UpUpAway95

8 hours ago, TheOtherBob said:

No.  I  did As The Dead Sleep for the challenge.  I did Hopeless Rescue to see how fast I could do it and will likely do it again to see how much I can improve on my time.  I will do the same for Hunted one and two as well as Escape The Darkwalker, when I get around to them.

The only challenges I've done 'just for the badge' so far are Nomad and Whiteout and I did them simply so I can eventually get the achievement for completing all the challenges.  Those two were excruciatingly boring and a total grind because they are childishly easy, just like voyageur and stalker are.

That doesn't change the fact that you were willing to play those challenges in difficulties other than Loper regardless of your exact reasons for being willing.  It doesn't matter that you didn't do it just for the badge... you still did it.  So, IF the player wants the badge, not being able to get it in custom shouldn't be the ONLY THING (which is what that player stating) stopping them from playing the DLC.

I get that you're angry.  I get that you and others are disappointed.   I don't think that alone is necessarily going to convince HL to change their minds on the matter though.  They thought about.  They have reasons (regardless of whether they've told us those reason or sidestepped with an "excuse.")  It's just the way it is... don't be mad at me just because I'm advocating for Custom instead of joining you in expressing an ire over interloper that I dont' share simply because I don't play interloper.  I play custom... and I'm not even angry at HL for things like not allowing feat progression in custom... but I'd still love to produce a logical argument that will convince them to change their minds about it.

11 minutes ago, Leeanda said:

I'm on custom pilgrim and although I've hardly searched any visors I have found one note and key with it.  If I have any problems with any others I'll let you know.

Not sure where my previous response to this went... This is interesting and probably means that I probably need to uninstall and reinstall the game.  With my crappy internet, that's going to take at least 8 hours to complete... and maybe as long as 3 days, depending on how large the actually game file is compared with the update one (which took 8 hours).  I'm doing it, now... reluctantly.  Hopefully, it will clear up some of the bugs I'm seeing.  Getting my book out and shutting down everything else that's online.  We'll talk to you again when it's complete.  Thanks.

1 hour ago, Leeanda said:

I don't mind either.😊.    It's usually just the wildlife I can't find but now it's everything!😄

On average, I think there is a little less loot concentrated in most areas on most (if not all) difficulties.  For the first time in eons, I actually found absolutely no clothing in the Camp Office in Mystery Lake and only came up with a set of driving gloves between the fishing cabins and the fishing huts.  On that run, I've found no guns and very little ammo in all of Mystery Lake... and baseline resources are set to high.  I don't mind it, but it is going to mean that my one-zone runs are going to be more difficult overall.

13 hours ago, Semple Fi said:

I have as of yet to find any of the rifle variations except Vaughns... Still looking... A scope would be GREAT.  And so would a crossbow. LOVING the input!

@Sito

@SuperStriker16

@Leeanda

In multiple starts in various regions and on various custom and standard difficulties, I've only found 1 rifle and no Vaughns.  I have found a couple of revolvers.  I have also confirmed that, for me at least, the memento keys are not spawning in custom modes.  I've found them only in my standard starts (even when using guides to them that are popping up on Youtube.  (I have sent in a ticket on this, but would mind it if other players on Xbox might confirm this as well).  I have found one heavy hammer in one of the red toolboxes in Broken Railroad Maintenance Shed (so there is still a chance one will spawn there, but on interloper it may be blocked from spawning there if the player themselves spawns within that region (don't know yet).  I've encountered a few other bugs, but nothing major (other than my startup issues - which HL have looked into and are unable to replicate).  That they went to work on it so quickly is absolutely commendable...  all in all I have no real complaints.  For now, I'm continuing to run short "tests" in various regions and on various difficulties and probably won't start seriously playing the DLC Tales for awhile yet.

17 minutes ago, TheOtherBob said:

The fact that it can be done in three different difficulties but not in the fourth makes it very different.  It also makes the badge completely meaningless.

I said "much the same" not "exactly the same."  Challenge badges are meaningless... they don't offer any in-game benefits to the player... so, do one run in stalker to earn the badge.  I presume you were willing to do "Hopeless Rescue" not as an Interloper to earn that badge, right... so, the fact that you cannot get it in standard interloper now shouldn't stop you if the badge is what you're after.

As for being able to play the Tale in Interloper - I've said it before... you're welcome to try to change HL's mind.  I'm about Custom, so my concerns rest around Custom... so, here I am, trying to change their mind about not allowing feat progression in Custom and encouraging them to add a way to enable Tales separate from baseline resources in Custom.  I really don't see why people are so against me on that.  It has no bearing on their trying to change HL's mind about allowing the Tales to be played also in standard interloper.

Essentially... we're on the same side... just different POV's.  The fact remains - HL made their decision consciously and intentionally... they thought about it... and in either argument (yours and mine), it's quite possible they may not change their minds... and we don't know what their ultimate vision for Tales is when its complete.  It is quite possible that they are planning an "Interloper" Tale... one that won't be able to be played in Pilgrim.  We just don't know at this point.

1 hour ago, bladerunner900 said:

I completed about 1/3 of the badges on Loper. The rest I earned on the other modes. I could probably do them all on Loper now but in the early days I was learning the ropes and steered clear of Loper. Besides, the rifle was cool and later the revolver. Now I love the bow, which reminds me. No Woodwright's on Loper. What's up with that?

I think you're confusing Feats with Challenge Badges.  The challenges (e.g. Hopeless Rescue, The Hunted, Nomad, Archivist, As the Dead Sleep, etc.) each have their own set difficulty that cannot be changed by the player (that is, you are not asked to choose a difficulty before the challenge starts and cannot change it from within the challenge either).  Conversely, feats are earned in any of the survival standard difficulties, including Pilgrim; but are not available in custom survival runs.  You can also progress feats within Challenge runs.  Feat progression can also take place over multiple saves of different difficulties (just not custom).  The one challenge that also provides a feat is "Escape the Darkwalker" which gives the player the "Darkwalker" feat and the "Escape the Darkwalker" and "Escape the Darkwalker - Deadly Dreamer Badge.  The new Tales: Signal Void badge is listed in the Challenge badges section; not the feats.

There are also special events badges, like 4DON... those can be played in any standard difficulty, as far as I know; but not custom (I haven't actually participated in any of those events, so someone else will have to confirm or correct me on this).

Since Tales: Signal Void is a challenge badge, I really don't see it as being much different than the other Challenges, like Hopeless Rescue, that have their own specific set difficulty that is not Interloper.

1 hour ago, TheOtherBob said:

Not if that level will give you double expedition parkas, double cowichan sweaters, snow pants, work pants, a Balaklava, double climbing socks, and insulated boots.

That doesn't preclude the fact that the feat can be earned on Pilgrim, Voyageur, and Stlaker, in addition to standard Loper.  You don't need to forego the expedition parkas, etc. now to earn the feat... so why not open it to Custom as well where it's possible the player desires to earn the feat at a setting even more difficult than Loper?... instead of assuming everyone who plays custom is trying to play and earn feats at a setting easier than Pilgrim.

If they want to lock the settings in Custom in such a way that the easiest achievable setting is equal to Pilgrim in order to open up feat progression to Custom games, I'm all for that... It would be hard to do because if you set everything equivalent to Pilgrim and then, say, turn off sprains, you have a game that is technically easier than Pilgrim... just the same as you get a game that is harder than Loper by starting with Loper settings and then turning off condition recovery (i.e. deadman).

Just stumbled across my first random plane crash in Mystery Lake (near the fire lookout).  It wasn't easy to get to and the loot was pretty lack luster, but it was cool searching around it, perched on the side of that mountain as it was... it felt more grim... more emotional somehow picking through the wreckage than just searching old buildings.  Great job, HL.

Since the update on the Xbox Series X, I have had instances where the game refused to launch an existing save file and a couple of instances where it would not let me get past the "name sandbox" screen when creating a new file.  Not sure if this is in any way the same as the problem you've experienced.  In my case, the workaround was to exit the game, quit it entirely while on the Xbox homepage, and the restart the game.  I figure it is some sort of compatibility issue with the Xbox Series X's "quick resume" feature since quitting the game completely using the "manage game" menu from the homepage cancels the quick resume.  Just a guess though... I sent HL a report yesterday.

7 hours ago, bladerunner900 said:

The only thing stopping me playing a Custom Loper is the fact that it would not give me the TALES: SIGNAL VOID badge on completion. That's a big problem for me. Extra loot I can deal with, one way or another but this nonsensical restriction forces me to look for ways to remove that impediment. For the sake of my sanity.

It's a 3-hour DLC that you would have to play through only once on Stalker to earn the badge... after that, the fact that you couldn't earn that badge on a "custom" run becomes irrelevant, doesn't it?

ETA:  After all, you probably earned all the challenge badges at whatever difficulty HL set for them (i.e. not baseline resources low or Loper)... I don't see this as very much different really.

2 hours ago, Kayosiv said:

The lack of badge progression on custom has always been a mistake. Pilgrim exists and can earn badges. Why would you lock out a mode from earning rewards if the easiest difficulty can already earn rewards?

Even though Pilgrim is not the "easiest" difficulty any more than Loper is the "hardest" one, I agree.  I have always felt that custom games should be able to earn feats.  They can earn achievements, so why not feats as well?

3 hours ago, xanna said:

I thought the same thing. I never use the general tab as it's way long, but I have to now for this. It's confusing too: because it's alphabetical, Acorn Grounds is first in the menu (in English) and I've seen a few streamers see that and be confused, not knowing there is another Acorn craft item further down.

I'd really also love an 'actions' button for hand-craftable items when you select them in the inventory. I can mend, harvest and maintain items from inventory, but I can't prepare mushrooms/hips/acorns or craft tinder plugs from newspaper etc. etc. except in the [K]rafting menu.

This comes under the category of UI inconsistency for me, and TLD has a pretty inconsistent UI over all (though individual UI elements are mostly very good).

Yes - an action button would be nice as well.

Heating canned food does not alter its condition; that is, the percentage shown in the inventory before and after cooking is exactly the same.  Cooking meat, however, does significantly change its condition.  Food poisoning chance is based on the condition of the food, so, I really believe the answer is definitely no... heating food does not lessen the chance of getting food poisoning from it.  OP - I think you just got really lucky.

I had no problem getting a torch to light from a stove today.

I'd try any red toolboxes in the zone first.  As others have said, spawns are random; but it wouldn't surprise me if, somehow, containers that somewhat match the intent of the item have a higher probability still (e.g. I look for clothes in dressers and lockers; tools in toolboxes, food in kitchen cabinets, etc.).

Just now, SuperStriker16 said:

 

Which is significantly more than what you’d get from a random book, plus you’d know what skills your getting with a specific skill book.

Let’s say 80 for ease of calculation and because it’s a ridiculously large amount. Those would require 15 days of straight reading (360 hours). If every point was spread evenly to each skill, you would gain 40 points into each skill, getting you almost up to level 3 in all skills, which is a lot but rng is rng which is bad for interlopers that just wasted a third of those skill points into skills that don’t matter in interloper, (rifle, revolver, and gunsmithing) and that also is assuming you didn’t read any duds, (25% of books don’t give skill). Fifteen days of straight studying day and night is way too long for any loper player to read, let’s say this is your daily schedule (which is pretty forgiving for loper) 

9 pm - 9 am sleep or passing time.

9 am - 10 am cooking the morning’s meat, venison, ( about 1800 kcal )

10 am - 1 pm going out hunting for the next day’s meal, or could be replaced with looking for gear.

1 pm - 3 pm reading, for whatever reason (let’s say you were trapped In because of bad weather)

3 pm - 5 pm chopping pallets for wood.

5 pm - 7 pm making things/repairing things

7 pm - 8 pm boiling water (can’t live off of the dam’s toilet water forever)

8 pm - 9 pm cooking dinner, (also 1800 kcal of venison)

sleep, rinse, repeat 

this already relaxed schedule  gives 2 hours of time to read, it would take 180 days to read all of those books. At that point your skills I’d hope are above level 3, you’d already be in field dressing, bow, cooking, sewing, fire starting, not ice fishing but ain’t no one got time for that. 
this also would require you to be at each location until you’ve read all of those books, meaning you would be moving your base multiple times just to read these books. Checkmate upupaway 95

Again - nothing prevents players from taking days and days to read books to artificially level up.  You're making the points available and when you do that, someone will find a way to exploit it - be it a Pilgrim or an Interloper.  The logistics are just a little more difficult on Loper (in that you have to provide a big source of food and water near where the books are foun and avoid cabin fever); but it can be done... and some players would likely do it rather than play the game... as is they do in a million other games out there (e.g. building shelves in Survival Mode in Fallout 4 to leave Sanctuary at Level 20).  Some players would shoot a moose near a significant source of books and "camp" and read for as long as they could... and then walk over to the next heavy book site.  Shoot some food, rinse and repeat.  No moving of the main base would be required.

It's my opinion... I've given it.  'nough said.

49 minutes ago, SuperStriker16 said:

 

You got it wrong, 1skill point in a random skill per hour, that is gained once the book is read. 2h book = 2 random points into random skill.

odds are you aren’t going to have days and days as you say. Especially in interloper when you need to constantly hunt and scavenge to survive, I’m assuming the wood in the dam that your talking about are pallets that take 1-2 1/2 hours to break down each, if if your able to kill a moose with just a bow, I’d also assume that most of your skills are almost or are at level 3 already, when books don’t work anymore. So at that point you’ll be burning those books anyways.

How are you going to allow the game to determine when the player has completely read that "random" book (that is coded the same as many other such random books in the game?  You are now suggesting that each one has to be coded separately (like a skill book already is) so that the game can keep track of how many hours in each book have been read.  Why not, then, just convert some of those random books to actual skill books (and keep some control over how many skill points are available in the game overall)?

Also, I said I just shot a moose - which gives me lots of food for days and I need to wait for the hide to cure anyways.  In a place like Carter, which I said can be done, even on Loper.

On Xbox at least, the various steps to process acorns are found only on the first main tab of the crafting UI; whereas, other items are also shown under more specific tabs (e.g. Prepared Reshis are shown on the first main tab and also under the "medical" tab.  Since acorns are probably the first food item that is not also a medical item that we have to craft, can a food tab be added to the UI (in anticipation that, someday, we'll be preparing foods other than acorns) or, alternatively, could acorns be added to the medicinal tab and perhaps the icon be changed to accommodate both medicinal and food items?

26 minutes ago, SuperStriker16 said:

Players on pilgrim wouldn’t have a problem getting large amounts of skill points early anyway and pilgrim is so easy that it wouldn’t matter in the end, and most people only play pilgrim only play to get a feel for the game and maps, so the long term doesn’t matter. If you need a book to start a fire do you really think they have the 2-8 hours needed to read a book before even starting it? Plus these books give the points randomly anyway, unlike a skill book that focuses on one skill so you only would get 2-8 points in random skills that you don’t choose for hours of sacrificed time. A fair trade when you don’t have any more skill books to read I’d say, because at that point, you wouldn’t have a point for these 15-30 books that you keep bringing up. Thank you Leeanda for looking at other things than just a minor issue. It’s just a proposal of an idea, If it’s too overpowered and hinterland considers it, they would make it more balanced to the way they like it before adding the ability to read random books anyway. 

Why does that matter that Pilgrim players have it easy anyways?  An exploit is an exploit... it discourages the player from going out and actually playing the game - easy or no.  Take let's put an interloper player in my example - I just shot the moose outside Carter, there's ample wood inside the dam, I can set up my fire in the dam yard so as to avoid cabin fever and read my little heart out for days gaining skills.  Note:  skill books also require at least 5 hours (correction 4 hours) of reading before you get ANY points at all (5 to 10 points).  Your proposal offers 2 points for just a 1-hour quick read of a book that is probably found right beside your fire almost everywhere in the world anyways...  IMO, too easy, even on Loper.

Oh, and how many books do you think might be in Milton? or in the PV Farmhouse or at Thomson's Crossing?

32 minutes ago, SuperStriker16 said:

No, I said useless in the mid-late game when your fire starting skill is already high enough to almost guarantee a fire with Matches and a stick, I mean, there’s literally a perk that makes books redundant and their .5 kilos a piece so thinking you would carry those 15-30 books anyway doesn’t make sense, plus the time invested in each one is a lot, making reading them restricted to being a mid late game only activity when your not scavenging supplies and food to survive, but a good thing to do, to get rid of cabin fever in your snow shelter while you have nothing to do.

You don't have to carry them to use them to start fires since many of them are found in areas right near place you start fires.  That's what also makes them too convenient for reading... too easy to get those skill points and you're proposal opens up a lot of potential, easy skill points... easier than finding the skill books and carrying them around for a small increase in only the skills they are assigned.  Most loper players burn the skill books as it is and don't bother reading them.  I see it as something that could be easily exploited - Players on pilgrim (for example) could  sit inside for days at, say, Carter dam (where there is also ample water and food available, along with 15-30 books), and artificially boost their skills before heading out anywhere early game.

1 minute ago, SuperStriker16 said:

Maybe it could be 1 random point per hour of reading, that would be more balanced, I’m just trying to give a mid-late game useless item some use. Or maybe there would be a chance to not get any points, but that would frustrate players. My original idea was 2.5 points per hour and the books would be 2-8 hours long reading time so with an 8 hour book would give 20 points, but if each hour gave one point then it would be balanced. 

Still not enough of a reduction to my taste... I mean there are probably 15-30 books in the Carter Hydro Dam alone.  I know there's at least 10 in the Maintenance Shed & Hunting Lodge.  That's still a lot of skill points you're making available for little effort.  By late game, many players have max'd out the skills they use anyways, so by the time the books are "useless" for their increasing the chance of a fire starting, they are probably "useless" for adding needed skill points as well.  If HL wants to increase the available reading material in the game, they could just decide to change some of those "burn only" books to actual skill books instead.

For custom games only (since I'm not sure how this might be implemented in a standard difficulty anyways) - Create a toggle that enables the player to initiate an auora-based "disaster" which would result in previously collected resources (food/clothing/tools) that the player has stashed around the world (effectively causing a world reset to the starting point) AND automatically increases the difficulty by one step (e.g. lowering the baseline resources setting by one notch, increasing predator spawns by one notch, etc.).  Items on the player's inventory at the point of reset would not disappear, so the player would have an opportunity to preserve the items they fell are most important prior to initiating the "disaster."  If the settings are already at interloper levels, then things like condition recovery could be eliminated at that point (which would effectively move the file into a "deadman" state).

While not as intimidating, perhaps, as starting a new file at these higher difficulty levels, this would enable players to increase the difficulty of their files when they feel somewhat prepared to do so, but without the benefit of having massive stockpiles of supplies to rely on.

ETA:   Alternatively, the "disaster" event could happen at a random time in any save file (including standard ones), with an added option when starting the file save to turn it off (for those players who have no interest in ever increasing the difficulty of their save file).

I'm only going to comment on the one - reading the random books.  I feel there are just too many of those random books in the world (even on Loper) to allow them all to be read for skill points.  It would essentially take no real effort to get to high level skills and their associated perks with that much available reading material in the world.  One would not even have to carry them from place to place, since there is usually one or more lying around in almost any place one might go to seek shelter and a night's sleep (unless playing outerloper).  Certainly 5 random points is far too generous for only one to two hours worth of reading.  As handy fire-starting material (since they are found near burning barrels and fireplaces all over the world and have an improved chance of the fire starting), they are already a useful item.

59 minutes ago, Dr. S. said:

I understand why people who mostly or exclusively play interloper are disappointed that some of the new content is absent in that mode. I don't understand why other people feel the need to tell us we're living our lives wrong.

Pot calling the kettle black?... instead of answering the question... why not advocate for greater liberty to define "tone" in the game through custom options rather than questioning HL's right to control what goes into a "standard" difficulty?

I never said I couldn't understand why they would be disappointed.  In fact, I said, you're welcome to try to change their minds.  Still, the question remains, if you're unhappy with the standard as a standard, why not ask instead to be able to deviate from that standard in an expanded way?  HL doesn't have to have any more reason to set the standard they want beyond that's the way they want it.

31 minutes ago, hozz1235 said:

I don't see that happening.

I think it is very much a possibility.  Would anyone blink if HL decided to leave the upcomping cougars out of Pilgrim mode instead of making a "passive" version that runs off with its tail between its legs?  What if the Tale for that segement involves the cougar?  Wouldn't it seem likely then if that particular Tale was not accessible in Pilgrim mode?