Whetstone available in current pre-update game run?

[aaa1steve]

Now that a sharpening stone is needed, will one be spawned, or has one been spawned in my current game region, which I have been playing for 700+ game-days? Or will I need to start a new game to ever find one?

Not looking for suggestions on where to find it. I just want to know whether it is worth me traipsing around to look for it in my ongoing game. I have already scoured each of the regions pretty well to find heaps of stuff.

[aaa1steve]

Never mind. I found a whetstone where I thought it would most likely be in PV. LOL

[ThresholdSeven]

Not only will whetstones spawn in old maps, but so will multiples of another new item implemented in the latest update as well as new cat tails, saplings and some containers and cars that you already searched will contain loot again. Not sure if the extra stuff (other than the new items such as the whetstone) is meant to spawn, but this has happened to me through the last 3 major updates. It's a nice bonus for a long run.

[aaa1steve]

Thanks. I just discovered this in one of the cars. Also, I have had 2 pea coats spawn on the bed in the PV Farmstead since v298 (already had one there but wear a Wolfskin Coat I created). Shush! Don't tell anyone.

[ThresholdSeven]

Thanks. I just discovered this in one of the cars. Also, I have had 2 pea coats spawn on the bed in the PV Farmstead since v298 (already had one there but wear a Wolfskin Coat I created). Shush! Don't tell anyone.

I have the pea coat on the bed too and have yet to touch it

[SteveP]

I worry that the whetstones will all get worn out. I suppose it might be possible to craft a whetstone. I think the intention is to have us move away from the non-renewable resources and tools. I think it will be addressed in due time.

Did you know that a knife can be honed on most ceramic items such as the bottom of a coffee cup?

Using concrete, brick and strop to sharpen a knife.

And for the situation where no man-made materials are at hand, here is a technique to create an improvised whetstone using powdered rock material and a flat stick.
http://www.survivalknifeexperts.com/blogs/the-survival-guide-blog/10368873-how-to-sharpen-your-survival-knife-in-the-bush

 

[hauteecolerider]

Thanks so much for the info, SteveP! I've been wondering what to do when I run out of whetstones. As I use them for both the hatchet and the knife, it does wear down. I've been hoarding every whetstone I've found by caching them in my various bases (Trapper's Cabin, Camp Office and Dam in ML, Farmstead and Radio Hut in PV, etc) so I shouldn't have to go far to replace one that wears out. But I keep thinking there's got to be some way to keep them sharp in the end game. If I ever make it to the end game (where all manmade items are used up and you are out of matches, clothes, canned goods/preserved foods, and down to your last knife and hatchet). 

[elloco999]

The suggestions @SteveP makes are not actually in the game. In TLD there is only 1 way to maintain your knives and hatchets: the whetstone.

IRL there are many ways to sharpen a knife if you don't have a whetstone. The one I would use is using the flattest river stone I can find. And hone the knife using a leather belt, or other leather surface. But none of this is available in TLD.

[hauteecolerider]

On March 15, 2016 at 5:09 AM, elloco999 said:

The suggestions @SteveP makes are not actually in the game. In TLD there is only 1 way to maintain your knives and hatchets: the whetstone.

IRL there are many ways to sharpen a knife if you don't have a whetstone. The one I would use is using the flattest river stone I can find. And hone the knife using a leather belt, or other leather surface. But none of this is available in TLD.

I knew that. I had been thinking of what I would like to see in TLD and SteveP hit upon one of my most pressing concerns ... Alternatives to the whetstone for keeping your knives sharp! Thanks anyway.

[ThresholdSeven]

The epic debate between "real life" and game mechanics is a never ending struggle. I can't assume what Hinterland is aiming for in the future, but no matter what way they lean towards, it's a difficult balance. I understand the appeal of realism in games and the realism in TLD is one of the reasons it is one of my favorite games. I also favor gameplay mechanics over realism IF they result in better gameplay. 

I also understand the concern for items wearing out and having no other way to accomplish something in game being unrealistic, but I am in favor of the "inevitable death" mechanic, although it seems that there is always a way to live forever in TLD regardless. Before the latest big update it was still possible to live indefinitely with literally nothing except a magnifying glass and a handful of rabbit traps (I tested it extensively and I wish it wasn't so. After 2500+ plus alive I'm considering killing my character.) I want there to be an inevitable end game to survival mode. I want everything to eventually run out. I want to see how long I can make everything last. The recent update didn't tilt in that direction. Everything on average now lasts 10 times longer. A game mode where it is literally impossible to live past 500-1000 days or so would be awesome. Before the recent update, all that would have needed to be done is to make things decay at least twice as fast (maybe more) and make rabbit traps eventually break beyond repair (for those who would hate this idea, it could just been another game mode, there are already three, why not more).

I think the best thing to help satiate everyone's need is to have two more game modes at least: one where things don't wear out or there is an unlimited supply, and another mode  where everything eventually wears out (fairly quickly) and there is a limited supply. I'd like to play a never-ending sandbox where running out of supplies isn't a concern (basically how it is and always has been, since running out of supplies is just a theoretical end game that no one has ever truly reached to my knowledge as it would take well over 5,000 days, and there is still the snare, magnifying glass mechanic (maybe not after the recent update, haven't tested it again), BUT I also would like the struggle to see just how long I can live when I am down to the very last arrow, the very last whetstone and the very last sewing kit in the game. 

Maybe in the future if modding TLD becomes a thing, the above will also be a thing. I would love to see it and I will definitely contribute to it. 

[lupineways]

On 4/25/2016 at 10:45 PM, ThresholdSeven said:

there is still the snare, magnifying glass mechanic (maybe not after the recent update, haven't tested it again)

I'm curious if there are more challenges to this method of extended survival with the recent changes. I would like to hear about your testing results of you get a chance.

I also like the idea of inevitable death but hopefully in a slightly more emergent way than just complete resource drain. Perhaps continuing to tweak the various game systems to make survival with minimal resources harder to manage in the long term...more risk of being put out of commission due to a lack of more functional resources.

[ThresholdSeven]

On April 27, 2016 at 4:59 PM, lupineways said:

I'm curious if there are more challenges to this method of extended survival with the recent changes. I would like to hear about your testing results of you get a chance.

I also like the idea of inevitable death but hopefully in a slightly more emergent way than just complete resource drain. Perhaps continuing to tweak the various game systems to make survival with minimal resources harder to manage in the long term...more risk of being put out of commission due to a lack of more functional resources.

I never thought of a slow tweaking of the difficulty setting over time as a way to implement a different type of death scenario. I really like that idea. It could tie into the game mechanic of starvation I would like to see implemented. Over time without enough to eat would cause weight lose and in turn quicker freezing times, less carry weight, faster stamina drain, longer heal times etc. and it could go the other way too once you regain your strength and even go overboard with too much weight gain. There would be two types of extreme hibernators, the emaciated and the plump.

When I tested the rabbit trap/magnifying glass technique, I was in the Pleasant valley farmstead. I had tons of supplies in the house, but spent over two weeks naked with only about 12 traps and one magnifying glass in my inventory and a few emergency supplies (bandages, etc.) that I never used. I allowed myself a day worth of water and meat to start. The hardest part was waiting for the sun to come out to start a camp fire so I could take a torch and start the fire in the fireplace. I failed a few times, but got in the groove where as long as the sun came out I could live forever and it always did in time once I figured out a routine. 

Before the latest big patch, the guaranteed place to catch rabbit was changed from the nearest tree in the orchard in the front yard to the other side of the back yard. This made it a little harder to adapt, but after a few tries I was able to last a couple weeks in the same way. The sun was again the real enemy, but if you can get passed the first two weeks you'll have enough rabbit meat and water saved up to easily live through a long span of sunless days.

I have not yet tried this since the new update. I am curious if it is still doable, but I'm not really motivated to try, since the decay mechanics make it seem even more pointless to worry about it now as running out of supplies is almost impossible. There were already enough supplies to last thousands of days and it appears that decay times are even slower than before. I love the game, but I just can't see myself playing till the bitter end with no supplies left. It would take hundreds of hours, especially with the new mechanics that make it harder to pass time fast. I love that the game can be survived for thousands of days, I had tons of fun on my long run, but I would love to see a new mode where an inevitable end would come sooner but still be relatively long game play. 

I'm in the middle of trying to see how long I can survive in the bear challenge (intentionally not going to the trapper's cabin). It's super fun and super intense and I'm probably not going to last long. It's real close to the extreme challenge I've been looking for, but it would need some balancing to make it perfect, mostly because there is no bow and arrow or gun in that mode, but it's still fun to try to do without.