Cartograloper

[LucidFugue]

With the new Faithful Cartographer achievement, I decided to do something I'd had on my mind for a while - attempt to reach the highest world exploration percentage I can manage on Interloper difficulty. Survival is hard enough, and I'm prone to dying just trying to get improvised tools forged, but the lure of planting a flag on new lands has always been what gets me up each day in the long dark. So off I go. 

 

I'm actually up to Cartograloper 4 at the moment. Only one has been a truly terminal start - failing to find matches in Desolation Point and succumbing to dehydration. Cartogralopers 2 and 3 both died of impatience. That is to say, they both stayed no more than a half day in any given location. They treated this challenge like a race. 

Cartograloper 3s journey might paint the picture best. Starting in Forlorn Muskeg, right near the Broken Railroad end, a decision was made that there was no time like the present to get broken Railroad out of the way. 

Cartograloper 3 dodged 2 wolves along the narrow path and had to enter the rail yard from the rear to avoid a further 2 stalking around the front entrance. The journey was worth it - a bedroll! By evening the lodge had been cleared out. With 2 dozen matches and plenty of accelerant, that night a nearby carcass was being harvested to provide sustenance. An aurora lit up the night sky, drawing in a lone wolf that had been prowling the area. Campfire and torches kept it at bay, but a short leap over a ledge to make a break for the lodge led to a nasty injury. 

Sleeping back to a somewhat healthy state, Cartograloper 3 was trapped in the lodge by a blizzard. The day was spent mending clothes and preparing mushrooms and rose hips. But rather than wait for another day, Cartograloper 3 set out late in the evening, determined to get back to the muskeg, most likely to make use of the bedroll in the waterfall cave. 

But dodging wolves through the narrows proved difficult. Hours were lost manoeuvring a wolf through use of a campfire, and Cartograloper 3 reached Forlorn Muskeg in poor condition,  freezing in pre dawn chill. Another aurora struck and brought with it wolves that could not be shaken. Cartograloper 3 barely lasted 3 days and spent most waking hours travelling. 

Cartograloper 4 by contrast, has had less luck. Starting in Timberwolf Mountain and getting frostbite before reaching the mountaineer's cabin. Finding only a hammer and determining to leave and return later to brave the summit. But this time, spending a day to recover first. This time, allowing the journey to take 2 days. 

A second instance of frostbite has been suffered on the journey to Pleasant Valley, where finally - a pair of mittens protects what fingers are left. 

Cartograloper 4 is going to have to play it a lot safer now. I'm going to have to learn more about managing firewood and sitting tight for the right conditions for travel. That might mean learning a few new skills related to surviving in one place for a longer period of time. 

[Ruruwawa]

Oh I like this.   I don't have the gaming time to do this type of challenge but I always enjoy reading about them.  How much mapping are you able to do?

[stapeliad]

Cartagraloper LOL

[Ruruwawa]

Graphaloper?

[LucidFugue]

19 hours ago, stapeliad said:

Cartagraloper LOL

 

19 hours ago, Ruruwawa said:

Graphaloper?

It was a toss up between Cartograloper or Interlographer. 

19 hours ago, Ruruwawa said:

Oh I like this.   I don't have the gaming time to do this type of challenge but I always enjoy reading about them.  How much mapping are you able to do?

I can trade a small amount of condition to get a portion of the map filled in. If it's the warmest part of the day I can get the map done without hitting freezing. But the early game is so desperate I haven't actually had the time to make proper maps. I'm carrying the charcoal, but mostly sourcing warm clothes and survival equipment to get a proper foothold before I start getting serious. 

I have to get myself a checklist of locations per region, too. 

[LucidFugue]

Day 4: Having recovered to 66% condition in Pleasant Valley Farmstead, I emerge well rested in mid-afternoon and face a heavy fog. This prevents any mapping, but I've already mapped the Farmstead anyway. With my maximum condition now 80% and around 1000 calories worth of food held, I decide not to relax today. Instead, I trek down the icy river collecting cat tails. My destination is the rural crossroads. I know the river will take me there and I won't get lost in the fog. 

The journey is longer than I remember, and I'm losing condition to freezing before I'm even 1/3 of the way through the journey. I pick up the pace and leave a few cat tails behind once I've secured 20. That's 3000 calories worth and enough to allow me to rest another day when I reach my destination. 

I hit rural crossroads with 38% condition and loot the houses. Another box of matches is found, as well as a wool scarf and a further 1000 calories worth of food. I drain the toilets of water and rest for the night. 

Day 5: I wake up at 73% condition and a clear morning. I left my books back at the farmstead - I have a cooking guide, a bow hunting manual, and 2 rifle hunting manuals. The rifle manuals are useless to me, sadly, but the cooking guide would be good right now to get a kick start on my skills. I've already completed study of a wilderness survival manual which has brought me very close to level 2 firestarting. I decide to brave the cold and explore the cave not far from the rural crossroads house. 

Being wary of a wolf that prowls the area, I head upstairs. I neglected to mention, but I'd spotted a bear from the Pleasant Valley farmstead, so I know there won't be a bear in this area. The wolf is walking away from the cave and has enough distance I can safely slip around the rocks. It's a great spot. 3 rabbits happily prance in the grove, but there is nowhere for them to run. The cave sits against a sheer wall on one side. A drop on another side leads down to the riverbed, and there is only a narrow passage on a third side. I quickly manage to stun all three, dropping them in the cave. There are enough sticks nearby (plus some more I foraged for on my travels yesterday) that I can start a fire to recover from the morning chill. I set to work, harvesting the meat and cooking it. All 3 are just over a kilogram, and by mid afternoon I have 1200 calories in my stomach. I add to my map and check on the wolf before spiriting the 3 rabbits down to the crossroads house. I will harvest the gut and hides here and leave them to cure. 

I have 3000 calories worth of food stocked and my clothing warmth bonus sits at 11 degrees. I have explored 9% of the world, but only mapped 3 locations in Pleasant Valley. 

[JAFO]

That's one heck of a challenge you've set yourself.. kudos. I look forward to reading more of your adventures!

[Ruruwawa]

2 hours ago, LucidFugue said:

The cave sits against a sheer wall on one side. A drop on another side leads down to the riverbed, and there is only a narrow passage on a third side. I quickly manage to stun all three, dropping them in the cave.

Love that spot.  I haven't been back since Bunny Stunning was added, sounds like a nice break from looting empty drawers and cupboards.

[LucidFugue]

Day 5 (cont'd): In between processing the rabbit carcasses, I make use of the remaining daylight to make a trip up to Cinder Hills Coal Mine, in order to map the transition point. Evening brings an aurora, and the flickering light of the mine is unfortunately insufficient for navigation. Being wary of the wolf in this area, I make haste back to the crossroads house, finish processing the rabbits, and sleep until morning.

Day 6: I've hit 80% condition and am blessed with another clear day. I decide to head to the old barnyard to get my map of the location done, and collect firewood along the way. I'm out of water by the time I hit the barn, and also freezing, so I boil up 3 more litres and add to my map. A blizzard comes in and 2 wolves have closed in on the barn. I play hide and seek with the barn exits to lure them to one side, and sneak out the other side, making for the fenceline and road. There are deer here and I consider the merits of chasing one back toward the wolves, but decide against it for now. 

Instead, I happen upon a neat opportunity. The blizzard clears and mid-afternoon temperatures are such that I can warm up inside a roadside car. I can also survey from this location, and so pass the time adding another blotch to my map before scooting across to the farmstead. The car also contained some simple tools. Once I organise my inventory I have 60 sticks, 2 cedar firewood and 1 reclaimed wood, 4 books, 3 skill books, 2 toolsets, 4 sewing kits and 2 whetstones. I still only have the heavy hammer, which I'm carrying in case I have a run in with a wolf. 

Weather permitting, I may trek across to signal hill tomorrow. I have 1 cured rabbit hide but no cured gut as yet.

[RiotAct]

This is awesome -- keep at it!  Good work!!!

[LucidFugue]

Day 7: Since the weather was clear in the morning, I head out, but not to Signal Hill. Instead, I make the shorter dash toward heartbreak bridge, mapping it from the safety of a car close by. I return to the farmstead to warm up. The weather begins to turn, so I hold off on Signal Hill for the day and loop south of the farmstead, passing the abandoned barn where I find a good quality wool toque. Freezing, but not wanting to turn back just yet, I duck across to the hay storage visible from this spot. The detour was worth it, as a deer carcass is waiting for me. I've run out of cat tails and have 2 tins of pinnacle peaches and 1 box of crackers. With no implements to open the cans I'd risk wasting a portion of the contents, but if it comes to it I'll bust them open. I start a fire andmap the area while waiting for the carcass to thaw. The meat staves off hunger only for the time taken to get the gut and hide. I herd some deer in the area closer toward the farmstead as I head back. I hope I get an opportunity to get a full deer carcass soon. In the meantime, 2 more rabbits fill my belly for the night's rest and I am now a novice at carcass harvesting. 

[LucidFugue]

Day 8: One of Pleasant Valley's infamous blizzards set in and lasts the entire day. I crack open one can of pinnacle peaches so that I can finish my wilderness kitchen book, and start on a copy of the frozen angler. I secure novice level cooking, and the bonus calories will be most welcome. My first gut is cured also, so I head to the basement to make fishing lures. The blizzard ends in early nightfall. I have plenty of firewood and not a lot of food. I'm going fishing. 

I cross heartbreak bridge and check the ruined building but find only more firewood. The snow picks up and the night is so dark I lose my way. Turning a corner near the forest cave I run straight into a wolf. My hammer saves my life, but only just. I have a sprained wrist and 30% condition. I walk right past Pensive pond and hit the waterfall, then double back. Finally, I make it to the shack with 26% condition remaining. I stoke the fire, drink some heated up rose hip tea, boil myself some more water, and then get to fishing.

Day 9: I catch about 8 fish in total. Enough to fill my stomach and give my body a chance to start recovering from last night's battering. I was hoping to bleed condition through exhaustion, but now I need to drink coffee to make the most of the time here. I collect sticks, cat tails, and rose hips around the lake. I secure maps of the pond itself, as well as the nearby picnic spot and bridge over cascading falls. There are rabbits everywhere and I can't help myself - I'm going to need to spend tomorrow on light duties so I want to take as much food back as I can. I claim one at the picnic spot and 2 more on the lake, cooking the meat with the last of my fire. I leave the carcasses to freeze in the fishing hut. If I took them back I would be able to craft rabbitskin mitts within another 2 days, but I can't risk another wolf struggle. 

The journey home is harrowing. I've left it too late. A had a 22 hour long fire and left most of the charcoal behind as I'm already exhausted and overburdened. I'm freezing 1/4 of the way back. Although I had recovered back to 32% condition through the day, I slowly trudge through heavy snow. My eyes are fixed forwards. I know the farmstead is this way. I can't see sticks on the ground, just the vertical shafts of trees and the falling of snow. I reach the road, and the familiar orchard trees of the farm. I'm expecting my vision to start to blur any minute, but the shape of the buildings come into view. Gracefully, no wolves have come between me and my sanctuary. I dump about 4 kilograms of cooked fish and rabbit in the snow outside, and step in. When my head hits the pillow I have 11% condition and 12% world exploration.

Here's my list of Pleasant Valley locations, organised into rough clusters:

Pleasant Valley Outbuildings
Barn
Lonely Homestead
Derelict Cabins
Contemplation Bridge

Prepper's Abandoned Cache
Skeeter's Ridge
Skeeter's Ridge Basement
Burned Ridge Cave
Mystic River Picnic Area
Cave
Point of Disagreement
Draft Dodger's Cabin

Pleasant Valley Farmstead
Farmhouse & Basement
Heartbreak Bridge
Three Strikes Farmstead

Signal Hill
Radio Control Hut
Hilltop Cave
Hunter's Blind
Long Curve
Carter Hydro Dam and Environs Cave System

Rural Crossroads
Crossroads House(2)
Rural Store
Upper Falls
Cinder Hills Coal Mine

Pensive Pond
Forest Cave
Picnic Spot
Cascading Falls
Lower Falls

Prepper cache (random) < My understanding is there are no prepper caches in Interloper. Please tell me I don't have to go cache hunting, or this is going to get a lot nastier! 
 

I

[JAFO]

1 hour ago, LucidFugue said:

My understanding is there are no prepper caches in Interloper. Please tell me I don't have to go cache hunting, or this is going to get a lot nastier! 

There aren't.. Hinterland confirmed this here.

[LucidFugue]

3 hours ago, JAFO said:

There aren't.. Hinterland confirmed this here.

Thank goodness. And thank you for the reference.

17 hours ago, RiotAct said:

This is awesome -- keep at it!  Good work!!!

Also - thanks for the encouragement, RiotAct!  

[LucidFugue]

Okay, I have skipped ahead about a week. It is now Day 17. I'll recap the week in a more condensed format. 

I set out to Three Strikes Farmstead after recovering from my fishing trip. Other than being stuck by a blizzard, it is an uneventful journey. The next day I loop back to pick up rabbit skins from the rural crossroads house, this time via contemplation bridge. It is a poor decision, really. It costs me a lot of condition and I am short of food after recovering. I need to go fishing once more, which delays me from making use of the skins which I'm now lugging about until I get back to the farmstead. I decide to go directly to Signal Hill from the pond. 

Praise Great Bear! Signal Hill contains Work Boots and Combat Pants. I cannot believe my luck. Blizzards and wolves disrupt me as I tick off Hilltop Cave & Hunter's Blind, but I secure another 3 rabbits and manage to ration them out. I switch the climbing rope over to the signal hill climbing point and make my way to Long Curve. Many more cat tails, and another deer carcass are secured before heading home. I finish a pair of rabbitskin mittens as I recover on Day 16, and I now have +15/+6 clothing bonus with 20 protection. I only have a few more days before global temperature decay sets in, but if I'm careful about condition I could have a very productive week or so. I also have a healthy supply of food, roughly 4500 calories. I've almost reached level 3 in firestarting and cooking. 

There are only a few scattered places left in Pleasant Valley. But I haven't found a hacksaw here, so I'm not going back to Timberwolf Mountain yet. I've not yet decided whether to go to Coastal Highway, and most likely Desolation Point, or Mystery Lake, and most likely Forlorn Muskeg and Broken Railroad. 

[JAFO]

On 8/16/2017 at 9:07 PM, LucidFugue said:

Cartograloper 4 by contrast, has had less luck. Starting in Timberwolf Mountain and getting frostbite before reaching the mountaineer's cabin. Finding only a hammer and determining to leave and return later to brave the summit.

38 minutes ago, LucidFugue said:

There are only a few scattered places left in Pleasant Valley. But I haven't found a hacksaw here, so I'm not going back to Timberwolf Mountain yet. I've not yet decided whether to go to Coastal Highway, and most likely Desolation Point, or Mystery Lake, and most likely Forlorn Muskeg and Broken Railroad.

A question for you.. did you find the Heavy Hammer in the Mountaineer's Hut, or the Fishing Hut on Crystal Lake? Because depending on the answer, I can tell you where you'll find a hacksaw.. unless you'd prefer to keep it as a surprise.

[LucidFugue]

I'm pretty sure it was Mountaineer's Hut. Happy to hear where it is if that's the case. My approach to TMB has been to have a bedroll, a hacksaw, and/or plenty of coffee. To be honest, I've never reached the summit on Interloper before, only Stalker and Voyageur. While Drifterman has shown the way, I'm not confident I can waltz in there as global temps start to drop and hit every point of interest. 

Also, in my head I'm thinking if I don't go to Timberwolf Mountain now, it probably means that will be the last region I visit, since I'll naturally gravitate towards one of the two forges, and naturally want to clear all the locations at either end. For example: 

PV -> CH -> Crumbling Highway -> DP -> Crumbling Highway -> CH -> Ravine -> ML -> FM -> BR -> FM -> ML -> Winding River -> PV -> TMB

or: 

PV -> Winding River -> ML -> FM -> BR -> FM -> ML -> Ravine -> CH ->Crumbling Highway -> DP -> Crumbling Highway -> CH -> PV -> TMB

More or less, I either finish at the Summit of TMB, somewhere in DP, or the Lodge in BR. Assuming I'm not dead long before then, of course. 

 

[JAFO]

46 minutes ago, LucidFugue said:

I'm pretty sure it was Mountaineer's Hut. Happy to hear where it is if that's the case.

Ok then. You'll kick yourself when you realise how close you came to it. The nearest hacksaw to you should be inside the Cinder Hills Coalmine, at the workbench. Others can be found in FM, CH, DP and the TWM summit. See the following link for specific locations.

This is based on a very cool spreadsheet someone recently linked to, called the Interloper Rare Loot Tables.

[LucidFugue]

5 minutes ago, JAFO said:

This is based on a very cool spreadsheet someone recently linked to, called the Interloper Rare Loot Tables.

Oh, wow. Y'know, on one hand I still do love plunging into the unknown. I love coming across places I haven't explored very deeply. That process of learning how to exist there. On the other hand, I love the strategy and planning that goes into that. The more information you have, the better equipped you are to exist in the most challenging places on Great Bear.  I've been using @whiteberry-toarda's maps to plan my approaches. Both because I want to have the best chance at hitting 100% exploration, but also because knowledge of the land is paramount. I've explored most of Great Bear on my lonesome, but you really only get to the level of detail to know every possible option for the places you've stayed at for a long time. I'm a nomadic player. So I know routes to get from just about anyplace to any other place. Where I've been struggling is knowing where the rabbits and cat tails are. Where the deer and the wolves congregate. 

Taking on a challenge like this, I'm wanting to become better as a player. The situations get so much more dire in Interloper. There is a Steam Guide that lists possible locations for items, but I don't believe it has gone towards determining pattern sets. That's pretty meta. This sort of table is awesome for route planning. Do you know if it's complete? I'll start making notes of what things I find where, maybe I can contribute a bit. I know the table you linked only references some specific tools, but most items placed in the world seem to follow this model. I have noticed there is usually a high level top layer in the master bedroom of Pleasant Valley Farmstead. It used to always be the Mariner's Peacoat, until Resolute Outfitter brought in so many more clothes. High level placed clothing items are probably worth listing.

As I mentioned, I found Combat Pants under the bed in the Signal Hill Control Tower. I should have made note of all my sewing kits and simple toolkits. One thing I always funny is when someone is asking for help because they're in a bad situation, people on here might give advice like "You'll need X. If you're not far from Y, there's usually some there."

[JAFO]

3 minutes ago, LucidFugue said:

This sort of table is awesome for route planning. Do you know if it's complete?

I have no idea.. It would appear so, but I only came across it a couple of days back, and I've yet to test myself on Interloper. I'm still getting the hang of Stalker.

[Thrasador]

I'm digging this run...

This is like a new @Drifter Mansaga!

[LucidFugue]

Well, Cartograloper 4 just met his end. I set out to cover lonely homestead and, hopefully, derelict cabins. Darkness made me turn south to draft dodger's cabin after securing a map of lonely homestead. Those cabins are just so far from any shelter with a bed. 

I slept at draft dodgers and spent the morning collecting rabbits. Then I set out to climb up to skeeter's ridge. I lit a fire along the way to cook the rabbits as there is usually a wolf up there. But I got food poisoning from some of my 75% meat I had carried with me. That put me in quite a spot, and I spent all my meat and the next 2 days recovering. 

When I went up once more, There was indeed a wolf. A persistent one. I popped a flare and lit spotfires with it to scare him off. Since I still had the flare I began harvesting another carcass with the fire next to it. 

I'm not sure whether an aurora struck that evening and that was the cause, or the fact I was holding raw meat. But while cooking the meat, he approached and attacked me as I sat by the fire. With <30% condition I was doomed, even with a hammer and combat pants.  

I'll start over once more, but not today. 

[Thrasador]

Robbed....sorry m8

[LucidFugue]

Cartograloper 5 began and ended in Forlorn Muskeg. Not a bad start, but I got careless shaking off a wolf on my way to Mystery Lake. I swear sometimes they have the ability to teleport closer to the player when you're not looking. 

Anyway, Cartograloper 6 started in Timberwolf Mountain, not far from the fallen tree bridge. I reached the Wing, and had to hug the rock-wall as a wolf started stalking a deer who ran right towards me. I checked the forest cave and then went to the mountaineer's hut. Hacksaw located on the working bench. 

So, this means I can follow in Drifterman's footsteps and hit the summit early. I'll have to study the thread to work out what containers to hit and the recommended pathway up. I have collected 2 dozen cat tails and killed 1 rabbit. That, and a night's firewood have me starting fresh on day 2 with 2.5 litres of water. Hacksaw is at 76%. Cartograloper 6 is at 89%. 

[JAFO]

On 8/20/2017 at 5:14 PM, LucidFugue said:

Well, Cartograloper 4 just met his end.

Ouch.. very sorry to hear that, mate.. Best wishes with number 6.

On 8/20/2017 at 5:14 PM, LucidFugue said:

I'm not sure whether an aurora struck that evening and that was the cause, or the fact I was holding raw meat. But while cooking the meat, he approached and attacked me as I sat by the fire. With <30% condition I was doomed

Your condition alone may have been sufficient cause for the attack. Just as with real wolves, the TLD ones can sense weakness, and are more likely to attack in such situations.