A Few Dead Men

[Drifter Man]

Deadman 10 / Day 63

The morning is blizzardy. I hop from car to car and then back to another house. I don't find any key loot but take all curtains and cloth, one of the main things I came for. The blizzard ends, I sleep for a bit and wait for the winds to stop. An hour later they give way to light fog.

I make a dash across the street - no bark. A while later I leave Milton towards Orca and start a fire at the wolf carcass - the arrow is there too, so I have them all back now. I take about a dozen tiny pieces of meat for bait, then two big ones for food, and the pelt.

The three surviving members of the Orca team are soon attracted by the sweet smell. This time I engage them in a much more organized manner and with a fire behind my back. None of the wolves survives, but I'm not particularly proud - it takes me 9 shots to kill 3 wolves under ideal conditions. Two die on the spot, one runs away with my arrow (I should be able to find it later, I hope), and one arrow ends up who knows where.

I manage to take additional 2 kg meat and one more pelt, but cannot cook the meat - the fog lifts, it starts snowing and max strength winds do not allow me to maintain the fire. I return to the office, collect two rabbits from my snares and some firewood on the way, and sleep. At night I enjoy a nice aurora view from the Picnic Area.

Since I have some spare cloth now and could use better protection against weather, I try a more "expensive" repair of one ski jacket, which is at 60%. One attempt in the evening, another during the aurora. Both fail 

[Drifter Man]

Deadman 10 / Day 64

Bad weather, all day. I stay at the office and repair my clothes, this time successfully - for a brief moment I've got +20°C bonus. In the afternoon I want to check if I can locate the missing wolf carcass (and at least one of my arrows). On the way to Orca I notice two wolves approaching from the Wood Lot, so I retreat a bit and wait for them. Two shots, two misses (one brush with a blood splash, but that's not enough), then I'm too cold and have to return to the office.

Later I leave again and recover the two arrows (the two from yesterday are still unaccounted for). I attempt to lure the wolves to the office, but they refuse to go that far. The sun briefly shows up in the evening, so I start a maglens fire at the office - unlike in fishing huts, you can't do it in the pot belly stove, I find out - and cook the meat from yesterday. I don't know what tomorrow will bring, so I hedge my bets by placing snares.

I'm disappointed at the day I lost and at the wolves I missed. With my poor shooting skills I just can't get into Milton. The Orca team will respawn soon again, or some others will block my way, like today.

Edited November 18, 2018 by Drifter Man

[Guest jeffpeng]

Close call! But yeah, I know that "aim one, another charges" behavior. Wolves have an order in which they will attack you while the others wait. If you aim at one of them, the one on top of the list will charge - the other one would just take the arrow to the face. Hierarchy does that to you. 

[Drifter Man]

21 hours ago, jeffpeng said:

Close call!

Definitely - it looked like Deadman 11 at that moment!

[Drifter Man]

Deadman 10 / Day 65

Cold and clear morning, strong winds, felt -39°C. I use the sunshine to cook one rabbit I found in the snares, then wait for better weather. In early afternoon it's still clear and quite windy but I decide this is the last day I can go to Orca in relative safety, to locate my lost arrows. At least one should be easy to find - crows should lead me to the carcass. Normally I wouldn't dwell on those arrows so much but I may need them to deal with wolves around here. The five arrows I have left do not give me enough confidence.

I arrive at Orca and check two locations with crows circling - one is an empty corpse and the other is something I cannot identify - the crows are high up above the rocks. Maybe my wolf, maybe something else. I start a fire near some wood to warm up, then continue my search. Eventually I come back to the three dead wolves on the road. I have no idea where the fourth one went.

I take 1.5 kg meat from one of the "old" wolves. While cooking, I attract the two from the Wood Lot, but they approach only once and never return. No wolves are coming from Milton. I wait for a while but it's late already, so I move into Milton and make myself comfortable in one of the houses I looted a few days ago. I still get some water from the toilet and harvest curtains I initially left behind.

Deadman 10 / Day 66

I sleep in 1-hour intervals all night, waiting for my opportunity. Wind blows intermittently but shortly before dawn the sounds turn into the unmistakable howl of a blizzard. I collect my stuff and make my dash to Grey Mother's.

While the house I was in was pitch-black dark, at Grey Mother's some sort of night vision kicks in and I can loot the house still at night. I find the static matches (great, I need those) and two pots (I take both, otherwise they're lost forever), but not much of anything else. I feel disappointed until I enter the last room and find my early Christmas present, neatly folded on a chair:

THIS is what I wanted the most! All the danger was worth it. I immediately put them on and leave my 98% jeans, recently repaired, behind.

I harvest some curtains until I have 22 cloth and decide that's enough. A new day has started but the blizzard goes on. Will Milton let leave safely as well? I make a dash towards Orca, make a brief stop at one of the houses, almost make it without freezing - but not quite. 1% lost.

I sleep for an hour at Orca, the blizzard still raging on. My last dash to the park office is safe and the office is warm enough for me to stay in. An hour later I wake up, the winds are quiet, snowflakes are falling slowly behind the windows.

The Battle of Milton is over.

[Guest jeffpeng]

Just now, Drifter Man said:

The Battle of Milton is over.

That's pretty much what it is on Deadman / Stalker. If I'm not mistaken there can be up to 9 wolves active in Milton. The three that patrol Orca, three more that patrol Milton from end to end, and the three that roam from the church all the way down to Grey Mothers - making it the focal point of Miltons urban warfare scenario. And they also respawn almost as fast as they do in an FPS. I stick to it: I hate the map.

[Drifter Man]

50 minutes ago, jeffpeng said:

That's pretty much what it is on Deadman / Stalker. If I'm not mistaken there can be up to 9 wolves active in Milton. The three that patrol Orca, three more that patrol Milton from end to end, and the three that roam from the church all the way down to Grey Mothers - making it the focal point of Miltons urban warfare scenario. And they also respawn almost as fast as they do in an FPS. I stick to it: I hate the map.

Yeah I'm glad to be out of there. I had 4 at Orca, 2 from the Wood Lot. The others didn't join the fun and I avoided them by raiding the town in a blizzard.

I plan to stick around for a while but I'll be avoiding the town.

[Dan_]

Way to earn those pants, blizzard raiding is a great tactic. Clothing is now looking good and with cooking 5 you have delivery everywhere you go with the amount of wolves in deadman, great going! 

[fauxjargon]

Amazing!  I just spent an hour reading this thread, it makes me want to try and beat my paltry 13 day Deadman record.

[Doc Gonzo]

On 11/16/2018 at 6:12 PM, Drifter Man said:

 

 

I think these are all true statements about CF. Another thing is that the game gets a lot easier initially (on Interloper) if you disable it. So it's also a heavy-handed mechanic that makes the game harder (but not more fun). When you make the game harder in other ways (like Deadman), you no longer need CF - but it turns out you can't get rid of it anyway.

Right now, CF has forced me out to do something I was going to do anyway - go to Milton, to get material (wolf pelts and cloth) in greater quantities and with more reasonable weather conditions than in ML. Unfortunately, I had to leave before reaching cooking level 5. I should get there very soon though.

Thanks @Drifter Man and apologies for the hijack

[Drifter Man]

14 hours ago, Doc Gonzo said:

Thanks @Drifter Man and apologies for the hijack

No worries - I started it, after all  I always encourage discussion in "my" survival story threads.

19 hours ago, Dan_ said:

Way to earn those pants, blizzard raiding is a great tactic. Clothing is now looking good and with cooking 5 you have delivery everywhere you go with the amount of wolves in deadman, great going!

I got lucky. If I play it well, I think I can achieve a really successful run. But you know how it goes - one mistake and that's it.

[Drifter Man]

Deadman 10 / Day 66 (continued)

I'm tired after all that looting and running but I'm also running out of food. I place snares and leave with bait to attract the wolves from Wood Lot or Orca. None arrive - they're not around, or at least not close enough. I'm tired, the weather is clear but quite windy, I don't want to travel far today.

Interesting find: I'm not 100% positive about it yet but a campfire built right next to the Milton Park office seems to be windproof. Today winds were blowing straight at me and my fire there and I still had the windshield icon.

I cook some of my bait and eat one granola bar. I have to find food tomorrow.

[Guest jeffpeng]

Just now, Drifter Man said:

I'm not 100% positive about it yet but a campfire built right next to the Milton Park office seems to be windproof. Today winds were blowing straight at me and my fire there and I still had the windshield icon.

If that holds true, that would be an amazingly useful find!

[fauxjargon]

7 hours ago, Drifter Man said:

No worries - I started it, after all  I always encourage discussion in "my" survival story threads.

I got lucky. If I play it well, I think I can achieve a really successful run. But you know how it goes - one mistake and that's it.

IMO blizzard raiding is the only way to deal with Milton.  The dangerous journeys are all short enough that unless you have to go upwind you won't take cold damage (except maybe going from the town to the Barker farm)

[Dan_]

That is a VERY interesting find! Will also test and report back, I already  like the park office as a base but this takes it to the next level. Thanks!

[Drifter Man]

Deadman 10 / Day 67

Morning announces no rabbits caught. Other than the conclusion that the rabbit zone at Milton Park is not sustainable (just as the ones in the Ravine), I realize that I seriously mismanaged my food. Retirement + the idea that wolves will feed me made Deadman 10 rusty. It looks that wolves only show up to be a threat, not food.

I briefly consider breaking through to Barker Farm but I decide it's too risky. After all, I only have 5 arrows left. And I'm down to one coal, I don't want to be caught outside without coal. As soon as the weather allows, I take the rope down from Milton Park - the wolf is not down there either - and go to the cave. From there, back to Trapper's. Eight coals found in the cave.

I put snares in the old places and using @kurja's advice and picture from page 14, get one rabbit right away with a stone. I spend a match that night to cook that one rabbit (0.9 kg). By morning I'm done with the last emergency cattail and begin starving.

Deadman 10 / Day 68

Six rabbits caught during the day, plus another one killed with a stone - pointing my "aiming" hand a bit to the left of the rabbit, instead of at the rabbit directly, seems to be all it takes. I fill my stomach, although starvation cost me another 1% - condition now at 66%. In the evening I make three new snares to replace losses. It's good to be home but I know that cabin fever will not let me stay for long. Wolves are not around.

[Guest jeffpeng]

7 minutes ago, Drifter Man said:

pointing my "aiming" hand a bit to the left of the rabbit, instead of at the rabbit directly, seems to be all it takes

You hereby are officially initiated as a member of the Guild Of Rocksnipers.

[Guest jeffpeng]

Basically it works like this: The Hand itself is rather accurate for what it is aiming - but what is it aiming for? If you threw a rock in a straight line the moment the downwards arc reaches your initial throwing height again the rock passes through the point you aimed for. Before that the rock is on the right side of the field, after that on the left. So very short distance target you aim slightly low and a good bit left, long distance targets high and just slightly right. It's actually admirable that they got that sort of mechanic so "realisitc" - but it really makes the enitre rocksniping thing one of the hardest crafts to learn - let alone master.

[Drifter Man]

7 minutes ago, jeffpeng said:

Basically it works like this: The Hand itself is rather accurate for what it is aiming - but what is it aiming for? If you threw a rock in a straight line the moment the downwards arc reaches your initial throwing height again the rock passes through the point you aimed for. Before that the rock is on the right side of the field, after that on the left. So very short distance target you aim slightly low and a good bit left, long distance targets high and just slightly right. It's actually admirable that they got that sort of mechanic so "realisitc" - but it really makes the enitre rocksniping thing one of the hardest crafts to learn - let alone master.

I think I'm going to need a ballistic computer for that.

[Dan_]

7 minutes ago, Drifter Man said:

I think I'm going to need a ballistic computer for that.

There is an image somewhere on this forum that describes this perfectly, one of the older members posted somewhere but I couldn't find it. 

Taking your index and thumb as top and bottom,  basically the trajectory of the stone is a shallow diagonal from top right to bottom left, you can hit the rabbits from five yards if you aim an tiny fraction to the right of your "sights" and then progressively bring the aim left as the distance increases. The change to the left has to be subtle, otherwise you'll miss. It's just a matter of learning your distances and accounting for target movement and projectile speed, much like putting an arrow between the eyes of a baited wolf. 

If everything fails, run behind them. You can get very close without crouching and then take an easy shot. 

[Guest jeffpeng]

4 minutes ago, Dan_ said:

If everything fails, run behind them. You can get very close without crouching and then take an easy shot. 

That's how I cought my first rabbit ever in TLD. It was Mystery Lake, Voyageur, Day 3 or 4, and I ran like a lunatic after this rabbit throwing stones left right and center until got him. I was so proud.

[DaveMcD]

On the rabbit throw I've taken to aiming just in front of the rabbits and hitting them with the bounce of the rock. I'm finding it more acurate for me at least and less shots going just too high. But then again I'm Australian and have played a lot of cricket so maybe we're just odd that way.

[Drifter Man]

18 hours ago, DaveMcD said:

But then again I'm Australian and have played a lot of cricket so maybe we're just odd that way.

That will be it

[Drifter Man]

Deadman 10 / Day 69-70

Two quiet days at Trapper's Homestead. Rabbits are plentiful: six caught on Day 69, nine on Day 70. I craft three arrows and two fishing lines, as there isn't much life left in my two remaining sewing kits. I also reach carcass harvesting level 5. Wolves don't show up, so if I ever want to get a my coat, I'll have to go back to Milton.

Full house!

[BareSkin]

I knew you could make it at Trapper's. The best place with the best deadman!