The forge - how soon?

[beechel]

Hi everyone, I wonder if you could give me a bit of advice, I have only been playing for a little over a week.  I am on day 9 in starting in mystery lake/voyager, I've explored a fair bit of ML - starting at the logging camp I went straight to the forestry lookout, found a rifle and ammo, down to the cabin, on to the blind at the unnamed lake where I found a hatchet and bow, from there I went onto the hunters lodge and found another rifle, (only 24%) and a few rounds of ammo.  I set up my primary ML base there and moved onto ML, searched the camp office, cabins and huts getting a knife and a second hatchet.  I have spent the rest of my time killing deer, curing saplings, gut and hide, and have collected feathers,  I now have three snares and am catching some rabbits... I have plenty of meat to be going on with.  I have not found any arrows or arrow heads yet  

 

I want to check out the blind by alans cave and i also hear that the hydro dam may have some arrows.  I only have three ammo left and am considering doing a run to the coastal highway as I know there are lots of provisions there.  But Im not sure on this strategy... is this too soon?  How do others play it?  Would you stick around and craft rabbitskin mitts/improved clothing first?  What would people see as the best strategy - pros and con's for going now v's later  from more experienced players than me would be greatly appreciated!

[TWM]

The dam will probably have some ammunition - unfortunately it also contains a wolf, so be prepared to repair some clothes. It doesn't have a bed, so you'll need a bedroll.

Other than that, it's got lots of loot. The safe might contain a better coat, and it's a great base point to move either to Pleasant Valley or Coastal Highway.

If it's arrowheads you're looking for, Pleasant Valley is the way to go (it has a number of -broken- arrows lying around); if it's ammunition and clothes you're looking for, then check out Coastal Highway. Lots of cabins to loot - it's certainly the easier map to traverse.

Desolate Point, I'd leave for later on, when you've got loads and loads of saplings here and there and you've spent most of the ammunition from the different maps.

[Ohbal]

Yo! I haven't started a fresh new game under the new udpdate, so I don't know what the best timings are in this build. Before I didn't exit a zone until I had it completely looted, and most of the perishable food consumed. Pre-v321, the world items started decaying the moment you grabbed them. Now, everything start decaying at Day 1. But, since the decay ratios have been changed as well... it's hard for me to give you an advice on this. 

Arrow spawns in ML that I know about: Hunter's blind close to Alan's Cave, Hunter's Blind close to the unnamed pond, and the Hydro Dam. In both blinds make sure to look everywhere, I've missed them more than once. In the dam, right where the body lies on the stairs, look at the door (sometimes the arrows are pierced to it) and floor.

Before moving to a different location I strongly advice to craft some clothes. The difference is huge. Rabit mittens are practically free. The wolfskin coat is a must have. I'd at least get one of the deer related clothes before exploring the unknown. You can get the remaining ones harvesting the deer corpes you'll find in the transition areas and spread across the new lands. 

[nicko]

34 minutes ago, beechel said:

Hi everyone, I wonder if you could give me a bit of advice, I have only been playing for a little over a week.  I am on day 9 in starting in mystery lake/voyager, I've explored a fair bit of ML - starting at the logging camp I went straight to the forestry lookout, found a rifle and ammo, down to the cabin, on to the blind at the unnamed lake where I found a hatchet and bow, from there I went onto the hunters lodge and found another rifle, (only 24%) and a few rounds of ammo.  I set up my primary ML base there and moved onto ML, searched the camp office, cabins and huts getting a knife and a second hatchet.  I have spent the rest of my time killing deer, curing saplings, gut and hide, and have collected feathers,  I now have three snares and am catching some rabbits... I have plenty of meat to be going on with.  I have not found any arrows or arrow heads yet  

 

I want to check out the blind by alans cave and i also hear that the hydro dam may have some arrows.  I only have three ammo left and am considering doing a run to the coastal highway as I know there are lots of provisions there.  But Im not sure on this strategy... is this too soon?  How do others play it?  Would you stick around and craft rabbitskin mitts/improved clothing first?  What would people see as the best strategy - pros and con's for going now v's later  from more experienced players than me would be greatly appreciated!

It's hard to say as each game version update tends to change some sort of game play or not in the TLD Alpha.

This game is what makes it fun it's your experience you do what you think might be best.

 

 

[cekivi]

2 hours ago, nicko said:

It's hard to say as each game version update tends to change some sort of game play or not in the TLD Alpha.

This game is what makes it fun it's your experience you do what you think might be best.

Seconded.

If you feel it's time to move on then you should move. I would say as long as you have +5C windchill protection and +10C cold protection than you can traverse and explore the other maps fairly easily without too much risk of hypothermia (especially on Voyager). Both the Coastal Highway and Pleasant Valley are much larger maps than Mystery Lake and some of the shelters are far apart. Provided you have that minimum level of clothing, a good bedroll, flares, a knife and some food and water you can travel whenever you want.

The only question you then have to ask yourself is would you rather stay to craft better clothing or move on to the other maps in hopes of finding better equipment before it decays?

[beechel]

Hi! Thanks for the info, very useful  Well I went to the dam to loot it, partially looted it as I realised I had left my bedroll in a fishing hut - stupid error!  Anyhow - I  managed to get what I could, get some more ammo. And decided to bunk down in ML and make some mittens and boots, also try my hand against a wolf... god - at this stage I am just not sure I will ever manage to make a wolfskin coat, bunnies and shooting deer are not a problem but wolves - they just chew me up and spit me out - I can't for the life of me nail them with a gun and I just don't feel like I get the mechanics of the fight LMB/RMB, no matter how fast I hit those buttons it always seems to take an age to fight off the damned thing, also, if I do shoot it and start tracking the blood trail then the blood suddenly dissapears - any wolf  tips - also greatly appreciated!  

Anyhow - I digress!  Really bad weather came in hampering my efforts at catching food - I had my deerskin boots, rabbit mittens, but started to starve, went to the lake, did a days fishing and managed to replenish - decided to bunk down in the camp office and do the same the next day only to find out I had no more fishing line... it just went from bad to worse when I walked out of a fishing hut and got wolf mauled - clothes in shreds I went to repair them only to realise my sodding sewing kit was at 3 percent... by the time I had gone to the cabin, warmed up/healed and rested a bit - I had no choice but to make a run for trappers homestead and my rabbit snares and replacement sewing kit but on leaving the camp office there was so much fog.  When I got back to the trappers homestead - exhausted, freezing and starving - there was one measly rabbit.  What more can I say?  I made it to day 17 but this game is a beast! 

I think my next move will be to loot like crazy,  cure and craft as soon as possible and then move on, the only thing I may do without is a wolfskin jacket as to date the wolves just keep owning me!! 

[cekivi]

The easiest way to shoot a wolf is if it's not moving. Either wait for a wolf to take down a deer or drop a piece of bait meat. Shooting a stationary target is much simpler than a moving one!

[Ohbal]

With the wolves you can always try the bait tactic. [If it works] It will give you a few seconds to carefully aim to the head. You could try this on the fishing huts on mistery lake, so if you see the bait trick didn't work, you have a place to run to. If you lose track of the wolfs, don't dispair. Look at the stats, see how many wolves you've killed so far, look for shelter, and wait for the stat to show you that the wolf is dead. Then just look for it, Mistery Lake is not that big, and usually they go back to their original zones to die. 

I haven't played much v321 but unless things have changed, the fighting mechanic doesn't involve LMB/RMB, just spam LMB like crazy  

Oh, and fully dedicating three of four snares to rabbit hunting during a week or so will give you a great deal of guts you can then use to craft more fishing lines. 

 

[Ruruwawa]

42 minutes ago, beechel said:

Hi! Thanks for the info, very useful  Well I went to the dam to loot it, partially looted it as I realised I had left my bedroll in a fishing hut - stupid error!  Anyhow - I  managed to get what I could, get some more ammo. And decided to bunk down in ML and make some mittens and boots, also try my hand against a wolf... god - at this stage I am just not sure I will ever manage to make a wolfskin coat, bunnies and shooting deer are not a problem but wolves - they just chew me up and spit me out - I can't for the life of me nail them with a gun and I just don't feel like I get the mechanics of the fight LMB/RMB, no matter how fast I hit those buttons it always seems to take an age to fight off the damned thing, also, if I do shoot it and start tracking the blood trail then the blood suddenly dissapears - any wolf  tips - also greatly appreciated!  

Anyhow - I digress!  Really bad weather came in hampering my efforts at catching food - I had my deerskin boots, rabbit mittens, but started to starve, went to the lake, did a days fishing and managed to replenish - decided to bunk down in the camp office and do the same the next day only to find out I had no more fishing line... it just went from bad to worse when I walked out of a fishing hut and got wolf mauled - clothes in shreds I went to repair them only to realise my sodding sewing kit was at 3 percent... by the time I had gone to the cabin, warmed up/healed and rested a bit - I had no choice but to make a run for trappers homestead and my rabbit snares and replacement sewing kit but on leaving the camp office there was so much fog.  When I got back to the trappers homestead - exhausted, freezing and starving - there was one measly rabbit.  What more can I say?  I made it to day 17 but this game is a beast! 

I think my next move will be to loot like crazy,  cure and craft as soon as possible and then move on, the only thing I may do without is a wolfskin jacket as to date the wolves just keep owning me!! 

Regarding fighting wolves hand-to-hand (the animated "struggle"), there's only one button now: LMB.  Spam that LMB as fast as posslble!  When the bar fills the wolf runs away.  Usually he's hurt and will bleed out, so you can loot him.

Having a hand-to-hand "weapon" in you inventory also shortens the fight.  Knife > Axe > Prybar, and the sharper the better.  With a high condition knife and rapid clicking it's even possible to end the struggle so quickly that neither you nor your clothing takes damage.

17d is a good run -- valuable experience and lessons.  Good story too

[beechel]

8 minutes ago, cekivi said:

The easiest way to shot a wolf is if it's not moving. Either wait for a wolf to take down a deer or drop a piece of bait meat. Shooting a stationary target is much simpler than a moving one!

 

6 minutes ago, Ohbal said:

With the wolves you can always try the bait tactic. [If it works] It will give you a few seconds to carefully aim to the head. You could try this on the fishing huts on mistery lake, so if you see the bait trick didn't work, you have a place to run to. If you lose track of the wolfs, don't dispair. Look at the stats, see how many wolves you've killed so far, look for shelter, and wait for the stat to show you that the wolf is dead. Then just look for it, Mistery Lake is not that big, and usually they go back to their original zones to die. 

I haven't played much v321 but unless things have changed, the fighting mechanic doesn't involve LMB/RMB, just spam LMB like crazy  

Oh, and fully dedicating three of four snares to rabbit hunting during a week or so will give you a great deal of guts you can then use to craft more fishing lines. 

 

Wow!  Thank you!  Really helpful, will definitely be trying the bait tactic on the Lake!  And stupidly it never occurred to me to use my stats to help with this - brilliant!   

Great to know about the L/RMB not being needed anymore - Ive seen so many 'how-to's' on the fight mechanisms but obviously they have changed over time and advice differs - clarification is good!!

I normally make three snares but I believe I will increase this to at least four, possibly five as I would far rather have an overabundance than get caught short. 

I normally set up camp at trappers homestead but Im thinking that the camp office may be better - more abundant food sources and a bit more central.  The only downside I can see is the lack of a safe which I find useful for slowing the perishing of items.  

[beechel]

1 minute ago, Ruruwawa said:

Regarding fighting wolves hand-to-hand (the animated "struggle"), there's only one button now: LMB.  Spam that LMB as fast as posslble!  When the bar fills the wolf runs away.  Usually he's hurt and will bleed out, so you can loot him.

Having a hand-to-hand "weapon" in you inventory also shortens the fight.  Knife > Axe > Prybar, and the sharper the better.  With a high condition knife and rapid clicking it's even possible to end the struggle so quickly that neither you nor your clothing takes damage.

17d is a good run -- valuable experience and lessons.  Good story too

lol, yes valuable experience and I was very proud of my little stint!  Thank you!  

I do try and sharpen my tools to the max, but no matter what, I can never fill that bar quickly enough and normally end up with ripped clothes, battered body and crappy health!  Definitely need to hunt down some wolves and practice I think, once I have the wolves nailed  I think it will be so much easier for me.  I would prefer to take on a bear to be honest, sit in a nice little safe fishing hut and just shoot and retreat until the sucker goes down then feast like a king! 

[beechel]

Also, when moving on from ML, what do you take?  I assume cured saplings, old mans beard, knife/hatchet/prybar, rifle, cured gut and leather... what are the necessities and what can/should I leave behind (if anything)

 

By the way, thank you all for your advice - its really useful! 

[Ruruwawa]

I sometimes take my left hand off the keyboard and spam the LMB with both hands.  I'm not sure it's more effective but it makes me feel like I'm everything I can to win the fight!  LOL

[cekivi]

27 minutes ago, Ruruwawa said:

I sometimes take my left hand off the keyboard and spam the LMB with both hands.  I'm not sure it's more effective but it makes me feel like I'm everything I can to win the fight!  LOL

 

[cekivi]

31 minutes ago, beechel said:

Also, when moving on from ML, what do you take?  I assume cured saplings, old mans beard, knife/hatchet/prybar, rifle, cured gut and leather... what are the necessities and what can/should I leave behind (if anything)

 

By the way, thank you all for your advice - its really useful! 

I generally take the same things that I would use for a supply run plus extra food and water, extra first aid, a bedroll (essential!) and a weapon if you've found one.

Basically, use the advice in the following post and just add additional stuff as needed 

 

[beechel]

41 minutes ago, Ruruwawa said:

I sometimes take my left hand off the keyboard and spam the LMB with both hands.  I'm not sure it's more effective but it makes me feel like I'm everything I can to win the fight!  LOL

PMSL!  that is my new tactic now!  

10 minutes ago, cekivi said:

I generally take the same things that I would use for a supply run plus extra food and water, extra first aid, a bedroll (essential!) and a weapon if you've found one.

Basically, use the advice in the following post and just add additional stuff as needed 

Great!  Thank you, wil check this post out  

 

[Nasdaq401]

Great advice in here!  I did notice you mentioned you were a bit worried there is no safe in trappers cabin regarding slowing degradation of items.  In the new update the only thing you really have to worry about now is meat.  Meat is best stored anywhere outdoors Where the temperature is very cold and it stays very fresh.  Other items can be placed anywhere you'd like even on shelves and it makes no difference in degradation rates anymore! Which is such an awesome change! 

[lupineways]

17 hours ago, Ruruwawa said:

I sometimes take my left hand off the keyboard and spam the LMB with both hands.  I'm not sure it's more effective but it makes me feel like I'm everything I can to win the fight!  LOL

I alternate my pointer and middle finger on the LMB. If you get the rhythm smooth it seems pretty effective. Relax and don't tense up.

[beechel]

 

9 hours ago, Nasdaq401 said:

Great advice in here!  I did notice you mentioned you were a bit worried there is no safe in trappers cabin regarding slowing degradation of items.  In the new update the only thing you really have to worry about now is meat.  Meat is best stored anywhere outdoors Where the temperature is very cold and it stays very fresh.  Other items can be placed anywhere you'd like even on shelves and it makes no difference in degradation rates anymore! Which is such an awesome change! 

There really is - its really helpful!  I often wondered that about meat, whether you could store it outside... but I had two main worries, how quickly the carcasses seem to degrade and whether the wildlife would eat it.  I assume once the meat is cooked and placed outside it doesn't perish so fast and that there is no game mechanism that means its at risk of being scavenged then?  Great -  storage of cooked meat outside it is then!  

[Nasdaq401]

1 hour ago, beechel said:

 

There really is - its really helpful!  I often wondered that about meat, whether you could store it outside... but I had two main worries, how quickly the carcasses seem to degrade and whether the wildlife would eat it.  I assume once the meat is cooked and placed outside it doesn't perish so fast and that there is no game mechanism that means its at risk of being scavenged then?  Great -  storage of cooked meat outside it is then!  

I actually tested it this morning. I'm living in the mountaineers hut in Timberwolf mountain and right outside there is a little corner so maybe a porch would work somewhere else but I dropped the cooked meat right on the ground and it only lost 1% in almost 24 hours  the uncooked meat lost a bit more but not much!