devamadhu

I started playing about a year ago, so this is my first experience of the much older versions of the game. I am SO grateful for:

1. The HUD. It was incredibly weird to go back to a written list of inventory, percentages, times of day, etc. It felt like one of those ancient black screen text adventure games where you had to type in "drink water".
2. The paper doll clothing display. I imagine it was much less helpful to have to look through a list of what you were wearing, rather than a well-designed visual of actual clothing items.
3. The repeatedly redesigned inventory. Since I've been around for at least a few updates, I've been a little bummed at times when items have changed color or style. After seeing different items in various stages of development, I really appreciate the current design and color choices. Some items used to blend into the scenery and be much harder to see, like wood matches on shelves. And the level of detail, even on something as simple as a piece of cloth, is just incredible now.
4. The radial menu. I disliked the radial menu at first, but the more I've used it, the more I've come to enjoy it. Having to change into an inventory screen definitely makes the game less immersive.

I've been able to kill multiple bears with the revolver - I didn't want to waste bullets, so I shot each once and let them bleed out, but they both died eventually for sure. 

I've tried a couple of the older Time Capsule games, and when I switch back to the current version, my current save files are still available.

I haven't checked to see if my Time Capsule saves are preserved yet though.

14 hours ago, ManicManiac said:

I think it's going to be really interesting (and strange) to see more than one person alive at a time in this game... I'm really curious about what's going on at the "Refuge Shelter" (for lack of knowing it's proper name).

 

Agreed! Even just watching the trailer felt so different from the standard lonely/isolated vibe of the game. I wonder if we'll end up interacting with that whole group. I just had the thought that everyone being sick might also be a memory - maybe that group will be mostly gone by the time Astrid gets there?? I remember one of the earlier screenshots of that community hall looked pretty dang empty... 😬

My favorite type of merchandise is stuff that appears in the game or game art - like the Hinterland logo mug, the hatchet, and the Jackrabbit Transport hoodie (albeit to a lesser extent since it's not a jacket). The hatchet is my favorite, because the book Hatchet was my introduction to survival stories way back in elementary school.

36 minutes ago, ThePancakeLady said:

And the banner is just a slice of the poster art for the New Episode, reworked. I think the full poster is fantastic.

I like it too! For the past week or so, I was feeling that an update might be coming soon, so it was super exciting to check the forums and see the new poster. 😁I think it's very dynamic, and I love how vibrant the color is especially.

6 minutes ago, RegentRelic said:

As for the hands it my just be astride. But is they are adding gloves to the first person display I will be most satisfied.  As for predictions on episode three there are few in the wiki that are pretty sound (as far as game theory's go) I will leave a link at the bottom. One thing I am sure that other's have noticed is that the women with cigar is in the pleasant valley farmstead, we can tell from the stove with six cooking slots and shape of the room.

 

Please note some of theory's may not have had all of the information available that we now have.  

https://thelongdark.fandom.com/f/p/3121022802854381965

I just watched the video again, and I think if she was in the Farmstead kitchen (where the stove is located), the fridge would be visible on the wall to her right, but there's a bench there instead. I suspect it's a different and possibly new location.

It reminds me of some of the earlier Star Wars poster art. The amount of banner space seems limiting, and I can imagine wanting to show off some of the new characters and region additions featured in the poster, so I think it's pretty solid as-is. Hinterland also seems to change up art from time to time, so maybe there will be more versions to come. 😀

20 minutes ago, Wade said:

Just ignore that.  Obviously I wasn't supposed to express any sort of valid thought.

To be clear, I will also be slightly bummed if there's no 4DoN, but I'm still holding out hope. 

I also agree with your earlier post that we should be able to respectfully express our occasional bummed-ness about something without being "tone policed" by other forum members.

4 hours ago, Wade said:

No mention of 4DON.  Bummer.  That is one of the few challenges I actually enjoy.

You never know! They could always surprise us. The release date is still before Oct 31st, so maybe no news about 4DoN could still mean good news to come. 😁

Yaaaaay! So excited! Episode 3 looks really beautiful and compelling, and I'm excited to noodle around in the Time Capsule as well. Thanks for all of your hard work over the years. 💪 

On 9/17/2019 at 7:30 PM, JeremiahJohnson said:

Hello again, I have recently started to read a bunch of Gary Paulsen books on his stories of experiences with surviving in the wilderness... 

I bet you are extremely busy with everything on the go but I am truely wondering if you have ever enjoyed one of his books?

Currently I'm reading Brian's Winter and the vibe and overall setting has that Long Dark feel.

I really hope all you survivors consider looking into his books if you haven't already! 

I suggest Hatchet and/or the rest of the Brian series.

Guts and Woodsong are other great ones, telling of true events that helped shaped his fictional survival stories about Brian.

Could possibly spark some more ideas for this absolutely legendary game!

Stay warm and safe out there

 

Hell yes! I read all the Hatchet books as a kid, and it's the reason I was so interested in giving this game a shot in the first place. See my avatar for proof 😂

The prepper caches never get old 😁

I've returned to my longest running game recently, and I decided to make a trip back up to the TWM Summit. This is also one of my earliest saves, so my experience level has changed significantly since my first visit to TWM. I assumed I had looted everything worthwhile there long ago when I first summited, but I wanted to double check just in case.

Since I prefer to play on Pilgrim, things can get pretty boring at nearly 500 days without little side missions like these. Plus, even though it's almost 500 game days, it's been over a year of regular play, and it's fun to see what the hell I was thinking on my first ever summit run.

I had somehow missed even bothering to open several of the crates on TWM, and neglected to grab the second Expedition Parka and second pair of Snow Pants, plus 2 wool long johns which were much more rare than I expected so early on. There's something that's still so enjoyable about bringing rare items back to my base in the Camp Office at Mystery Lake.

4 hours ago, Ice Hole said:

There's a place for everything.  Now get this ^^ over to Battery's thread.

 

 

Found a ballista bolt mechanism with +10 fire damage.

Lightbringer Ballista

OMG YES!! 🙏🔥🙏

23 hours ago, ProsPex said:

I'm not able to remove a battery from a car. Did one of the releases remove this action?

My understanding is that batteries cannot be removed from cars with dented fenders (which usually means any cars that have been in accidents), or trucks. I was mystified by this for a while, until I saw this thread and tried again with an undamaged car.

I generally refuse and go the loooong way around - the Coal Mine to PV to ML route. Seconding what @Hawk said, I'll take shimmying across the dam over that tightrope rail any day. 

I'm still annoyed that we can't wedge a brick or something in the dam's emergency exit door to keep it open. You'd think that once you finally get into the dam and exit that door, it would stay open permanently. I guess it adds to the challenge, but sheesh 🙄

13 hours ago, Deadly Shadow said:

Are you telling me that moose (and bears but I don't really care about the bears as much the moose) don't obey the passive wildlife rule?? because I've heard they don't but I've never been able to find a clear answer so it would be really helpful if someone could confirm or not if they obey the rule, im sure bears obey is because I had a pilgrim game going and I saw the bear around trappers cabin in ML and I had just left the cabin, like I was still on the hill. and the bear detected me and ran away, I assumed at the time (because I was still very new to the game) that it was because of the passive wildlife rule, but I was above it, and wildlife will flee if they cant find a path to you, now im debating which of the 2 reasons it could be because there's a quite clear path but I was quite high above it so the game might have just considered it to high, but then again ive seen Hadrian (a tld youtuber) get followed by a bear in PV and he climbed the robe (the one going up to signal hill) and the bear followed him all the way up and down so I don't know what to think anymore. 

tldr; do moose (and bear but mostly moose) obey the passive wildlife rule? and do they obey the Predator Grace Period rule?  

I almost always play on Pilgrim, and I have definitely been mauled by a bear and stomped by a moose in Pilgrim games. In contrast, I've also had bears run away from me on sight many times. Early on, I wasn't aware that if you shoot a bear or moose while you're in its line of sight, it will attack you. I thought that in Pilgrim, bears and moose were equally as passive as wolves, in the sense that they would run whether they saw you or you shot at them. But I was definitely wrong about both.

I do believe both bears and moose obey the predator grace period rule, as they both attack in a predatory way. I once started a game in Pleasant Valley to work towards the Silent Hunter achievement (survive the first 50 days without firing the Rifle) , and after crafting the bow and arrows, I decided to camp out at Pensive Pond to wait out the local moose. I saw the moose "rubs" on nearby trees, but it took forever for the moose to actually show up.

Whether this delay in spawn time is unique to the moose, or an aspect of the Predator Grace Period, I've definitely had to wait out the spawn many times in different games, even when the rubs are visible in an area. Bears definitely obey the Predator Grace Period.

@ManicManiac

I understand that the game mechanics are designed to be challenging or interesting in and of themselves, and that the game devs aren't responsible for creating a totally realistic game. I doubt a totally realistic game would be as fun or challenging as the way TLD is designed. 

That said, I do think that there are some mechanics, like how we can accidentally apply painkillers to a sprain (instead of to the pain itself), that are so unrealistic they end up detracting from the immersive aspect of the game. I highly doubt anyone in a survival situation has sprained their ankle and decided to rub pain pills on their skin as a "bandage". 

Usually this bothers me more when it's randomly inconsistent, like how we can fix the moose hide satchel with leather, but we can't fix the deerskin boots with leather. Of course it creates a different sort of challenge, and I'm not vowing to delete the game because of it. But in this case I feel the awkwardness and inconsistency has more weight. Given the fact that we have the wishlist, and mechanics change fairly regularly, there doesn't seem to be a downside to mentioning it in a respectful way.

I'm afraid of the moose too. I usually play on Pilgrim, and early on I assumed that because I was in a Pilgrim game, both the bear and moose would run away from me no matter what, just like the wolves and deer. 

After I got both mauled and stomped, I always make sure to give the bear and moose a wide berth unless I happen to be hunting them. I once got surprised by the moose in Broken Railroad – one that spawned in the clearing to the right of the gate up to the Forest Talkers' cabin. It chased me to the gate, and I had to lock it behind me. Broken ribs are such a pain in the ass that I prefer to be extra careful.

On 9/2/2019 at 3:52 AM, Serenity said:

I killed it a couple times at the hydro dam because it's a great area to spend your first month in. Including my current game. The scratchings are certainly there. It's just random chance if it appears.

In FM it can be at Marsh Ridge or in the area with the snow shelter near Muskeg Overlook

I've also seen it near the ponds just to the right of the transition tunnel that goes between FM and ML. And by "to the right", I mean if you're walking into FM from ML.

I think either way, it comes down to the fact that most of our gear is composed of heavy duty materials, and should be repairable in a more realistic fashion. 

For some reason, the game devs decided we can repair some gear with pieces of leather, but other items (which would likely be way sturdier IRL) require an entire bear or deerskin to make even the most minor of repairs. I'm always surprised that something as simple as the Snow Shelter requires different amounts of material depending on the level of decay, but an item as elaborate as the bearskin bedroll always requires one giant bearskin no matter how minor the decay is.

I think in real life, if I was such a survivalist megabadass that I could forge my own arrowheads, craft a bow and arrowheads strong enough to kill a bear, have the guts to stand in front of TWO bears with no other protection besides some ratty stolen clothing, and manage to shoot and kill *both* bears – I would probably have enough skill to figure out how to repair the freaking rugged bearskin bedroll I made using some leather scraps or even sturdy cloth. 

The same thing bugs me about ripping up an entire pair of nearly new heavy canvas work pants and only getting one piece of cloth out of them. I know the devs are trying to make things challenging, but sometimes things feel so unrealistic that they take me out of the immersion of the game.

On 8/27/2019 at 1:10 PM, peteloud said:

I was disappointed with my bearskin bedroll when it was just as easily destroyed as a normal bedroll in a wolf/bear attack.  I had expected it to be more resistant to these attacks.

I also assumed that the bearskin bedroll wouldn't decay nearly as fast as the regular bedroll, and I'm still surprised at how fast it decays - especially considering that it requires an entire bearskin for repairs. It just doesn't seem worth the trouble unless you really need the extra warmth. I don't tend to play on the higher difficulty levels though, so maybe the added protection is also a big help.

On 8/5/2019 at 12:15 PM, Guest Marcurios said:

wolves also just dissapear at times, i shot one in the belly followed it for quite a while, didn't lose sight of it til it started limping, then i looked away just for one second to pick up 2 sticks, and when i looked up it was gone completely, it limped slowly, then i picked up the bloodtrail and followed it, it suggested that in the time that i had picked up the 2 sticks, it walked like more then a mile at a snails pace cause it limped and totally outran me which ofcourse isn't possible, then the trail just stopped and the wolf was nowhere to be found.

seems to me that the game is surely bugged there..

I saw a video recently (on these forums) which showed a wolf moving super fast when the player would look away for a moment. I wonder if it's a similar issue/bug.

On 8/26/2017 at 6:23 PM, WanderingPalm said:

How do you pass time without putting down your bedroll? Or do you whip out your roll, throw it on the ground, and then pass time on it for the hour? And does this actually keep them from dying farther away from you --like, do they stop moving while you pass time, so are just dead in the spot you last saw them when you come out of it? Because that would be amazing and I definitely need to start doing this if that's how it works!

Yup, they pop into existence a couple of dots at a time for me, too. It makes tracking incredibly difficult because the dots don't seem to exist at all from a few steps away. They also sometimes just... stop. Even when the creature bleeds out and dies elsewhere. I've also noticed that the blood spots are less red-colored now. They look more like black splats, even when fresh. Anyone else seeing that, too? Oh, and I'm on PS4-- maybe the console versions have a lower draw distance on blood?

 

But yeah, absolutely be on the lookout for crows circling your kill! I thought I'd lost the wolf I'd killed, but two days later I saw crows circling somewhere they never had before, and found my kill (in the tall grass right where I'd apparently walked by it a dozen times before....). So crows are now my best friend. XD

This exact same thing happens to me too. My laptop is decent, but the game runs much better with low quality graphics, so I suspect it's a graphics/draw distance issue for me as well.

It's annoying to the point that I almost never bother with the blood trail anymore - I just let enough time pass and go looking for the dead animal. Most of the regions are contained to the point that it's easy enough to find the carcass. Forlorn Muskeg and Pleasant Valley have enough open space to make things extra challenging though.