Marko Solo

[ElPrezCBF]

I tried the Marko solo and got to day 13. It's an extremely slow start because I had to spend as much resources as possible before nightfall and take as much of what's left with me so the looters get nothing from my unguarded home. This presented a problem because after a certain point, the upgrade requirements far outweigh my backpack capacity. And I cannot continue without leaving some resources unguarded at home which will obviously be looted. On day 13, Cveta appeared (of all characters)! She's the worst possible guard and using her to scavenge would be sub-optimal. So it seems my campaign can't go any further under these circumstances. Is there anything I may have missed? Or is this storyline broken?

Forgot to mention: Marko gets sad from the looting even if the looters get nothing!

[Cetoiscini]

Yeah, Marko solo requires a lot of micromanagement.

Aside from bringing valuable supplies with you when you go scavenge, there's another trick you can use to keep your stuff safe from raiders. However, it sounds a tiny bit cheating though, so I'm gonna spoiler tag it, just in case. When you're about to end the day, start making something and immediately walk away (don't click the X). The materials needed for crafting will disappear, but the thing you're making won't appear. When you return to your shelter in the beginning of the new day, click cancel now and you'll get all those materials back.

Also, to prevent Marko's sadness, just make him well fed. It gives a bonus to morale, and because you're playing solo anyway, food shouldn't be a problem.

And with a gun and full security, Cveta can fend off a normal crimewave.

Anyway, in my own Marko solo, I got Emilia as a second survivor. She's not as rubbish as Cveta, but she's still among the worst.

[RainingMetal]

As far as I am concerned, Marko Solo is literally impossible (despite others having been able to complete it and even claiming it to be the easiest). Even if you bypass the raids by only picking up things you need and bringing them with you, the constant raids will hurt Marko's morale to the point of making him broken. Not to mention that I not once had a visit from another survivor in my attempts.

By the way, if you reset the day, you can change whoever appears at your doorstep! Hell, you can even mod the game to remove those bad visits (ie Cveta and Blago) entirely!

[jcode]

Just played it...it´s not hard if you know what to do.

First you leave ALL the stuff in the cabinets. People are NOT going to steal these items. They are protected. And make a plan...ONLY bring the exact amount of stuff you need to make stuff. A pen and a paper can be of use :-)

On every third day (4th...sometimes) bring bandages or meds to trade with Franko for ALOT of components and wood.

If you don´t leave anything they can steal....your morale won´t go down! Also eat every third day.

[GarbageCollector]

Originally posted by RainingMetal:

As far as I am concerned, Marko Solo is literally impossible (despite others having been able to complete it and even claiming it to be the easiest). Even if you bypass the raids by only picking up things you need and bringing them with you, the constant raids will hurt Marko's morale to the point of making him broken. Not to mention that I not once had a visit from another survivor in my attempts.

By the way, if you reset the day, you can change whoever appears at your doorstep! Hell, you can even mod the game to remove those bad visits (ie Cveta and Blago) entirely!

This is not the proper use of "literally". Plenty of people have beaten this scenario.

A tip is instead of carrying everything with you, put it in cabinets around the city. Though you can keep the things that start in the cabinets in your home until you need them as another user suggested, you can't put anything else in them. So, put them in cabinets around the city. Mark specific places for specific materials, have one spot designated as medical supplies, another for weapons, etc.

You're going to lose some stuff from time to time and that's okay. You have to eventually stockpile something in order to upgrade your stuff, and you obviously can't stay in and gain more materials.

Every so often, stay in for a day or two to regain morale or heal if necessary. Building furniture is pretty important, and just like leaving the starting items in the cabinets until absolutely essential, always make tons of stew all at once and leave it in the pot. They won't steal this either. If you do this and save the choppable furniture for firewood until after it gets cold, you can sometimes wait out the last 10-15 days of the scenario no problem.

An extra person is nice whoever it is, but totally unnecessary. This scenario isn't that hard if you have the right game plan, and you can make/play custom ones with harsher, longer winters, worse raiders, and force it to remain solo for a longer duration. These are also possible to win even still.

[RainingMetal]

I know what "literally" means, but I do admit I was using it in a rather hyperbole manner. Still, having to memorize where I store certain goods in levels, spending a lot of time just to get Marko rested, and half-building things for the sake of keeping materials is far too much for my physical energy to handle.

By the way, when the thieves do come and steal "nothing", Marko's morale WILL go down despite this.

[ElPrezCBF]

Originally posted by Cetoiscini:

Yeah, Marko solo requires a lot of micromanagement.

Aside from bringing valuable supplies with you when you go scavenge, there's another trick you can use to keep your stuff safe from raiders. However, it sounds a tiny bit cheating though, so I'm gonna spoiler tag it, just in case. When you're about to end the day, start making something and immediately walk away (don't click the X). The materials needed for crafting will disappear, but the thing you're making won't appear. When you return to your shelter in the beginning of the new day, click cancel now and you'll get all those materials back.

Also, to prevent Marko's sadness, just make him well fed. It gives a bonus to morale, and because you're playing solo anyway, food shouldn't be a problem.

And with a gun and full security, Cveta can fend off a normal crimewave.

Anyway, in my own Marko solo, I got Emilia as a second survivor. She's not as rubbish as Cveta, but she's still among the worst.

"A lot of micromanagement" is the crux of the matter, too much imo. I like challenges, but not when it requires me to calculate piece by piece every resource need every single day because I cannot keep them for the night. Making lower tier items has low resource needs, but you cannot even start to upgrade halfway if your backpack lacks the capacity to bring back enough resources to meet the high requirements. Depending on when the second survivor arrives, multiply this same pattern by xx days.

I also can't afford to give Cveta a gun immediately and she has the lowest combat effectiveness. Emilia would actually be a better alternative because she has a very high threshold for stealing and killing, so she isn't easily depressed and can even go out on raids.

Originally posted by RainingMetal:

By the way, if you reset the day, you can change whoever appears at your doorstep! Hell, you can even mod the game to remove those bad visits (ie Cveta and Blago) entirely!

Well, if I have to reset until the character I want appears, something is broken with this scenario. I'd rather have a more appropriate character consistently join you but when he/she arrives may vary from game to game. That said, the constant raids on Marko's morale also means a second survivor is needed before he gets broken. If he gets depressed before the second survivor arrives, it's game over.

Originally posted by jcode:

If you don´t leave anything they can steal....your morale won´t go down!

Unfortunately, it still does. I wish they would fix this.

Originally posted by smokytehbear:

An extra person is nice whoever it is, but totally unnecessary. This scenario isn't that hard if you have the right game plan, and you can make/play custom ones with harsher, longer winters, worse raiders, and force it to remain solo for a longer duration. These are also possible to win even still.

As I mentioned earlier, too much micro imo. This isn't just a game plan but a detailed accounting (literally) of every single resource need every day. I wonder how many players would be willing to micro like this all the way to the end. I can live with it if him being solo is only a temporary situation that probably doesn't last more than a week or two. Beyond that, a second person is necessary to console him if he gets depressed and tend to his wounds if he gets too injured to scavenge. Someone is also needed to guard the house so you can stockpile enough resources for high requirement upgrades that your backpack lacks the capacity for. Bear in mind that even if your backpack can hold exactly enough for an upgrade, the margin is very slim because there's no buffer for unplanned events like the need to get bandages or weapons if new incidences demand it.

[Cetoiscini]

Originally posted by Anntwel:

"A lot of micromanagement" is the crux of the matter, too much imo. I like challenges, but not when it requires me to calculate piece by piece every resource need every single day because I cannot keep them for the night. Making lower tier items has low resource needs, but you cannot even start to upgrade halfway if your backpack lacks the capacity to bring back enough resources to meet the high requirements. Depending on when the second survivor arrives, multiply this same pattern by xx days.

I also can't afford to give Cveta a gun immediately and she has the lowest combat effectiveness. Emilia would actually be a better alternative because she has a very high threshold for stealing and killing, so she isn't easily depressed and can even go out on raids.

Idk but you used to be forced to play solo for the entire game. NOBODY would join you during the entire 32 days of the war.

And securing a gun is easy enough with Marko's average combat skills. The evil versions of the Supermarket, St. Mary's Church or Hotel are easy to clear.

Originally posted by Anntwel:

This isn't just a game plan but a detailed accounting (literally) of every single resource need every day. I wonder how many players would be willing to micro like this all the way to the end. I can live with it if him being solo is only a temporary situation that probably doesn't last more than a week or two. Beyond that, a second person is necessary to console him if he gets depressed and tend to his wounds if he gets too injured to scavenge. Someone is also needed to guard the house so you can stockpile enough resources for high requirement upgrades that your backpack lacks the capacity for. Bear in mind that even if your backpack can hold exactly enough for an upgrade, the margin is very slim because there's no buffer for unplanned events like the need to get bandages or weapons if new incidences demand it.

As said before, being well fed is your friend. It's arguably the best way to get morale in this scenario, because feeding a single survivor everyday is not hard, and it also prevents the looters from stealing food, so you can use your backpack slots for safekeeping other things.

More things to add: Marko shouldn't get sick or wounded at any point during the game. You're not at home to get wounded by raiders. You can't get sick if you're the scavenger. And once you've secured your first gun, it's enough and you shouldn't take more risks and get more wounded. If you get injured while getting your first gun, too bad.

I feel that Marko solo is easier WITHOUT a second survivor. There's nobody to get wounded or sick because reasons above. Which means that I don't even have to bother with security or temperature. I guess I'm someone that can live with micromanagement.

[Cetoiscini]

So now I'm going to try Marko solo again, without using the spoiler-tagged trick. I'll update as the playthrough goes on.

[jcode]

Originally posted by Cetoiscini:

So now I'm going to try Marko solo again, without using the spoiler-tagged trick. I'll update as the playthrough goes on.

Good luck. And remember to eat on day 5....then every third day. Don´t leave ANYTHING they can steal...and have a plan.

[Cetoiscini]

Update on the first 5 days: I managed to complete the improved metal workshop, the improved stove, a bed, a radio, a crowbar and a hatchet. A neighbor gave me 3 canned food on day 2, and another one gave me 20 wood on day 4, and they really helped. I began feeding Marko to well fed on day 3, and although he's started complaining about the raids (which took nothing), he's still relatively ok.

[ElPrezCBF]

Originally posted by Cetoiscini:

Idk but you used to be forced to play solo for the entire game. NOBODY would join you during the entire 32 days of the war.

And securing a gun is easy enough with Marko's average combat skills. The evil versions of the Supermarket, St. Mary's Church or Hotel are easy to clear.

Not sure what you mean. I don't mind microing for 1-2 weeks max, but don't have the patience to do literal accounting for 40 days or more. This isn't fun, but if you think it is, good luck! =))

Originally posted by Cetoiscini:

As said before, being well fed is your friend. It's arguably the best way to get morale in this scenario, because feeding a single survivor everyday is not hard, and it also prevents the looters from stealing food, so you can use your backpack slots for safekeeping other things.

More things to add: Marko shouldn't get sick or wounded at any point during the game. You're not at home to get wounded by raiders. You can't get sick if you're the scavenger. And once you've secured your first gun, it's enough and you shouldn't take more risks and get more wounded. If you get injured while getting your first gun, too bad.

I feel that Marko solo is easier WITHOUT a second survivor. There's nobody to get wounded or sick because reasons above. Which means that I don't even have to bother with security or temperature. I guess I'm someone that can live with micromanagement.

Sorry but I still don't understand how that addresses my point about higher tier upgrade requirements that go way beyond your backpack capacity. Pulling stuff out earlier on is easy because of the lower tier requirements, but when that scales up for advanced improvements like upgrading your weapons bench to top tier or building a veggie garden, it's a different story.

Yes, Marko shouldn't get sick or wounded at any point but that's wishful thinking tbh. If the situation is such that parts of the city get cut off by fighting or snow, he may have to risk injury or death by raiding dangerous places. With a second survivor, there's at least someone to scavenge bandages for him if that happens.

[Cetoiscini]

I'm not a fan of tedious resources management either, but I'm playing Marko solo again, in order to prove with all you guys that it is doable. It can even be easy, if you can quickly get used to microing.

So relax, my friend. Time will prove everything :)

As for my playthrough, my next aim is the 2 rat traps, since they're basically free sources of raw food, not to mention food that haven't been picked yet won't be stolen. Next, I guess I'll focus on security becuse sooner or later a second survivor will come and I want my shelter to be habitable by the time they arrive.

[ElPrezCBF]

Well, I have no doubt it's doable with the right skills, experience and random events. My gripe is the tedious microing over the entire game. That said, if I am to enjoy such an experience, the UI must also keep up by providing a show/hide screen or something at all times on ANY location you visit to show you what and how many resources are being used in your home, whether the construction is partial or resources are still unused in your inventory. For example, you partially built a stove. So the UI will show "stove partially built, 10 components, 5 wood" or something similar, as well as how many and what resources are left in your inventory. By inventory, I don't mean what you leave at home for the looters (because there's none) but the remaining resources you carry with you in your backpack after making the partial construction. As well as a view of all possible improvements/upgrades and their requirements. If this can be streamlined further like just showing all possible improvements/upgrades and their requirements, and how much you fall short of their requirements when taking into account partial constructions, that would be even better. Sounds complicated I know, but my point is such a UI is needed badly especially for solo playthroughs. This will make it much much easier to calculate how much you need to take back with you when scavenging.

I actually tried a new Marko Solo with the tips given here so far and it's really tedious without the UI I suggested above. In fact, I even tried to get around the problem of backpack capacity being unable to keep up with advanced tier resource requirements by partially building unwanted improvements just to deny the looters, then return and cancel before building what I actually want. The very fact that I have to do this shows how excruciatingly tedious the process is even with the UI I mentioned.

[brown29knight]

My goals/tips playing solo Marko are as follows:

A. Know what you need. A vegetable garden is serious overkill for the stage. You need a minimum of 12 food to survive (13-15 is perferred, more if a second survivor shows up) 2 rat traps are more than enough, 1 is likely enough to survive if Marko stays solo.

B. Plan your builds. As you cannot keep stuff you scavenge elsewhere around your base, plan to build only what you need. My build order is as follows:

1 Bed
2 Cooker
3 Metal workshop
4 Crowbar
5 Upgrade workshop
6-10 Rat trap x2/Board up x3
11 Upgrade workshop
12 Alarm door
13 Herbal workshop (to make cigs for trade)
14 Water still
15 Second cooker
16-18 Heater x2 and upgrade heater
Done. (This is literally all I plan on building all game. I'll trade med supplies at the garage to get a hatchet and sawblades. If I'm rolling in supplies at this point, I'll build a pair of heaters, upgrade the cooker(s), and stay home the last 10ish days.)

C. Know that you are immune to sickness/injury/cold (unless you get hurt scavenging). Meds/bandages are trade goods for you. Use Franko to get the extra supplies you need for the harder upgrades. (such as upgrading the workshop and alarming the door.) Keep a couple aside to trade at the garage and hospital for morale boosts.

D. Morale is your foe. Booze will not help you here, as getting drunk keeps you in the shelter overnight. Avoid stealing/killing, as these will make a bad morale situation worse. Save donating to the garage/hospital/starving man and rescuing the girl at the supermarket for times you need a morale boost. This will go a long way to eliminate the morale hits from getting raided, and those morale boosts are more helpful to you than a few more supplies.

E. In the starting two weeks, people who show up are likely to gift you supplies. While not strictly needed, they are worth getting. In the end two weeks, the people are likely to be asking you for favors. As you cannot leave the shelter to help them, this is another morale hit. Not answering the door also harms morale. To avoid the loss of morale, as soon as you get back from scavenging, get in bed and "end day". This skips the chance a negative person shows up. (will also keep Franko from showing up, so do not do this if you need to trade.)

F. Cook as much food as you can ahead of time. Cooked food cannot be stolen, and it frees up your inventory spaces for other things. A second cooker can help you keep cooking extra food when your first one is still full.

G. If you absolutely need something, keep it on your person as you go scavenging, and bring it back with you every day. For the first few days I plan on getting more building materials and leaving meds/food/bandages (taking just enough food/water to keep Very Hungry status away.) By the end of the first week, I assume that if it is not on my person, it is likely gone. From then on, I bring back food as I find it, cook it, and let it sit on the stove, while the rest of my inventory is tools, trade goods, and whatever materials I need for the next thing I'm going to build.

With these tips in mind, I usually do not have a problem with the solo Marko stage.

Good luck!

Originally posted by Anntwel:

Well, I have no doubt it's doable with the right skills, experience and random events. My gripe is the tedious microing over the entire game. That said, if I am to enjoy such an experience, the UI must also keep up by providing a show/hide screen or something at all times on ANY location you visit to show you what and how many resources are being used in your home, whether the construction is partial or resources are still unused in your inventory. For example, you partially built a stove. So the UI will show "stove partially built, 10 components, 5 wood" or something similar, as well as how many and what resources are left in your inventory. By inventory, I don't mean what you leave at home for the looters (because there's none) but the remaining resources you carry with you in your backpack after making the partial construction. As well as a view of all possible improvements/upgrades and their requirements. If this can be streamlined further like just showing all possible improvements/upgrades and their requirements, and how much you fall short of their requirements when taking into account partial constructions, that would be even better. Sounds complicated I know, but my point is such a UI is needed badly especially for solo playthroughs. This will make it much much easier to calculate how much you need to take back with you when scavenging.

I actually tried a new Marko Solo with the tips given here so far and it's really tedious without the UI I suggested above. In fact, I even tried to get around the problem of backpack capacity being unable to keep up with advanced tier resource requirements by partially building unwanted improvements just to deny the looters, then return and cancel before building what I actually want. The very fact that I have to do this shows how excruciatingly tedious the process is even with the UI I mentioned.

I actually use dice to do that. 18 components needed? I sit 3 blue dice on 6's. 10 wood? 2 red dice set to 5's. (I use red because wood burns...) etc. Quick and easy to set up, and easy to change as you build things, without needing pen and paper. Still, it would be nice to not have to do that.

Edit: Added heaters to build list.

[Cetoiscini]

Well, the UI isn't optimized for solo games, so I just use a pen and paper.

Originally posted by brown29knight:

I actually use dice to do that. 18 components needed? I sit 3 blue dice on 6's. 10 wood? 2 red dice set to 5's. (I use red because wood burns...) etc. Quick and easy to set up, and easy to change as you build things, without needing pen and paper. Still, it would be nice to not have to do that.

So what if you need electrical parts or water? White dice? :P