Advice for keeping busy.

[Lost Roman]

I've made it to Day 93 this run, (longest was 131 before the wipe), and am having a bit of trouble keeping busy. I've made my final base in the hut on TWM, and have it totally stocked to the brim. I've looted the maps and spent countless days slowly hauling it all from one map to another, to get it all here. I don't have much left to do. I need to hit a few more of the cargo containers mainly the one for whetstones, since I can see that being a future problem, and the only mistake I seem to have made is not getting enough maple saplings for the bows, which I plan to fix soon.

I still have some things to do on days I'm stuck inside, mainly making arrows from all the arrowheads I've had, repairing clothes, or resorting things inside to my liking. I'm looking to make this run as long as possible to see how far I can make it, and I'm pretty sure I can hit the 500 day mark. My problem is, aside from wood gathering, cooking/boiling water, and hunting and fishing days, I'm running out of things to keep me occupied. What is it you long term vets do to keep yourselves busy? I'm really not looking for too dangerous of activities since it would be a shame to end such a nice run so far to doing something silly. Aside from running laps around the safe areas and I suppose starting fires on clear days to up the skill, I'm a bit out of ideas.

[James]

Describe your days and nights using the notebook, might become a best-seller! Describe your moveabouts and inner thoughts and soon enough we'll see the cinematics of your adventures on Netflix :)

[listless]

I'm wondering the same thing. I was bored out of my mind getting the old 200 day achievement, and anymore 100 days is about as much as I can tolerate.

What mode are you playing? I thought going for 500 days on Interloper would be a nice challenge, but it's really not. It's just even more tedious since you're forced indoors most of the time.

The only thing in the past that's kept me interested was drifting around to different outdoors areas. I spent a week on Little Island, a while in the Stone Church, hung out in the Crumbling Highway and in the Ravine, the Muskeg Overlook, a little while at Draft Dodgers and Three Strikes. On TM, living out at the Deer Clearing, up on the Peak, or Eric Falls can be enjoyable.

It's fun to travel light because getting established keeps me occupied. I think a little risk keeps things interesting, so staying in one place probably isn't a good idea. I think that's what I'll do this time around. I'm just not sure which mode to pick though... Voyager maybe. Too many wolves makes Stalker crouch along mode, and the insane windchill of Interloper makes it bedbug mode 'cause you're running inside to warm up a gazillion times a day.

[Lost Roman]

@ James: Not a bad idea! Might take that up. I'll make sure you get royalties for the idea if you ever see it! :D

@rainyday: Glad but not so glad at seeing someone having the same troubles. I'm on Voyager for this run. I could manage harsher weather, but the wolf numbers on Stalker are just overblown imo. I have yet to need a nighttime fire in the hut, but I'm assuming as the days roll by the colder temps could change that. I've sort of done what you're talking about in the past, as I stayed at numerous places while making my rounds and hauling all that gear from map to map. That in itself was sometimes challenging, sometimes tedious, but I feel it's paid off for the long haul. I am shooting for the 500 days as well...I'm not bored or anything yet, but after all that indoor crafting is done for the bad weather days, I'm not sure what my options are.

[tyber_gsk]

Helo..

TWM?...
Not good place for base camp...


try to move to ML or CH and you can make your self busy with collecting all birch/maple's from ather maps..

grats on 93 days...

Regards...

[{O|G} Erik the Red]

Currently going for the 500 on Voyageur (previous best was 100 on Stalker pre stink update, and Stalker is just wolf central now...). I've so far gotten 115 days just on Mystery Lake alone, and have been keeping my character well fed... I could probably stretch out some more days easily with my food stockpile by staying inactive and using starvation rationing, but I like to stay active and do things. I do sort of have this irrational fear of moving to other map regions, even though I've looted every corner of ML pretty well and mapped it too, but I'm doing so well staying right where I am in ML. There aren't too many achievements left for me to get that I can do on this run, playing in this fashion, but doing the easier ones? Three day fire? Check. After that I may make my own challenges, trying to explore the last bits and hard to reach places in Mystery Lake, see what is climbable or not (although this can be risky, even deadly).

I also try to keep use of the daily journal, just to log my activities, things of note, and perhaps the weather (I record the morning and evening temps and conditions for data purposes, likely never see the light of day again though.). Its mostly keeping up with the routines, lamenting any set backs, not that they have as much impact as when they do when you have nothing (oh a wolf ate my hat? Good thing I have spare cloths...) I like to find and name my own unique areas of the map off the beaten path.

Organizing all the gear can take a lot of time too. Everythings got to be in its place. Whoops need more storage, got to find a new place to put things. I found some rocks? I can throw them? I can throw them at anything! Hmm I can place them too. Campfire safety, ring rocks round yo campfires.

And lastly, just enjoy nature.... you've got survival down, are prepped for anything supposedly. Take a breather, relax a bit, take a walk, listen to the crows, listen to the winds blow, or howl; or was that a wolf? Oh ♥♥♥♥, runrunrunrun... nothing like a close call sometimes to make the day interesting. Or seek revenge. Since you ate my hat, you're my next dinner. But maybe dinner is cut short by that next pop-up blizzard, and main base too far away... sleep it off somewhere, wake up in the dark... am I lost? Oh right, detour. Go outside, realize there's an aurora in your face. Stare at it dumbstruck. Who gives a ♥♥♥♥ if you're freezing or if there's wolves around; just make a fire later, deal with the wolves if they do go after you. AURORAAAA. Sunrises... SUNSETS... Nature is there, and I am here to observe. Sometimes in scientific fashion (make a clock!), sometimes just for the beauty. Or maybe its a worship thing. The sun goddess is beautiful too. Blindingly so.

When I finally run out of stuff to do in Mystery Lake, when I get bored, or perhaps when I get desperate for certain supplies (hats)... Maybe then will I move on. But I can keep on going for now.

[listless]

^fun stuff
I agree about nature. That's the beauty of Voyager. You get to fully enjoy being outdoors, but there's still an edge.

Originally posted by X-Erik the Red:

I also try to keep use of the daily journal, just to log my activities, things of note, and perhaps the weather (I record the morning and evening temps and conditions for data purposes, likely never see the light of day again though.)...

I'm interested in your weather data - hope you share any of your findings like: which days mark the temperature drops, and how cold it is when it finally bottoms out. I used to keep track back when there was a clock, but now it's kind of a pain.

[SBlack]

Originally posted by tyber_gsk:

Not good place for base camp...

On Voyageur with the best clothing it's not an issue. Only at the beginning when you have crappy clothes

[Gustuv Wynd]

my default action when I don't have anything pressing to do is to collect wood. I will have massive stockpiles all over. I will make emergency stops in sheltered areas between my main hangouts with stacks wood in case I get caught in a blizzard.

Another thing I will do is to make trails of fire plugs between spots...also for the late game blizzards I know are coming. I can find my way by just looking down.

[Bole]

I have countless 100-200 days runs but i always abandom them due to boredom.

[tyber_gsk]

I understand..
Regards...

[Lost Roman]

On Voyager once you have decent clothing, TWM is a pretty good base actually. You have everything you need right at your doorstep and it's pretty safe. I did really enjoy the PV farmstead, but imo the weather there is much worse than TWM. I have been trail marking with all the tinder I don't use...I actually had to mark it from the fishing hut back to home. Fog was so bad one day I had real trouble getting back.

I have done a fair bit of wood collecting, but putting it at different places could help, since there are still a few places I need to go. I really like the idea of recording the temps...that could also give me something to do as the days go by to see how much and how fast the temperature is going down.

[David]

Coming up on Day 200 on 'loper. I have everything I need and there are still maps I haven't been to at all (okay, one map, but many I haven't come close to completely pilfering). I amuse myself with bear hunts. They're still somewhat challenging. I'm also looking at what achievements I don't currently have and seeing what I could get. Now that I have cooking 5 it's very easy to get food, as any ol' wolf will do. There enough sunlight and fir wood to spend entire days boiling water, so not using any matches except on my bear hunts (so I can wait outside for the bleed-out).

Not completely bored yet, but will get there soon, which is why I've been saving some maps for later. Will likely move from ML (where I currently live in Rooster's cave) to FM. That should at least add some variety, and will let me really learn the pathways through the Muskeg.

I am dealing with some climber's elbow (a.k.a. "gamer's elbow") though so may have to take a break anyway. Hinterland, if you're listening, I have to go see a doctor now because of RSI playing your game. Would love to have an auto-walk function. Ive now spent over 800 real life hours holding the left thumbstick in the forward position. Not good for my tendons. How about you click the left thumbstick and it auto-walks in the direction you're going until you change directions manually? That would really help out medically. I've suggested this before, but really would help me keep playing...

[tyber_gsk]

David..

Grats.. on 200 days on loper..

Regards..

[David]

Tyber: Thanks. not quite there yet. closer to 180-190, but have enough to just wait in my cave for 200 to arrive if i want to. Now trying to figure out how to slog it to 500...

[numbertwopencil]

Find all the TWM cairns?

I haven't bothered much with finding cairns but there seem to be quite a few of them in rather out of the way places.