UpUpAway95

14 hours ago, XLWatercube said:

I am reasonably sure the lantern degrades over time like most other items but I might be wrong.

Edit: I see someone has already beat me to the punch on the fact.

If it does decay, then it decays much more quickly IF you run the lantern right out of fuel.  A ways into one of my 500-day runs, I repaired a lantern to 100% and it stayed at 100% for a very long, long time.  Then, on one occasion, I allowed it to run out of fuel and it dropped immediately to 99% right after that usage... and then stayed at 99% until I ended the run at 500 days.  I'll test it more thoroughly on my current run (which is early into the run) and let you know what I determine.

20 hours ago, jeffpeng said:

@Raphael van Lieropdoesn't strike me as the kind of person that would write a cheesy 1960's happy ending. More like a silently-hopeful-but-open ending, like The Road has, or a more bittersweet one where Astrid and MacKenzie find each other, maybe even save a bunch of people in the process, but eventually must realize that their struggle against the inevitable is just beginning. I could even imagine Astrid being lost in a self-sacrifice as the ultimate conclusion of her redemption arc (for whatever she seeks redemption for). I have a feeling she is the real hero of the story. But in any case: The Long Dark is gritty tale about gritty people fighting for their lives with everything they can throw at nature. I'm almost certain there is no easy way out waiting.

An ending the resolves the primary problems on Great Bear does not necessarily make it a "cheesy 1960's happy ending."  There is an indication that Astrid's case may hold a solution... or at least a way of preventing things from getting worse; and Methuselah says that we're there to "witness an apocalypse of an apocalypse"... which is a double-negative that foreshadows a possible end to the apocalypse.  That doesn't mean that everything instantly turns balmy and people flood back to the island.  Rebuilding can taken a long time (leading to some great possibilities for ongoing play after the end of the story... with Astrid and Will having learned many new skills over the course of their adventure that they can put to good use helping rebuild the island.

6 hours ago, Morrick said:

Damn, I've been repairing low-condition storm lanterns all this time for nothing. I always assumed condition and performance were related. 

I've never had it happen yet, but I've always assumed that the lantern is less likely to get destroyed in an attack if it is at a higher condition to start with.  Also, I've found the condition does not deteriorate unless you allow it to run out of fuel while lit.  If you manually extinguish it, it will stay at the same condition regardless of the number of times you light it.

I usually just "trade up" if I find a lantern in better condition than the one I'm carrying.

Yeah, there seems to be a lot of wierd happening.  I had a deer yesterday that was obviously spawned inside a rock.  I could hear its hooves running (clickity, clickity) and walked around and around the area where the sound was the loudest... which was whenever I was standing on top of a huge rock outcrop near the base of the path up to the plane crash in Pleasant Valley.  No dear on site, but the sound was persisting.  While this isn't a "sinking" problem, I think it is somewhat related to your invisible bear.

I also shot a wolf yesterday that tried to run off, but really couldn't seem to get proper traction and I wound up following him for more than 5 minutes at this slow pace... with him trying to run the whole time, bleeding, but never weakening or bleeding out:

1 hour ago, jeffpeng said:

Hides don't smell. That's one good thing. 

That's my endgame plan for the current run. I have already established a base there. It's just..... meh.... I've played so many games dwelling in that cave it really got old  

Oops, meant to say hides and guts.  You're right, it's the guts that generate the smell, but one does eventually need fishing tackle to repair items too.

Another alternative is life underground... or is there now a wolf in the Cinder Hills Mine?

2 hours ago, jeffpeng said:

The run started in HRV, and I actually went back there for the Signal Fire and the Waterfall Cave. Was more or less a new strategy to try out. I went to the summit regardless (I'm still on TWM currently), even tho all I needed were my second ear wraps. Thinking about it .... it might indeed be better to beeline to the summit, pick up the PV stuff on the way in and out, and be done with it earlier in the game. That's how I usually do it. This time I lost two days traversing PV once already. I'm pretty sure I'll lose more on the way back.

Another mistake I made was to actually greed for the Signal Fire, for which I even had to go get a hatchet first. All it got me was a surplus hammer and a second Mackinaw, which I will replace in the long run anyways. There really isn't that much of a good reason to go to the Signal Fire on Loper if you actually think about it. Waterfall Cave in and out should be sufficient.

That's kinda my point. Permanently becomes incresingly harder the longer you actually plan to live. If you play loot and scoot, and then retire your survivor once you have done all key locations ... no problem. Just make sure to keep on the move and to not tick too many locations more than once. But if you actually want to go for a 100+ days game you start wondering how sustainable this is. This answer is, probably: it isn't in the long run. Assuming a high octane playstyle (4000 calories / day) you need to shoot a deer every 2 days (average 9kg * 800 calories * 1.25 Cooking V = 9000 calories) on average. That's doable, but only if you keep moving between spots, but yeah - doable.

The real problem emerges with the scent as @MarrowStone points out (btw good look surviving on birch tea ). 2600 calories is enough to travel a significant distance. But upon reaching your destination you will have limited time to procure food. Sure you can setup a long series of way points you stock with food. Once proficient with the bow you can probably add the occasional wolf to your menu. But all of that still doesn't keep into account maintenance of clothing and weaponry, and we're basically running in circles on a map with a high amount of game, like ML or CH. That alone is hard enough. But now it isn't even feasible to move food between places unless you are indeed willing to confront wolves head on. And I think now that decoy baiting is broken that probably isn't the most sustainable approach. But I gotta test and see how well crouched scent baiting with Archery V works. Maybe the solution to the entire predicament is to just hunt everything that moves.

There will still be times you'll have to carry hides anyways in order to get them curing to maintain clothing and your bedroll.  You won't be able to avoid confronting at least some wolves head on some of the time.  ML and CH both connect to the Ravine... which has no wolves, a couple of deer, some rabbits, and lots of birch bark.  To me, it's looking more and more like the best place to settle down to a lower-cal lifestyle... with runs into ML and CH to hunt in the areas that border the Ravine.

5 minutes ago, wizard03 said:

Yeah, had a bit of a "Eureka!" Moment myself when I discovered that if you went into inventory first, used the unload option there, then reloaded the gun, you would "catch" the shell caseings automatically.....also found out it reloads the gun much quicker than just hitting the reload button while holding the weapon. >.>

Yeah.  Unload first seems like the best plan.  I almost wish they would put in another option - Reload and save casings (but I know they won't do that).

I described one recently on another thread.  Top of TWM, overloaded and decided to try to drop some tools over the cliff near the rope.  Got too close to the edge and fell part way down.  Unable to climb back up to the top of the cliff and unable to find a path from where I landed in order to mountain goat down.  Figured I'd rather jump and get it over with than starve or freeze to death.  RIP Will... you should have just used the regular mountain goat route to get all that loot to the bottom.

Thanks.  I've gotten the "unload" option to work.  I still can't find any casings where I think I reloaded the gun just before I shot the video though; but I'll test it again when I actually shoot at something.  I don't want to waste any more ammo.

ETA:  OK, I've found my previously spent casings.  Moral of this story - never reload your revolver while standing over your stick pile.

The rifle drops casings when fired, but the revolver doesn't.  (Standard Pilgrim Mode).  At first I thought it was just me being blind and in a hurry to chase after whatever I had just shot; but this video test clearly shows that there are no casings to be collected.  Is this as intended?

4 minutes ago, wizard03 said:

I kinda do that already. Its tricky, but if your overweight and want to climb down a rope, you can drop stuff to the ground waaaaaaay at the bottem of the rope.  

Agreed, needs some balancing, but would really make improvised knives much more useful than "just to quarter" with.

Yeah I've tried that a time or two.  Last time I tried it, I wound up falling a ways down the cliff... unable to climb back up and unable to find a path to shinny on down.  I jumped... dead.  I'd like to be able to actually throw tools the same way we can throw a torch.

4 minutes ago, wizard03 said:

An MRE? stim?? ear mitts?????

I have never seen any of those there before. o.o

This is with Pilgrim loot settings.  Interloper loot settings are generally less fruitful on average... Do MRE's even ever spawn in Loper?  Last interloper time for me was a whetstone and a sewing kit.  Nevertheless,  the crate always has contained some relatively good loot for me.  It has never come up empty.  I have had the Pork & Beens one come up empty though.

14 minutes ago, ajb1978 said:

That's a bug.  It also affects the gun racks at Paradise Meadows, so I kinda think it's every gun rack in the game.

I think you're right, it's a bug affecting every gun rack in the game.  I've tried to mount rifles on the one in the Trapper's Cabin to no avail, as well as the one in the Hunting Lodge... oh, and the one over Grey Mother's fireplace, too.  No luck.

5 hours ago, manolitodeespana said:

I rarely have any luck with those crates, but won't hurt to give a try next time

I don't know why you'd have no luck with it.  It hasn't failed me yet and I've even seen Atheenon get loot from that crate during his recent As the Dead Sleep attempts.  Out of curiosity, I tested it this morning (new BR start); and here's a  screenshot showing my the loot:

11 hours ago, desertedone said:

I mean it would be fun though. Can imagine a challenge where you have to complete it completely drunk. 

In most, if not all, provinces of Canada, hunting while under the influence is as much a crime in many places and driving under the influence.  Regardless of the laws, it is also very dangerous and foolish.  I don't think Hinterlands would want to be perceived as promoting it.

I'd love to be able to throw a hatchet if only to be able to toss it over the ledge before taking a rope (just as we can do with torches).  The hatchets have some weight and, sometimes, it's the difference between being able to climb the rope and not.  As to the damage it would do... that's "hit and miss."  There is a definite technique to throwing one so that it sticks... even into a stationary target.  If they do implement it, I think the chances of scoring a hit should be relatively low.

In the Broken Railroad Maintenance Shed, there is a plank ramp that leads up to 3 wooden crates.  The crate farthest from the ramp usually contains goodies - often an ear wrap or gauntlets, a firestriker, and/or a stim.  It's never come up empty for me... hence it is on my "must break" list.

5 hours ago, wizard03 said:

Crazy. Here on the other side of the border, we all got shotguns and "most" of the people I know have rifles....typically AR-15's, but also a cluster of custom bolt actions, .22 semi auto's, ect. ect.

As for myself, just a couple shotties…..My first one I bought ever, my fathers 3 1/2in. 12 gauge, and a semi auto 12 gauge.

Well, we all know that some Canadians have been citing American gun culture as "crazy" for years.  Don't get me wrong, lots of Canadians own guns and we have gun clubs up here just as you have them in the US.  It's just the people I know own rifles rather than shotguns... a preference for hunting at range perhaps.  In my area, bow hunting is actually extremely popular as well.  Pistols are restricted, but can be obtained with the proper license and background checks.  Owning guns for personal or home defense doesn't seem to be as big a thing here as it appears to us to be a thing in the US.

At any rate, in this game, I probably wouldn't carry a shotgun... too much weight for too little payoff.  I'll likely remain partial to the .303.  It's a good rifle with a great history... and hope they tweak the timberwolves so that one of the weapons we already have in the game is a little more effective at scaring them off for a longer period of time (either flare gun or pistol).  The .303 should drop them like a rock.

41 minutes ago, wizard03 said:

That's quite crazy. From what Iv looked up, owning a shotgun is a bit easier than a rifle in Canada, isn't it?

EDIT: just took anouther look, apparently I am incorrect. However I do find it funny that the revolver is supposed to be restricted. 

I think most shotguns fall into the same class as the hunting rifles depending on barrel length and overall length.  As I said, I don't really have an explanation for it.  I just conferred with a friend on it and he's also of the view that he knows far more people who own rifles than shotguns.

27 minutes ago, wizard03 said:

Trying to save room, so I squished the reply. 😛 OCD issues.

Yeah, I think I hit the moose 4 or 5 times with the revolver. All but two was good shots, but she gets the job done. And I must agree, it is rather surprising the shotgun was forgone for a rifle...Must be a particular reason why.

Admittedly because of those issues I pushed out there, it would be a rather difficult to accept the shotgun as a useful tool, or even as a "must have" tool to carry around. But Im just trying to think of some balancing properties. 

And I do agree with the flare gun not deterring the timber wolves. I remember camping on the stairs that went up to the lockout point/ranger station trying to get a kill, and missed.....Wasted a flare, and not even a dent into morale meter....Ontop of that, apparently the wolfies would still be waiting for you to come downstairs even after sleeping 12 hours....It defiantly needs a bump. Recrafting new shells would at least be less questionable and should be simple enough....cardboard, harvesting flares for flare powder, gunpowder, and a bit of scrap metal.....boom. As for the ole blunder buss, I must say that there could be a couple advantages of having it, but yeah a 6lb long arm isn't going to be as good as a revolver. Even if it was offered as a rifle replacement on interloper, it would only be used for BI and ignored the rest of the time.

In the end, "IF" they offered the shotgun, it would have to have some advantages compared to all the weapons to be usefull as well as to counter some of the balances.....Maybe they can shoot flares too?

 

.

 

I guess in the end, a shotgun isn't going to fit well into the game. Unless they add carrying capacity, a sled with a shotgun holster, or remove a weapon from the game, its just not going to pan out well.....tis a shame, hunters of all kinds have one thing in common. A massive percentage of them own a 12 gauge.

I don't think the shotgun is as popular as the hunting rifle  around the parts of Canada I'm from.  I know several people who own hunting rifles and a few who still own .303's actually; whereas.  I do not know anyone personally who owns a shotgun.  I can't explain why... but that's my personal experience.

A workbench in the fallen lighthouse would make it perfect.

3 hours ago, odizzido said:

I just play the survival part, but I am really mostly waiting for the story mode to be complete before I go through it. I suspect I will very much enjoy it.

That's pretty much where I'm at with it as well.  I've played a little bit of both Episode 1 and Episode 3, but stopped before I got too far into it.  I've determined that the story does interest me, but I really want to be able to go through the entire story from beginning to end (I also like reading books in one sitting).  I'm generally patient, so I'll wait... But... Hopefully, Hinterlands will pick up the pace on the story and finish it sooner rather than later.

What I enjoy most about the survival mode has been its simplicity... but Hinterlands is under constant pressure to add this or that new game mechanic or weapon, so that is changing.  Open ended games seem to need to be constantly changing and added to in order to keep people interested in it.  The same was true when I was playing Minecraft.  People were always asking for something new to be added.  In addition, the community often becomes more and more divided over the various directions the game could take.  Some people here want the more predictable wolves back and others, like the OP above, are calling for even more unpredictable behavior.

Story games on the other hand... if I liked them to start with, I will play over and over again (just like I'll re-read good books over and over again).  They don't have to be constantly changing to hold my interest.

I think they find each other, get back together and settle down on Great Bear together after having used whatever is in Astrid's case to stop whatever evil is causing the geomagnetic events that are disrupting the climate  (Yep, I'm a sucker for fairy-tale endings).

I'm sure you know there are much better sources for tourism info than a video game.  The average mean temperature in Vancouver during November is +6C.  While colder than, say, London, that's still well above freezing.  If you get precipitation, it will most likely be rain (unless you go to places at higher elevations).  You likely won't need an expedition parka... just bring along a good winter coat that is waterproof unless you're planning to do some serious outdoors camping and climbing.  The mean low temperature in Whistler , BC (home of the ski resort which hosted the Alpine events during the 2010 Olympics) in November is around -2C.

First, understand that I haven't hunted a moose since this last update dropped... so their behavior may have changed.  It used to be that the most reliable protection was to place a campfire between yourself and the moose.  If the moose charged, it would then turn around and run away from you when it reached the fire.

Other tips:  1) Before starting to hunt, make sure you're at full health and wearing whatever clothing you have that has the highest defense value (warmth is secondary in this case).  2) Use a long-range weapon (rifle or bow) 3) Approach the moose as much as possible from behind cover and, if possible, set yourself up on a tree or ledge where the moose cannot easily path towards you. 4) Take your best shot from a long to mid-range distance.  If the moose cannot see you take the shot, they often run away rather than charge.  If they charge, be ready to take a second shot because the easiest time to get the head shot (and critical hit) is as they are charging towards you.  Duck behind your campfire if you miss (apologies though if this last part no longer works - at least in full health and with good protective clothing, you should survive the stomping).