Swales

Maybe I just haven't been paying attention in the past, but I spotted what looked like some new wolf behavior after Steadfast Ranger. I've caught them standing in one place for extended periods of time, pawing at the ground, making something that sounds like a digging noise. There's no carcass to feed on at these locations. They look for all the world like dogs digging holes. Has anyone else seen this? I saw it first on a Stalker play through and it gave me an opportunity for a clean revolver shot, then I followed some wolves around on my Pilgrim game to observe from a closer distance with less chance of danger. They did it there, too-- pausing and digging in the snow. Wish I'd thought to grab a screenshot. I know the bunnies got new "idle" animations in the last update, maybe the wolves did too? I definitely like them! Makes the wildlife seem more alive and less predictable.

Sheltered in St. Christopher's Church during a blizzard, listened to it die down as all the church windows lit up bright aurora green.

I just want to know how he maintains that impressive beard with no access to a barber.

It's their little twitchy noses that get me. Whoever animated the "release/kill" sequence for the bunnies sure knew how to tug those heartstrings. I'm vegetarian and feel much the same as you do, Celeblith. In a harsh survival situation like the one depicted in TLD, yeah, of course I would eat meat! I'll give the bunny a sympathetic look and mutter "sorry little buddy," but I'm still gonna eat him. It's true that in a pure state of nature, a human wouldn't survive comfortably or long without using the meat and skins of animals. Some omnivores seem to think that's a "gotcha" for vegans/vegetarians: "If you were trapped on a desert island, you'd HAVE to eat meat!" Well... yeah bud, but we're not on a desert island, we are at Chipotle, and a hypothetical starvation scenario has little bearing on whether I ask for beans or carnitas. I'm fully aware that my vegetarian diet is a luxury of the modern world, but that doesn't make it any more impractical or "fake" than any other modern luxuries we incorporate into our lives, like dental work or running water or public libraries. I'm grateful that my circumstances allow me to choose a diet without meat and clothing without leather. Yeah, my ancestors didn't have that option, but I do-- and I choose to do less harm when I can.

Hard to pick just ONE thing... Favorite big thing about the game? The intense sense of solitude, and the existential dread/calm that it produces. Favorite small thing? The attention to detail on sound design! I love that every little process sounds realistic and different. The sound effects give real weight and individuality to different processes that are essentially the same from a gameplay perspective-- mending your jacket sounds different from harvesting it for cloth, sharpening your knife sounds different from cleaning your rifle, opening a can of beans sounds different depending on whether you've got a can opener or just your bare hands. It makes the world feel real.