ManicManiac

Speaks for itself... Chris Cornell (Soundgarden) - Fell on Black Days

Speaks for itself... Chris Cornell (Audioslave) - Like a Stone

Well done. Reminds me a little bit of Chris Conell (R.I.P.)

It just seemed like a place that needed a name but didn't have one... so just started referring to it as the Lonely Meadow. It's by no means official in any way at all... but it's at least my headcanon. I'd love for the name to be adopted by the community if not by Hinterland too. 🤭

I tend to think, generally speaking, if a person wanted a refund from Steam, Epic, Xbox/Microsoft, Nintendo, GoG, etc... then it would be a good idea to contact them more directly and ask about it, rather than asking Hinterland what other distributor's/vendor's policies are.

I got a relatively early start... I wanted to visit the ravine below the Broken Bridge and perhaps the ridgeline leading around towards the lake. I had to duck the two wolves in the front of the Maintenance Yard, but the side path I took down to the Creek was all clear. Thankfully I'd found a rope in the Maintenance Shed... so I quickly deployed the rope and make my way down into the ravine. There was so much death in this narrow ravine... After managing to pull myself up the climb, I decided to look for the clue I'd found on the way in. I decided to check the first cave... however, quickly found out it was a bear den (because the bear was on it's way back home when I had decided to slip inside and take a look around). It was risky, but I managed to escape sticking close to the ridge line and heading back to the right. The bear had spotted me and followed me most of the way back toward the Maintenance Yard, but I did eventually out pace it. I had to deal with the two wolves out front again but managed to sneak past without issue. The rest of the evening I decided to cook some found food and brew the coffee I'd found along the way. Not a very busy day... but a good day just the same.

When I'd gone to bed... I did have some 10% dogfood. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that it got me sick, but I had more than plenty of antibiotics. However, this does mean that I'd need to be especially careful today. 🤔

Accompaniment: Blonde Redhead - For the Damaged Coda I got up early, to try and make the most of the day. As it turns out... I was just very lucky on the way in yesterday, because today was just wolves and bad weather. The wolves have apparently returned... ...and the weather starts taking a turn right after. I guess I'm staying in the Maintenance Shed today. 😒 This is the second battery I've found on the run so far... 68% of Great Bear Island explored; only two batteries found. That could be a real problem later on. 🤔 ...mood... Getting as much done as I can cleaning out the Shed and getting the area organized. I was hoping to get more exploring done, but the weather isn't so inconvenient. I did need to get situated, so today was as good a day as any.

I don't know if it was eerie atmosphere of the Maintenance Yard... or the unsettling message written in red paint on the wall... but I had another horrible nightmare.

It was midmorning the next day when I finally set out in earnest for Broken Railroad. Entering Broken Railroad. My experience in the past tells me that this next region is a great spot to get ambushed. I remember wolves had a habit of skulking on most of the blind corners and narrow passes. Seeing this deer grazing was a pretty reliable hint that at least there wasn't any wolves prowling around the immediate vicinity... Still though, I needed to be careful. Hmm... the way as been clear. Surprisingly so... either I've gotten extremely lucky today, or the wolf population here has dwindled. I suppose I'll find out tomorrow, in the meantime I needed to reach the Maintenance Yard before dark. Ah... spotted one wolf in total so far. It's hard to make out be it on the top part of the small bank built up the rock wall. Just looks like a small blackish line from here. That also means that it will be nice and out of the way while I explored the lower level of this side-path would ultimately lead me to the other side of the landslide. This area might be worth remembering... it looks like maybe I could use it as an escape route from the other side. I'll have to check it out when I eventually get over there. This wolf turned out to be no trouble whatsoever. I didn't expect this leg of the route to be so relaxed. Also, in case I've not make it clear... I do love the look and feel of the oak trees. 🤭 Spotting rabbits running around gave me another pretty reliable hint that there were no wolves around. I didn't expect to find much on the way through to the Maintenance Yard... I'm pleasantly surprised. Here's one of the spots I remember Will telling me that he'd met with a stranger who called himself Methuselah and where he witnessed the first Aurora after "The First Flare..." I've never been to the other side of the broken bridge before... I get an eerie feeling looking down this tunnel... I come back to face it one day. I really can't believe how devoid of wolves Broken Railroad is today... I don't think I can remember ever seeing the yard completely empty like this. I suppose I bet make good on the opportunity. By the time it got dark... I was settled into the outer office of the Maintenance Yard. Maybe I just got lucky today... it's possible tomorrow the place might be swarming with wolves, but at least I'm safe for tonight. I did try to get an approximant snapshot to compare with the story Will told me.

I suppose I made my opinions pretty clear when I posted on the Dev Diary thread itself. But I suppose to add more context... The Long Dark is my favorite contemporary game, by a very wide margin. I've now spent 2,250 hours (which is not as much as some, but still far more than any other game in my library). I found TLD just after the Kickstarter closed (otherwise I absolutely would been a backer) and started exploring Great Bear Island in late 2014 (shortly after it entered Steam Early Access). Since then, I'd purchased both volumes of the soundtrack and of course Tales of The Far Territory. I'd also posed the question to see if I could pay for my own digital copy of their short-film Elegy. I've been consistently impressed by Hinterland, both for the expanding scope of their vision of The Long Dark and the commitment to us they've honored while also giving us so much more than we all originally bought in for. As I said in my post on the Dev Diary thread: I think that Raph and the entire Hinterland team has (I feel) earned so much good will over the years. No release date change, platform port hangup, update bug/glitch, or focus shifts could be enough to change my opinion, respect, and support for both this game and this studio. And this forum is the only forum I frequent... Hinterland has done so well at fostering an overall really great community, and one that I am very glad to be a part of.

Deluka - Cascade (Warning... couldn't find a version that didn't have some form of flashing visuals... so be warned) ***[ADDENDUM]*** This is the best I could do for a version with least amount of flashing elements. (still flashy in certain bits though)

Mystery Lake just always feels like home for me on Great Bear Island. Timberwolf Mountain is my favorite place to live. In both places I always feel at ease. I know where I am, I know all the ways to get where I want to go... and where I need to tread with careful respect. 🤭

Non Sequitur... Fly Project - Toca Toca [Anime Ver.] I just think this one is more fun... but here is the original source if folks want it. Fly Project - Toca Toca | Official Music Video

@mfuegemann Well done.

@Leeanda I would 100% agree, "Bad Decisions" is the champion root cause of player death.

I went back through pervious posts to the last time I was at that particular den. I'm not surprised I missed it the first time. 🤔

It's not the first time I've found one in a den. I recall finding having a good chance of finding one in the bear den on Mystery Lake (but that one was also inside a backpack rather than stuck to the wall/on the "floor").

I was a bit surprised to find two more snow shelters at the Abandoned Campsite... but I welcomed the extra cloth. I was also surprised to find that Polaroid in the cave. I've been used to finding Polaroids in backpacks/containers/pockets... this time it was a lone Polaroid on the ground (or in this case stuck to the bottom most part of the wall of the den). That fog was certainly no joke... that solid wall of grey was snapped while I was looking forward. 🤭

Very early the next morning I started out for Broken Railroad... However, along the way I accidentally found a good reason to put it off for another day. 🤭 Somehow, I'd missed picking this up the last time I was here at this den. It was tucked all the way towards the back, stuck to be base of a den wall. Seeing as how I found another Polaroid, may as well go survey from the Vista (...again). Hmm... there's the pack of five wolves, but I know I took down that snow shelter. Why is there another one down at the abandoned campsite? Sure enough, another snow shelter. I didn't see anyone else around, and I could honestly use the cloth. 🤔"I hope nobody needs this anymore..." 🤭 A heavy fog rolled in while I was on the way back to the Old Spence Place. Had to shelter in place until I could gain my bearings. I was finally able to make my way just a little after dark. All in all, with the little bit I found along the way... the extra day was spent here was worth it.

If I'm being honest with myself, I'm not really looking forward to going to Broken Railroad. It feels a bit like the Old Island Connector. The area itself is fine enough... it's just that the routes are very tight and few alternative options. All the narrow passes make for a tense hike, with several wolves and a bear in the mix.

@PilgrimReaper Have you been able to start a new run and reproduce what happened? If there were no relevant afflictions (food poisoning, parasites (say from raw meat), dysentery, or any other untreated malady) then perhaps it was indeed a bug. I'd recommend gathering up whatever information you're able to and submit a support ticket, just to make sure Hinterland is aware of and tracking the potential anomaly. If it's not reproducible, then it will likely be hard for them to troubleshoot.

Another strange dream... I guess when we struggle day in and day out, it shouldn't be surprising to have these kinds of anxiety dreams. 🤔 I suppose I'd better start getting ready to move on soon.

Were your needs low or at zero when you went to sleep, as it does in the picture you attached?