UpUpAway95

I think it was fine and would just remove the HUD-based warnings and have actual signs start appearing - like tracks, kills that can be identified as cougar kills (perhaps by having them partially buried and covered in pine needles or bows), and sounds. I would also like to be able to catch glimpses of them, but I like that they were virtually not "huntable." I wouldn't mind if any reward for killing them was removed from the game, while making so they could be fought off during an attack with a knife or hatchet (sharp implement only) that would make them eventually bleed out and die. Alternatively to removing the cougar knife and hat, I would have them choose a very hidden place to die that is a far distance from where their attack was repelled - making it difficult for the player to find their carcass. I think the reward for fighting off a cougar attack should be survival itself. I would keep the attacks as a surprise that could instantly end a run, but also change the "cheat death" mechanic to apply only if the cause of a death was a cougar attack and make the permanent disability relative to something that could be directly from such an attack. That means that a player could survive up to 3 cougar attacks and continue in their save - just by accepting an increasing disadvantage in that save. This way, the game's permadeath mechanic would be as it always was for any other cause of death. Of course, this is just my suggestions and opinions - not looking for any arguments - and the last I will say anything on the matter. HL - keep up the good work.

I'm still trying to find out what this might mean for sighting the cougar in Pilgrim mode. Does the cougar still attack in that mode (meaning it spawns on top of the player) or is it passive like other animals in that mode (which means one should be able to sight it without being attacked, at least when in that mode). According to a video I saw, it apparently only comes into a region in pilgrim mode after 70 days, so it's not something that would apply at all to a 50-day one-region run in Pilgrim even if left enabled. On higher difficulties, the encroachment is 5-30 days, so that does mean that it's likely I won't be getting much beyond that when deliberately staying in the cougar's territory, but we'll see what happens.😀

Yes they are - and that includes me. Outside of Misery there is no option other than the "Cheat Death" to increase a save's difficulty without completely starting over. People are looking at this issue ONLY from the side of people wanting to save a long-term file (and looking down their noses a little bit at those people who do that because they're "cheating" death). However, the problem I see is with people getting bored as the game gets easier the farther into a file you get (and if one goes into a save expected the file to last 100s or 1000s of days without dying, it is very likely that they've chosen a difficulty that doesn't challenge them to their maximum to start with (or else they likely would have died before they became attached emotionally to that save). Cheat death enables people to make their run more difficult as they progress. It's not ideal (I would prefer to be able to ratchet up the difficulty at any time at least in custom runs). I'm not being disrespectful or "judgmenetal" - just trying to illustrate the "other side" of this coin. It's not all about "permadeath" tension - because if one goes into a game expecting the save to out last your boredom threshold, I don't think there's any fear or tension involving dying in that file to be had anyways - so why not allow us some ways to increase difficulty as we go - and this is at least a start in that direction. Misery mode does it for a very difficult game, why not afford people who start saves at easier difficulties the same opportunity. In addition, Misery players cannot opt out of allowing the save file to get more difficult as they go. Should "near death" increases in difficulty be "opt outable."??

So, continuing the discussion - let's say they had called it "near death" and had the choices menu trigger when the player dropped to 1% health instead? Should it then have been a choice we could toggle on or off at the start of the game? In the minds of those that associate it with the "permadeath" nature of the game, would it have been more palatable? It's only a cosmetic difference in my mind, but perhaps a significant one?

... and also let's then not pass judgement on people using the "cheat death" that they are somehow doing it to just try to get out of permadeath rather than trying to find a way to make their saves get harder over time, OK? Both sides of these opinions are, wiithout exception, passing some sort of judgement on others.

Don't get me wrong - I'm not against them making a toggle at the start of the game in addition to leaving the choice of ending the game option in the middle. I just don't think it will satisfy those who are adamantly of the opinion that they need an enforced permadeath in this game. I don't need one - never have - to play any game as a permadeath one and I've said goodbye and cried over saves that I've put hours and hours into just because some stupid glitch caused a death in the game. Having that will power to stick with a permadeath choice is all part of playing permadeath, IMO.

The announcement indicates that you won't be able to spot the actual attack coming. You will have ample warning though when the cougar has spawned in the region (a counter in the lower left corner). It also shows the number of days the cougar will remain in that region after you've left it. From the video, it did look like it was possible to survive a cougar attack (perhaps like a bear attack, they only take you down to within an inch of your life and then wander away briefly) - giving you time to shoot them, but missing that shot probably means they'll attack again immediately.

I you really playing in fear of permadeath it you're starting a survival run expecting to go 100s of days? I say, if so, you're playing at too low a difficulty for yourself to start with. In Misery mode, going longer (even by cheating death) now means the game unavoidably gets harder - so maybe move up from interloper?

While I understand that some view it that way, I really don't see the difference. If one doesn't have the fortitude to adhere to a permadeath run of their own volition and have to see it forced upon everyone else to make it seem "scary" enough for them, then that's their problem, not mine. They are not going to be less tempted by toggling it off at the start of a run than just choosing to end the game in the middle... or even ending any game that even allows infinite respawns when they've self-imposed a "permadeath" label on the run. Personally, I might have labeled it "near death" instead of "cheat death" and avoided the drama. At the bottom line, it is a means for a player to take a run to a "harder" and "harder" difficulty by going forward. Not perhaps as hard as starting out in a harder difficulty, but a little movement towards the game getting harder over its duration is better than none, IMO. PS: I would still love to see the ability to access the difficulty setting to ratchet it higher at any point during a run (at least in the case of a run started in a custom setting to begin with).

While I agree that there would be ways to set up interesting variants if the misery afflictions were to be added to the custom menu, I can almost see this being an intention omission on the part of HL in order to avoid the whole "face interloper" accusations that some have waged against players who alter interloper using custom settings regardless of what specific modifications they are doing. I think I'm OK with Misery just being a standard difficulty and the player either being "all in" or not in it at all.

I'm sorry to hear you lost a long run. Silver lining - you did accomplish Faithful Cartographer and Signal Void. Understandably, breaks are sometimes necessary to regain composure and focus (I'm taken a few too). Still, starting over isn't such a bad deal since the start of a run (at least IMO) is the funnest part of the game. We'll look forward to seeing you back!

I use this technique all the time, even in the small houses to avoid getting stuck on furnishings. The reason is my vision IRL is very poor and navigating the dark areas of the maps without a light source is nigh impossible for me. Selecting an item to place right out of the radial menu, however, is easier than actually dropping it. Water is probably the most obvious one that you'll always have keyed into your radial menu (before you get a bedroll, that is). HRV is a brutal start in interloper if you don't know where to beeline for the guaranteed matches in that zone. Learning that, getting there as fast as possible and then booking it out of the zone is the most reliable way to get the run going. As for your wish, neither would do much good getting a run started. Without a fire, you would clearly freeze to death if you tried to sleep on the ground out in the open. A bow drill would require a improvised knife to make, which you can't make until you can light a forge - which you can't do until you find your guaranteed matches and also find a hammer. Really, overall there are enough guaranteed matches in the world on interloper to last a long time if you find them all plus a number of purely random ones. There are also numerous places and ways to sleep without a bedroll. Sleeping out on the ground is almost the same as sleeping in a snow shelter without a fire, HRV has a couple of those as well - you just got to get to them if that's really the way you want to end your HRV starts. Another alternative is to go into the custom menu, pick the interloper template and then change your starting gear allocation only from "low" to "medium." This will start you with slightly better clothing, matches, and a bedroll in your inventory, eliminating the mad dash for matches while keeping the other settings essentially at interloper levels (with a few other minro differences that we're not sure why they exist). Then, if you want the challenge of finding your way without the bedroll, just toss it or rip it up at the first opportunity.

My best guess - Whitehorse to Vancouver. Landing gear down because planes were getting ready to land in Vancouver.

I end most runs at 50 days (if they don't end me sooner). Very occasionally, I'll take a run to 100 days (usually when exploring new features or new map for the first time). Way back when, I did the 500 days for the feat or achievement (can't remember which it was) and committed suicide by jumping off the back of the plane on TWM. A fitting end to that Will (since it reflected my feelings about the run by then 😀); and I have taken runs to that length only once or twice since. The bottom line is I like the start of this game more than anything - when I don't have a lot of stuff to manage. Inventory management bores me on any difficulty in any game. I also do one-zone runs because I like to limit the size of the map as well. I don't like walking long distances on a map just to get from here to somewhere else. The addition of the cougar may get me to change my ways, but probably not. My shortest run was a day and half on my first Interloper attempt. Couldn't see a way out of the building I was in (dumb move to go in there) and was out of food and water, so I just started a new run rather that stress over working it out. Most of my interloper runs a "blessedly short" - and I like them that way.

I hope that Will and Astrid don't hop on the Karluk to get off Great Bear - that didn't end too well as I recall. Hmmm - next game?