A Few Dead Men


Drifter Man

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2 minutes ago, Ruruwawa said:

Interesting.  Is the course of the affliction different if you don't use tea/antibiotics?  Does the cap keep dropping as the days stretch past 10, 20, etc?  Or does it just stay at 80% if you don't cure it?

it drops by 2% per day... so it will eventually kill you if not treated.

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Hello @Drifter Man, @Ruruwawa, @Hotzn, and @JAFO!  I don't mean to leave anyone else out, so greetings from @Timber Wolf to all you other TLD players!

I find this to be a very interesting challenge.  As it is stated - you must begin the challenge in a random spot, which does make sense, but I wonder...

I am curious, have any of you actually attempted to start the challenge on TWM and go directly to the summit?  There is an abundance of items to be found in the Tail Section that I believe would be a game changer in this situation. 

I have made it most of the way up the rope to the summit before heading into the Long Dark.  I'm sure with more attempts I will be able to find a way to do it successfully.

I've never really been into the extreme sandbox games, but this one does interest me - at least from a theoretical standpoint.  Please let me know, if anyone would like insights as to how you can get to the summit in the first few days, under these extremely adverse settings.

Timber Wolf

P.S.  I was so happy to see you are still rocking it out, @Drifter Man!  Thank you again for all of your awesome contributions to the knowledge base of this game!

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The other thing that parasites do is that they give you the same debuff to your fatigue that not eating for too long gives you.  This lets you sleep more, which reduces your calorie burn.  To phrase Stone's answer another way, parasites cap your condition at -2% per day.  So, in deadman, if you have 70% condition, you can leave parasites untreated for 5 days and still recover without condition loss.

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1 hour ago, fauxjargon said:

The other thing that parasites do is that they give you the same debuff to your fatigue that not eating for too long gives you.  This lets you sleep more, which reduces your calorie burn.  To phrase Stone's answer another way, parasites cap your condition at -2% per day.  So, in deadman, if you have 70% condition, you can leave parasites untreated for 5 days and still recover without condition loss.

that's true... the sleeping anytime thing is quite useful. Parasites can be a useful survival tool... ironically.

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@Spakerman @fauxjargon Thanks for the extra detail -- the fatigue debuff is a very interesting wrinkle.   I also didn't realize that you could put the condition cap loss on pause day-to-day with a treatment.  Is there an "easy meat" debuff too?  (Other afflictions increase predator awareness, also exhaustion and being overburdened.  I call that the "easy meat" penalty.)

@Timber Wolf Hello old friend, great to see you around!  :D  This might be a good challenge for you... I'm not doing it because I lose patience with micromanaging so quickly.  But I think Hushed River Valley is a better Interloper loot start than TWM in the first days of the game.  No flare pistol, but hacksaw + bedroll + good clothes on day 1 is hard to beat... if you know where to look and how to avoid getting wolfed. ;)

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35 minutes ago, Ruruwawa said:

I also didn't realize that you could put the condition cap loss on pause day-to-day with a treatment

a treatment does not pause the condition cap. You lose 2% max condition per day you have the affliction whether you take a treatment or not. So minimum you will be down to 80% cap by the end of 10 days.  Best thing to do if you are using the affliction for strategic advantage is to take treatment the first 9 days and then hold the last treatment until you want to actually end it.  An extra 5 days of parasites could save your life depending on your food situation.

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6 hours ago, TurkeySteam said:

Is it only 10 days with the parasites? I thought it being on mostly loper or worse setting being on team gutworm would last 20 days. I'm 12 days in and have thought about it but the mushrooms are sparse and I don't have the resources for 20 days of room mate fun but 10 I might try.

IMO it is a late game strategy!  Never totally drink a tea unless you need its medicinal effects - you can still get 85% of the calories,  water and warming drinking it partially.

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14 hours ago, Timber Wolf said:

I am curious, have any of you actually attempted to start the challenge on TWM and go directly to the summit?  There is an abundance of items to be found in the Tail Section that I believe would be a game changer in this situation. 

Ah, @Timber Wolf. Just woke up from a long sleep and not yet caught up reading? As if the intrepid @Drifter Manhad not had this idea... go back to Deadman #3's day 10... ;)

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11 hours ago, Spakerman said:

a treatment does not pause the condition cap. You lose 2% max condition per day you have the affliction whether you take a treatment or not. So minimum you will be down to 80% cap by the end of 10 days.  Best thing to do if you are using the affliction for strategic advantage is to take treatment the first 9 days and then hold the last treatment until you want to actually end it.  An extra 5 days of parasites could save your life depending on your food situation.

This was what I had in mind. Someone had reported earlier on the forums that parasites allow you to sleep anytime, even when not fatigued iirc. And sleeping costs way less condition per hour than being awake. So it can actually be useful for Deadman. I think credit for this discovery goes to @TheEldritchGod, does it not? Not sure.

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14 hours ago, Timber Wolf said:

P.S.  I was so happy to see you are still rocking it out, @Drifter Man!  Thank you again for all of your awesome contributions to the knowledge base of this game!

Thanks @Timber Wolf! You must have been busy lately - how's you new job on the Committee for Ethical Animal Research? :P

I did go for the Summit but not straight away - my start was in DP. I still didn't have a bedroll but I was already somewhat geared up, in particular I only had to scrap my socks and underwear for the shelter (shelters, in fact). Unlike @Ruruwawa, who had to scrap his pants as well... we all know how the story went from there :D

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Deadman 3 / Day 33

It might be a good idea to pack up and return to ML, every day I put it off will make it harder later because of the temperatures getting lower. After all, I got the stim I mainly came for. But I decide to stay for another day and try the Milton Basin. There's a good chance there will be enough food for a day, so I don't end up with a net calorie loss. I may find the maple sapling I've been looking for. Hermit's cabin had some medical supplies last time I checked, and I could use some more painkillers. I may also find wolves, but Nhotz needs some heroic stories for his readers!

"The moose lay dead, the red light of the burning flare still shining from its gaping mouth. The intrepid Drifter Man sat down and got to work, but the wolves were alert. Soon they surrounded him on all sides, more than a dozen, yes indeed. But Drifter Man feared not. He stood up and looked the leader of the pack in the eye, man against wolf. Then he took the dead moose by the antlers and swung its massive body around, yes he did, and for a moment the air filled with the crash of hooves shattering canine skulls. Those wolves that did not die on the spot ran away, crying. Yay, the intrepid Drifter Man put the moose in his backpack and walked back towards Marsh Ridge."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The reality is considerably less dramatic. In the morning I finish the "Sewing Primer", sleep for a little more, then take a look outside. Light fog, excellent. I light a torch when I enter Milton Basin. I don't see any wolves, only deer near Hermit's Cabin. But there is no deer carcass, so my theory about a good chance of breaking even on calories breaks down. Nevertheless, I choose to stay.

First I start a fire on a small island with rosehip bush and warm up. I search the cabin - some firewood, nothing else. There is a firewood bin behind the structure I wasn't aware of before. Collect a few cattails and return to the fire.

Snow starts falling, but there still isn't any wind. Maybe I should go back, but I went this far, so I want to finish the search of the basin. I notice wolves patrolling on the far side, and there's no moose, so I should be safe. I find a good amount of cattails, quite possibly I do break even after all. I make it to the cave and find more firewood, a piece of coal and a pair of wool socks - I already have two but this one is in better condition, so I swap.

There's no maple sapling though. My arrowheads won't do me any good if I don't get a bow! Winds start blowing, so I light another fire in the cave, make a warm reishi tea and protect myself with a burning flare on the way back. I reach the safety of Marsh Ridge without incident.

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The stim brings me back to 77% condition.

Deadman 3 / Day 34

Encumbrance is starting to be a problem. As deadman, you carry everything with you because you generally don't come back. Right now I have 17 coals, 50 sticks, 50 cattails, about 15 drinks, knife, hacksaw, books... it's hard to keep the weight limit and even after drastic reduction (most books and some firewood has to go), I'm still at 35 kg. With this weight I pass through the cave to the Waterfall in the morning and check the conditions outside - windy, felt -21°C when shielded. I sleep in the cave and wait for the day to warm up. [84480 calories consumed]

 

Edited by Drifter Man
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1 hour ago, Drifter Man said:

Then he took the dead moose by the antlers and swung its massive body around, yes he did, and for a moment the air filled with the crash of hooves shattering canine skulls. Those wolves that did not die on the spot ran away, crying.

THIS is the game I've been searching for!  #mooseweildingmaniac #iwantsit  :D

Still no maple, eh?  I haven't been playing Deadman because nonstop micromanagement is -- very much -- not my thing.  But I got curious about stim locations and swept 7 sandboxes through Broken Railroad to check the claim of "up to 3" stims.  (Not real deadman -- Deadman loot and wildlife settings and everything else as easy as possible.)  Still lots of wolves and they still attack but they have rubber teeth, so I just punch them on the nose and move on.

The lack of saplings was one of the first things I noticed.  Being an archery devotee, this was a big 'uh oh!' for me.  So I started noting sapling locations too.   And sometimes maple was harvested by someone else before I got there.  The greedy bastard!

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Bottom line for BR: I strongly recommend against going there before you make your bow.  Every bottleneck in zone has at least 2 wolves patrolling it.   The lake side of the maintenance shed consistently had 3 - 4.  (15-20 cattails on the lake, though.)  The most reliable maple (above) is between the cave by the hunting lodge and the lodge itself... but you have to pass pretty much every wolf in the zone to get to the lodge.  One run I had a maple south of the train tracks near the Landslide -- FM side -- guarded by wolves, naturally.

As for stims, on all 7 runs I got exactly two of them.  One in the BR "ravine" and another in the lodge.  The ravine was surprisingly Deadman friendly:  stim, 2 or 3 carcasses (one is wolf), lots of fir and cedar firewood, 10-20 cattails, and 5 coffee in all 7 sandboxes.  It's narrow with lots of debris so there's probably a decent spot for a sheltered fire too, although I didn't check for that.  BYO rope!

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I took one of these sandboxes to FM, and on to Winding River for a bedroll.  FM gave me several birch.  On the high path near the WR cave I found 3 maple.  I think you searched this spot already, so that's not much help, sorry.  Good luck with your search!

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More on maple...

I brought my test run back to FM to finish sweeping the N side of the map.  At "Shortwave Overlook" (far side of the tower from hat creek) I found this:

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I also found 2 maple in Marsh Ridge itself.  Repeated with two more sandboxes, both had maple at Shortwave Outlook and Marsh Ridge.  You may be very close to your maple, @Drifter Man!

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On 9/23/2018 at 9:14 PM, Drifter Man said:

I've beaten the 30-day challenge.

Congratulations, mate! And still in fine form, I see!

 

On 9/22/2018 at 11:05 PM, Drifter Man said:

I used my hammer to break down some furniture - a chair, a few crates. Reclaimed wood is actually better than sticks for warmth and duration (per weight basis), it's just bad for firestarting.

Heh.. I seem to recall someone (not naming names!) stating they didn't think it was worthwhile doing so.. good to see you've changed your mind, somewhat.

 

On 9/24/2018 at 9:09 PM, Drifter Man said:

It wasn't easy, but it was easier than the picture people paint here.

I think a big part of why it's painted so hard, is that to succeed, you really need a very different mindset and approach than a normal interloper run. And re-programming your brain for that isn't easy. I suspect all your Snowball runs have made your mindset rather more flexible than the average player's is.

 

On 9/24/2018 at 1:27 AM, FunkyFuggerson said:

So do you think with enough luck, planning, an understanding you would be able to survive 100+ days?

On 9/24/2018 at 9:09 PM, Drifter Man said:

I believe the first 30-50 days can be survived by looting maps. I guess than around day 50 the world will be too cold for anyone to move around much. So it depends on whether I can get calories systematically in one place, without ever going anywhere far from base.

I'll reformulate it. It depends on the rabbit rate in the Ravine. Back to the same equation I was solving two years ago in the Dam.

I'd add one more proviso to this.. barring bad luck or getting wolved, I think the real limiting factor will prove to be the ability to make fire. When the matches and firestrikers are gone, being forced to fall back on the magnifying glass will severely cripple one's playstyle.

 

On 9/25/2018 at 9:45 AM, Kinnasmash said:

I think your play style matches well with the challenge

Agreed.. all those Snowballs, (and the 1000 Days in the Dam experience) have really paid off for @Drifter Man. They've made him more flexible and equipped his mind to quickly run cost/benefit analysis calculations on the go.

 

On 9/25/2018 at 9:21 PM, Drifter Man said:

I should replenish my stick supply and get a maple sapling (and birch, too)

Did you encounter any during your first 30 days? (I don't recall).. because if you did, not grabbing them while you had the chance would be a tactical error, I'm thinking..

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On 9/26/2018 at 5:46 AM, Timber Wolf said:

Greetings and salutations, Dances With BearsB|

 

On 9/26/2018 at 5:46 AM, Timber Wolf said:

I have made it most of the way up the rope to the summit before heading into the Long Dark.  I'm sure with more attempts I will be able to find a way to do it successfully.

I've never really been into the extreme sandbox games, but this one does interest me - at least from a theoretical standpoint.  Please let me know, if anyone would like insights as to how you can get to the summit in the first few days, under these extremely adverse settings.

I'd be most interested in seeing how a Deadman "spawn on TWM, dash for the summit" run would go..

In which regard, you may also find it of interest to know that at least two people (including @RossBondReturns) have actually managed to reach the summit without using any rope climbs at all.. mountain-goating it all the way. Don't know how practical it might be for a newly-hatched Deadman, but it may be worth a shot...

 

18 hours ago, Ruruwawa said:

I got curious about stim locations and swept 7 sandboxes through Broken Railroad to check the claim of "up to 3" stims.  (Not real deadman -- Deadman loot and wildlife settings and everything else as easy as possible.)  Still lots of wolves and they still attack but they have rubber teeth, so I just punch them on the nose and move on.
...
As for stims, on all 7 runs I got exactly two of them.

Many thanks for your investigation into BR stims, and availability or not of archery essentials, @Ruruwawa!

Edited by JAFO
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21 hours ago, Ruruwawa said:

Bottom line for BR: I strongly recommend against going there before you make your bow.

Thanks for the investigation. I don't really know BR, I've never really played there. Something is telling me I shouldn't learn a new map on Deadman mode :) Of course I know the general layout but not the details. I could easily get lost.

18 hours ago, Ruruwawa said:

I also found 2 maple in Marsh Ridge itself.  Repeated with two more sandboxes, both had maple at Shortwave Outlook and Marsh Ridge.  You may be very close to your maple, @Drifter Man!

I know the pair that grows on Marsh Ridge, unfortunately it's not there in my game. And I'm not going to the Shortwave Tower :wolf::wolf: But I have another possible location for the maple that I will be passing through today if all goes as planned. Fingers crossed...

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7 hours ago, JAFO said:

Congratulations, mate! And still in fine form, I see!

Thanks! I'm doing fine, let's see how long it lasts.

7 hours ago, JAFO said:

Heh.. I seem to recall someone (not naming names!) stating they didn't think it was worthwhile doing so.. good to see you've changed your mind, somewhat.

Actually, only because I needed firewood at that time and had no other way to get it. I'd still go outside and collect sticks if it was an option.

7 hours ago, JAFO said:

I'd add one more proviso to this.. barring bad luck or getting wolved, I think the real limiting factor will prove to be the ability to make fire. When the matches and firestrikers are gone, being forced to fall back on the magnifying glass will severely cripple one's playstyle.

If I can get enough food regularly then yes, fire will be the next main concern. Snowball worries again.

7 hours ago, JAFO said:

Did you encounter any during your first 30 days? (I don't recall).. because if you did, not grabbing them while you had the chance would be a tactical error, I'm thinking..

I don't recall but I'm sure guilty of that error. It wasn't until I arrived in FM that I started to realize I can actually make it and that I'll need some material. Until that time I'd just ignore all saplings - just dead weight.

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Deadman 3 / Day 34 (continued)

Today I want to follow Hat Creek, turn east and end up in the only other cave in the northern part of FM, back to back with the B-2 bear's den. On the way I should be able to get some cattails, possibly harvest a deer carcass and hopefully also a maple sapling. I will also be passing through or around three wolf areas so I need to be on my guard. I'm encumbered and only have three flare shells left.

It may seem like a modest goal for a day - and it possibly is - but the next shelter is Trapper's Homestead, and I want to have a whole day for that move.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Modest goal" took me two days to accomplish. First day was just too windy all day, so I stayed in the cave, finished my second copy of "Stay on Target" and dreamed of maple saplings.

Deadman 3 / Day 35

Clear, still winds in early afternoon. Fog by the time I reach the end of Hat Creek and start a warming fire. Thick fog by the time I'm warmed up.

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I wait for the fog to disperse, but it doesn't seem to have that intention. Hours pass. I can't wait here until nightfall. I carry on through the fog, no matter how risky it is in this relatively unfamiliar, wolf infested area. At least I try to make myself "visible" so that I get a warning before wolf attack. I do get attacked after a while and start a defensive fire. I wait by the fire for another hour but dusk quickly approaches. I have to move on.

At first I almost end up back at Hat Creek but realize I'm going in the wrong direction, and turn around. After a while I feel I'm close to the cave. Fog finally lifts and I see the familiar contours again. I reach the cave (4 coals inside), collect sticks and mushrooms around, then go to sleep.

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I didn't find anything to eat, except a few cattails. I didn't hear any crows, so I don't think there were any deer carcasses nearby. The net result is that I made a big hole in my cattail stash. And obviously, I didn't find my maple sapling... [88310 calories consumed]

Edited by Drifter Man
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2 hours ago, Drifter Man said:

Thanks for the investigation. I don't really know BR, I've never really played there. Something is telling me I shouldn't learn a new map on Deadman mode :) Of course I know the general layout but not the details. I could easily get lost.

Even when you know the zone well, it's problematic.  I call it the 'rat in the plumbing' zone because that's how it makes you feel.  Narrow paths you can't bypass and with wolves set to Very High, those paths are full of 'em.  It's why I ran the Deadman wildlife settings, to see if there was enough room to skirt the wolves without engaging.  Not unless you are very lucky or spend significant time (= condition) on finicky uphill mountain-goating.  They didn't spawn in every choke point on every run, but enough that you'd likely need to fight your way through, teasing apart the multiple wolves for the fights.

2 hours ago, Drifter Man said:

I know the pair that grows on Marsh Ridge, unfortunately it's not there in my game. And I'm not going to the Shortwave Tower :wolf::wolf: But I have another possible location for the maple that I will be passing through today if all goes as planned. Fingers crossed...

I hear ya.  On a couple of the runs (I'm up to 6 for FM now) there were no wolves at the Shortwave, but also no maple.  BUT, did you check for maple near the rope on Marsh Ridge (rather, several meters to the west of it)?  I saw maple there on 2 runs, in addition to the pair near the open cave.

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