ManicManiac

It sounds more like something to discuss with Sony... perhaps there is a mechanism for that (or perhaps there could be), but that seems more specific to the hardware platform. If done at Sony's end... then controller/keyboard keymapping would just be a feature of the platform rather than dependent on patches from every single game's developer. It's a wonderful suggestion, please don't get me wrong... I just think maybe it's a wishlist item for Sony rather than Hinterland. More specifically for the writing portion in the journal (and I admit I forgot about that bit when I was initially typing up a response)... That's a really good question. I'm not sure where that input linkage would need to be done. 🤔 I would expect that any place where the PlayStation's keyboard would work for entering text, that the same would be true whether in-game or not.

@xanna Absolutely. Also, I didn't mean to misunderstand what you were getting at (or if my reply read in a critical way - that was not meant). I do absolutely agree with you about decoy hunting. Frankly, I'm glad that Hinterland changed it... especially since they had expressed that decoy hunting was a straight-up exploit of the decoy mechanic and wasn't meant to be used that way in the first place.

I do still use it for quickly getting meat and gut out of my inventory. However, I have not really ever used it for its explicit purpose of "decoying," at least not in the context of hunting. Back in the day, I thought decoy hunting was just too much of a cheap/cheese tactic, and aside from some early experimentation... I opted to never do it. I think maybe once or twice over the last 9 years or so... I have used the "drop decoy" hotkey to sacrifice a piece to ditch a wolf while I was hauling a store of meat from one place to another. So, I mean... sure it's rare for me, but I do still find there are some good use cases for the Drop Decoy hotkey.

While waiting to get to sleep at the Bricklayer's Retreat in Blackrock...

You know... I've not spent nearly enough time getting to know Blackrock. Perhaps this last leg of my trip down Memory Lane is a good time to do just that. Progress is likely going continue to be a bit slow, but I suppose that's the cost of trying to seek out all the ways to get around and the assorted out of the way nooks.

It was about midmorning when I got up. When I went to sleep, I could hear the beginnings of a blizzard kicking up outside. Thankfully, it had blown over while I slept. I quickly scouted the road below; I was curious to see if I could get to the abandoned car without getting spotted. Hmm... the car should be far enough away for me to prospect it without any problems... but I'll still proceed with caution. These packs can prowl a pretty large area. I've got a good goat path to get down there, but there doesn't seem to be a convenient way back up... so it looks like I'm committed now. 🤭 Nope... it looks like I will have to come back for this car another time. It's probably better for me to just look for the next shelter anyway. I mean, I appreciate the warning... but honestly, right now I think falling rocks is the least of the hazards around that particular corner. Moving on... it looks like there might be a promising foot path just ahead. Looks like the road ahead is clear... also perhaps a frozen lake there to the right? I'd say that warrant's a moment's consideration. 🤔 Very nice... reminds me of the Mountaineer's Hut, rabbits nearby... I think this will be a nice spot to setup an encampment here. While looking around just to make sure the area was clear... the weather took a turn. In case another storm blows in... I should probably get to work gathering sticks and getting settled. Hopefully that won't happen, but I have a feeling future me might appreciate it if I get this place set to wait out a blizzard. There's not much here... but then, I don't need much. "This will come in handy..." Nice, water purification tablets... always a good as gold in my book. It hadn't even occurred to me to check around the outside when I first approached. This place will definitely do nicely. The weather seems like it's not getting any worse... at least for now, but I still feel like I should concentrate more on gathering sticks and scouting around. Looked like a reasonable goating opportunity, and hopefully a decent vantage. Turned out there was a decent footpath up to this vantage point anyway... no risky goating needed. The area looks clear, but there's a lot I can't make out through the trees. I'll still need to becareful as I make way to back towards the road. I still think I'm going to be staying here at Bricklayer's Retreat for the night... but we'll see. Hmm... is that the road ahead? Moving on. For some reason, it seemed like the road was a bit farther away. I figured I'd follow along the road a little way before heading back around. No Timberwolves on this stretch... at least not today. In Bleak Inlet, packs would migrate from place to place... I should probably watch out for that here as well. Another good vantage point let me see the back behind one of the archways I looked at the other day... also, spotted my first bear in the region. Which means at some point, I need to locate the den. The weather cleared while I was out scouting, but it's late enough in the day that I'm content to stay put for the night. I see Foreman's Clearcut below... good to know I have a good route to get back there quickly if need be. I don't really need fire this evening... Still though, any chance to make "free" fire, I do try to take advantage of. I'd thought perhaps the wind was gusting a bit too hard... but I gave it a shot anyway. I have 15 pieces of coal and more than 80 sticks gathered, so I have plenty of fuel for a couple of nights. For now, I just want to bolster my water supply (done more quickly thanks to the Water Purification Tablets) and get that coffee brewed up. I do also have a few canned food items I can prep for later. I'd like to explore more of the back paths tomorrow. I'm not sure if I could keep heading towards the mine, or if I should perhaps find way towards a power distribution tower (electricity pylon). I'm not sure yet... I'll have to think on it some more. 🤔

@Abenico There's still no call to be rude or snide to other posters... Also, you don't get to dictate what I can or can't comment on. ...so I won't be "bugging off" As you say... cheers.

Clearly your rather snide comment was designed to instigate and provoke... but I'm not going to take the bait. I'm not going to waste time and energy with the argument you seem to be trying to start. 🤭

In the cave: There's a surprising amount of standing water in this cave. I decided it was a better idea to take my shoes and socks off until I was done sloshing around through pools of water. 🤭 There wasn't much to speak of in this cave. Mostly just coal and a few flares to be found. On the way back through, I did find one campsite that I had missed before: it did provide one night's worth of food... so the cave kind of "paid for itself."

I couldn't get very far again today... found some Timberwolves though. Foreman's Clearcut... I definitely have enough coffee to get my last merit badge now. Up near the climb I saw yesterday... found another revolver. Finally caught sight of Timberwolves... so at least we know there are out and about (and not just scripted incisions). It seems these ones have a pretty wide detection radius... the one on the left was with the other three on the right. This one broke off to take down a deer from rather far off. Not sure if that means these one's are keener or if just being in their territory triggers detection. I imagine we'll find out tomorrow... for now, I want to continue observing a while and looking around. From the other side (the road just next to Foreman's Clearcut)... they look like they are most interested in prowling along the road. More side trails to look into... Ah... this is what I was hoping to find. I have a feeling this is where I'll hunker down for the evening. I do have 81 sticks on hand so, if need be, I could have a 12-hour fire build up in short order. Good advice. 🤭 I still had some daylight... it was time to test the Timberwolves a bit more. The Timberwolf do appear manageable... so far, not any trickier than they are in Bleak Inlet. Hard to seem in this shot... but the four/five of them are down there skulking about. Might be able to get to that car without being spotted, but I'll deal with that tomorrow. Looks like the cave system that would lead me out to Timberwolf Mountain. I think instead of that cave near the Farm... I'll be staying here for the night instead. I may take a walk and search through the cave, but for now... just going to get situated to bed down for the night.

@Abenico In answer to your question... generally the purpose of quoting another post is to give a reference and context for a response. Or... to let a poster know their comment is being directly discussed, referred to, commented on, or to maybe even pose a follow up question. It's kind of a foundational feature of an online forum.

@xHostileHarliex Recommendation: Submit a ticket so at least Hinterland is aware of and can work on your issue. Link imbedded with the image... but if you'd rather see the link for yourself... https://hinterlandgames.zendesk.com/hc/en-us

Took a peek out... but the visibility wasn't good enough for me to want to risk it. Couldn't sit in the truck to warm up and wait (just slightly too cold)... so I went 'back to the cave for a nap. Cold or not... time to start the day in earnest.

Hmm... not sure if it's better to sit here and wait for sunup or get an early start. It is a bit cold... but as long as the wind doesn't kick up it should be manageable. 🤔 I spend a few more minutes in the warm cave, monitor the weather, think on the risk/reward of trying to prospect for the next shelter this early... or whether to just stay put another hour or two. I did decide that I will double back eventually to prospect all the more remote nooks. That first day, really emphasized that I need to take care, and more generally familiar with the region again before venturing off into the more out of the way places. So I won't be heading down that foot path back to the river behind the Barn just yet.. I realize I need to get a better idea of where the caves and shelters are first.

@Mistral I am patient... so that possibility doesn't bother me.

I'm really looking most forward to a Camera, Cougar, and a new region to explore.

@Admin

@survivor123 In case you were not around for the early days: excerpt from Dev Diary - March 2019 what Raph mentioned in Milton Mailbag -- Dispatch #41 ----- To summarize: There has always been a certain portion of the community that seems determined to try to make things unbearable for the rest of us with their vitriol, discontent, and rather disrespectful little tirades, especially during the course of just about every single release of any kind. It's unfortunate... but sadly it's something we still have to deal with to this very day. Sometimes I think that there are certain folks who just lay in wait to try and cause drama and havoc... some folks just seem to thrive on it. Anyway, that's why we don't get much in the way of projected timelines.

Three years later... I can still confidently say that my least favorite place to live long term is Old Island Connector (a.k.a. Crumbling Highway). A close second is Broken Railroad (no particular reason really, it's a fine region... I just don't enjoy staying there for an extended period of time). [Granted that I've not been to the Far Territories... yet]

I will admit, I did envy a little bit those who got to find gold nuggets earlier than intended.

Weather permitting, I think I will take the long way around rather than climb the rope. If nothing else, I'd like to scout the road ahead anyway. Of course, if I do spot Timberwolves... I may double back and at which time I will take the rope climb. 🤭 You know... so far, I've not seen any sign of Timberwolves. I'm hoping they behave the same as most of them in Bleak Inlet. If so, I know I can evade and avoid. However, it has occurred to me that they may also be like the Cannery Rush Timberwolves (in that if I just get to a certain spot an incursion is triggered - if that's the case it would greatly impact my opinion of the region). I do remember getting blindsided in my last visit near a power station... but frankly I don't recall where that was, if I just hadn't spotted them, or if it was a scripted encounter. It's been more than a year since I last visited Blackrock. Oh well, I imagine I will find out soon. I would go back and comb through my past chronicles... but I'm kind of enjoying not knowing and feeling a bit lost again.

Yes, still waiting with bated breath... In the meantime, looking to finish the last leg of my current chronicle ...Memory Lane... Blackrock sucker punched me hard my first full day in the region, but I think I have a good foothold now.

Wolverine...

@Moosemaster only meant to be encouraging. point is... rough times pass. like on our struggles across Great Bear Island, we just have to keep on and survive.

@Moosemaster Tomorrow's another day... You got this!