boy_scout_kevin

I recently reinstalled TLD simply to play the Dark Walker challenge ('tis the season, after all). A year or two ago when I played it last, I managed to snag the Deadly Dreamer badge before having my soul dragged into atomic chaos. Anyway, this time around I was not expecting to win either (especially considering my unfamiliarity with the newer maps), just have a good time running myself ragged from the Wendigo as envisioned by Lovecraft. Well, I've tried four runs so far, and I''ve died every single time as a direct result of damage taken from (always) multiple wildlife attacks. Every time. The bears and the moose beat you down immediately after you get up. The wolves tag team you. Every wildlife encounter is basically a death-sentence. I don't remember the animals being this aggressive and omnipresent.

I can't interact with the tauntingly-open window to the upper level of the infirmary...

This is (for various reasons) my first time. How do I make it kick in?

“You just never know. You go along figuring some things don't change, ever, like being able to drive on a public highway without someone trying to murder you. And then one stupid thing happens. Twenty, twenty-five minutes out of your whole life, and all the ropes that kept you hanging in there get cut loose, and it's like 'There you are, right back in the jungle again.' “ - Duel, 1971 *** "Keep your mind in hell, but despair not." • - Saint Silouan [1866-1938] *** "How quickly a man takes on the qualities of darkness. Men who live by night; the soldier, the thief, the traveller by night, the vagabond... theirs is a different way of thinking, and they do not fear the dark nor what may come upon them by night because they themselves are of the night, a part of it." - Louis Lamour *** "Barbarism is the natural state of mankind. Civilization is unnatural. It is a whim of circumstance. And barbarism must always ultimately triumph. " — Howard, Robert E. Beyond the Black River, 1935 *** "The rifle is a weapon. Let there be no doubt about that. It is a tool of power, and thus dependent completely upon the moral stature of its user. It is equally useful in securing meat for the table, destroying group enemies on the battlefield, and resisting tyranny. In fact, it is the only means of resisting tyranny, since a citizenry armed with rifles simply cannot be tyrannized." —Jeff Cooper, The Art of the Rifle *** "Labor is the only prayer that Nature answers." - Robert G. Ingersoll (from his address to the jury during the trial of C. B. Reynolds on a charge of Blasphemy) ***

It will be in December. Or send it packing, at least.

That was my biggest problem: I've spent a fair amount of time on Bear Island, but I still don't know the connectors like the back of my hand.

Actually, you're right. Sounds like the DarkWalker will be returning some time in December, and this time we might be able to send it packing. So much for Real Life for a while =D

I got 6 pages and ~5.5 hours. I might have taken another serious shot at some point but, well, RL.

...what did all the journal pages say?

That's further than I thought I'd get. I even had a shot at lasting a little longer, but it appears that you can spend too much time in close proximity to the DW without actually making contact with it and still be consumed. I threw down a Ward on top of Carter Hydro to buy time to chug an energy drink, shed some redundant gear and catch my breath; according to the gage the DW was halted 20+ meters away, but I still got deaded about ten seconds after anyway. Or maybe it was the fear that killed me. Anyway, a little disappointing, but like I said, I never thought I'd last as long as I did.

Oh yeah, I'd either be sick, or writhing in pain for days getting rid of it. Or both.

Please don't hate me, Canada.

From what I gather, the DW always heads straight at you (unless you bamboozle it with a glyph), mostly ignoring terrain. I can see I'm never going to win the DW event, but I do enjoy playing it. I'm glad it's heavily salted with energy drinks; fatigue seems to be one of my biggest challenges.

Yeah yeah I know, Canada and all. I like Canada and I like maple syrup, but the idea of chugging a bellyful of the stuff as a meal still makes me cringe. Even assuming I kept it down, the sugar crash would prostrate me. Please believe me, I'm not Canada-bashing. Two of my favourite games are Canadian (this one and Darkest Dungeon). I've loved more Canadian bands than I can think of right now. I love Canada okay!? I just...the maple syrup thing...*shudder*

Yeah, the whole DarkWalker thing is well played. I'm generally a purist, but I hope Hinterland keeps the EtDW challenge as a permanent addition to the game.

I had no idea this existed until I saw a girl playing it on Twitch. Of course, I had to buy it on Steam (I played the GOG version before) and wade right in. It's amazing how well TLD morphs into survival horror. I do have a question, though: if we can only use the "dispel fog" glyph once, what do we do about the fog the rest of the time? P.S: I'm really enjoying DW, aside from the fact that it forces a play style that is antithetical to my normal gear-up-and-hole-up mode, and feels more than a little unnatural. It will take some getting used to. My very first run, I cleared Milton as well as I could as the counter counted down, then headed to the old lady's house thinking that if I hunkered down and stayed *real* quiet the DW might pass me by... =D

I actually dropped one one-shot with a rifle. One, out of the several encounters I've had with them. A lucky shot, I'm guessing. Everything else was just pack damage. The experience with the bow is interesting. Maybe I'll go in once I'm armed old-school again... P.S.: Respect for the The Thing avatar.

Me too. I soiled my armour I was so scared.

Is it possible to completely clear all of the predators in a given area with no chance of respawning? Ferinstance, if I went into Bleak Inlet loaded for bear (so to speak), could I, at least in theory, kill all the damn timber wolves and then be able to wander around with no fear of what has so far been the most irritating death I've experienced in the game?

Ha! Thanks.

Ah I see, that makes sense. Yes, I have it through GOG.

Is there always a prepper cache in each game? And aren't there a bunch of potential locations?

I was disappointed to find, having time this year to partake of For Days of Night, that it is not supported on the native Linux build. So my question is: if I install the SteamOS version, can I get into 4DoN next year?

I awoke in the rangers cabin in ML after the 1.62 update to see my the floors swept clean of the furs, bows, rifle, water etc that I had so carefully organized after I ran out of container space. I liked the new decor details, but was a tad distraught at the loss until I noticed the red tin box sitting beside the door. Thank you very much, Hinterland. My question, are they a permanent fixture, or are they just there for the update, and I should worry about them disappearing at some point?

Wot, behind the rabbit?