New v321 TWM run

[Hotzn]

Coming home from a long day's work and knowing there will be a lot of work to do tomorrow, what does a man do? What CAN a man do? Obviously only one thing - fire up that PC, download the patch and start a new run. Stalker, Timberwolf Mountain, thank you very much...

[Hotzn]

Day 1:

I spawn... somewhere in a cave. It's a felt -21°C, it could be worse. There could be a bear in the cave. But there isn't, just two pieces of firewood - one fir and one cedar, which I put in my backpack. 13 hours of daylight remain. Let's go outside. OK, where the heck am I? Somewhere a little up the mountain already. I turn right and walk along a bit, encountering a deer carcass with a broken arrow next to it. I take the arrow, and at that moment freezing already sets in and I'm told I run a risk of hypothermia. Well, that was quick. I continue with the cliff on my right shoulder and stumble upon a place with lots of deer running around. This seems familiar, I think it is Deer Clearing or some such. There was a cave here, I remember... right there! And there was some stuff inside, I remember... but no, nothing. Need to make a fire... ah, new interface... I like it. Fail twice at lighting a fire in the cave... two matches gone and no more tinder. I have to return outside and freeze my ass off collecting a couple of sticks and - lucky - two birch bark. Back to the cave and fail twice more. Four matches gone and no more tinder. At long last I manage to light a fire. It's not warm enough. I put everything I have on it. Felt temperature is -1°C. I start thinking I should better have continued straight to the mountain top.

Back outside at 63% condition to get some more sticks. Get hypothermia. This run might get tricky... back to the cave with 4 meagre sticks which raise the temperature just enough to stop freezing. 50% of my life is left in me. And I'm getting tired. Fire is on for a little less than 3 hours, so I put down the bedroll and pray the weather stays clear. I must make my way to the top soon and try to get rid of my hypothermia there, otherwise things look grim...

Waking up after two hours of sleep, I am warm, but still tired. Grab my bedroll, take a... brand... from the fire (excellent, the overpowered torch-pulling has been replaced) and set out. Sun is shining, but a nasty wind has picked up and it's back to freezing pretty soon. Headwind of course, so I'm really slow. Then I make a bad decision (can't quite remember the topography) and head up the mountain towards the left. A growl, and hello - as if things weren't bad enough, there is a wolf coming over. It was hidden by a rock, I didn't see it coming. Get a flare going, and the wolf follows me a little, but then seems to lose interest. Brilliant, very immersive!

But immersion doesn't solve my problem - I am freezing! The way up to the left is a dead end, just a way down here. So I turn back and head up towards the right, mountain on my left shoulder. Argh... I remember now that the way to the top is still quite long from here. Condition just dropped below 30%. Not good.

I trudge upwards, against heavy wind. The flare goes out. At the perfect moment, because right now I see another wolf. And the wolf... sees me. Getting ready for my final fist fight, I strafe by and keep walking up the mountain backwards, facing the wolf... maybe I can hold it off somehow, stare it down... will it away... and then, suddenly, the wolf yelps and runs off. I turn around frantically, half expecting a bear behind me, but no. Nothing. Strange. Anyway, I continue onwards, up and up, freezing, panting, tired. Girl says she can't feel her feet. At last... the rope!

12% condition left, some matches, a number of twigs, a little birch bark, a few matches. Is there a ledge up there? Doesn't look like it, the rope is fairly short. I go for it. Being tired like hell, the fatigue bar starts in the red. But I might just make it. Almost there... boy, this wind is chilling... 8%... getting slower... almost there... almost... 6%...

And then I slip. Hanging onto the rope like dear life, I am suspended in the middle. Too weak to go up further. The cold creeping into my hands, I slowly climb back down. 3%... make a fire? Let's see where... all blurry... 2%... girl says she's gonna die here... 1%... she might be right... and then... darkness.

[Patrick Carlson]

Sounds like a pretty standard day.

Looking forward to your next report. 

[Hotzn]

I just got bested by the mountain. Didn't expect that to happen, but here we go. Definitely need to learn the map better. Now what did I see? Deer and wolves seem to have some new animations. I couldn't appreciate them adequately, because I was too busy looking for sticks, bark and other essentials. But I will do some wildlife watching when I have crafted the necessities of life in my next run. Same goes for the footprints - I saw they have been improved and the first impression is by a lot. But I couldn't pay too much attention, because I was... erm... dying. The new UI works well for me, though I did not find the former one lacking. Good thing with the brand. More after the next run. But not tonight...

[Wasteland Watcher]

Another interesting read -- thanks

And from this I've basically learned never to attempt rope climbing when tired, and especially when condition is less than 30%!

 

BTW speaking of the new animations, they look very cool but I think the one that really gets my attention is when I see a wolf on the horizon raise its head and howl! Amazing!! The new behavior really adds to the experience.

As you said, the overpowered "free" torch pulling has efficiently been resolved  Though I used that technique all the time I'm glad it's been fixed.

The brand is an excellent solution. I now carry at least 6 sticks all the time and 10 tinder plugs.  

One thing that slightly bothers me is that we cannot light a fire in mines. If we are out of lantern fuel we are basically stuck in the area we are at because once my brand burns low in the PV<-->CH mine I'm stuck in the dark to die. Scary

 

[Morgan le Fay]

Wait...you can't light fires in mines? I'm pretty sure I have (??).

[Wasteland Watcher]

1 hour ago, Morgan le Fay said:

Wait...you can't light fires in mines? I'm pretty sure I have (??).

 You can light fires in caves but not in mines!

[Scyzara]

5 hours ago, Wasteland Watcher said:

 

7 hours ago, Morgan le Fay said:

Wait...you can't light fires in mines? I'm pretty sure I have (??).

 You can light fires in caves but not in mines!

I think it depends on the mine. While you indeed can't light fires inside the two DP mines, it is afaik possible inside one of the other mines (I think it's cinder hills coal mine aka the abandonned mine). At least if I remember correctly.^^

[Wasteland Watcher]

2 hours ago, Scyzara said:

I think it depends on the mine. While you indeed can't light fires inside the two DP mines, it is afaik possible inside one of the other mines (I think it's cinder hills coal mine aka the abandonned mine). At least if I remember correctly.^^

Good to know

i just Wish we we could light fires in all mines. It's not unreasonable I think