices (nothing) and safe (20 dollars). But I find decent amount of food and some helpful pieces of clothing - a wool hat and work gloves - which get me just above zero in the Dam. I process the rest into cloth. Too bad I lost so much condition initially, but in an unknown and inhospitable region I'm not sure I could avoid it. Otherwise it would be a good start. I put down my bedroll - I found it in the Camp Office, in bad shape and I haven't got the time to repair it, but it will do. Beef jerky, granola bar and chocolate for dinner, then 11 hours of sleep.

Deadman 14 / Day 3 What does a deadman do, on the last day of his life? The conventional thing would be to go out to the lake and collect cattails. But I'm nearly dead anyway, so I could do something less sensible that could tell future deadmen if that's worth doing. Let's go to the lookout tower today and see if there's anything useful inside. But first of all, let's search the Camp Office while the day is warming up. There's some canned food, a whetstone (good for my improvised knife), a jerry can with almost 3 liters of kerosene and heaps of paper. I shouldn't have any trouble starting fires for some time. Outside I collect a few sticks and cattails but it is way too cold and windy to go anywhere far. Back in the cabin I tear a few pieces of cloth and go to bed to be rested for the afternoon. A blizzard breaks out, so I have to wait nearly until sunset. I use the extra time to repair clothes. Once the blizzard dies down, I'm on my way. It's nice and warm at first, but the winds soon come back. My torch is blown out and I have to run to seek shelter. At the clearing on the way to the lookout tower, there are no rabbits and no deer. I haven't seen any live deer (just a few carcasses, two I think) or rabbits. So I think this wildlife is banned from this challenge, leaving only the unkind species. I make haste to the tower, making sure I arrive before my temperature bar runs out. Who knows how cold it is inside? Good call, the felt temperature inside is just below zero. I warm up a bit in the bed and search the tower: not great, but there's a prybar that could come in handy. I use my time to break down some chairs by hand. I could use extra fuel in this weather. I have enough food to last until next morning. Noon maybe. Going to bed in 14% condition. This deadman's death is deferred by one day.

[Warning: There's inevitably going to be SPOILERS about the As the Dead Sleep challenge.] Deadman 14 / Day 2 So finally I have time to look at the map. There is a road going east to west, so that's probably continuation of Coastal Highway. The sea is on the bottom side of the map, so the two exits should be to the north. On the left-hand side, where I am right now, there should be the exit to FM, and on the right-hand side to the Ravine. I process a few sticks into tinder plugs while pondering my options. I won't go back across the bridge, instead I'll go north and hope to find the FM exit. I smell moose behind the trailer, so instead I slip through between the rocks and ice. Eventually I think I hear an angry moose sound anyway, so I run. Either I was imagining things or I evaded it, in any case I don't get to see the moose. Instead I drop through the ice. So that's the end. Except that it isn't. I end up on the bank, freezing (I was freezing anyway) but not hypothermic. A bug? Probably a feature, my shoes, socks, jeans and underwear are all wet. So I made it out of the water rather well, but the cold winds will soon turn my clothes into ice. I spot a wolf - a grey one again - and while looking for a way around, I find a deer carcass and a cave. It's too windy for the carcass, but inside the cave it is just warm enough to start a fire and dry my clothes. Once warmed up and almost dry (jeans take too long), I'm on my way again. There's a birch forest to the north, so maybe I can find some birch bark there? Yes, I find 6 pieces and soon afterwards and entrance to a loading screen cave. I'm on my way out of here. The cave is cold, so fire first. Three attempts and away we go. I don't have much fuel but there's enough to make torches and reishi tea. How do I craft prepared birch bark? Can't find it... is it in the radial? No... no birch bark tea, definitely. It was disabled. Good. True to the deadman spirit. Then I search the cave. Some coal - not much. A resting place for a weary traveller, I won't be using it though, thank you. But I take this precious blue flare - I understand that's the only surefire (?) way to keep the grey ones away. Will sure work against the old black ones too. Before leaving the cave I notice my reishi tea is still hot, which is great. I drink it and am ready to go. FM welcomes me and is uncharacteristically windy. I quickly recognize the place, looks like the former non-loading screen cave near Muskeg Overlook. Wolf zone. That's where I'm headed. I head to Muskeg Overlook first. I'm nearly starving and there is usually good stuff up there. I safely avoid the usual wolf guarding the entrance but notice it is not on "Deadman" settings - does not react from far distance as I am used to. Hmm, they could have made this challenge harder. The path up to the Overlook is steeper than I remember, and there now is a new radio tower. The hollow tree is gone - or maybe relocated - which I regret, I spent many occasional nights sleeping there. I'm getting tired, but have no bedroll anyway. At least I start a fire next to the carcass. The wind has died down and gave way to the usual FM fog. Once the carcass thaws and I'm done with the meat - only 0.6 kg - I check the situation down in the Muskeg. The three muskegteers - beg pardon, four - are right below, but I think I can goat down and avoid them. So yes, I goat down and pay the price - one ankle. I slip around the wolves, collecting cattails - I really need the food. It's getting dark and it's dangerous to be in the FM fog at night. I make a warming break at the familiar rock formation halfway to Poacher's camp. Just as I kill the pain with rosehip tea, exhaustion kicks in. I drop four liters of water to stay light. Poacher's camp... I needed to avoid a bear to get there, but nice surprise awaits me inside. Apart from the usual coal and scrap metal, there's a wool scarf (goodbye frostbite risk, I already found a pair of mittens) and an improvised knife. I didn't expect that. Come on, this is supposed to be hard, right? Well, it won't to me much good because I'm one foot in the grave at this point. The weather has cleared up and the bear has moved away, so I make my last push along the tracks and to the Camp Office. I punch in 8 hours of sleep. I don't think my condition is higher than 15%, so Day 3 will probably be my last.

Deadman 14 / Day 1 What a beautiful morning! Steam has just finished updating my game... what a great time to be alive dead! I'm in an unfamiliar region, temperature meter is dropping fast, so I'd better move out. Quickly search the ruined lighthouse: a cooking pot on the stove - I take it. Also some funny stuff to make gunpowder I think. Not what I need. Not what I plan to do. Very windy outside. I have the feeling this is how it's going to be from now on, because strong and frequently changing wind is the prime method to make the game hard. No way to make fire, no way to warm up, no way to scare off fluffy furballs. I have a fairly good starting inventory though. Matches, a flare, even some food and water. No bedroll. Map of the region is available in full. I don't spend much time studying it but I think the road comes from the right. Maybe that's where I'm supposed to exit. No grave markings, so the graves probably are in other regions. Makes sense. I cross to the fishing village ahead. All houses are boarded. I spot a bear from a safe distance and avoid it. There's a cave ahead, but I don't go there - probably the bear's. I'm freezing now, and check temperature: -22 C in the wind, -11 when sheltered. I have 13 sticks, so not enough to really warm up. No point in making a stop. When I hit the road I expected (bridge), I choose to go to the bridge. There should be some industrial plant on the other side, an opportunity to gear up, maybe. As I approach the bridge, I notice a snow shelter on my right. Perhaps I can warm up? There also tend to be goodies around snow shelters... I slip in and yes, it's felt +5 C inside. I sleep for an hour to recover some warmth. Wolves could sniff me out here, but I take the risk. I wake up unharmed and my temp bar has recovered enough to provide a few minutes in the wind. There only are two fir logs at the shelter. I loot the cars on the bridge for a few bits of food and more matches. The plant is guarded by wolves, the new grey kind. Not a good time to say hello. I avoid the place to the right and reach a group of trailers. Only one is still standing. Inside it is just warm enough to keep me above zero, so I sleep for another hour. The day is ending and it's time to make water before sleep. I thought I saw fire barrels outside, which would be nice - the wind doesn't stop and I want a safe fire. But they're just stupid, useless barrels. Wind somehow manages to turn twice while I look for a safe spot, and I end up building a campfire right in the wind. It survives long enough for one round of water - 1 liter from the pot and the can. I hear a moose nearby, so it's not safe beyond this point. Need to be careful tomorrow. I spend the night in the trailer, although I'm not tired. When I wake up and check my health status, I confirm we're in the deadman zone.

The honor is @Kinnasmash's, I believe, who created the challenge for a group of streamers. Definitely not mine! But great to hear you liked my stories!

It is is is! I also go through phases - sometimes I play TLD a lot and then I just take a break - but It's practically the only game I've been playing for the past 4 years. I haven't finished Wintermute though. I started twice or three times, but it never made me come back.

... or Sasquatch

Good to see you too @stratvox! I've become one of those who only leave their cabin around major survival mode updates...

You may have too much confidence in that particular freak That aside, it's fantastic how much new stuff Hinterland is showering us with - again - and how they balance it to keep different kinds of survivors happy.

What? An impossible, unfair, monster challenge? Yes please!