You Never Forget Your Many Deaths


Vhalkyrie

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I have way too much, most of it spoils.  It's mostly wolves - I've only purposely killed a couple of deer, and I wanted the pelt, not the meat.  Right now I have a bear rotting because I have too much food.

Mostly it's the wolves.  They spawn too fast and harass me too much - I don't really need to eat anything else. :P 

Also I'm on Voyager, so I probably had a higher count of canned goods and bars?  I still have a large supply of bars and jerky that I'm saving for Timberwolf in good condition.  Anything I find over 80% I save.  I tried stalker a couple of times, but mostly I couldn't handle the wildlife.  Maybe I could do better now, but I'm finding the constant attacks annoying enough on Voyager.  Maybe if the respawn rate was lowered.

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Day 99: R&R

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After returning to the Farmhouse, it seems I am in no hurry to move.  I've contented myself with fishing, rabbit snaring, and general aimlessness smelling the rose hips (not much other vegetation).

The fishing trip I found to be surprisingly relaxing after the excitement of Coastal Highway.  I took my brand new bearskin roll, fishing line, and several nights worth of firewood to the fishing hut on Pensive Pond.  I spent the next three nights catching fish, cooking, and sleeping.  There was a wolf prowling around, and although I could hear him, he caused me no trouble.  He growled at me through the door, but I wasn't worried.  I eventually nicknamed him Grouchy.  We never had a face to face, so I left him alone.

I caught more than enough fish to fill my stomach and take some home.

I killed another bear that took to roaming around the Farmhouse.  Just too dangerous to leave hanging around.  A good opportunity presented itself, and I took the shot.  I carved 10 kilos of meat and hide, and left everything else for the scavengers.

The one thing that I am concerned about is my deer hide reserves are lower than I'd like.  The wolves are overpopulated in the area, and keep killing the deer before I can get to them.  So there are no deer in the vicinity to hunt.

I have been pondering a vacation to Desolation Point, but I may delay that to go deer hunting in the Ravine.  I've seen no wolves there, so I won't have any unwanted competition.

Day 100: Deer Hunt

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I can't believe it's been 100 days.  After all my early struggles where I almost gave up, it turned out that my best days were ahead of me.  Once I ran like a scared doe through the woods, and now I am more in control of my fate.  Of all the trials I have survived, by far the toughest was making it through a blizzard during the night in a shed.  I'll never forget that experience.  That was Day 43.  I should have died, but here I am.

I recalled there was a forest near the Red Barn with deer and no wolves, so I didn't need to make an extended trip to the Ravine after all.  So for my 100th Day celebration, I am feasting on venison in the Red Barn.  Sure wish I could have found a bottle of wine in the Farmhouse.  A nice Pinot Noir or Shiraz would have been the perfect pairing.

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Finally made it over to Timberwolf Mountain in my Pilgrim playthrough (after dying twice on Voyager, thought it was time for a break).

Didn't really expect to fall in love with this map. Took quite a few days to build up a base at the Mountaineer's Hut, then way stations in two caves up the long path to the Summit. Cleared out the goodies from the Tail Section and overnighted in the cave on the Summit. Will break down the surplus toolboxes, clothing, etc to decrease the amount of weight before bringing it all down. Figured I'd bring them to the upper cave way station, rest a day, then bring the stuff I left in the lower way station over and make a new short cut down with the additional ropes I found. Then it's bring it all home!

Then what? I don't know what I will do . . . this character's set for a boring long time . . .

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I went to Timberwolf on Pilgrim, too.  I wanted to explore the map without spoilers and figure it out on my own.  (I explore the maps on Pilgrim the first time, then use maps on my Voyager game).  I just read the book "Into Thin Air" and watched the movie "Everest", so I was really excited to do some virtual mountain climbing!

I rather enjoyed Timberwolf.  Being a Colorado native, I loved the feel of living in the mountains.  I completed the summit run, but I pretty much parked my Pilgrim game there because I didn't know if I wasn't thrilled about moving all that stuff - lol.

I'm really eager to move there in my Voyager game, but I have some things I want to do before I go.

Aww - Bear looks so cute when sleeping. ;) 

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Day 123: Desolation Point

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I left the Farmhouse 10 days ago and am now in the Mines leading to Desolation Point.  I spent the last week and a half attempting to move carefully through Coast Highway.  I stopped to search the houses and islands that I skipped the last time I came through there.  I spent several days at Jackrabbit Island and the Misanthrope's Homestead.  While nice homes, the wolves and bear in the areas kept me on edge, and eliminated any notion of living there for any length of time.

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It was a pretty stressful move overall.  Despite my best efforts at avoidance, I still had to kill 6 wolves and 1 bear.  They either were in the way of places I needed to move, or they confronted me.

I plan to spend the next 30 days living in Desolation Point, so I brought only what I could carry in one pack load.  Except after skinning all the animals and looting the island houses, I now have an extra 20 kilos of supplies.  I stashed them inside the trunk of a car near the Waterfront Cottages in case I need them in DP, but I doubt it.

I mostly plan to do coal mining and crafting arrowheads/hunting knives.  A lot of the work will be mundane walks to take the crafted tools back to the Coastal Highway.

I'm rather distressed that it seems many of my matches are deteriorating.  The most important tool for defending against wolves and bears isn't a rifle or a bow, but fire.  My matches should last me a few more months, but the concern about what I'm going to do if I can't light a torch on demand is gnawing in the back of my mind.  Baiting with meat usually works, but isn't as reliable as fire.

Well, one problem at a time.  My immediate needs are arrowheads and knives.

It's a beautiful night.  Tomorrow I start checking around the area for useful items.  I have my bedroll prepared inside the mine in my makeshift warehouse.  Time for some shut eye.

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Just now, Drifter Man said:

You haven't found any firestrikers yet?

Yeah I have a couple, but they eventually deteriorate too.  Right now, if a wolf approaches me, I either light a flare or a torch with a match.  It works very well, but if I have a dwindling supply of matches, this becomes less feasible.  I just need to work out an alternate technique for handling wolves.  The decoy method works pretty well, I should probably use it more.

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19 hours ago, Vhalkyrie said:

Yeah I have a couple, but they eventually deteriorate too.  Right now, if a wolf approaches me, I either light a flare or a torch with a match.  It works very well, but if I have a dwindling supply of matches, this becomes less feasible.  I just need to work out an alternate technique for handling wolves.  The decoy method works pretty well, I should probably use it more.

I get a roughly 80% success rate with bait-meat. Like you I prefer torches when the weather allows because of the 100% success rate with stopping wolves. 

 

Interesting reading about your trek through Coastal Highway to make tools at Desolation Point. I haven't been there yet but like you will just take the bare minimum and go with the intent to make as many knives as I can.

I've found five arrows & the fact that they are limited makes me think twice about shooting wolves, which I think means I'm making smarter decisions for a long term sandbox.
I guess my point is that I won't be making arrowheads, just knives, once I reach Desolation Point.

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11 hours ago, Wasteland Watcher said:

I've found five arrows that the fact that they are limited makes me think twice about shooting wolves, which I think means I'm making smarter decisions for a long term sandbox.
I guess my point is that I won't be making arrowheads, just knives, once I reach Desolation Point.

I'm not too worried about the arrow use.  At this point in my game I have way more than I thought I would.  In 130 days of game time, I still haven't worn down the original maple bow I started with back on Mystery Lake!  And I have 10 cured maple saplings in reserves.  I have roughly 300 unused arrow shafts, and a dozen or so birch saplings that I haven't carved up.  I keep about 10 arrows on me at a time.  I'm only making arrowheads so I have a reserve pile for the occasions where I might lose one - though my retrieval rate is 99% (I've only lost one arrowhead in 130 days).  I'm only going to make about 20-25 - I don't see a need to keep hundreds at this time.

Another reason I periodically clear out the wolves is because they will wipe out populations of deer and rabbit, which makes it harder for me to find food.  Competition of species.

Matches are the only thing that I'm running out of, and that's because they are deteriorating (not because I'm using too many) - my rate of exploration is faster than the match rate, I guess.  I know some people say not to check cupboards until you need matches, but the way I play is I clear out a map, haul everything to my central point, stay there for a while, then move to the next.  So I'll just have to deal with the matches - grudgingly.

Honestly, after I finish the Timberwolf map, I'll probably be done with this character until a new map comes out.  I'm not interested in hibernating play, so after I've explored all the maps, I'll have done everything that I wanted to do.  My long term plan is to live in Timberwolf (I love that map), but after 200 days and all maps explored/looted, I'll probably be parking until Story Mode and new Sandbox Maps.

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43 minutes ago, Vhalkyrie said:

I'm not too worried about the arrow use.  At this point in my game I have way more than I thought I would.  In 130 days of game time, I still haven't worn down the original maple bow I started with back on Mystery Lake!  And I have 10 cured maple saplings in reserves.  I have roughly 300 unused arrow shafts, and a dozen or so birch saplings that I haven't carved up.  

Matches are the only thing that I'm running out of - my rate of exploration is faster than the match rate, I guess.  I know some people say not to check cupboards until you need matches, but the way I play is I clear out a map, haul everything to my central point, stay there for a while, then move to the next.  So I'll just have to deal with the matches - grudgingly.

Honestly, after I finish the Timberwolf map, I'll probably be done with this character until a new map comes out.  I'm not interested in hibernating play, so after I've explored all the maps, I'll have done everything that I wanted to do.  My long term plan is to live in Timberwolf (I love that map), but after 200 days and all maps explored/looted, I'll probably be parking until Story Mode and new Sandbox Maps.

I also explore like you: clean out an area and move to the next. If I do find matches I'll make a note about where, finish looting the entire house, then quit out and load the game again, leaving the drawers with matches untouched. 

I've only completely explored Coastal Highway and Mystery Lake so far and I'm seriously considering living permanently at Mystery Lake -- at Forestry Outlook supplemented by the nearby Unnamed Cabin, the somewhat distant Trapper's cabin, and occasionally at the not-too-far off Camp Office.  
I'm so comfortable on Mystery Lake that I'm comfortable walking around in the woods even on days so foggy I can't see further than 10 feet away. 
Like you I never hibernate so I think living in the Forestry Outlook will make the days challenging enough to keep me interested but not so challenging that I end up making a fatal mistake :)

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10 minutes ago, Wasteland Watcher said:

I've only completely explored Coastal Highway and Mystery Lake so far and I'm seriously considering living permanently at Mystery Lake -- at Forestry Outlook supplemented by the nearby Unnamed Cabin, the somewhat distant Trapper's cabin, and occasionally at the not-too-far off Camp Office.  

I've definitely considered moving back to Trapper's (I just love the layout and the coziness), but I like the Mountaineer's house in Timberwolf, too.  It's like Trapper's, but on the Lake with fishing, deer, and a rabbit run very nearby.  I've only been on TW for extended time in tourist mode, so we'll see if I can manage the cold temps at night in Voyager. :) But yeah - my parking spot will be either Mountaineer's, or Trapper's if I can't manage it.

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8 hours ago, Vhalkyrie said:

Honestly, after I finish the Timberwolf map, I'll probably be done with this character until a new map comes out.  I'm not interested in hibernating play, so after I've explored all the maps, I'll have done everything that I wanted to do.  My long term plan is to live in Timberwolf (I love that map), but after 200 days and all maps explored/looted, I'll probably be parking until Story Mode and new Sandbox Maps.

I'm kind of at this point now with my current Pilgrim character. I just don't know where we want to park, though. Trapper's Cabin in ML? Farmhouse in PV? Coast side Cottage in CH? or Mountaineer's Hut in TM? Now that I have all my supplies and stock gathered, it's time to take it easy . . .

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Day 145: Homebound

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After 22 days in Desolation Point, I'm returning home.  I'm currently back at the Waterfront Cottages in Coastal Highway with an extra 40 kilos of supplies.

My stay in DP was largely uneventful.  I killed only 3 wolves, scavenged 2 deers, trapped 4 rabbits and no bears.  I spent the first few weeks establishing firewood and coal stocks, as well as searching the far corners for treasures and pretty views.

I made residence in both the Lighthouse and the Riken.  The Lighthouse was a fun and charming to live in.  On clear days, the views at the top allowed me to scan wolf locations and observe their wandering patterns.  This helped me move around largely unfettered.  I found a couple of shortcuts up and down to the Lighthouse, which allowed me to move in and out more easily.

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Every waking hour was spent busy.  On foggy or blizzard mornings, I fired up the forge, or boiled water and cooked.  During breaks in the weather, I gathered sticks.  On clear days, I transported my crafted tools either to the Lighthouse or to the Abandoned Mine leading to the Coastal Highway, depending on the weather and/or wolf patrols.

After scavenging supplies from the nearby Hibernia Processing Plant, I settled into the Riken to craft tools.  I found the most efficient fuel use was to bring the fire up to 50C with Fir, Cedar, or sticks (approximately 8 hour burn), then throw in 5 coals to bring the forge heat to 150C.  I created 25 arrowheads, 10 knives, and 3 hatchets.  The hatchets are staying at the Lighthouse for use if ever should I return.2016-03-03_00008.thumb.jpg.bb87f34fc1748

DP was a low key place to live once you know the animal routes; the wildlife was easily averted with no close calls.  The weather was warmer compared to Pleasant Valley, and I didn't have to wear my heavy sweater or long underwear during the day.  Storms blow in quickly, but leave just as fast.  Only once I had to duck into a car when a blizzard started, and spent the night there drinking soda and granola bars from the glove box.  I am much better at recognizing the subtle cues for weather changes, and never got caught surprise by a fog.

The most difficult and tedious part of the journey is moving the crafted and found tools.  I am somewhat comforted that if I should one day return to make more tools, the load will be lighter as I am moving this all now.

I already killed one wolf while moving into the Waterfront Cottages.  Now that I'm back in the Coastal Highway, I expect this will be only the first of many.

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On 3/30/2016 at 1:10 PM, Drifter Man said:

I'm curious how you sort this out - tips on dealing with wolves in the post-instant-fire era interest me.

I tried practicing with decoy methods.

I dropped a piece of raw meat and backed away from it when I heard a wolf lock onto me.  It worked - he approached it slowly.  I took aim with my bow, but I aimed a little too low for the distance and it landed at its feet instead of its head, which only scared it.  So in theory, I think it should work very well.  The wolf walked slow enough as it approached the meat which leaves plenty of time to line up a shot (just leave enough distance between you and the meat).

However, when the wolf got scared, I went to retrieve the bait and somehow accidentally ate it instead!  I got food poisoning. :P  I popped a couple of pills and decided to just kill the damn wolf running around with the fire method.

In short: It's viable, I just need more practice!

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Day 155: Home on the Range

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I think a lot about where I want to live, and where I will call home.  But something occurred to me: Is the Pleasant Valley Farmhouse already my home?

There are certain factors that make it a compelling argument.  According to my journal notes, I have stayed in the following places:

Mystery Lake: 18
Desolation Point: 20
Coastal Highway: 23
Pleasant Valley: 79

That totals 140 days.  15 days must have been spent inside of mines and caves.

I certainly have spent most of my days in Pleasant Valley, but is that enough to qualify it as a home?

Out of all the places I have lived, PV has been both a sanctuary and a threatening tomb.  I have been near death 3 times, all in PV.

The Farmhouse is quaint and plentiful.  It has boundless storage for my found treasures.  The workstation in the basement ensures that I am always well supplied.  The doors on all sides of the building allows me to make a fire with the magnifying glass and bring it indoors, even on windy days.  The covered porch is my favorite.  I have spent many mornings and evenings gazing in the ice-cold sky within the shelter of the porch.  The land is long with ample hunting grounds.  The vastness of space gives plenty of viewing distance to spot wolves and bears to avoid them.

However, the weather is harsh.  Blizzards can blow all day and night, and over several days.  Getting caught outdoors in open shelter is a death sentence.  The vastness of space gives scant suitable options for shelter in a hurry.

The long blizzards is what makes me hesitate to call the Farmhouse "Home".  As one who wants to be outdoors experiencing adventure (usually hunting for scenic views), being cooped up inside all day listening to the wind whistle is a major drawback.

I have returned to the Farmhouse with all my acquired items from Desolation Point.  I will eventually head towards Timberwolf Mountain, but for now I am enjoying some much needed rest.  I don't have any goals that I need to meet, or deadlines to follow.  I will rest, fish, gather sticks, and stargaze on the porch until the cabin fever from the storms drives me to travel again.

Maybe not my forever home, but my home for now.  Or perhaps it is.  A home that I wander away from, but return to, just as the birds migrate in the winter and return in the spring.

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16 hours ago, Vhalkyrie said:

I tried practicing with decoy methods.

I only remember using a decoy once. I dropped a piece of raw meat and tried to back away as the wolf approached it. It was a small decoy (rabbit scrap, about 0.3 kg) and the wolf was done with it so quickly that it was back onto me in a few seconds. And I'm reluctant to feed wolves with 1-kg pieces. I need more practice, too.

Also, I read carefully your description of Pleasant Valley. I have never been there but I plan to pay an extended visit to gather resources for my life in the Dam. I'll need to come up with a plan to survive in this kind of weather, with shelters so few and far between.

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5 hours ago, Drifter Man said:

I only remember using a decoy once. I dropped a piece of raw meat and tried to back away as the wolf approached it. It was a small decoy (rabbit scrap, about 0.3 kg) and the wolf was done with it so quickly that it was back onto me in a few seconds. And I'm reluctant to feed wolves with 1-kg pieces. I need more practice, too.

Yeah don't use the scrap pieces - they eat it in one bite!  The trick is to aim your shot and kill it as it approaches the meat - they will focus and walk to it.  If you kill it before it gets to the meat, you can pick it back up!  Just don't accidentally eat it and give yourself food poisoning. :P  #ProTip 

Fire still works better than anything else, but if you do use bait, it is better to use the larger pieces to buy you more time.

5 hours ago, Drifter Man said:

Also, I read carefully your description of Pleasant Valley. I have never been there but I plan to pay an extended visit to gather resources for my life in the Dam. I'll need to come up with a plan to survive in this kind of weather, with shelters so few and far between.

Try to avoid using the open shelters during a blizzard because they last so long.  Caves are ok and your best bet if you know where to find them.  Always make sure to carry the bearskin roll with you if you aren't familiar with the land.  Diving into the bearskin roll is more efficient than fire if in the worst case your only option is one of the open shelters for safety.  Always, always make a plan on where you will head for safety while the weather is good enough to spot it.  Whenever I skin animals or chop logs, I always face in the direction of my nearest safe point in case the weather changes so all I have to do is walk forward.

I know that you aren't intending to stay on the map long term as you'll be heading back to the Dam.  Unless you're very lucky with the weather, I would suggest making sure to plan that you'll be able to stay overnight at whereever you're heading (the map is very, very large).  Sticks are very plentiful, so you shouldn't need to use your hatchet to chop firewood (99% of my fuel use are sticks).  I also highly recommend using coal from the connector mine (fast respawn, so don't worry about it).  I've lived there a long time, and blizzards usually last a minimum of 4 hours.

I just had a blizzard go for 10 hours while playing today.  I spent the whole day boiling water (14 liters in one day!).  There was a short break in the storm for 2 hours while I cooked meat.  By the time I headed to the upstairs bed to sleep, another blizzard started.  So what I'm saying is, just because there has been one blizzard and clears, it doesn't mean that another one can't start up again.  Hopefully you'll have better luck with the weather when you eventually make the journey, but just a heads up.

If the weather is good, I can usually make it to the Farmhouse and back to the connector mine in 1 full day.  I do this when I'm transporting goods from other maps to PV.  I drop them off at the Mine, then make a couple of trips to bring them all to the Farmhouse. However, that's fairly rare I can make a round trip to the mine in 1 day.  Usually I can only make it to the Farmhouse, then have to wait until the next day to return as weather changes seem to happen on 4 hour cycles, and PV has a higher chance of blizzards than the other maps.

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So it takes large pieces and the best tactic is to shoot the wolf on approach rather than trying to run away. I may lose arrows this way, given my poor shooting skills. But it's better than the alternative. By the way: I accidentally drank bad water once, but luckily there were no consequences...

About Pleasant Valley, I'm thinking along these lines: I'll probe the unknown area first, starting from the Winding River cave system, and look for potential shelters. Even an open shelter can do if it is supplied with firewood/coal, food and water to survive a long blizzard, in addition to the supplies I carry. Because of the long distances, I will probably have to settle down and hunt locally, rather than staying just for a few days like in Coastal Highway, and gradually explore the map. I'll get a bearskin bedroll as you say - I hadn't planned to take on a bear but this looks like I should. Looking forward to the adventure already :)

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Nice story! Very well written :)

Just a quick note on the post-match era. In my voyager game I have most of them on the orange area and I've already lost a few. Due to the huge amount of loot that you get in this mode I still have matches for possibly another 100+ days.

However in my stalker game, I think I got two boxes of matches after looting all places in Mistery Lake. Really bad RGN I think.. but still, I decided to take on the challenge as I did found a magnifying glass. I'm  cooking only on sunny days, which luckily are around 1/3 in this map. Those days I also go on exploring for longer periods. I always carry 4-5 torches on me. And they are always lit... I check their condition every 5 minutes and once they are about to turn apart I drop them in the ground and lit the next one with it. This rotuine + stick gathering to get more torches can guarantee you carry on your fire for the whole day. I feel like a caveman, the fire I wake up with is the same fire I go to bed with. Of course you still get nasty windy surprises, but once you start paying attention to those three birds that announce a weather change, things get less dangerous. 

I'm not playing that game much, the hassle of the wolves is a bit too much. I like to struggle to get food, not find it at my doorstep everytime I need it xD. But the experience will help in my voyager game. The out of matches moment is not so far away!

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23 minutes ago, Drifter Man said:

So it takes large pieces and the best tactic is to shoot the wolf on approach rather than trying to run away. I may lose arrows this way, given my poor shooting skills. But it's better than the alternative. By the way: I accidentally drank bad water once, but luckily there were no consequences...

About Pleasant Valley, I'm thinking along these lines: I'll probe the unknown area first, starting from the Winding River cave system, and look for potential shelters. Even an open shelter can do if it is supplied with firewood/coal, food and water to survive a long blizzard, in addition to the supplies I carry. Because of the long distances, I will probably have to settle down and hunt locally, rather than staying just for a few days like in Coastal Highway, and gradually explore the map. I'll get a bearskin bedroll as you say - I hadn't planned to take on a bear but this looks like I should. Looking forward to the adventure already :)

If you use the large piece, you should have plenty of time to run away, so you don't have to shoot it if you don't want to.  I generally shoot the wolves if they are in an area where I will be passing through frequently.

Good plan about Pleasant Valley.  Well, you'll need firewood supplies to last a very long time - my blizzard in today's game was 10 hours before a short eye of the storm, then it started up again. :o  Also, the PV map is one of the coldest maps in the game.  If you are not in a cave or an enclosed shelter at night during a blizzard without a bearskin roll - you are in trouble.  This is one of the ways I almost died (see my story entry Day 45: The Blizzard and The Bear).

It probably is a good idea to make a temporary camp somewhere you can hunt and sustain yourself for a few days, so very good plan. :)  I'm very interested in reading about it!

Also, a tip about bear hunting.  The fire-freeze method works on bears as well as wolves.  It's the safest way to kill bears.  Oddly enough, I recommend using a bow instead of a rifle because an arrow hit bleeds faster (and a bear will most likely survive the first shot).  I generally take first shot with a rifle.  If that doesn't instant kill it (usually doesn't), then I hit it with an arrow and find a safe place to wait for it to bleed out.  I know you conserve your arrow use differently, so looking forward to hearing what you come up with.

If you don't want to use the fire-freeze method, then you should somehow line up your shot so it can't see you.  If you're in its LOS when you fire, it will probably charge you.  If you aren't in LOS, then there's a chance the bear will run off.  Dangerous though.  Or, shoot it, but have a torch ready to light and get out of Dodge!  Even if the bear appears to run around without charging, I'd still light the torch anyway until you are somewhere 100% safe.

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45 minutes ago, Ohbal said:

I always carry 4-5 torches on me. And they are always lit... I check their condition every 5 minutes and once they are about to turn apart I drop them in the ground and lit the next one with it. This rotuine + stick gathering to get more torches can guarantee you carry on your fire for the whole day. I feel like a caveman, the fire I wake up with is the same fire I go to bed with. Of course you still get nasty windy surprises, but once you start paying attention to those three birds that announce a weather change, things get less dangerous. 

Great tip!  I do this in caves, but I should be prepared to start doing this more when my match supply goes down.  I'm not terribly happy about the deterioration rate, but I'll manage. ;)  If I had to do it over again, I probably would exploit the search house/reload method to avoid looting matches, but I'd rather that it be rebalanced.  I don't feel that I have been rushing to the end and I have been using the matches at a reasonable rate, so I think they should last longer.

I, too, play on Voyager because I find the wolf situation annoying on Stalker.  I find it annoying on Voyager too.  I wish we could make a "Custom Mode" sandbox.  I'd have animal behavior of Pilgrim, resources of Voyager, and weather of Stalker.

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Ohbal's idea could actually be an efficient way of maintaining permanent fire. 1 hour of campfire buys three torches, three torches buy 4.5 hours of fire. Naturally, there are disadvantages (the need to light another torch each 90 minutes, the fact that it does not give away much heat, and that wind can blow it out).

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