Blizzard Walker

I thoroughly explored Ash Canyon on my long pre-update Voyageur run.  A first trip was for the technical backpack and crampons.  Once achieved I moved back to other regions to continuing exploring with these two unique loot items in hand.  What struck me about the western end of the map from Deer Clearing Cave to Gold Mine was the absence of wolves and bears.  The only real difficulty was the weather and rope climbs - Moose was not present on that trek.

Later I came back to Ash Canyon with the goal of finding every possible birch sapling, rifle round and revolver round as part of a plan to stretch my Voyageur run to 5,000 days.   The published on line map was invaluable.  I was impressed by the complications posed by altitude changes.  

All told I thought the loot was worth the exploration but the region never felt cozy unlike my bases in ML, CH, PV and TWM.

On 1/16/2023 at 9:10 PM, UTC-10 said:

I should make the trek from Coastal Highway to Ravine just to see if the problem you have appears. I have been up to the tunnel but not tried to cross into Ravine because I decided that I would go through Pleasant Valley.  I better check. 

I have already been through Cinder Hills Mine (which BTW is reflected in the journal as Abandoned Mine) to Pleasant Valley and no trouble.  

 

UTC-10, let me know your experience traveling from CH to Ravine.  I  am not encountering problems moving between regions where a mine is the intermediary step, CH to PV, PV to ML and ML to MT.

On my post update run the bear is spawning at the end of Mystery Lake.   I never recall anything other than a shallow recess for the ML bear.

Starting a new run post updated reminded me how accustomed I was to benefiting from Level 5 skills on my pre update Voyageur run.

Of the various skills: (1) Carcass Harvesting, (2) Cooking, (3) Fire Starting, (4) Ice Fishing, (5) Rifle Fireman, (6) Archery, (7) Mending, (8) Revolver Fireman and (9) Gunsmithing - which do you consider most important/valuable?

I view Archery 5 as most important.  I miss crouching for easy shots at deer and wolves.  It has taken to time to re-learn aiming at deer at a distance or lining up behind a deer for an easy shot.  Point blank head shots on deer are preferable to tracking wounded deer.  I look forward to getting Archery 5 again as I like to lure in wolves while crouched.

If I played on Stalker or Interloper I might have a different point of view - Cooking 5 might then be my #1 skill.

On 1/13/2023 at 1:26 PM, hozz1235 said:

Your save games should be unaffected by reinstall.

Thank you hozz1235, uninstall and re-install appears to be my last available option...either that or just play via time capsule.

19 hours ago, Admin said:

Thank you for sharing. We're sorry to hear you are experiencing this issue. Have you tried verifying your game files, or uninstalling and reinstalling your game? We suggest starting there as a potential solution. The steps to verify game files can be found here:
https://support.steampowered.com/kb_article.php?ref=2037-QEUH-3335

For further assistance, please reach out via our Support Portal. We appreciate the opportunity to investigate. 

Thanks.  I did verify my game files and everything checked out OK.  So far I have not uninstalled and reinstalled the game.  Would doing that mean that I lose my post-update saved game?

1 hour ago, Alone said:

Update: so far I went to: Desolation Point / Crumbling Highway / Coastal Highway / Ravine / Mystery Lake / Winding River / Pleasent Valley / Mountain Town. Right now, I´m in Timberwolf Mountain and still no rifles what so ever. That´s a new record for me. I have over 700 hours on my previous survival run, so I know the maps pretty well. By now, I´m sure that it´s a bug

Oh, and I´ve found 6 revolvers so far. 

 

Alone, I think it is just bad luck you have not found a rifle so far.  In CH, PV, Winding River and ML I have found 2 (standard and Barb's) and sometime like 4 revolvers.  So far I have found enough arrows to equip myself with 12 without having visited a forge.

Revolver ammunition is seemingly abundant with rifle ammunition less so. My estimate is a ratio of 3 to 1 in favor of revolver ammunition.

On my pre-update run I commonly left the rifle at a base and carried only the revolver and bow.  The revolver and bow at skill level 5 are formidable weapons as crouching makes animals into easy targets.  A revolver need not hit a wolf to scare them away...buying you time to skedaddle.  The rifle would be preferable if you stumble into a bear but a flare gun would work just as well. I prefer the bow for bear hunting, always shooting from safety and never engaging a bear in a fair fight.

16 minutes ago, Admin said:

Thank you for posting. Have you filed a ticket on this issue? We would be happy to investigate via our Support Portal. We appreciate your patience and look forward to assisting you further. 

Hi.  I have filed a ticket on this issue.  So far I have received a robo response but nothing else. 

My computer is the HP PC I purchased in July 2022. It worked fine pre-update and will still work fine post update via Time Capsule with my old game save.  Entering into buildings and transition caves works fine.  Exiting a transition cave to a connecting region works fine.  Moving directly from region to region such as ML to Ravine or CH to Ravine is what crashes the computer.

My post update Voyageur run started in CH.   I found it was impossible to enter Ravine at the railroad tracks entrance.  As usual you are given the option of "Leaving Coastal Highway". A transition screen appears without the usual rabbit-deer-wolf-bear or moose animation in the bottom right.  Cursor never re-appears. Game crashes and only by restarting PC can I get TLD to close. I have waited as long as 10 minutes for the next region to open.

It is possible to travel between regions if the connection is through a mine.  This means travel from CH to PV is possible.  Similarly travel from PV to Winding River is possible.  Traveling from ML (Carter Dam area) to Ravine crashes the game.  Travel to TWM from PV also crashes the game.

Has anyone else experienced this sort of game crash?

At this point I have concluded my Voyageur run can access only CH, PV, ML, MT and HRV as they are all connected by mines.  Trying to travel to Ravine, BI, DP, FM, BRR, KP, BR, AC and FA will crash the game as there is no are mine connections from CH, PV, ML, MT or HRV.  At this point I am ready to give up on the update and return to my old post update run via the Time Capsule.

I am finding transition load times to be impossibly long to the point that the game cannot transition (crashing) between regions.  So far I have been unable to move from CH to Ravine or from PV to TWM.  The only transitions that do work are region transitions that involve mines such as Cinder Hills mine from CH to PV.

On Voyageur I have been surprised by the amount of whetstones (8) , sewing kits (18), Go Juices (6) and revolver rounds (140) in just two regions - CH and PV.

Similarly I have been surprised by the lack of rifle ammunition vs revolver ammunition.  So far just 50 rifle rounds - mostly as scattered single rounds in odd corners.

So far two rifles - one per region.  No variation in wildlife.

My Voyageur run is afflicted by loading screens between regions never loading.

Trying to pass between Coastal Highway and Ravine is impossible as the loading screen never completes loading.  No walking animal in right bottom corner and mouse cursor never re-appears.  Game crashes and I end up restarting the computer to close TLD.  Same issue trying to travel between Pleasant Valley and TWM.

What does continue to work is moving between regions where your first travel through a mine.

My first run on the updated game started in Coastal Highway.  After 54 days I tried to exit the region for the first time - trying to enter Ravine.  The game freezes - the walking deer, wolf or bear never appears in the bottom right corner.  Even after 10 minutes nothing happens.

I end up having to restart my PC to get out of TLD.  After 2 attempts I have concluded I cannot enter Ravine.

Has anyone else experienced anything similar trying to move between regions?

Barb's Rifle in CH on my Voyageur run.

10 hours ago, ajb1978 said:

Has anyone noticed that the Improvised Crampons decay MUCH slower than the regular Crampons? I crafted a pair on day one, and as of day 51 wearing them nearly non-stop they had only decayed to 98%. I just got the "real" Crampons from Ash Canyon, and in the 15 days I've had them, they're already down to 99%.

Even though they weigh 0.25kg more, I'm inclined to think Improvised Crampons are actually superior due to the slower decay...

Day 60 on my Voyageur run and no wear on my improvised crampons.

1 hour ago, piddy3825 said:

Same experience here on a new voyager game I launched the other day as well.
also wanted to note that animal and human corpses seem to also be in different areas, kinda nice for a change although it feels that feather drops around those corpses aren't typically in three's any more.  Often finding just one, sometimes two instead of the typical 3 feather yield.

About the only other thing that I would care to mention that I would have liked to see differently at least as it pertains to CH, is maybe change up the burned out houses some as well.  Same old houses standing as it has been for many years of gameplay now.  I'd like to see Hinterland put the ole RNG algorythm to work and actually make those all the buildings subject to either being intact or destroyed.  Gets kinda old seeing the same old layout time after time after time.  

 

Piddy, I agree that CH animal and human corpses are in different areas.  Also, feathers are appearing in just 2's. So far I have killed two bears - circling crows appeared but no feathers resulted over the several days before the carcass despawned.  This new run is my second run ever since 2020 and I do see some variation in which buildings are burned out and which are intact.

I purchased the game through Steam on Wednesday and got around playing for the first time on Thursday.  Before that I made multiple saves of my old Hinterland folder in order to return to my 2400 Day Voyageur run at some future time.

On Voyageur I started at CH and have played 40 days so far.   Things I noticed are:

- My character seems to burn through food and water more quickly - perhaps it is just my perception.  Until I got my fishing skill to 4 I was burning through the food I found while looting;

- Weapons are hard to find.  At day 30 I found "Barb's Rifle" at a fishing hut - pale green .303 with an improved iron site.  I have not found a revolver.  Ammunition so far follows the 2 to 1 ratio of revolver to rifle I found on my last run with 39 revolver rounds and 19 rifle rounds found so far;

- Improvised crampons are a great addition to the game;

- Sapling locations have changed minimally;

- Bear pathing along Bear Creek and Fishing Village has not changed;

- Cowachan and Fishermans sweaters were early finds, the latter on day 1;

- Wolf behavior seems unchanged;

- Tools have been easy to find so far in CH.  WIthin 30 days I had hacksaw, 2 hatchets, 3 knives and a heavy hammer.

After a few side missions on my current Voyageur run I anticipate an extended vacation at TWM's Crystal Lake.  103 pieces of cloth, 32 pieces of metal and 77 arrow shafts stashed at the Mountaineer's hut should set me up well for an extended visit.  To conserve arrows I will feed myself snaring rabbits, fishing (level 5 skill) and scaring wolves away from their deer kills. It should be fun spending 200+ days without expending any bullets or breaking any arrows.  With a bit of care I can employ a "live and let live" approach to the bear that visits the lake.

Yes to all four options.  True hunger tends to expand one's culinary horizons.  I might even eat red beats, which I loathe, if they appeared in dusty, rusty or banged up cans.

On 10/10/2020 at 3:35 AM, piddy3825 said:

TimberWolf Mountain

Hands down, the single best end destination region imho.  

I like it the best because there are relatively no man made structures, save the Mountaineer's Hut and the adjacent fishing shack and the fact that the hut has the one and only workbench in what could be considered the remotest area in the game is the bonus because with the crafting ability you can truly live off the land indefinitely.   There are some things that your gonna have to bring along cause you wont find much of some things if at all.  (Like two liter pots or arrow heads.)  However,  the natural resources throughout the map are abundant so you can stay well stocked in herbal medicines after the ample supply of salvaged drugs runs out.  

With the Mountaineer's Hut as your base camp, you have immediate access to abundant sources of firewood fuel, medicinal herbs and non aggressive meat food sources ie, rabbits and deer.  There are also two nearby moose spawn locations that seem to see their fair share of horn rattling activity.  There are wolves and a bear in nearby proximity, but their "patrolling" pattern typically doesn't bring them to close without you noticing.  But when they do, another excellent source of food and clothing resource.  

 Here's a shot of a couple wolfs patrolling across the frozen expanse of Crystal Lake from the doorway of the fishing shack.   That's a considerable distance and I typically never encounter them any where near my domicile.  I like to just crouch in the door way and wait for them to come walking close enough for me to pop up and skewer them with an arrow!  

The weather patterns are fairly consistent as well.  Usually get a  blizzard every three days on average, so you can almost time your foraging excursions to best coincide with the weather.  There are ample caves and tunnels in the area providing warmth and shelter as well so when your out and about salvaging airplane lockers and the weather turns sour, you have a quick place to duck into.

If your not playing a spartan, resource restrictive setting, the loot from airline containers and wooden crates can be extremely rewarding.   No different really from looting 
a fishing cabin on Mystery Lake, but just as rewarding and usually overly abundant as well.  

The Summit Provides

By the time you have explored the area and managed to haul that booty of looty back to your lair, you will have acquired enough stuff to open  a sporting goods store...

 

Your gonna wanna retire up here.  Trust me, this is the place to be.

 

The only down side to TWM,
no forge here and since no other man made structures, no metal here either...  No two liter pots anywhere either.
Since you gotta climb in to get here, bring a couple dozen arrowheads, a few two liter pots and all the scrap metal you can carry.  
After that, all the rest is gravy!

 

 

piddy, I agree that TWM Mountaineer's hut is a great place to retire.  Relatively easy to kill bear, deer and rabbits.  Pushing deer towards wolves is fairly simple task.  A joy is the fact that unless you have smell bars wolves will leave you alone in the area directly behind the Mountaineers hut.  Wood is abundant.

On my current run I made it a point to import around 30 pieces of metal.  Since I play on Voyageur the lack of a forge is not a problem.  Almost all my cutting is accomplished with a hacksaw.

On 8/15/2022 at 5:12 PM, Stinky socks said:

I wouldn't take stuff from HRV, there will come a moment when you'll miss it and revisit. Itll be an overjoy when you arrive during a blizzard into your old cave and find some rusty sardines and a ragged bedroll😊

Stinky socks, I cannot rule out anything but the likelihood that I will miss HRV and choose to wander about are slim.  I may revisit the cave below Stairsteps Lake just long enough to retrieve a few cattails, cloth and flares.  Then I leave for good.  I want nothing more to do with HRV.

After 1800+ days on Voyageur I occupied myself for about 300 days revisiting all regions explored so far to re-loot. A fair number of items turned up including overlooked saplings and valuable loot - a fire striker at Dam, packs of matches, overlooked cloth and scattered bullets being the best examples.

Now at 2100+ days I am relocating all valuable resources out of HRV, Milton, Mystery Lake,  Forlorn Muskeg, Broken Railroad and Desolation Point in order to concentrate them at three main bases (CH Fishing Village, PV Farmhouse and TWM Mountaineers Hut). This "loot and leave" plan is possible since I don't need to spend any more time in HRV, Milton, Mystery Lake,  Forlorn Muskeg, Broken Railroad or Desolation Point.

These three bases are fairly close to each other and share one big advantage, i.e. easy to kill bears. The PV and TWM bases will both serve as jump off points for my next region to explore - that being Blackrock.

Is there a reason while the TLD store at Hinterland is still closed?

On 5/20/2022 at 4:39 AM, sierra 117 said:

So I'm curious if anyone knows if the Sewing primer book can be read when I am at lvl 4 mending.

Currently trying to get all skills to level 5. Mending is the last one to go(it's taking forever)

The reason I'm asking is I know that the rifle skill book can't be read after level 3 iirc.

So wondering if that applies to other skill books aswell?

FWIW, I recall that reading "Advanced Guns, Guns, Guns" put me over the top to Rifle Skill to 5. I specifically recall how the book saved me some rifle ammunition at a time I was trying to hoard ammunition.

If you intend to push your run beyond 500 days you are likely to reach Mending 5 just by repairing your clothes in the normal course of play.  In the final push to Mending 5 I may have been repairing items at 90% condition.

21 hours ago, Semple Fi said:

I have to agree with the access mechanics commented on by the others.  If you are a close enough distance the bear will keep running circles near you until it bleeds out.  If you are on an inaccessible grade it will run off.  If you’re in the PV farm house it will run/stop/reset.  
 

I’ve noticed if you just shoot the bear and don’t chase it, wait for the next day, it will make a circle back around close to your original location.  
I just make a mental note of the direction it ran off in then track that direction the next morning and look for the murder of crows.  

Works more often than not

I have found that if I hit a bear with a bow shot while my character is on an inaccessible grade the bear will thrash around at the foot of the grade until it bleeds out.  I have used this method innumerable times at the cliff across the road from the CH Fishing cabins.