The Brokenloping Journals

[Senauer]

Having recently returned home from our well deserved holidays I find myself looking forward to launch TLD again and fully experience the new features that the Redux version of the game has recently introduced. I finished the Redux Wintermute Episode 1 before Christmas and I am in the mood of playing some Survival Mode before I start with Episode 2. Besides, it’s cold and snowy outside which makes this the best time of the year to enjoy TLD in these long and cozy sofa evenings.

These last days I’ve thought about posting my first survival journal here. At first I considered that perhaps a Sleepwalker or a Deadman run would be of good interest for the readers, and I am definitely willing to take my chances at these modes sometime in the future. However, having heard rumors about the Redux version bringing a brand new forge to Broken Railroad, I finally decided to give it a go and start a series of snowballesque Interloper runs in such region. I believe this part of Great Bear Island is one of the less documented in the forums by our beloved hardcore survivors, so hopefully the upcoming journals will provide future lopers with a bit more insight into this rather forgotten area.

The main objective is simple: to test the short/mid-term survivability odds in Broken Railroad-only Interloper games. No map, two feats. My only previous experience in BR is the 30-something days that I spent there during my first Stalker achievement run, more than half a year ago. Some things I remember but other seem quite vague, which I hope will give the runs a kind of rediscovery feeling.

So, here I am. Headphones, check. Charged controller, check. Post-it notes and pen, check. Male survivor, Cold Fusion and Efficient Machine feats. Feels Like +2°C can be decisive in Interloper, plus 10% fewer calories consumed may help to slightly delay starvation during the first survival days.

We’re ready and good to go. Let the Brokenlopers roll! 

[Senauer]

I attempt to launch Brokenloper 1. Hushed River Valley, Offset Falls. Ok, second try. Tiberwolf Mountain. Third one. HRV, Offset Falls. Nope. Forlorn Muskeg. Aw, come on. Hey! Here’s the quote from “The Edge”, I loved that film. This may be a sign. Yes! Early morning, FL -20°C, sunny day with calm winds. Let’s head to the Hun… Oh. It’s the Muskeg again. I restart. HRV, Offset Falls. Really? The next spawns are in Pleasant Valley, TWM, HRV and another HRV déjà vu. I swear, if I get thrown into HRV again… aaaaand HRV it is. Well, at least it’s not Offset Falls. I am standing on a ledge. Out of frustration I run and jump into the void. But I don’t die and get impaled on a tree. Facepalm. I shake the branches and let gravity do the rest. “You die of massive internal injur…”, yes, yes, I know, I was kind of expecting that.

 

 

I think I've eaten some leaves for brunch.

 

This doesn't look appealing at all.

 

Then it’s FM once more. I am close to the exit to Broken Railway so an idea pops up in my mind. I will keep on looking for a BR spawn but if I come to start here again (and I am desperate enough) I will head straight to the transition zone and move to BR.

The following starts are in PV, TWM, Desolation Point (I fall straight into the ocean while admiring a breathtaking view of the moonlit sky… ah, the beauty of this game), TWM, PV, HRV and DP yet again.

Between starts I delete some save slots to free some space and swap Efficient Machine for Snow Walker. Maybe that 20% faster stamina recovery will prove useful in the rope climbs that I will face, plus it might give Mackie a slight advantage when escaping from wolves (which will most likely be my everyday bread and butter).

Also, I notice something worth mentioning after all these failed spawns. It looks now like weather conditions affect the temp bar the very moment you press start and the survival quote appears on screen. This sucks because the quote cannot be skipped and in the meantime you appear to take cold damage. And if you happen to be thrown in the middle of a blizzard your temp bar may be down even to 50% by the time you are given full control of your survivor. Furthermore, I note that the hunger bar seems to be around 75% full in each and every of the starts. I wonder if this is now intentional for Redux Interloper, as I don’t recall this to be the case in the Predux version.

Starting with the hunger bar rather empty would make sense in high difficulty levels, as it may reflect that when you got lost in the wilderness your stomach was not completely full, but at this moment I don’t know if this is a new feature or just a bug. What does not make sense IMHO is the temp bar to be affected before you take control of the character.

Anyhow, I guess we’ll have to live with that for now. I restart once again. I am determined to launch my first Brokenloper run tonight, no matter what. And all of a sudden, at last…

Day 1 / Brokenloper 1

… another Forlorn Muskeg spawn. Heh. I’m close to the transition zone. Clear early evening sky and light winds. Air Temp -7°C and Wind Chill -10°C pair against +2°C from Cold Fusion and another +2°C from my clothing, which gives a total Feels Like temp of -13°C. Overall, a nice summer breeze. This is my chance, my window of opportunity. Without wasting more time I sprint towards the map exit. I will not pick up anything for the time being, as I want my run to start rightfully the moment I change regions. I am so determined that it’s only after a couple of seconds that I realize I am heading towards Old Spence’s. Yo, wrong way! Ehem. I turn around and I goat down a slope into the rail tracks. A few steps later I leave the Muskeg through a crushed railway tunnel. At the other end a frozen nightmare of fallen rocks, splinted trees and twisted metal awaits me. Ladies and gents, welcome to the Broken Railroad.

[BareSkin]

Wonderful, I was thinking about something like that, but I've had been eaten too many times there pre-redux to enjoy the thing. I wish you'll find a loot table with a maglens. The lack of hacksaw might be more manageable since the Shed has a lot of scraps.

Also, to avoid the hassle of random spawn and BR being so rare... since the Customs seems to have been fixed, maybe the Custom Interloper template would be nice and let you choose BR as a starting region?

[Senauer]

On 11/1/2019 at 9:06 PM, BareSkin said:

I wish you'll find a loot table with a maglens. The lack of hacksaw might be more manageable since the Shed has a lot of scraps.

Up to now the loot tables have been generous, but to be honest I am really concerned about the lack of a forging hammer. I haven't found one yet, although I am not that far into my runs.

On 11/1/2019 at 9:06 PM, BareSkin said:

(...) maybe the Custom Interloper template would be nice and let you choose BR as a starting region?

That, my friend, was a brilliant idea! Unfortunately, the custom settings do not allow to choose the starting region. 

[Senauer]

Brokenloper 1 / Day 1 (Continued)

Note: I lost most of the screenshots that I took during this first gaming session and could only save a few. I think I solved the issue for upcoming sessions, though.

I exit the tunnel and start following the railway line. Two steep rock walls flank me on both sides. I still have a couple of hours of daylight so I should do my best to reach the Maintenance Yard before it gets completely dark. The weather is holding, clear skies and no winds. A path opens to my left and goes on parallel to the tracks. I take it while I pick up some sticks and rosehips. Hypothermia risk kicks in. Wow, already? I cross a narrow gorge and after a short detour I am back on the railroad. I love this sensation of exploration and stepping into the (rather) unknown. A landslide blocks the tracks ahead, so I look for a way around. From what I recall there is a pond downhill from here. In one of its ends a slope leads to high ground again, where a tree bridge will help me reaching the other side of the landslide.

As I head down to the pond I see a wolf patrolling the area. I crouch immediately and cross the pond, trying to sneak around. I pick up some stones in case I need to create a distraction. The wolf begins walking to my position but I don’t think it has seen me. I don’t want to risk it so I through a stone in the opposite direction. It works! The animal turns away to investigate. I keep moving while crouched and when I think I’m far enough I stand up and hurry to the tree bridge. Then I get barked. Oh, my. It looks like the wolf was not that far after all. I run up the slope with the beast on my heels and start crossing the tree bridge in a rush. And just when I think I am safe, I get so nervous that I misstep and get stuck with a branch… and I fall. A sprained wrist (no more stone throwing), torn clothes and some condition damage are the results of my overconfidence.

IRL, my heart is pounding and my hands are sweaty. I’m back down at the pond. I crouch and get out of the open, putting my back against a stone wall. I look around and listen carefully but there are no signs of the wolf. Ok, let’s give this another go. At least I can still run, so I sprint once more towards the slope and the salvation promise of the tree bridge. I hear Wolfie barking and resuming the chase. Run, Mackie, run! I reach the tree as my stamina drains out, and attempt a second crossing. This time I make it.

 

Ta-daaaaah!

 

I see a steep path up and ahead leading to the railway line again. I hear crows, two flocks. I don’t have time for exploring, though. The sun did set while I was busy trying not to get assbite. It is only now that I realize that a cold and clear starry night is upon me. No winds but FL is -17°C, including the +2°C bonus for Cold Fusion. I lost the other +2°C clothing bonus after the fall. Hypo risk is at 39%, condition at around 60%. I must get to shelter soon.

Wolves howl further down the rail tracks, so I divert via a nearby rabbit grove. The moon is rising over the horizon and visibility is good.

 

Stand by me.

 

All of a sudden the new music score pops in and nearly gives me a heart attack. Holy Molly. I focus and keep pushing on through the rabbit grove. Then I get a double sprain on flat ground. Great. That makes up two wrists sprained and an ankle gone.

 

Red Red Redemption.

 

And just as I am complaining out loud to my TV, Wolfie’s cousin barks right in front of me. I quickly step back and hobblewobble through a bunch of fleeing rabbits. It’s every bunny for himself! I hop along with my only ankle left, while I try to circle the wolf with the grace and agility of a wooden plank.

Surprisingly, it works. The wolf loses interest on me and I return to follow the tracks. But it’s snowing heavily now and I start to have serious problems to make out my surroundings. I need to reach the Maintenance Yard before things get even worse. I can only double time, stick to the railroad and hope I don’t get jumped by another wolf. I come across a locomotive engine but as I cannot see anything I don’t even think about looting the place. Hypo risk is at 73%.

I scout the rail tracks ahead and in the surrounding darkness I am able to discern the silhouette of a pick-up truck stuck in a snow bank, and a derailed yellow train car next to it. Well, it’s not that I see that the darn thing is yellow, it’s more than I know it’s just like the ones that can be found in Mistery Lake or at the bottom of the Ravine. One of those crew transports. Yes. And they are yellow.

Having reached this far down the tracks means that in the last couple of hundred meters I somehow missed the main road access to the Maintenance Yard. But backtracking now would be suicidal. I enter the pick-up truck. FL -6°C, condition at around 40%. Although it’s too cold to sleep here I make a mental note for future Brokenlopers. With no bedroll available, it might be a fair enough place to sleep whenever weather conditions are favorable. I can’t see the floor so I stumble in the dark to at least open the glove box. Empty. I jump out and into the yellow crew transport. Aw, it’s even darker. I start to feel the weight of despair on my shoulders. For a moment, I think about laying down in the pick-up truck and let myself go during my sleep.

No. Not that way. I am resolute to get to the Maintenance Yard. If I recall correctly, there might be a back path from here which leads to one of the yard’s side accesses. Say no more. I step out of the crew transport and throw myself into the snowy night. I hear wolves howling in the distance. Two at least. I thought the walk to be shorter but it’s taking me more effort than expected. It’s a pretty long detour. I leave some wooden railing to my left. Should visibility be good one could see the bottom of a deep ravine from this point. However, nothing is to be seen at this moment.

At last, hypothermia makes its dreading appearance. Fading on the cold seat of the pick-up truck doesn’t seem such a bad idea now. A moment later frostbite risk shows up. Blizzardy head winds cut my face and make advancing almost impossible. Condition is dangerously down to 25%. Then I see the yard's outer fence. Behind, the Maintenance Shed. I crouch once more trying to sneak through any potential wolf patrols that may be lurking around the area. It takes me ages to find an opening in the fence but at last I am within the premises. Still crouching, I head towards the shed entrance. This is taking too long. Hypothermia damage to condition is brutal. It’s dropped to 15% while crouching for the last 50 meters. A second frostbite risk joins the party. Fine, that’s enough. It’s do or die. I stand up and sprint with the rest of my will. Only a few meters away from the door. And then, as I burst into the building, my condition hits 10%.

I’m in. Totally battered and bruised, my status screen a colorful carnival. But hey, I made it.

 

I need a vacation.

 

Inside the shed FL is negative, but I still believe I can wear off hypothermia. I must make it to the nearest bed. I have reserve calories and I am tired enough to sleep for at least 9 hours. Once I wake up, staying an additional 3 hours above 0°C should be attainable by passing time in bed.

But first I need to find it. It’s pitch black, plus condition being below 10% means that the screen is shaking as crazy and any shapes that I could make out are totally blurred. The bed should be in a room to my left, but I can’t see a thing. I trip over the steps that lead to the lower level of the shed. And then I know it: there’s no chance I will ever find the way up again. My heartbeats are a dull sound in my ears as their frequency decreases relentlessly. I close my eyes one last time and embrace the darkness, never to wake up again.

 

I did try, but it was not enough.

 

An thus, it ends.

[BareSkin]

Please let us know if you welcome advice/tips, I would kill myself before creating some pollution in your adventures

[Senauer]

@BareSkin, yes, please! Be welcome to give any advice or discuss about how I should have done this or that. I’m not a hardcore survivor and most things I know are just theory from the many reads in the forums. I hope to be able to somehow succeed in putting them into practice!

And by the way, many, many thanks. You just made my life easier. It was months ago that I played a custom game for the last time and I was just a screen away of selecting my starting region! I thought it was an option included in the custom settings list, but as I see it pops up after choosing your starting settings. Very nice. 

[Enigma]

I can give you some tips. 

You can find a bedroll in the basement of the hunting lodge. There is a possible spawn for a prybar near the locomotive. If you are up for it get a climbing rope and climb down to the ravine. I have yet to find a heavy hammer so the forge may be useless. As you did,  use the stones to manipulate the wolfs, when going to the maintenance shed there are usually 2-4 wolfs so I like to mountain goat my why around, when you are near the path to the shed, climb your way up the right rockface. 

[BareSkin]

5 hours ago, Senauer said:

Be welcome to give any advice

I think, if the map is the updated one from redux (and maybe otherwise) that the detour around the landslide is optional, both from and to the Shed. Since it Loper, my strategy wouldn't focus too much on food, that's manageable easily. Just starve until your fatigue bar is halved (abusing this I ended up sleeping on every second day on my Deso-only Loper), the price to pay for is you can haul less firewood, no big deal there are 2 indoor places. You're right, finding a hammer will be crucial. My Skater run was awful, entering the Riken nearly everyday, with no hammer on the map...

Depending on where you spawn, I would prioritize

1/ loot the two indoor places focusing on hammer and deploy the rope under the Lodge

2/use a warm early day to loot the ravine under the bridge (wood+cattails), I think there is a rope already (there was not in Redux, so maybe not)

3/kill 3 rabbits and launch the curing of a hat and mitts

4/ locate Maple/birch if you've found a hacksaw, else you're back to "finding a hammer"

5/ process the deer carcasses if any (don't touch them before)

6/ Improvize! Good luck!

[epower]

21 hours ago, Senauer said:

That, my friend, was a brilliant idea! Unfortunately, the custom settings do not allow to choose the starting region. 

Actually they do.  After adjusting your custom settings to taste, in your case cycle them to stock Interloper,  hit "Confirm" and you'll advance to the "Choose your Region" screen.  There are small arrows left and right which allow you to cycle through the various regions.

BR is a tough start.  I'm stuck there in my modified SW4 run with no sewing kits and depleted clothing.  Gotta make it one more day and my guts cure.

Thanks for sharing your adventures, @Senauer  Good luck out there!

[Enigma]

The ravine here is crucial, have found a firestriker there at 80 % also the three carcasses are a major source of food

[Senauer]

Thank you all for the good advice!

@Enigma, I've come across a hammer in the shed in one of the runs, but I think it's not a guaranteed spawn. I agree with climbing to high ground, I like to do it whenever possible to prevent ambushes. Also you are right, a visit to the ravine is definitely a must here. Thanks!

@BareSkin, I still need to check if the detour around the landslide can be avoided. To be honest, except for the forge I have not found those many differences from the Predux version of the map. Again, it's been a long time since I was in the region so I may be mistaken. Regarding starvation, that is my plan. Although I hadn't think about taking it to the two-day span. On your tips:

1) Absolutely. As I stated, the hammer is key. From what I've experienced so far it may be linked to the hacksaw spawning or not, which might be an issue. Hammer and no hacksaw would force me to optimize my forging, due to very limited scrap metal availability. Hacksaw and no hammer would mean the forge to be as useful as a pot belly stove.

2) I haven't found a rope there yet, but I've found at least two regularly in the Maintenace Shed and/or the Hunting Lodge.

3) Yes! Plus also potential snares with the guts and some reclaimed wood.

4) I think these are "chicken or egg" runs, so that's the raw reality.

5) I knew about not touching a carcass until I am ready to process it, and yes, I have also regretted not having processed one when I had the chance.

6) Thanks, you'll see that I certainly have! Sometimes even to the extreme. 

@epower, thank you for the heads up, @BareSkin had already pointed that out. It brings down a big notch the starting frustration level! And thanks for the good wishes, it will be my pleasure if you all find the series entertaining. 

[Senauer]

Brokenloper 2 / Day 1

Without custom settings this is as good as it gets! Unless you are @jeffpeng, of course.

Another Muskeg start. Temp bar already at 80%, three arrows down. Hunger bar at 75% full. It’s almost noon of a cloudy and cold day. AT -15ºC and WC -9ºC, with a total FL -20ºC. Snow falls gently as I head to the transition tunnel. If I don’t face any distractions, I may be able to reach the Maintenance Shed and loot it before sunset.

… never to return again?

 

Feels like I´ve been here before.

On the other side of the tunnel I stick to the tracks. This time I will not divert before I reach the Landslide. A lonely deer pastures next to the railroad and flees as soon as it sees me. I keep walking down the line until I see the Landslide a couple hundred meters ahead. A path opens to my right. I think it leads to Wolfie’s pond so perhaps I may cut through here to reach the tree bridge from this position. As I walk downhill towards the pond hypothermia risk shows up. That was fast! I stand on a ledge and stop to listen at my surroundings but a nearby waterfall drowns any sound. I peek over the edge. It looks like the wolf is not home.

For me, it’s a good place to play hide and seek. For Wolfie, a perfect spot to hide, seek and destroy.

I carefully goat down to the pond and walk to the opposite side, where the slope with the tree bridge is. While crossing I grab three stones for luring purposes. I take a quick look but don’t see any cattails. I think they do not spawn here. Then I cross the tree bridge. Ah, the nemesis of Brokenloper 1. I must say it’s easier when you don’t have a wolf in your back trying to bite your sprained ankle. At the other side of the tree bridge I find a camp fire. A cedar log... and matches! No, wait. That’s a chocolate bar. Well, not as good but at 91% it will come handy. Frostbite risk kicks in. I sprint uphill and return to the railroad, grabbing some sticks on my way.

Perhaps if I rub it against my beard it will light up.

I reach the tracks again and keep pushing towards my goal, leaving the rabbit grove of the double sprain to my left. There is a small basin to my right where some reishi mushrooms grow. I like to gain high ground whenever possible, but the shrooms may be worth harvesting now. A path exits this small basin. I follow it and approach the locomotive engine from below. I hear wood and metal cracking around me. Every fallen tree, every crumbled rock, every rusted metal sheet, they don’t want me here. I’m a stranger in a strange land.

Low ground just breaks my nerves. What may lurk up there?

As I bypass the locomotive engine and return to the rail tracks a wolf barks at me, almost under my nose. I quickly recede and try to lose him by circling the locomotive engine. Wow, Mackie is an awesome runner! An advantage of traveling light. Ok, I think it lost me. But there’s only one way to the Maintenance Shed: through Alfie (yes, that’s Wolfie’s cousin). Time for some Splinter Cell action.

Flee or feel the wraith of my mighty stone! Ahem. Please, don’t turn around, pretty please...

I crouch as I equip a stone and hug the rock wall to my right. I keep moving forward, not losing sight of Alfie’s treads on the snow. They seem to go over the left side of the railroad. Yes, there he is, heading away and not aware of me. Good. I move on but he turns around and comes down the tracks. I step aside and hug the wall even more. Hell, I kiss it. Alfie is merely a few steps from where I am. I prepare a stone... and he turns off again. Phew, that was close. I tail it (no pun intended) leaving enough margin. I reach the top of a small snow bank from where I see a pick-up truck. To my right lies the snowy road to the main entrance of the Maintenance Yard premises. This is the way that Brokenloper 1 totally missed in his snowy night drifting.

How can someone miss THAT truck and THAT pole? Well, I did it.

The rail tracks continue further on towards the yellow crew transport and the other pick-up truck. As Alfie seems to go in that direction, I will approach the MY through the main entrance. I hope the road is not guarded. Alfie howls. Three other wolves respond. No, four. It appears that the howls come from where the crew transport is, so perhaps I may be lucky and face no resistance when approaching the yard. Fingers crossed.

For a moment I expect some runners and bloaters to jump on me.

I head to the guard house and I hear another wolf howling. I may not be alone, after all. The new music score starts playing as I close in the ghostly yard premises. It´s a daunting and unsettling landscape. The two feathers outside the guard house announce what I’ll find inside, but the corpse renders nothing. I crouch and listen one more time. The sound of the waving flag outside makes me jump over the couch. Hypothermia risk is at 93%. I'm on the edge, I cannot wait anymore. Without thinking I stand up and sprint the last stretch to the Maintenance Shed. I zig-zag between the abandoned vehicles and the piles of debris. And at last, I make it inside.

Ok, let’s tidy up this mess. Er… where shall I start?

[BareSkin]

15 minutes ago, Senauer said:

How can someone miss THAT truck and THAT pole? Well, I did it.

Believe it or not, I missed it nearly 100 times the first time I played Episode 2, and it didn't take even one snowflake...

 

16 minutes ago, Senauer said:

Ok, let’s tidy up this mess. Er… where shall I start?

Let me vote for getting positive FL

[Senauer]

9 minutes ago, BareSkin said:

Let me vote for getting positive FL

[Mackie raises his hand] "Me too! That's the best idea I've heard since I woke up this morning."

[Senauer]

Brokenloper 2 / Day 1 (Continued)

Once inside the shed I aim straight to the back room with the bed. FL is -3ºC but bed grants a warmth bonus of +5ºC. I sleep two hours and bring hypo risk down to 34%. Frostbite risk is 3% now. Condition a bit less than 50%. It’s dusk. Even though I have filled up my temp bar a bit, FL is slightly below zero. One arrow down. And it will keep slowly decreasing unless I find a fire source (or go back to bed again). There’s still enough daylight so I start looting the place.

In the back room where I’ve slept, I find some scrap metal, books, tinder, tomato soup, pork and beans, a cup of herbal tea in the microwave, a new cotton toque, worn combat boots and... bingo! A pack of 12 wood matches. Very nice indeed. Surprisingly, the boots as they are do not surpass the attributes of my current running shoes. I keep them for later, just in case I can repair them.

Back at university I would sometimes wake up in the morning and find my room like this.

AT is -6ºC, FL is -2ºC, and hypothermia risk says hello again. Then I make the first of many mistakes that will ultimately seal the fate of this run: instead of lighting a fire I carry on looting, and therefore my condition loss continues. I get some water from the toilet and come across a prybar under a locker. Now I can open those closed lockers and find... nothing. On the several tables and shelves next to the toilet I scavenge a bottle of lamp fuel, some cloth, more books, scrap metal and an 85% hacksaw. And there, on the far wall, the newly introduced forge and a bucket of coal welcome me to this frozen hell. I leave the coal where it is for the time being. Second mistake.

Strangers in the night, exchanging glances.

A blizzard blows outside. It’s becoming darker and more difficult to see around, and I’m on the verge of dehydration, so I finally light up the forge (about time!) and boil some water. I use a book and the matches, 80% chance. I succeed. I start melting snow with my only can and think about warming up the two cans of food that I’ve found. In fact, if I let them warm next to the fire, they will open unforced and I will be able to eat the contents and recycle them, right? Well... nope. I drop the cans on the floor, out of the heating range, and when I move the pork and beans one and place it next to the heat source it force-opens automatically. Aw. That’s one can less to reuse. It appears that, in order to heat a can and open it without smashing, you need either to drop it within the heating radius or put it on the floor before lighting the fire. I’ll have to check this in a future. For the moment, I pick up the other (cold) can and stick it again in my inventory.

I boil some water and, in the meantime, prepare some mushrooms. Hypothermia and frostbite risks disappear. I am starting to starve and decide to skip the well-fed buff for now. I finish making water, pick up the empty can, make some torches, eat the pork and beans and head to the bunk. Condition is around 20-25%. Fatigue bar is at 60%, which will allow me to sleep around 6 hours, together with my current calorie reserve. I drink a sip of water and set the timer. Tomorrow I will finish looting the rest of the shed as soon as daylight permits.

It’s bed time, Mackie! Pity you didn’t bring your pyjamas…

Brokenloper 2 / Day 2

Condition at 33%. I wake up early, at 6 am, and its completely dark. With my actual clothing it’s a constant FL -2ºC in here. I convert my remaining stacks of paper into tinder and wonder if I should use a cloth to make a couple of bandages. It doesn’t make sense. The most probable cause of bleeding at this moment would be a wolf attack, and in early Interloper there’s almost no chance to survive that. I decide against the bandage and, as I have nothing else to craft and it’s still too dark to do anything, I pass 3 hours in bed. At 9 am it’s scavenging time!

The rest of the Maintenance Shed renders a “Frontier Tinder Guide”, many crafting materials (cloth, reclaimed wood, scrap metal), a mountaineering rope, a 22% beef jerky, a summit soda, 67% fleece mittens, 1 liter of lamp fuel in a jerry can, a whetstone and quality tools (which unfortunately cannot be eaten). No hammer. I consider breaking some crates to check if I am missing something, but it would consume many valuable resources (namely calories, temperature and thirst), so I postpone it for another time. I check the outside room. Nothing but a pair of worn driving gloves and scrap metal. Still no hammer. If I don’t find one the forge will be useless. Well, at least I have the hacksaw.

That reminds me of brave Ellie. “Endure and survive”. This time though I think it is referring to aurora wolves.

The outside room is freezing, FL -16% and hypo risk while I loot, so I go back indoors to warm-up a bit in the shed’s bed and gain some temp bar before heading out again. I eat the chocolate bar and sleep for 2 hours. When I awake my temp bar is 2/3 full and condition is back at around 33%. It’s time to aim for the Hunting lodge.

I exit the shed through the outer room. I listen and look at the surroundings from the room’s door. Seems that the coast is clear, so let’s go. I head to the opening in the fence, then to the small forest beyond. At the other side of the forest, a wooden bridge and a gated fence will lead me to the HL. Most of the time I crouch, which makes my temp bar decrease an awful lot in almost no time. It’s a cold and cloudy day. No winds and no snowing. I hope this weather will hold. I hear crows nearby and howling in the distance. I go and check the crows, which I remember might be guarding a carcass. I stand up and walk towards the squawks, and just as I am approaching the area, I hear barking to my left.

Shoot, I didn’t see this one coming. I run across the forest, through a rabbit grove, the wolf in hot pursuit. I leave the carcass behind, thinking that I will come back later to process it. Third mistake. At least I manage to shake the wolf. I reach the wooden bridge and go through the gate in the fence. I close it behind me, not sure if it really matters, but feeling safe, anyway. Even when I know that there are at least two more wolves between here and the HL.

A bridge too far?

I resume my walk and go uphill towards my objective. I eat the beef jerky to reduce the starvation impact on condition. It’s now at around 20% and I’ve been already in hypo risk for a while. I hurry up and reach the pond in front of the lodge. A wolf is patrolling on the opposite side. Another one is feasting on a rabbit. I sneak through uncontested, even picking up some shrooms and rosehips on the way. My condition however has suffered the effort. It’s dropped to a mere 15%.

Wendy, I’m home.

Inside, FL is 7ºC. That will help in reducing my 21% hypo risk. But I am almost starving again, and I cannot afford to lose more condition. I eat the cold tomato soup. The only food left now is the summit soda. I search the ground floor. “Wilderness Kitchen” and 12 wooden matches. Then down to the basement. One fir log in the firewood bin. Wait. That’s it? I’d say so. No bedroll. Nothing else. Finally, upstairs to the first floor. A book, a 69% simple parka, cloth and a sewing kit, another rope, and a stim. No food.

Can you eat (processed) trees?

It’s 6 pm, almost sunset. Condition caressing dangerously the 10% mark. I weight my options. I could stim myself right now for +15 condition. I would lose my remaining fatigue and be able to sleep for 12 hours. But I will surely suffer from dehydration and starvation. Or I could deploy the rope behind the lodge and climb down to the lake and check there for cattails. Or head out and harvest some more shrooms and rosehips to fill myself with calories from teas. Or maybe aim for the cave close by and try to stone some rabbits.

Ok, let’s go full druidic and opt for the teas. I step outside to harvest more plants, but a wolf patrols a few meters away from the main entrance. I crouch and head to the nearest rosehip bushes. I can harvest some before a blizzard raises, which forces my retreat to the lodge. I am at 10% condition. I drink the summit soda to avoid starvation. All needs are above zero, and hopefully they will remain like that until the shrooms and the rosehips are prepared, and the teas are boiled. I regret not having processed the deer carcass outside the MY. But there’s nothing I can do about it now. I must accept it, move on and survive the night with what I have.

I light a torch and start a fire in the stove, using a bit of lamp fuel as accelerant for a quick success. I cannot alow myself to lose precious time. I alternate boiling teas with preparing shrooms and rosehips, while the cup of herbal tea warms up on the floor next to the fire. Once I finish, I have 6 reishi teas, 1 rosehip tea and 1 herbal tea. That adds up to 700 calories. Plus dehydration will not be a problem.

I am the shaky Panoramix!

I stumble towards the main bedroom in the upper floor, ready to go to bed. The 700 calories from the teas would allow me to sleep for 9 hours, but my fatigue bar has not dropped enough to sleep more than 5, maybe 6 hours. There is, however, another possibility. The stim. I will stim myself, drink all teas and sleep for 9 hours. Furthermore, I will also have the improved rest benefit from the herbal tea.

Then, if I make it through the night, I will visit the nearby cave in the morning and stone some rabbits. Maybe I’ll head back to process the deer carcass. Or even walk down to the lake and see if cattails grow there. And of course, once I’m there, I shall check on the hunter’s blind.

Well, sounds like a plan. I take the adrenaline shot, drink each and every tea, prepare the potty under the bed and, finally, I close my eyes. I dream of meat, guts, hides and plants. And the prospect of a full and happy belly.

 

Goodnight you princes of Maine, you kings of New England.

[BareSkin]

2 hours ago, Senauer said:

in order to heat a can and open it without smashing, you need either to drop it within the heating radius or put it on the floor before lighting the fire

That would be a huge trick for any interloper... never thought about it.

2 hours ago, Senauer said:

a 69% simple parka, cloth and a sewing kit

You are a golden man.

I wouldn't have stopped at the carcass either, personally. Once I'm very low health, have 700 calories and enough water, only thing missing on Loper is an easily available resource they call Fatigue. Thinking about about, the hammer is much more crucial than the hacksaw, since you can forge a hatchet and scrap metal is somewhat available in BR.

[cullam]

From a game design perspective, I think it would be a neat trick if the hammer was a guaranteed spawn in MY - but in a random crate. Given enough time and luck, you'd EVENTUALLY find it! 

[Hotzn]

Watching this as well...

[Senauer]

On 1/15/2019 at 3:22 AM, BareSkin said:

the hammer is much more crucial than the hacksaw, since you can forge a hatchet and scrap metal is somewhat available in BR.

I have yet to find both the hammer and the hacksaw in the same run. If they really alternate, in the end it will boil down to either find the hammer, forge a hatchet, find saplings, forge some arrowheads and be self sustainable through hunting, or find the hacksaw and live from stealing wolf kills.

17 hours ago, cullam said:

From a game design perspective, I think it would be a neat trick if the hammer was a guaranteed spawn in MY - but in a random crate.

I am hoping for exactly that to happen. 

I still have not broken any crates in my runs, though. I will have to spawn a test Brokenloper to check if there might be any hidden goodies in crates, or if the hammer/hacksaw can also spawn from them.

11 hours ago, Hotzn said:

Watching this as well...

Thanks for following!

[Senauer]

Note: unfortunately, I lost the USB stick where I stored the logs and the screenshots. I had no back-up and it has taken me a while to be on track again. This entry will not be depicted, I am afraid.

Brokenloper 2 / Day 3

It’s 4 am when I wake up. Condition is at 60%. The cocktail of stim and teas did work wonders and I am in a rather good shape. However, I am also about to starve and dehydrate once more. I have no water, as I used all my stock to boil the teas yesterday evening. And of course, I am out of edible calories. Then I make my umpteenth mistake. I stick to the plan of visiting the rabbit grove by the nearby cave and stone some bunnies. Then I will cook them on the spot while boiling some water. I am so obsessed with this way forward that I don’t stop for a minute and consider the consequences of heading out so early in the morning.

Looking back now I think I should have not left the HL. Boil water at the stove. Make some repairs to my clothing. Heck, even break down some crates to harvest reclaimed wood and tinder, and maybe find good stuff in them. Anything, as long as I am sheltering inside the lodge. But I am completely fixated with acquiring food and calories at all costs. And without further thinking, I just step out into the unforgiving night.

It’s freezing outside. FL -18°C. No winds. The moon greets me from the clear starlit sky and guides my path ahead. As I take high ground I see both wolves at the far end of the pond, so I speed up and head to the cave. I pick up some sticks and more shrooms on the way and say hello to hypothermia risk again. I come across a carcass before reaching the cave. Lucky me! I get overexcited, however, and don’t manage well the situation. Many wrongs happen which don’t make a right, but a complete big mess instead. I light a torch and start a fire next to the carcass. FL is -21°C, even with a blazing flame. I check the weather and, believing it will stay put, I throw all my fuel into the fire. “Wilderness kitchen” included. FL next to the heat source is -6°C now. I need sticks!

On my search for fuel I get closer to the cave and see another carcass right at the entrance, plus a whole bunch of bunnies. Ok, one at a time, please! I pick up more sticks and return to the fire by the first carcass to throw them in. FL increases to +1°C but I am starving and dehydrating, with hypo risk at 24%. Condition at 40%. I was so absorbed in bringing the FL temp above zero that I neglected completely my other needs. I didn’t even think about melting snow while fueling up the fire.

It is now that I start making water, as I turn my interest to the carcass and proceed to harvest it. Only to see that it has a mere half a kilogram of meat. Really? I should have checked it before lighting the fire. I take the meat anyway, while the water finishes boiling. I drink it, place the steak on the fire, and immediately melt another can of snow. Winds are raising and FL is -1°C. I look for more sticks. As soon as I leave the fire the temp bar is three arrows down. I return to the camp fire with more sticks on me, and find that the wind has almost killed it. Five minutes left. From an almost 3 hour-fire. Condition at 30%. I babysit the flame whilst I finish cooking the steak and keep boiling water. I also warm up enough to make the hypothermia risk disappear. I eat the meat as soon as it’s ready and at last all my needs are all filled.

I carry on babysitting the fire and recap. If winds cease, I will transfer the flame to the other carcass. Then, the wind stops. Good timing. But it still takes me an eternity to transfer the fire. Instead I waste more time in waiting for a can of water to finish boiling and picking up more sticks and shrooms. I should have moved even if the water was not ready. I was sooooo slooooow here that it hurts when I think back about it.

Once water is done, I take some torches and move to the carcass in front of the cave. I get hypo risk on the way. But I don’t light a fire, no. Firstly I loot the cave (Mackie, you greedy bugger!). Three fir limbs and an 86% firestriker. Big prize! I light a fire to harvest this second carcass. And I do this outside. Because, why bothering setting the fire inside the cave, where I could also benefit from a nice and worm shelter? I don’t know what I am thinking about. Of course, FL next to the carcass is -20°C and I am short of fuel again. Condition at 20%. I grab more sticks and, once more, totally forget about multitasking.

I throw the fuel into the fire and FL increases to +4°C. Then I melt some snow and harvest the carcass. I get 1.6 kilograms of meat in two steaks, the first of which I begin cooking right away. It will be ready in 53 minutes. I am starving again and my condition drops to 15%. I cannot wait for the meat to finish cooking, I need to eat something right now to avoid starvation and prevent my condition from dropping further.

All of a sudden, I have a revelation. I will eat all of the meat. Raw. This will feed me and stop the loss of condition due to starvation. Then I’ll go back to the lodge, drink a reishi tea and sleep off the food poisoning. Sounds risky but doable, so I take the steak out of the fire and engulf it. No food poisoning. I could have stopped there, I was fed already… but I am on a spree and fail to realize that. The second steak goes down as well. And this time, I do get poisoned.

No worries, though. I grab some torches and return to the lodge. Condition at 10% and still dropping. Why? At that moment I thought it was just because the temp bar had depleted again and I was taking freezing damage. The truth is that food poisoning also reduces condition by 85%, and I had not considered that.

I am close to 1% condition when I enter the building. I go straight to bed. I have enough calories and water, so I set my sleep timer to 8 hours. I wake up. I made it… or so I thought. I contemplate with deep horror that my condition is still at 1%. What the...? Oh. Crap. As long as you are poisoned you can’t gain condition from sleeping. I am dead already, but I still think I can save the situation.

What follows is a desperate and futile struggle to live. I head to the stove downstairs to make reishi tea. I have shrooms but they are not prepared. Also, I don’t have any fuel left. I break down a small crate for 1 reclaimed wood, 15 minutes by hand. The screen moves and trembles, making any interaction with the environment almost impossible. I light a fire with my last bit of accelerant. I boil water as I prepare the shrooms. Then I cook the tea. 12 minutes. I pass time, try to pick up the tea but I think I've drop it, somehow. Where is it? I look on the stove. Nope. Search the floor. I don’t see a thing. Light a torch and look again. The tea is not there. Where did I put it? I open my inventory and there I see the prepared mushrooms. The shrooms. Not the tea. I cannot believe it. I picked up the mushrooms from the fire instead of passing time.

And the fire is out now. I break down another small crate for another piece of reclaimed. I try to start another fire while Shakey Mc Shakey keeps dancing around. First attempt with the torch, 40%, fails. Three more attempts with the firestriker, 50%, all fail. Fifth attempt succeeds. I put the shrooms to boil again. I am starving again, I will die in any second. I pass time and the tea is cooked. I drink it. Light a torch and go upstairs to sleep again. Condition remains at 1%. Going to the upper floor is an odyssey. I reach the bed. And as I lay down and set the sleep timer to 10 hours, almost automatically as I always do, I realize that I don’t have enough calories. I fade into the long shame.

[Senauer]

Analyzing Brokenloper 2’s run retrospectively, it is crystal clear that I made many bad decisions which snowballed towards such a disgraceful demise.

- Firstly, I was looking too much into the long term. For instance, I did not see the coal as fuel to help me survive during the upcoming hours. I didn’t pick it up and saved it for later because I could see me already forging a bunch of arrowheads. And I hadn’t even found a hammer! Also, I was very conservative with my matches. I ended up the run with more than 20 matches and an 86% firestriker, which now are of no use to my dead survivor.

- Secondly, I did not process the first carcass I found on the way from the Maintenance Shed to the Hunting Lodge. I missed those calories because I thought I would have the chance to harvest it at a later stage, which didn't happen. Besides, lighting a fire next to the carcass would have driven off the pursuing wolf.

- Then, I constantly forgot about multitasking and lost some precious time throughout the run due to this.

- I am satisfied though with the “stim and teas” solution. I think that was a rather good call, TBH. However, I did an awful job the following day when managing the resulting condition gain.

- I shouldn’t have gone out in the early morning hours. With my clothing it was just too cold to avoid freezing damage. Plus I did not optimize the fire making process in the open (I should have set base inside the cave) and the processing of the two carcasses I found. I wasted all my fuel for a 0.5 kg carcass, only to have the winds blow on my camp fire and almost extinguish it.

- And of course, my obsession with tartar. That was a complete failure. It was the worst decision from the very moment I thought about it. Not only I was too concerned with not losing condition to starvation, but it was a long time since I last experienced food poisoning and I completely overlooked the effects of this affliction. You don’t gain condition. And, it also drops by 85%.

- Finally, I could have skipped the suffering and pain of my last hours at the lodge. Again, I did not realize that with no calorie store left from the raw meat, I had no way of healing the food poisoning at all.

Nonetheless, I believe this run will be of great use for future Brokenlopers. Besides, it helped me refreshing some key survival concepts and taught me to observe, think and try not to rush when making decisions.

So, valuable lessons learnt now, it’s time to welcome more Brokenlopers!

[Senauer]

Brokenloper 3 / Day 1

Using the tip from @BareSkin and @epower, I create a custom game with the Interloper template and choose Broken Railroad as the starting region. Ah, now we’re talking! I spawn next to the transition tunnel to Forlorn Muskeg. It might seem that there is not much of a difference between starting here and spawning in the Muskeg, but the truth is that you can save at least half a temp bar. And this is a very valuable resource to help facing the long walk ahead to the Maintenance Yard.

Brokenloper 3 will be an expendable one, though. His sole task: to find a hammer. And his mission is a success. He easily finds a hammer in the Maintenance Shed, on top of the working bench. But he doesn’t come across a hacksaw. This could support the fact, already discussed, that the hammer and the hacksaw may be in alternate loot tables and not coexist in the same run.

As stated, if the only options here are to find either one or the other, there would be two mid-term survival scenarios: (a) to become self-sufficient by bow hunting (hammer), or (b) to survive by stoning/snaring rabbits and stealing wolf kills (hacksaw). What is certain is that the future Brokenlopers will face a set of interesting choices and struggles depending on each of these circumstances.

Also, it could happen that, as pointed out by @cullam, both the hammer and the hacksaw would be available in the same run, for instance, by finding one of the two inside the crates scattered all over the region. But this is something that will remain uncertain until a Brokenloper dares to break down each and every crate in the map. 

Brokenloper 3 also checks that there is no rope on the climb down to the ravine, so kindly leaves a post-it for other Brokenlopers to find, advising to bring their own rope as well as and their own beer.

After that, he’s done. He takes the short route to the ravine, sacrificing himself to ensure the survival of the beehive that masters them all.

[BareSkin]

On 1/17/2019 at 6:18 AM, Senauer said:

What follows is a desperate and futile struggle to live.

That's the story of any TLD run, at any stage!

[Senauer]

Brokenloper 4 / Day 1

After Brokenloper 2’s experience, I change the Snow Walker feat for Efficient Machine. I don’t expect 10% less of calories consumed to be game breaking, but the more I can delay starvation the better. I spawn once more at the transition zone to the Muskeg. I wonder if there are other starts in the Broken Railroad region. Having to drift to the Maintenance Yard at the beginning of each run is exhausting.

Starblind with sun, the stars are one.

FL is -19°C and calorie store is 75% full. It’s midnight, the moon shining high in a cloudless sky. I sprint straight to the ledge above Wolfie’s pond. He’s not around. I think I hear him in the small path that Brokenloper 1 took before reaching the Landslide. I’m glad I didn’t go that way this time. I start goating down to the pond and I misstep. Damn it. I get the Three Wise Injuries: sprained ankle, minor bruising and torn clothing. The good thing is that I’m at the bottom now. I grab some stones and run, I mean, walk, to the tree bridge.

And by the light of the moon, he prays for their beauty not doom.

Wind is raising, and hypothermia and frostbite risks hold hands and greet me cheerfully. I cross the tree bridge and find the abandoned campfire with an 88% granola bar and a cedar firewood. I grab them and move on uphill towards the other side of the Landslide. Wolfie howls one last time from the distance. Poor fella’s hungry. Well, not this time, my friend. Not tonight.

I reach the railroad again and I see Alfie playing around the rabbit grove to the left. I avoid him by going down the path to the right of the tracks, along the basin with the mushrooms, and approaching the Locomotive Engine from below. I harvest some shrooms while I’m at it. I search around the engine. There is a single metal box, inside of which I find a second frostbite risk. Excellent. Now I have a pair of those. I move on following the tracks and go through Alfie’s place. As expected, nobody’s in. Looks like he’s still chasing rabbits to get himself a fancy and warm hat.

That the world, as we know it, will be coming to an end.

The winds have stopped, and I am at the intersection to the Maintenance Yard. To high ground, we’ll gain the advantage! Snap. Sprained wrist. Ok, just tell me how I did that. Anyway, I go and check the pick-up truck. Nothing. I head to the guard house. The night is eerily quiet. A lonely owl calls nearby. I shut its peak with a stone. That’s better. As I get closer to the yard, I see no movement.

Sometimes, when you’ve been alone at night, thought you heard footsteps behind? Turn around and no one’s there…

I look in the guard house and find Bernie. He’s as frozen as empty. I search the pick-up trucks on the way to the Maintenance Shed. A pack of 12 wood matches. Nice. I enter the building through the outer room, as winds blow hard again. I find scrap metal and an 82% wool toque, then I break inside. FL within the shed is the usual -2°C. Frostbite risk one at 44%. Frostbite risk two at 83%. Hypothermia risk at 77%. I aim for the bed, but I can’t even see my fingers. I light a match and see that the way is blocked by a pallet. That is new! I go around the lower floor and enter the back room. I warm up in bed 3 hours and wake up at 6 am, condition stabilized at 45%. Sprained wrist is healed. Hypothermia risk is gone. Frostbite risks are still there, together with the sprained ankle.

No hope. No life. Just pain. And fear.

I start up the forge, begin melting snow and return to the back room to loot it. “Frontier Fuel Guide”, some books, scrap metal, 47% pork and beans, 12 more wood matches, 39% pinnacle peaches and a pack of crackers. I go back to check on the boiling water, drink it, and make some more. Finish scavenging the whole shed and find the usual coal, a mountaineering rope, a jerry can and a small bottle of lantern fuel, cloth, a whetstone, a 25% chocolate bar (this bar you can eat), a prybar (this bar you can’t) and the hacksaw. No hammer. I don’t think I will be forging this run, so I throw a coal in the fire and exchange it for torches. Then, I’m off to the Hunting Lodge. It's almost noon. I exit the shed through the outer room. FL -15°C, not bad, but the frostbite risks are still at 25% and 62%. I need to get rid of those.

On a cold October morning, as frost lay on the ground. Waiting to make my move, I make no sound.

As I go through the outer yard fence I bump into a wolf. I cannot run, as I still have the sprained ankle from Wolfie's pond. So I walk backwards in the direction of the Hunting Lodge, lit torch in hand, trying to keep my foe at bay. It growls, barks, rushes, then stops. Rinses and repeats again. It looks like the torch is preventing an attack so far. Then I hear a second barking to my right. I get nervous and, as I continue walking backwards, I hit a rock and get stuck. I freeze in real life, my eyes wide open in panic, as the first wolf sprints and jumps on me in slow motion. I hit it hard with the prybar, back off, youaaaaarghaaargharghargharhgarghaaaaaah! After that, the wolf uses the prybar as a toothpick. At least frostbite risk won’t be a problem anymore.

Well, it seems I did make a sound, after all.