devamadhu

This got me googling the early insulin extraction process, and I found this: https://hackaday.com/2015/07/30/the-biohacking-movement-and-open-source-insulin/ Super interesting! I'm sure with the bajillion deer we're able to kill in the game, the cold temperatures for pancreas preservation, and Astrid's lab skills, she could figure out DIY insulin for the survivors.

I felt the same way. I agree that it has to do with pacing, and also that it's very helpful for new players to have added guidance to safe and warm spots throughout the challenges. I also noticed that the placement of side challenges (and their map icons once the challenges were completed) made for much easier and warmer trekking later on in the episode. That said, I'm generally irked by how much "mountain goating" has been discouraged in the game - both by the revamped sprain mechanic and now these additional invisible walls. I'm currently playing this year's 4DON, and I had to avoid that whole area due to time constraints. Of course I'm not a developer and I have no idea how complicated it would be to remove that wall for Survival Mode, but I would definitely prefer it. Or to have some sort of special entrance activated that allows you to go the other direction. I feel the same way about the emergency exit in the Carter Hydro Dam. Once you open that door from inside the Dam, I think it would improve the game hugely to be able to reenter it from the Environs side. Anyone who wants the extra challenge could always go the long way if they chose.

Saint Branch returneth!

Same here. 75 rounds but no revolver. I've searched a good chunk of CH, PV, and ML so far, but nothing yet. I'd be surprised if it wasn't in the game - it might only spawn at one of the jack o' lanterns though.

The main objectives don't seem affected by the time it takes to complete the tasks, *however* I did notice that the location and rewards of most of the side quests do come in handy later on in the episode. For example, I noticed most of them are sheltered spaces in one way or another.

Well, I shut down the game and started it on my older computer - looks like it did the trick and the story was able to finally continue. Not sure what happened there.

Hi all, I'll do my best to figure out how to report this officially, but here's where I'm at in Episode 3. Spoilers below. I've fully stocked the Community Hall with supplies, and have successfully saved all 4 survivors. I've also completed all of the side missions, except for finding the community notes about the Forest Talkers. Now, for whatever reason, my mission objective has reset to "Talk to Father Thomas" (the first objective before stocking the supply cupboard and rescuing the survivors). He's now moved to the Community House stage. Whenever I click on him, the camera pans to his back, and then resets, and nothing happens. All that I can think of is that this is either a glitch, or that I haven't completed something important. But all of my other options are completed.

There's always food poisoning and dysentery. 🤢

This was my view from my emergency snow shelter on Misanthrope's Homestead after successfully killing a bear - I had to wait out two solid days of blizzards in between harvesting. It's not the most spectacular view, but it's rife with anticipation.

I started the game a bit over a year ago, so I wasn't around when Mystery Lake was the only region available. But I still immediately gravitated toward it and I always make my main base in the Camp Office. I love that there are deer, fishing huts, and rabbits in one central location, and that the office is easy enough to find even in the middle of a blizzard.

In my longest running game, I have a stash of rare and top quality clothing items like the Mackinaw jacket stashed away at my main base in the Camp Office. I mostly play on Pilgrim, so the rare items become more like hunting trophies (gathering trophies?), and they make the space feel more homey and lived in. This is probably ridiculous, but if I could, I would clean up base interiors, build furniture, and even build cabin-like structures of my own. 😂

You can break down the baby's crib?? I thought that was impossible!

I started in Pilgrim, and then shifted over to Voyageur for a while, but pretty quickly went back to Pilgrim. I started playing TLD because it allows me to experience a little of what survival might look and feel like, even though the game mechanics create a unique spin on that experience. Like they say in the loading screen, wolves don't typically attack people, so I prefer not to experience that in the game (except on rare occasions). My nerves are also easily frazzled, so having my face chewed off on the regular is not all that healthy for me. I agree that Pilgrim can get boring, especially on much longer runs, but I appreciate that challenge too. After you hoard/hunt/craft what you need to, the game experience becomes more introspective, calming, and even enjoyably lonely. I think the recent video Hinterland released about the loneliness of TLD really speaks to that. It forces you to use your imagination and create your own roving storyline.

Omg LOL at the immersion blender! I hope my comments didn't come across as negative or passive-aggressive. I was mostly agreeing with some of the points you made, and responding to parts of Manic Maniac's post. I think it's a really good topic and I like being able to explore it in the forum.

I think generally, people are aware we're playing a game that provides a simulated experience of fantasy survival, guided by the rules the devs choose to implement. However, the devs *also* welcome respectful feedback, and they regularly change aspects of the game based on that feedback. There is an entire Wish List subforum, for example. Whether our suggestions are related to realism, or consistency of mechanics, or just cool ideas that might make the game more fun or challenging, there's literally a place for them in this forum. If the devs decide not to implement our suggestions, then that's up to them. There may even be a ton of factors that I can't consider since I don't work for Hinterland. But given that the game is still currently in development, I think that the devs' openness to suggestion results in TLD feeling more like a living, evolving thing, which is exciting to me. To specifically respond to the OP's comment about the single step issue - playing in Pilgrim at least, the room in Carter Hydro Dam with the mountaineering rope has metal debris on the floor that you *can* step over. I don't know if this is a recent development, but I remember when I started playing the game over a year ago, I couldn't do that, at least while playing Wintermute (since that room is designed as a puzzle during the aurora). So I agree that a single step in certain areas would be more consistent and immersive. But in contrast, it does make the game more challenging - like say if you're being chased by a wolf, and have to line up your path of entry to the Camp Office in a more skillful way.

This is AWESOME.

Battery's vital and alluring energy cannot be contained

I prefer to carry 2 recycled cans (one per campfire cooking surface) and leave the pots at my bases, since the pots are so much heavier. But they're great if you like stockpiling supplies, or boiling water in big batches. Even with a 2-burner stove, being able to boil 4 liters of water at a time really adds up fast.

I prefer to carry 2 recycled cans (one per campfire cooking surface) and leave the pots at my bases, since the pots are so much heavier. But they're great if you like stockpiling supplies, or boiling water in big batches. Even with a 2-burner stove, being able to boil 4 liters of water at a time really adds up fast.

Thanks! I was kind of surprised by how beautiful the scene looked, with the aurora "framed" by all the rigging.

After one of the more recent updates, I started a new game in Pleasant Valley. hate the weather in PV, so I tend to avoid camping out there for too long. But since it's a central location for Episode 3, I wanted to get more familiar with the terrain and landmarks before the release. Even if some things change, I suspect that most of the major locations will stay intact.

Maybe - I've always assumed that in general, they leave it that way to make the game more challenging. Unless there's a serious bug, like that one that turned everything blue, I would expect them to have reviewed all of the interiors many times. As an example, Grey Mother's house in Milton seems like one of the brightest interiors in the game. There's practically no need for artificial light unless you're searching for hidden items. I imagine they designed it that way to give players an extra "boost" at the beginning of Wintermute - so newbies aren't bumbling around in the dark before they've even discovered lanterns exist. Also @ManicManiac I've wondered about the "eyes adjusting to the darkness" thing too! I agree with you that dark interiors don't detract from the game, but I think that mechanism would be pretty cool and add to a feeling of immersion. Even though I like the game as-is, I really love hearing how the game triggers everyone's imaginations to come up with stuff like this.

Decided to finally start a run for the Faithful Cartographer achievement, beginning with Desolation Point.

P.S. I also realized while playing the Faithful Cartographer build that the camera/POV used to be much less smooth. I actually got motion sickness from searching around!

Me too! I wonder if it's a random spawn or what.