New v256-282 run

[Hotzn]

OK, just downloaded the July update and watched the introduction movie. I will go to bed now, since it's late. Go to bed, since it's prudent... a man needs his sleep... must remain strong... arrrgh... must not start the game... not... select stalker... not...

Day 1:

I spawn in ML, outside the dam. With 12 hours of daylight left and the sun shining, the felt temperature is at -21°C. Better get moving. Hmmm... the dam? Equipment check... dang! No flare, nothing to keep Fluffy at bay. Will I be able to make it to Alan's Cave and from there to the lake? With the new walking/running mechanic, I might be too slow and freeze Also, the wolf near Alan's Cave might prove problematic. Or try to reach logging camp, the wolf-trap? Or cross the ravine, try to get across to CH? That seems to be the safest route, if nothing has changed in the ravine. I'm going for the ravine... this is exciting!!

I try out the new running exhaust-o-meter, then come upon some twigs and branches. I break one apart, just for the sake of trying it out. Mistake! These lousy 10 minutes bring me down to freezing! I hasten onwards and find the red railway carts. The last one yields a toque, which is welcome, a jerry can, a Granola bar from a first aid kit, and a piece of cloth. It's difficult to pick up the jerry can, the cursor doesn't seem to "find" it. I finally manage to do it. With the cloth it doesn't work, I leave it where it is. Frozen down to 92% already, better move on...

Aha, sticks and Birch bark can be picked up without time loss. As we all know, Birch bark always burns, even when wet. This may be useful for making fires, so I take some. Having carefully crossed the log to the other side, I run again for a bit in hopes of getting a little bit warmer. Where the burnt out campfire is, I find some canned food and a log of cedar firewood. There is a cave here... should I start a fire? I have already frozen down to 73%. But if I get caught here by a blizzard, I am practically dead. Hmmm... I guess I have to warm up a bit before moving on, so I start a fire in the cave...

Using my cardboard matches, some Birch bark and my log of Cedar firewood, my first attempt works! I cook Tomato soup to get my insides warm! Then I feed some twigs into the fire and melt & boil 1 liter of water. Warmed up from the in- and outside, I am at 71% condition with 9 hours of daylight left. Off I go...

I make it across the railway bridge (new creaking noises?) and over to Coastal Highway without incidents. The corpse at Train Unloading has a hatchet lying next to it, yesss! Entering the trailer, I find a better fleece sweater. After putting it on, the felt temperature inside is +1°C. Before I stop freezing, I am down to 52%. I am also very exhausted. Eat and drink a little, then sleep for two hours. On waking up, a rattling noise seems to indicate that wind might have picked up outside. Should I stay here and heal or press on? Still 5 hours of daylight left, but I am still quite fatigued. Better stay and recover. I go back outside, light a fire using a book I found and melt & boil 2 more litres of water, Then I call it a day.

[Hotzn]

Day 2:

Luckily, temperatures in the trailer do not drop over night, so I make it to the next day and am back to 100% condition. However, a blizzard is blowing outside and confines me to the trailer. When it subsides, there are 11 hours of daylight left. Now it's foggy outside, so back to bed for another hour. Now it has cleared up, with -16°C outside. Time to move.

I only manage to do a few steps when... a wolf steps up to the rails!! It sees me and comes running over. Suffering a little heart attack, I run back to the trailer and make it inside just in time! Phew... :shock:

Good thing this did not happen in a moment when my exhaust-o-meter was down, otherwise I would likely not have escaped that wolf. Back to bed for another hour. Peek outside again, careful, careful... seems like the wolf has gone. Checking in all directions at all times, I walk back along the rails and turn left and downhill where the tunnel starts. To my left, there is a corpse right below the little bridge, but there is nothing useful here. Then I walk down the hill, keeping the cliffs to my right shoulder, and finally arrive safely in Rabbit Grove. Collecting some Rose Hip, twigs and mushrooms, I find a "Cedar limb" which can be broken down with the hatchet. Interesting. However, that would take 45 minutes and probably bring me into freezing condition. Better try this later. So I enter the cabin at Rabbit Grove and find - yay - some antiseptic. Since I didn't have any on me from the start, I am happy. On the other hand, there are two lockers which might hold valuable loot, but alas - they are locked and I have no crowbar...

Resting for one hour in a bed, I manage to shake off any fatigue and most of the cold, but my hunger is growing. And I only have one can of pork & beans left. I'd rather keep this for a moment when I need to warm my insides. Stepping back outside, the temperature is almost mild, a mere -1°C. Should I grasp the opportunity to collect the Cedar limb? Yes, I do it, wood seems to have become a fairly valuable resource... now I've got 3 pieces of Cedar firewood. Good.

Bear Creek Campground has a metal box lying around, but it's empty. A ravaged deer carcass is also here, but a very cold wind has picked up, so I better move on for now. I reach the lonely "Cabin" which is above the road just as I start freezing. Inside it's pretty dark, and I am lacking a lantern to search it properly (don't want to waste a match), but I manage to find a packet of beef jerkies, a jar of peanut butter and a tin of coffee. Almost crying with joy, I eat the peanut butter and have a sip of water. Resting for an hour, I shake off some of the cold, but with only 3 hours of the day remaining, I move on.

Or maybe not. A blizzard is just starting outside. I am forced to stay here for the night.

[Hotzn]

Day 3:

The next morning, hunger and thirst bar are high in the red. The pork & beans and some water need to go. This leaves me with just the beef jerkies (which I want to keep as decoy) and 0.3 litres of water. Need to make water soon and find more food. With 14 hours of the day remaining, it's -28°C outside and very windy. Back to bed for another hour. Then it's -13°C (at least out of the wind), so off I go. Observing the Fishing Cabins carefully for any wolf activity, I spot none and approach the first cabin. On the workbench behind it, there is a fishing tackle and an additional hook. Inside the cabin, I find a new can of pork & beans (jippi!), a can of Stacy's soda, mittens and a pair of jeans. Putting on these new clothes, my temperature bonus goes up from +6 to +7°C. Not much, but under the given circumstances every degree counts.

Second cabin: A toque, another pair of work boots and - yay! - a scarf! There is an armchair here which could be taken apart for reclaimed wood, cloth & tinder. But it would take time and I feel I don't really need any of that at the moment.

Third cabin: Tomato soup (yummy), water purification tablets (well, who knows, don't weigh much), cardboard matches (yay!).

Fourth cabin: Argh... spotted by a wolf, but slip inside just in time. Ah, a down vest! Temperature bonus is now +8. We are getting somewhere. Sleep for an hour, then peek outside... coast seems clear. I go back to the road, turn left and walk towards the bridge a little, then turn left again onto the ice and search the ice fishing hut there. Ha! A box of rifle rounds! That might come in handy...

Looking around from the hut, what do I see on the nearest little island? Is that a Maple sapling? It is. I harvest it and then go towards Jackrabbit Island. The wolves that used to hang around here seem to be on vacation and I make it safely to the cabin on Jackrabbit. Right next to the little veranda, I find a fir limb. Will harvest that later, but good to know it's there. The cabin itself yields quite some canned food, more matches, a set of simple tools aaaand - a sewing kit! The water from the toilet is also welcome. I will make this place my base for now, so all deteriorating items go into various cupboards, the food in the fridge and the rest on the floor. Then I take a look around the island, collecting some lichen & Rose Hips, and harvesting another fir limb I find near the corpse down the slope from the front door. Getting cold, I go back to the cabin, light a fire on the veranda and melt & boil 3 litres of water. Then it's dark and I go to sleep.

[Hotzn]

Day 4:

Waking up, I am very hungry. A can of pork & beans and a candy bar make a meagre breakfast. There is some food left, but I need to procure more. Time for an expedition. With 12 daylight hours remaining and -12°C outside, I am on my way...

First I check the corpse behind the island and am lucky - there is a knife lying next to him. Moving over to the fishing hut between Jackrabbit and Misantrope's, another stroke of luck: a rifle!

The sky has turned greyish in the meantime, and I am getting cold. Going back to Jackrabbit's, I arrive at the door just before starting to freeze. I am now almost fully equipped with the essentials - knife, hatchet, sewing kit, tools and rifle. The next step should be to get hold of a deer for some venison and deer hide for crafting clothes.

First, however, I sleep for an hour to warm up. While sleeping, a blizzard starts. I outsleep it and then leave for the fishing hut which lies on the way to log sort, quite close to Jackrabbit. There is a Cedar log, which I leave here for emergency situations (I will need it very soon...). Peeking out, I then see a possible deer-wolf-combo. I go for it. Other than intended, the deer goes down between the hut and the road, and rather closer to the road (I wanted it to be brought down closer to Jackrabbit's). Hmmm... 5 daylight hours left and quite cold & windy it is... hmmm... anyway, I aggro the wolf away from the deer carcass and want to shoot it with the rifle, but somehow I fumble (sometimes my mouse seems to fail) and get into a handfight. Ah, it appears I need to klick the left button now... until the bar is full? OK... clickclickclick... bar is full... wolf runs off. Opening the first aid menue, I see it in all its new beauty. Looks like the wolf got my leg, I am bleeding there. Patching it up with a bandage, I don't even need antiseptic.

Now for the deer... the cold bar is creeping up, so I light a fire next to the carcass, using up my only accelerant (thinking back now, that was already dangerous). Then I become greedy and careless (always the most dangerous in TLD), set everything to harvest all. Projected time around 2 hours, more than the fire will burn for (put one Cedar log on it, that was all I had on me). But not THAT much more, so let's try it! Mistake. After the fire goes out, I start freezing so quickly that I am already down to 58% when I frantically cancel the harvesting process. Dang! I run for the fishing hut, slip inside, light a fire (lucky, lucky - took the jerry can with me and can use kerosene to speed this up) and put the emergency Cedar log on it I left here before (again, lucky). Make coffee (good thing I have it on me) and manage to stop the freezing process at 48%. Being still very cold, I discover that I still carry 3 twigs! They help raise the temperature a little, and while I warm up by the oven, I make good use of the time and cook 2 kg of venison. Then the fire goes out and I must leave. It has gotten dark by now, and a lot colder... run, run... please no wolves now... reaching the shore of Jackrabbit Island, I am exhausted and have to revert to walking... ooohhh, I am slow... please... pleeeeze... and I make it to the door. Phew.

Safely back inside, I check where I'm at: down to 48% condition from freezing, but apparently no further ailments. Got most of the venison and one gut from the deer, but not the hide. Clothing is damaged, temperature bonus is back down to +6°C (from +8°C). Things could be worse. I eat the two cooked pieces of venison, drink water and go to bed (after stumbling around in the dark searching for it for about 3 minutes).

[Hotzn]

Day 5:

After 10 hours of sleep, I am back to 100%. Today, I will try to harvest what remains of the deer (hopefully the hide) and keep an eye out for the wolf I fought. Temperatures are moderately cold, so when I have reached the deer and harvested the remaining venison (1.5 kg) and hide, I am already very cold. One gut remains. Should have brought firewood to extend my expedition, dang! Back to base to warm up, get some twigs and return. Then I do it right and light a little fire (just some twigs) to warm me while I harvest the last gut. That's better!

I press on to the road and venture a little to the left and right, looking uphill in hopes of spotting a grey carcass somewhere. No luck. The wolf probably ran further up the hill to bleed out somewhere hidden. I dare not trail it further. Instead, I loot 3 nearby corpses, the purple car and two more fishing huts, getting two flares and a box of rifle rounds among smaller goodies. Returning to Jackrabbit's, I collect more twigs and break down a Cedar and a Fir limb. Fatigue is high, and with 2 daylight hours remaining I go to bed.

[Hotzn]

Day 6:

Waking up with 14 daylight hours remaining, I am almost starving and my water reserves are down to 1 litre. Today, I must prepare more water and cook the raw venison from the deer. Since I have collected quite some wood yesterday, I set myself to work...

Grrr... it's a windy day, and my fire behind the house is extinguished when the wind changes direction. I move around the house, but after two hours wind direction changes again and I lose a log of fir firewood I just put into the fire. The venison is cooked, but I only managed to make 2.5 litres of water. Need more wood. So I run around the island collecting sticks, branches and limbs until a blizzard forces me back inside.

It's a short one, and with 4 daylight hours remaining I step back out and start another fire. I then prepare water deep into the night. It's a clear and starry night, later snow begins to fall beautifully.

[Hotzn]

Day 7:

Waking up starving, I eat 2 pieces of venison. I now have a decent supply of water, but food is running out. Another deer needs to be hauled in, for venison and its hide. Also, I want to establish an outpost at the first fishing hut towards log sort. This is the closest fishing hut to my base, and in case I need to make a stop there - maybe even overnight and with a blizzard - I want to deposit some firewood and water.

So I first collect some twigs and harvest a Cedar limb on Jackrabbit Island. Freezing down to 88% in the process, I take a break for one hour in the cabin to warm up. Have to wait a little more, since a blizzard starts. It subsides with 8 hours of daylight left, and I slip back out. It's still windy, so windchill is a problem. I manage to drop a load of sticks, 3 Fir firewood and 2 litres of water in the closest fishing hut, but cannot scout around for long. So I repair some of my clothes in the fishing hut. After that, I pursue a deer, but cannot find any wolves to chase it into (all six wolves around Jackrabbit Island seem to be off duty). Fatigue, bad weather and bad hunting luck waste the day away. Finally, I have to go to sleep without really achieving anything today. Grrr... food is running out, tomorrow I need to make something happen...

[Hotzn]

Day 8:

Getting up with 14 daylight hours remaining, I decide I need to shoot something today - a wolf, if need be. I shoulder the rifle and step outside...

It's a wonderful and clear sunny morning, but crisp, at -20°C. I see a deer on the ice and take some steps to get a better overview... no wolves to the left or right of the island... and too cold to really venture out... so back to bed for another hour. With 12 hours left, it's still -19°C, but I step back out and venture onto the ice. There is a deer, and I sneak behind it, crouching. When it turns and walks towards me, I lift the rifle, meaning to take aim. My broken mouse gives off a shot into the air and the deer runs off. Dang. It doesn't run very far, though, as it encounters a wolf nearby. So I use another bullet to get the deer-wolf combo. I have frozen down to 92% when I shoot, so must return to base for a little rest.

Upon my return, fog has fallen, at -13°C. I must light a fire to be able to harvest without freezing, and I place it between me and the nearest place where I know wolves to be patrolling. I first take the hides, as these seem important to make better clothes. Then I take the meat from the deer and some from the wolf, piece by piece. The fog has lifted, and looking around, I see the other two wolves from between Jackrabbit's and Misantrope's casually approaching. They seem to have become interested over quite some distance and just stroll over. Good thing the fire is in their way. One stops there, growling, then inexplicably runs off, yelping. The second one stops as well, growling. I leave it there and walk off, keeping the fire between the two of us, and make it safely back to base. Placing all the meat on the floor, I rest for one hour and then return to harvest the rest (fire still burning, wolves have strolled off).

Back home, I cook and eat some of the new wolf meat, then fall into bed like a dead man (fatigue high in the red).

[Hotzn]

So yeah... I have sucked in the atmosphere of the last update, and it feels good. Stalker hasn't exactly become a lot more difficult, but I feel there is more to keep an eye on with the new wood foraging mechanic. I like it very much that one cannot run zig-zag across the map in no time anymore. Hunting and scavenging trips need more planning now, and this is how it should be.

I guess the start of the game has been prolonged compared to earlier versions, with the curing mechanic for the crafted clothes that was introduced a while ago and the new need to collect firewood manually from the v256 update. Also, the maps feel larger now that one cannot run all the time. I think this is very well done.

What has become of the hibernation exploit? I haven't tried that out yet, and I haven't seen anyone reporting about it anywhere. Shall take a look at that later.

The only thing I would still criticize is that I do not see myself playing the notorious endgame (when everything runs out and you finally die) soon. I feel there is still too much midgame to grind through for me to be motivated to play to the endgame. Although I would really like to experience it. But I just can't bring myself to waste resources to artificially get there.

Anyway, I don't want to criticize too much, because in the end it might sound as if I disliked the game. I love it, it's glorious!

From here on, I won't continue to report every day of this run. I may occasionally report things that I find worth mentioning. Thanks for reading so far!

[Bill Tarling]

Fun reading your journalled account of your days and the changes

[bethany]

I'll miss the daily updates, but thanks for sharing what you have so far! These journals are quite interesting and useful.

[Hotzn]

Thanks for the feedback, Bill & Bethany.

I am on day 18 now (moving between Jackrabbit and Coastal Townsite) and still have to craft my first piece of clothing. It seems crafted clothes now need more material, which is fine by me. I have 3 wolf pelts and 3 deer hides currently waiting to be processed. Since I made 2 snares, rabbit pelts and guts (from rabbits) come in at a steady flow. This part still seems a bit too easy (on stalker) - one could think about removing guts from the rabbits again and/or making catching them harder. Currently, I just place my 2 snares right in front of my door at Jackrabbit's, and I usually get 2 rabbits in the morning.

Anyway, the part of "gearing up" early in the run has been prolonged, and the new walking/running mechanic has made the far recesses of the map harder to reach. So I feel compelled to gear up first and explore the fringes later.

The new wood collecting mechanic is excellent for a number of reasons. First, some exploits have disappeared - no more wood gathering from the safety of a porch, in the middle of a lake or while standing next to a fire and taking advantage of its temperature. Second, it feels more natural to actually go looking for wood and pick it up than to just summon it. The division between sticks, branches and limbs is wonderful, and I have a feeling that they are dispersed well and respawn at a reasonable rate. Well, at least around Jackrabbit, as that is where I have been "living" and collecting wood mostly so far.

The way fire temperatures work now is a bit off, though. Using a myriad of sticks now results in an absurd temperature rise, even in fishing huts. The heat generated by Cedar and Fir is a bit underwhelming in comparison. Since Cedar has no other use, it has practically become redundant. And I will mostly abstain from burning Fir and instead keep it for repairs, since producing it wears off the hatchet pretty fast.

I am not sure the new dark rabbits are an improvement. They remind me of little wolves now. Are they really that dark in Canada? Here in Germany they are brown, and the former brownish rabbits resembled them better. However, the dark rabbits disappear faster than their predecessors after they have been harvested. That's good.

I have noticed there are two different ski jackets - the "ski jacket" and the "down ski jacket". Were they both there before the Deep Forest update? Anyway, their warmth and wind protection bonuses seem to be identical, is this intended? I would expect the down ski jacket to be a little better...

I also found a time bug, which I have posted in the bug report section.

[Hotzn]

Day 26:

I have continued playing a little after v265 came out. The first thing I noticed: Everything looks and sounds still better than before. Very athmospheric. I also like that weather changes are a bit smoother now. Good work!

Still being based on Jackrabbit Island, I noticed it's -3°C inside the cabin now. Hmmm... wasn't it warmer before? And the bed is now +6°C. I think it was +5°C before, wasn't it? Interesting, interesting... so if I reach the cabin early in the game now with really bad clothes, it might be difficult to stay there. But I would be able to warm up by going to bed...

Snaring rabbits, I realize the snares break faster now. That's OK, since it offsets the overabundance of guts I am getting from rabbits a little. Together with the fact that the crafted clothes require more materials now, things seem fairly balanced in that corner. I also get some food poisoning really quick from eating raw rabbit at 95% condition. Might have been just unlucky, but possibly this was changed. Better not eat too much raw rabbit in the future.

Oh, interesting: My framerates have dropped considerably. I am only getting 10 FPS inside now, that is a bit laggy. I am one of those people with onboard graphics (Win 8.1). Maybe I should get myself y decent graphics card...

Ah - I love the way the location names fade in and out now when approaching or leaving a location. Reminds me of Western movies somehow. And conveys some drama.

A pot on the kitchen counter and the toaster in the cabin on Jackrabbit Island can now be aimed at with the cursor and... aha... be harvested with a... hacksaw? Interesting. I presume harvesting them would yield scrap metal. Shall have to go looking for a hacksaw at some point...

I love the animal sounds at night...

[Hotzn]

Day 37:

This day sees me in the Lonely Lighthouse in DP, without the rifle and running out of food...

After spending more time based on Jackrabbit Island, I had crafted the rabbit skin mittens, the wolfskin jacket and the deerskin boots, feeling protected enough to explore the fringes of CH. At Commuter's Lament, I discovered that there is now a passage beyond... hmmm... I had left the rifle at Jackrabbit to travel lighter, but was otherwise well-equipped for some exploration... hmmm... curiosity won over and I ventured further. Along the Broken Highway to some mine entrance, with DP on the other side. Had to use a decoy and a flare to get rid of wolves before finding my way to Lonely Lighthouse (visiting Stone Church on the way). Luckily, the corpse at the Lighthouse had another flare - together with one beef jerky decoy currently my only protection from wolves.

Other things I noticed: The scrap metal now really looks a lot better than before. Good. Rabbits seem to have gotten more animations. I am not sure when this happened, but I recall they were just hopping around in the past - now they sometimes sit upright as if watching their surroundings. That gives them much more credibility and personality. Great. Fog lasts longer than one hour. Now that is really great, as before the September update fog lasted always exactly one hour. Fog falls? Sleep one hour and it is gone. That felt unnatural and "gamey". Now we can't predict how long fog is going to last. Muuuuuch better. I also saw slight adjustments in weight for some items, eg the deerskin boots now weigh 1.5 kg instead of 2 kg.

So now I shall have to decide whether to press on into DP or try to find my way back to CH and return with the rifle. Hmmm...

[Hotzn]

Day 39:

Made it safely back to base (cabin on Jackrabbit Island). Went on a little detour though, which was quite exciting. From the Lonely Lighthouse, I decided to return, but go back up to mine no. 3 around the left. First I ran into two wolves and had to use my only flare. Then I stumbled onto the entrance to mine no. 5 and couldn't resist (oh, the temptation!). On the other side, I entered the little guardhouse in front of Hibernia Processing only to be barked up by some wolf. Bark was quite close, but the monster remained unseen, so I dropped my beef jerkies and ran for the factory building. With no rifle, no decoy and no flare or torch I felt very vulnerable. Entered the building through the little back door and just looked here and there, opening a safe and picking up a hammer and a hacksaw on the way. I exited the building atop a stairway on the side, went down and over to the living containers. Coming out on the other side, I had a packet of beef jerkies and a flare. Tried to explore the vicinity a bit more, but had difficulties moving along the coastline (got stuck on 20 cm high sheets of broken ice a lot, this might need some reworking) and was pursued by wolves. When I left the property, one wolf was destined to have many sweet dreams of beef jerkies while another would be plagued by nightmares of ragged men waving and throwing terryfying red burn-stink-things that must come straight from the smelly darkness of a bear's den.

Returning through mine no. 5 and no. 3, my kerosene ran low. Collected some sticks, made fire and extracted torches. Left some torches at every entrance/exit for cases of emergency.

Coastal Highway greeted me with a wonderful day full of sunshine, and I gingerly wandered back to Jackrabbit Island. I was mighty hungry, but knew that tenderest rabbit and wholesome deer venison were waiting for me in the fridge. Also, I found a number of bullets in DP. And last but not least, the new hacksaw has made an almost endless supply of scrap metal available. If some stranger came by now on my little island (which I really feel to have become my property) and asked how long I was set up to survive for, I would say, "for longer than I want to live"...

So... congratulations to the devs for the new map. Although I haven't seen all of it yet, I think it has its own particular "feel" of remoteness. Exploring Hibernia Processing was the best part for me, because I had run out of some essentials and didn't know my way around the place. When I am exploring the unknown in need of certain items, the game is at its best. This is also when searching containers becomes thrilling again, when I think "pleeeeeze... flare..." while the search bar is filling up. Add not knowing the local wolves' patrol routes, and it becomes pure excitement...

[Hotzn]

Day 53:

The game has been updated to v280 in the meantime, and it's time to leave Jackrabbit Island again for another, deeper exploration trip to DP. The island has been a good base, I have crafted all the clothes and repaired everything close to 100%. The bow doesn't go with me, but the rifle does. I'll have to clear out a number of wolves to be able to take a good look around the new map, of which I have only briefly seen some parts so far...

Just a step before entering Crumbled Highway I remember I extracted the hammer from DP on my first trip there, leaving it in the first house after re-entering CH. Hmmm... better pick that up again, since I want to try out the forge, do I not? And then it happens... going back some 100m to the house, I see a wolf in the distance suddenly starting to run... sideways. Well, I think, that one one probably smelt the wolfskin jacket and is off. However, that wolf suddenly changes direction and runs directly towards me! Well, no problem either, I'll just shoot it. Lifting the rifle, I somehow fumble while standing on a slope, shooting over the animal's head... and it is upon me. Clickclickclick... ?... clickclickclickclickclickclickclick... click... click... and darkness. What? How did I lose the clickfest?? This has never happened before! Am I getting old? Has something changed? Just back luck today? Hrrrrgnnnnhhhhh...

Anyway, I am introduced to the new faint mechanic, waking up at 12% health (down from 100% and fully clothed (+22°C from clothes)). Just for the record, Scyzara. Bleeding from multiple wounds, both ankles sprained, I go down to 7% before I have patched myself up. The wolf is casually walking off, and I know a second one to be close by. Luckily, I make it into the next house. Through blurred vision, I see good old hammer lying on the floor, but stumble past it and into bed...

[Hotzn]

Day 54:

The next morning, I am back at 100%. Good thing I was fully stocked with bandages and everything else when the wolf struck. Still find it hard to believe this really happened to me. Damage to my clothes is limited, fortunately. It would have been a chore to spend more endless days in CH to make new ones before moving on to DP. As things are, I can move on right now. Grab the hammer and...

...upon leaving the house, I hear a strange yelping noise, as of a wolf dying. Not daring to move, I listen... and what's that? Sounds like a bear moving around very close... and then... silence. What the hey? Did some wolf just spawn next to bear when I left the house and died? Carefully, carefully, I start searching around the house... nothing. No wolf, no bear, no carcass. Strange.

Well, I am on my way to Crumbled Highway, when suddenly a very chilly wind picks up. Grrr... the sky is overcast, weather could be turning bad. Curious, I want to check whether the weather continues on Broken Highway (which it should). It doesn't. Sunshine on the other side. This is something the devs might want to look into. Anyway, I examine the Abandoned Harris Home a bit and find - a basement! Let's see what's inside... hm, not too much. Might find something here in story mode... coastline... ravaged deer carcass... back to the cliff... another ravaged deer carcass, behind it a cave... another burnt cabin... and then the mine no. 3 (West).

I pick up some coal on my way through the mine, and on exiting turn right, walk down to the road and turn right again. Aha, a dead end. OK, the Lonely Lighthouse should be in the other direction then. But before I get there, I am jumped by another wolf. Didn't even see it coming despite being quite careful, but this time I win the clickfest and get out with a sprained ankle and 74% health. For a second there, I think about pursuing the wolf, but no... dusk is approaching, I am injured and tired. So I reach the lighthouse with 2 daylight hours remaining, make a little coal fire, prepare water and go to bed.

[Hotzn]

Day 55:

Waking up the next morning, I find myself starving, and there is only one can of food left upstairs by the bed (pork & beans I think). Need... meat. So I shoulder my rifle, drop some equipment not necessary for hunting and leave the lighthouse. Outside it's a felt -6°C (thanks to the crafted clothes) and getting warmer, the sky is overcast, but it looks calm. Time to go.

Returting to the coastal street, I know two wolves and a deer to be hanging out on the ice to the left, so that's where my hungry stomach tells me to go. A short while later, meat & hides & guts of two wolves and a deer (which one of the wolves curteously took down for me before being taken down in turn as a token of my gratefulness) are waiting to be processed in the "small cabinet" under the stairs of the Lonely Lighthouse, my new base.

I set out again to haul in some firewood, returning to the street and turning left. Harvesting some fir limbs, I cross back to the other side and discover Katie's Secluded Corner. Whoever Katie is or was - she apparently shot a deer with an arrow, then left it there together with a bow, another arrow, a tin of sardines, a can of condensed milk and an empty backpack. Will I meet her in story mode? Would like to.

On the way back, I inspect the overturned boats at the shore. Aha - there are some things hidden in them, nice! A can of soda and two Coho Salmon. These go with me. The rest of the day - 4 daylight hours and some hours of darkness - are spent cooking meat at the pot belly stove downstairs in the lighthouse. Then it's off to bed.

[Hotzn]

Day 59:

After taking some days off for preparing water, cooking meat and doing various homework, days 58 & 59 are dedicated to further exploration. I examine some of the islands, collecting some bits and pieces here and there. "Little" Island - actually the biggest one around - has some sound problems: I hear a deer walking around all the time, which is actually on the other side of the island. Apparently sound passes through it. I also hear the Riken creaking distinctly while I am on the other side of Little Island. That doesn't seem right. Then a wind picks up, but I hear no air movement at all. I get -14°C windchill, but no sound at all. Shall report that properly in the bug section.

Then I enter the Riken for the first time... nice. The athmosphere is a bit creepy, very well done. Do some old school looting and deposit some coal I brought at the furnace. Shall try that later.

I wander around some more and up to Hibernia Processing, searching the big building a second time. On the way back to Lonely Lighthouse, I pass by Matt's Truck. Poor Matt has a tinder plug on him, I wonder what he was up to with that and nothing else. Well, OK, a prybar is also lying next to him. A quick check of the waterfall behind the bridge yields a Birch sapling. With this, I return to the lighthouse and call it a night (in RL).