Living in Broken Railroad

[Supermax]

So I decided to try living in the new zone, specifically in the hunting lodge. But after killing off and eating all the wolves and rabbits nearby, I had to leave after just a few days. I was on my way out of the zone, but I stopped at the maintenance yard to pick up some stuff, and then I decided to stay there for a bit. And what do you know? It turned out to be one of the best places to live, in my experience. All it's really missing is a fishing hut nearby.

There are deer and wolves all around, so you'd be hard pressed to run out of meat. Practically unlimited firewood from all the shipping pallets, boxes, etc, and that's not even considering the tree limbs everywhere. You can spend most of your time in the "outside" portion, protected from wind and cold, and never worry about cabin fever. No need to ever spend any time in caves or anywhere else to combat CF. When it gets too cold, you can always just go inside. Unlimited storage space too. A workbench. Beds both "outside" and inside. And there's just something about living in a location with no loading screen, where you can look outside at any time. It's a big reason why the hut on TWM is my favorite place to live, and why I enjoy living out of fishing huts for extended periods of time. It feels cozy to sit by a fire while watching a blizzard right outside the door/window. I just don't get the same feeling in "indoor" locations.

Anyway, I didn't really like the hunting lodge, but the yard has quickly become one of my absolute favorite places to stay in the game. Has anybody else had a similar experience?

[Carbon]

 I too am holed up in the lodge. I was in the maintenance yard because it is a more convenient location, but don't like the mess. I have hung the rope down from the lodge which shaves the trip down to the yard/rail line/region exit significantly (and allows me to skirt the wolves on the ice), so that's what I do. When I return, if I am too heavy or tired, I walk up but otherwise, I climb. The only main drawback with the yard is the lack of visibility; there are always wolves in there (up to 4 on stalker) and like Quonset in CH, I just hate having to sneak out my front door.

 I am at level 5 cooking, so I can eat wolf meat which is meaningful to how long one can make the lodge viable.

 Anyhow, Broken Railroad is a great location but yes, it needs fishing. I've taken to making journeys back to ML for that; its a fun overnight trip that is typically quite pleasant.

[AZHockeyNut]

Ah yes fishing would help however I wish I could move the wires when the aurua is not present because I keep getting zapped as I forget to look down when it comes. 

[Supermax]

Oh boy, I didn't even realize there were wires that can hurt you.  I think I've been there for 15 days and haven't seen the aurora a single time.

And where did you find the rope, Carbon? I looked everywhere and didn't see it. I agree, the rope would definitely make the lodge more viable.

[AZHockeyNut]

Have you been to the other side of the broken railroad? 

I started another stalker and dang four wolves outside the yard and no gun just a hatchet no sewing kit either. Loads of bandages from the cloth at the lodge so I'm gonna nekkid firght the wolves one at a time so I get a couple days of them leaving me alone. With no weapon I'm kina bumming. I have yet to see a birch sapling gotten a couple maples though and no arrow Head may have to run to the forge

[Supermax]

32 minutes ago, AZHockeyNut said:

Have you been to the other side of the broken railroad? 

I started another stalker and dang four wolves outside the yard and no gun just a hatchet no sewing kit either. Loads of bandages from the cloth at the lodge so I'm gonna nekkid firght the wolves one at a time so I get a couple days of them leaving me alone. With no weapon I'm kina bumming. I have yet to see a birch sapling gotten a couple maples though and no arrow Head may have to run to the forge

Other side....you mean across the broken bridge? Or where?

I have a rifle with lots of ammo and all other tools, so to me the wolves are just food delivery right now, hehe.

[Carbon]

5 hours ago, Supermax said:

And where did you find the rope, Carbon? I looked everywhere and didn't see it. I agree, the rope would definitely make the lodge more viable.

 The rope wasn't found in that region but brought from TWM in stages. I'm on day 93 of my run, so much happened before I got to BR on day 80.

[LucidFugue]

I'm not particularly fond of the wolf count. Have seen 2 wolves stalking the front of the maintenance yard and one at the back of the lodge. Then 2 more on the path in from FM. It gets really narrow in places, too. Hard to get past them without building a fire and manoeuvring the wolf around it. I can definitely see the positives of the maintenance yard itself. Plus, if you can shoo deer into the yard, it'd be very likely a wolf would kill it right on your doorstep.  

[AZHockeyNut]

Yes the other side of the broken railroad. When you stand there u can see across and the map on the start screen when u pick br shows there is land there

[ChillPlayer]

14 hours ago, Supermax said:

And where did you find the rope, Carbon?

Try the back wall of the Cellar in the Lodge, there is one on the Floor in Story and I wouldn't be surprise to find it in Survival Mode aswell.

[Snake Plisken]

15 hours ago, AZHockeyNut said:

Ah yes fishing would help however I wish I could move the wires when the aurua is not present because I keep getting zapped as I forget to look down when it comes. 

in the very hard mode the wires kill you they dont just zap you, the same for in the dam on ML the wires will kill you when the aurora is out. 

[GorillaDust]

17 hours ago, Supermax said:

I stopped at the maintenance yard to pick up some stuff, and then I decided to stay there for a bit. [...] You can spend most of your time in the "outside" portion, protected from wind and cold, and never worry about cabin fever.

Is this confirmed? There are other indoor/outdoor locations in the world that DO count towards cabin fever. e.g. Mountaineers lodge, forestry lookout towers. That sounds like a pretty ideal location if this is an exception - storage, bed, shelter, and instant access to an indoor location with a workbench during blizzards or early morning frigid temperatures.

[Wish]

I feel the same way, Supermax - the outdoor shed living area is grand; the windows and its outdoor location really make it by flipping the cabin fever paradigm. As for sustainability, I wish rabbits were closer, given that there is no fishing on that map. Rabbits in the sloped area between the yard and the frozen stream would be just enough for me to consider moving tons of gear from Trapper's, and would make that location a true alternative base (at least for me). Without that, the high wolf count and BR's end of the line location is just enough to keep me properly snug elsewhere (for now).

[Supermax]

8 hours ago, GorillaDust said:

Is this confirmed? 

I've lived there for over 15 days, spending most of the time in the outdoor area, and I haven't gotten any risk of CF at all. So yeah, I'm pretty sure it's considered outside, unlike the TWM hut, etc.

[Supermax]

9 hours ago, AZHockeyNut said:

Yes the other side of the broken railroad. When you stand there u can see across and the map on the start screen when u pick br shows there is land there

If you know how to get there, please share

[Supermax]

7 hours ago, Wish said:

 Without that, the high wolf count and BR's end of the line location is just enough to keep me properly snug elsewhere (for now).

I think the end of the line location is the biggest negative. I'm trying to stay there as long as possible, but once I leave, I will likely never come back in this playthrough. So yeah, it's not quite a "base".

[Ruruwawa]

I'd love a fishing hut there!  Great compensation for living very far off the beaten track, and thematically consistent with the big ass hunting lodge on the hill.

[SnowWalker]

17 hours ago, Carbon said:

 The rope wasn't found in that region but brought from TWM in stages. I'm on day 93 of my run, so much happened before I got to BR on day 80.

There's a rope in the lodge though isn't there? Or is that just for story mode?

[Stormwolf1O1]

8 minutes ago, SnowWalker said:

There's a rope in the lodge though isn't there? Or is that just for story mode?

I would think the rope would be there in survival as well, as the cliff is still there.

[SnowWalker]

6 minutes ago, Stormwolf1O1 said:

I would think the rope would be there in survival as well, as the cliff is still there.

That's what I thought but I thought some were saying there's not one in BR.

[Stormwolf1O1]

27 minutes ago, SnowWalker said:

That's what I thought but I thought some were saying there's not one in BR.

Maybe not, or maybe it spawns but only sometimes?

[Carbon]

 It wasn't there when I arrived, so it's either random or just not there. I'm not sure it's wise to assume crossover from story mode to survival.

[Supermax]

Yep, definitely no rope for me either, anywhere in the zone.

Also, I realized that there's proof that the "outside" location is truly considered outside by the game:

1. Nothing will cure when placed on the ground anywhere in that space. You have to actually go indoors to cure anything.

2. You can make a campfire right inside the area.

So yeah, the game clearly considers the area as completely outside.

 

[Stormwolf1O1]

2 hours ago, Supermax said:

Yep, definitely no rope for me either, anywhere in the zone.

Also, I realized that there's proof that the "outside" location is truly considered outside by the game:

1. Nothing will cure when placed on the ground anywhere in that space. You have to actually go indoors to cure anything.

2. You can make a campfire right inside the area.

So yeah, the game clearly considers the area as completely outside.

 

That's good to know. Interesting how things can cure in Mountaineer's Hut and caves, but not in that location.

[cannajan]

I didnt find the rope in survival, but I did get the torch in the yard, a handy tool when the aurora is out.