Sgt Socks

But your bum definitely doesn't look big in it! 😁 Can't be thicker than the Moose though. Those big buggers always make me nervous. If you don't get a crit and they choose to charge not run.... gulp!

OK so I have been playing TLD since 2016 and love, love, love this game. I am super impressed with Hinterland, I love their ethos and they obviously love the game too. Unlike Fallout which had to be modded to be bearable, TLD is simply great as it is in my opinion. However, there are three things that drive me crazy. The first is the inability to place things where I want them, in nice organised piles. The amount of time spent in each run means I really want to make home as I want it. I'm a loot goblin and want to do something with all those random bits and pieces I keep even though I'll never use them. I feel a game which involves so much time and effort on a single run should allow you to be more creative with the spaces you spend time in, as you would be in real life. I believe the "Place Anywhere" mod addresses this? The other is having piles of single but important items everywhere (sticks, scrap metal etc) that are simply too heavy for the meagre containers on offer. Plus having to pick them up one by one? Argh! I saw someone mention somewhere (I'm sorry I can't remember who or where) a mod that lets you bundle things together which would prevent this? The last thing is the lack of crafting options. A member here put it beautifully, I'm a "tinkerer", I love making stuff. I think the creative options in TLD are sorely limited given the resources available and what a lone survivor would do to stave off boredom. I don't know about mods relating to this. I am resistant to using mods however and would be interested in your views. It makes me feel like I'd be being "unfaithful" to Hinterland in some way. I know, I know it's silly but I've been so drawn to Hinterland as devs with ethics when it comes to their game and players. It is incredibly rare. I want to honour that. Another concern is making the game unstable. There are some fantastic mods and modders out there but just as many, if not more, who are hugely questionable. I also don't want to fundamentally change the game. It is so beautiful, immersive and engaging just as it is. I wouldn't want to ruin the essence of it by making it into another game entirely. But after all these years of playing these few basic things, which I feel would offer immense improvement to the long game, are finally driving me to distraction. I only want to tweak not change. Given my reticence and reasons for it, I'd be really interested to hear what the community thinks in response. Thank you in anticipation of your engagement with my ramblings!

I know I said I'd eat anything if I was starving but I think I just found my limit! Glad I don't play the story mode 🤢

Well said sir. I often go kamikaze at the start of my runs. Go big or go home to The Big Trapper's Cabin In The Sky.

Oh yeah, a woman after my own heart! (Gosh unless I've just insulted a man.....) I'm an "old lady gamer" and a committed loot goblin too. Nothing like finding lots and lots of stuff and carting it about everywhere 😁 It's actually why I play my own custom game with good loot levels, less wolf aggression/timberwolf morale but more bears (they scare me most) and very, very dangerous weather. I needed to make it much harder for myself to compensate for the lots of lovely loot. At the moment I keep freezing even with the Bear coat, Moose Cloak, one Cowichan sweater and one fisherman's sweater. Plus Deerskin pants, rabbit head and hands and insulated boots (couldn't find those mukluks anywhere). I am VERY impressed with your progress and your balls, it took me a long time to brave Bleak Inlet and TWM. You are going to rock this Leeanda! Especially now you found the Golden Rifle. Laughed out loud about you trying to kill that bunny in the cave 😄 The little bugger always gets past me too. Weird bug though... might be worth raising a ticket. Overall its definitely getting in your way. PS I do apologise if it seemed like I was teaching you to suck eggs. Definitely not intentional. I was just throwing out everything I could think of in case it might be of use, not knowing what you do or don't know. I feel invested in your first Stalker journey for some reason and want to help if I can.

Just thought of you as I'm wandering into the Ravine from ML.... Cabin Fever. The Ravine is a fantastic place to make camp. Keep a stock of everything you might need for a little holiday; cooking vessel, maybe a hatchet if you have a spare, fire making etc. The caves here count as outside and there are no predators to worry about. Its a little outside oasis which is easy to survive and keep warm in, tucked at the back of the cave especially. This way you can help alleviate Cabin Fever if you get it or you can stay regularly to keep it at bay. Without the stress and worry about freezing to death or being mauled by wildlife. There are deer and rabbits too, to build up a little stock of food, boosting cooking skill as well. Get that to level 5 ASAP and you'll be able to eat anything manufactured or wildlife, even ruined, without fear of parasites or food poisoning. There's also a good supply of birch bark here too, which can be invaluable on Stalker to make tea which restores your condition. Right, better get back to my little Ravine holiday. I hope you are faring well and that sticks are in abundance!

Milton is definitely worth a try for a weapon, there's quite a few places there. As well as where Conan suggests I have also found one at Paradise Meadows, the cave just beyond the radio tower, one of the main Milton Houses (can't remember which one), the church. Also two possible spots on the top trail, just before you get to Spruce Bridge (watch out, there may be a Bear!). One can be in the car and the other by a body.

What wonderful early clothing finds! In some ways that's more important than the weapon at the very start of a run. How is the stick situation? That does sound odd.... and very difficult for.sure ML weapons. In the dam, did you check underneath the wooden steps at both ends of the room with the fire barrel in it? Other possible places to the ones you mentioned are: trail behind cabin office; one of the lakeside cabins (can't remember which one). You're doing great! It's a hell of a.change from Pilgrim. I remember when I first did it, you're doing far better than me. And I'm laughing at the over encumbered comments, I'm a terrible loot goblin and try to carry everything *and* the kitchen sink 😁

Indeed Lone Survivor, I agree. It's hard though to pin down what I love the most. The strange peace of being alone and relying only on what, from our chaotic modern world, has survived the geomagnetic disaster. Some people unfairly call TLD a walking simulator. It definitely isn't in my view. Yes there is *a lot* of walking but it is entirely in keeping with the premise of the TLD universe. Then there is the incredible, frequently changing weather and landscape. Although all plunged into ice and snow it is infinitely beautiful. Walking through the world with just the sound of your footsteps and nature is one of the most immersive gaming experiences I've ever had. I could live without the terrifying interludes with the wolves and bears, they make me jump out of my skin! But they are also a part of the wonder of TLD. There is very little I *dont* like about this game. It is, quite simply, magnificent.

My dear Maniac, I am sticking to our (possibly) joke theory about PV weather following us. I've nearly just died in ML for goodness sake! Was exploring up by Clear Cut and got nearly two full days of blizzard and fog. OK so am playing custom with cold/increasing cold turned up but not the variability. I would have been most embarrassed to die in ML for this reason! Thank goodness for my Bearskin Bedroll. If we go with The Great Bear Weather Gods being against us rather than "just bad luck" then we have something to rage against 😁

I'd agree with BI and PV being the worst weather wise, without a doubt. However I would agree with Leeanda about CH. I've got 800+ hours with a lot of higher difficulty in there. The bloody fog and mist in CH can be a real challenge, even with a lot of shelters on the lower elevations. I really don't like CH for a lot of reasons, the weather being one of them. I'd rather be in PV any day, even with the greater risk of being caught in the open. Its more "predictably" bad in PV. I have to say that for me FM is very similar to CH. Just had a very bad experience because of heavy persistent fog and it's far from being the first time. Add in the bear and wolf proliferation with few shelters/escapes, and of course the ice, and FM is one of my dreaded areas. A lot, as always, depends on personal preferences and playing style of course.

Nooooo!!!! This is such a beautiful, beautiful game. The sights and sounds are all part of the immersion for me, I don't want to take that away. Even when I'm trudging reallllly slowly carting things from one region to another.

Yes yes yes! You can eat ANYTHING with this, rancid predator meat and ruined food alike! Definitely one reason I work on getting Cooking to 5 as soon as possible. Then you no longer have to panic when you've no weapon, no snares, no fishing lines and scavenged all the cattails.

Good luck Leeanda! Stalker scares the bejesus out of me. Those damn wolves. As far as cabin fever goes, you may find it catches you out a little later on. The mechanic annoys me and feels uneccessary so I take it out of my custom runs after paying my dues in Stalker. What I would suggest is try to get in the habit of doing as much outside as you can, as long as you don't freeze your bum off of course! Any crafting (that doesn't need a workbench), reading, repairing etc do in the open air. The last thing you need is for cabin fever to spring when you get a couple days of really terrible weather when you have to stay indoors a lot or die. Wolves. OK, so lack of flares is a bit of an issue. Conan is right, a lit torch can be an alternative although I found it less effective than flares. You may find the more you explore you'll find more flares though. One thing Stalker did teach me, when I didn't have many flares or torches, was to listen to the type of growl of the wolf. Its hard to explain until you hear it for yourself but there is a particular escalation in noise when they are going to attack. Providing they don't just leap on you immediately (which happens *a lot* in Stalker), you can "lead" them without them charging. Providing you don't have any scented items on you, aren't too encumbered and slow (I do that too!) then you can keep walking ahead of them. They will follow you and keep growling but you may just be able to to do it long enough to be able to get to somewhere safe. I've saved countless flares and torches this way. It might take a little while and a few struggles to get used to it but it's one lesson I'm really glad I learned. Running! I sprint less than I used to but am definitely impatient. Do you have the sprinting perk you can use? If I remember rightly Pilgrim still counts towards the feats so you can reduce the calorie impact a bit at least. If you do find a revolver then I would recommend taking it if you are going to be in a particularly bad wolf area, like FM/CH. It's one of the best ways to scare them off. I use the rifle for food and revolver for scaring wolves, but of course this isn't always possible if you don't have the item or weight space. I can't offer any advice on bow usage. I've given up trying. I simply cannot get the hang of it despite many games trying to. Plus trying to track down corpses that have been injured but ran off got me into more trouble. If you can master it then fantastic because it is a really sustainable form of offence and defence. Some really good advice given by others too. I'd agree with the clothing advice. Get the best manufactured clothing you can and keep it repaired. Use fishing lines to repair if you can, it is slower but helps in a long run by saving the harder to find sewing kits. Plus you can use almost broken lines to at least catch a couple of fish. As soon as you can at least craft the rabbit hat and mitts. These are the easiest to maintain or re-craft. Deerskin pants next. I hope this helps and I wish you well on your Stalker journey! May the wolves be kept at bay.

Lemon, I couldn't cope with ziplines! I struggle enough with some of the precarious, exposed high areas in Great Bear. I always want to close my eyes crossing the dam! Igloos however sound fun! I could put one out the back at Trappers and I'd be like a kid again camping in the garden!

Well, one of my luckiest moments happened right outside my Trapper's home. Just when you thought it was safe to go outside.... So I see a Moose! Yay! Get careless because I'm at home in ML. What can go wrong. Get far too close to the Moose, try to run back to the cabin and get stuck when I run into a rock in my panic. Cue Moose stomping and broken ribs. Really not sure how I survived. Just as I pick myself and rifle up and get a bandage on the bloody bear starts coming at me! I forgot he spawned here this time! Oh crap, I'm in bad shape. Can't run. Shoot it. Make it mad. It charges. Shoot it twice more then just as it is about to reach me my final panic shot takes it down. I'm turning round to struggle back to the cabin as night is drawing in and lo and behold... Howwwwwl. A frigging wolf charges over the hill towards me! You've got to be kidding me! I stumble as quickly as I can to the cabin, just make it to near the doorway and the wolf is a second from being on me. Boom. One shot. Right between the eyes. Ye Gods. So tomorrow I have a Moose, Bear and Wolf to harvest. With broken ribs. My heart is thumping like a jackhammer. I get inside and sort myself out aaaaaannnnnd... I have a piece of meat in my pocket. I forgot to drop it when I went for the Moose. Socks. You are an absolute idiot at times. You really are.

Lol, I've done daft things like this many many times!

Does that really happen? Really really? I've just come back home to ML after a few weeks in PV as a central point for a few loot jaunts to TWM, CH & DP. The weather on getting back to ML has been *awful*!

Fantastic photography Maniac! You've inspired me to actually do something (I.e. share) the multitude of screenshots I take instead of deleting them. And yes, that damned fog. I got stuck in the Cabin Office for a full day on my way back, encumbered, from PV with all my loot. So close to my Trapper's snug. Really annoying. Just glad I wasn't out in it. May you have beautiful crisp clear days with little wind and no blizzards!

Oh I'm laughing at this thread! Leeanda... I thought it was just me! And I've eaten dog biscuits. Charlie wasn't impressed with me but I wanted to see what they were like. Not bad actually. I think I'd struggle with the canned wet dog food though. The smell makes me retch. But I really hate being hungry and when I was a competitive swimmer I ate loads of weird stuff that tasted awful because I had to. I certainly don't leave the dog food tins behind when I'm being a little loot goblin. If it's a choice between that and The Long Dark I'll be holding my nose and thinking of England. And in game... I'll eat it all without hesitation. I don't have any qualms about the predator meat. Those bas***ds try and eat me (and have succeeded on many occasions) so I'm going to get my own back. Hah. Eat that Bear.

Thank you Leeanda! I've no idea why it's taken me all these years to start speaking as well as avidly reading. Your welcome is much appreciated 🥰

Maniac, I totally understand what you're saying, it makes perfect sense. However because I feel the boredom doesn't mean that I don't challenge myself, or that I'm unable to find ways to keep myself entertained. In fact that is a core part of who I am in real life. I'm disabled and as a result spend 90% of my time isolated at home. I probably speak to another person once or twice a week. With chronic pain and PTSD if I didn't challenge myself with the little things, if I didn't have the capacity to keep myself entertained, well.... And indeed I do this in game too. Diggity put it perfectly, I'm a tinkerer (a printmaking artist in real life). I love making things, coming up with random projects to keep my hands busy and my mind occupies. Tinkerer is such a perfect description! Of course a game is going to be more restricted than real life. However I do feel that as a character in the wonderful TLD world I would be making use of all the resources available to make stuff, just for the hell of it. As Diggity said "it's a shame with the forge and all the scrap around that we can't do more". I just feel that this is the weakest aspect of the game. Many humans are tinkerers of one kind or another and the devs wouldn't have to make it super complicated, just give us a few bits and pieces to work towards. I love the way Leeanda put it "one big project that requires materials spread out across the maps". Or even lots of little ones. There had to be more we can do with all those cured pelts and guts, paper, scrap metal etc. And the saplings. They could have multiple uses. I simply feel that we are severely restricted by the game. Whilst I think TLD is one of the best sandboxes I've ever played (I'm an old lady gamer), the lack of crafting options, or projects if you like, is its biggest flaw. After all it is about solitary survival in a brutal world, and many many humans tinker and create in such a situation. I'm not asking for huge crazy things. But it is a massively missed opportunity in my opinion.

I have been resistant to using mods but I do think I'm going to venture into the ones you have mentioned AJB. I love TLD more than pepperoni pizza but the lack of crafting and "homemaking" options is to me the largest glaring hole in the game. It really discourages long runs because you just don't have much to do. You can only skin so many rabbits before you get so bored you find yourself on the ledge at Carter Dam. I'm a strange bird so anything that helps me spend time organising stuff is a win! And being able to make my snug little cabin more than a space with messy piles of stuff would be a dream. So I may just dip my toe a little bit and try the Placing Anywhere. Plus the Item Piles mod will save me turning the air blue having to manually pick up single sticks, lichen etc. Marvellous!

"Pro" tip. Don't camp at Bear Campground in Coastal Highway. Just. Don't.

I really would like to see more crafting options, things to do on a long run to actively pass the time rather than the pressing of a button. Human beings have evolved to create things to pass the time so life isn't just survival. I know if it really was me in Great Bear I'd have created some more interesting ways to pass the time. The crafting options are actually very limited and for me the lack of things to make and do discourage long runs. It would be nice to battle the weather and wildlife more than boredom. There are only so many rabbits you can skin before you can't take it anymore and throw yourself into the Ravine.