Mr. Sommer's Bow finally done

[TarjaS]

This mission is a nasty bottleneck in Hirschfelden. I had all the other mission up to it completed, but couldn't get any more until getting this done. That's why I've spent a long time in Layton where there are more missions available at the same time, so if you get stuck, you can try something else.

I don't know if it was the bow hunting experience I got with coyotes, but as I returned to Hirschfelden, it took me about 10 minutes to finish this. Of course it was also luck that the fox was calling right outside the outpost where I went in Spreeberg to try this once more.

After some tracking and very careful sneaking around, I finally saw the fox. There was a narrow clear space between bushes, the fox in one end of that space about 20 m away, me in the other. Couldn't hope for better visibility. Also, no wind, so for once, the arrow went right where I aimed it and the fox died right there.

So now I've got several missions going on again. That's so much nicer. And they look much easier, except for the one to shoot two sick bisons. Oh boy, that'll be fun. I've only shot one bison so far, and got trampled in the process.

[southofpegasus]

Some of these missions are infuriating. Especially many of the photo missions. What exactly constitutes a photo? I have no clue. Some will complete easily while others, Mr. Black I'm looking at you, are almost impossible. They completely threw all of the game mechanics out the window and it's enough at times to make you want to pull your hair out or punch a dev in the throat.

I finally finished Mr. Black just now after several failed attempts. Photos as close as 30 yards would not complete the mission. Never once would he respond to any calls. Over and over I stalked right up on him only to watch him disappear right in front of me and reappear 400 yards away across the lake. Over and over and over. I was mad, so mad. I just wanted him to die. So I probably put somewhere in the neighborhood of 100 rounds into him yet never once brought blood.

In a last ditch effort I just started chasing him. Ran after him in a fit of rage for miles, pumping round after round into his fat @$$. Just as I'm about to give up and be done with missions altogether he gets stuck crossing water along with a doe and can't get out, just running in circles in the water. So I ran up and started clicking photos. Just click, click, click, click, click, click, click. Nothing. Ran right up to him. Click. Click. Click. Still nothing.

Now I'm furious. Mr. Black has to die! Unloaded all my ammo into him from every angle. Boom! In the lungs. Boom! In the heart. Boom! Between the eyes. He won't die!!! So then I just started running into him and pushing him around like you can the 4-wheelers. At one point I jumped on top and snapped a picture. Bingo! Mission complete. Uh! Me dead in the water. WTF?

I spent countless hours all told, thousands on ammo trying to kill that bear, and now have probably a thousand pictures to go delete but at least that mission is done.


http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1315854492

[TarjaS]

I'm sorry, but that was hilarious. Probably wasn't when you were doing it.

This comes too late for you, but in the photo missions it seems to help if you spot the animal first and then take the photo.

As for Mr. Black, maybe you can't kill him, because there is another mission involving him later.

[southofpegasus]

Originally posted by TarjaS:

I'm sorry, but that was hilarious. Probably wasn't when you were doing it.

This comes too late for you, but in the photo missions it seems to help if you spot the animal first and then take the photo.

As for Mr. Black, maybe you can't kill him, because there is another mission involving him later.

No, was not the least bit funny at the time. I was almost to the point of walking away from the game for good. Had it been a hard copy, it likely would have gotten stomped on and thrown out the window. I can laugh about it now that it's done and over though.

I did spot him, many times. Spotted a Legendary Red Deer for a photo mission at Hirschfelden too. Then proceeded to watch it spook and disappear forever on the photo that finally completed the mission as I literally had to sneak within 20 yards before the photo took. This was just the other day and just after killing another Legendary Red Deer only to get a Silver not even Gold! rating due to a 0% Quick Kill on a 94% lung shot. Needless to say, I was already getting a sour taste from the inconsistencies of the game mechanics before this last go-round with Mr. Black.

Please don't tell me there's another mission with this godforsaken bear. I may need some kind of pharmaceutical support if I'm to endure another trip down that lane. :D

[southofpegasus]

Originally posted by SlingBlade:

Glad I wasn't sipping coffee... still laughing out loud as I type this. lol...

Please don't dump hot coffee in your lap on my account. :D

Edit: Also, your username reminds me of a joke. It goes something like...

"There were these two fellars standin' on a bridge, a-goin' to the bathroom. One fellar said, 'The water's cold' and the other fellar said, 'The water's deep.' I believe one fella come from Arkansas. Get it?"

[TarjaS]

Originally posted by southofpegasus:

Please don't tell me there's another mission with this godforsaken bear. I may need some kind of pharmaceutical support if I'm to endure another trip down that lane. :D

Just go for the Hope mission (Papa Bear) and you'll be fine.

[southofpegasus]

Originally posted by TarjaS:

Just go for the Hope mission (Papa Bear) and you'll be fine.

I may have to give the missions a rest for a while in order to maintain some semblance of sanity. :D

[Krempi]

The bow takes a bit to get used to but boy do I love it to oneshot nearly every animal that gets close. I did the sick bisons last week and hope you can make use of my tip:

There was a complete group of sick bisons right at the hunting stand in that area. I shot one and then just did another mission. Returned after that and the group was back, so I took my second one.

Photo missions are really weird. I got a "you are to close" and "perfect. Mission accomplished" through the same photo. How does that even work?!

[TarjaS]

Originally posted by Krempi:

The bow takes a bit to get used to but boy do I love it to oneshot nearly every animal that gets close. I did the sick bisons last week and hope you can make use of my tip:

There was a complete group of sick bisons right at the hunting stand in that area. I shot one and then just did another mission. Returned after that and the group was back, so I took my second one.

Photo missions are really weird. I got a "you are to close" and "perfect. Mission accomplished" through the same photo. How does that even work?!

Thanks for the tip. A hunting stand sounds good, although I think someone said that the bisons can still hurt you even when you're inside one. Of course I'll try to shoot the bison with one shot, but I expect it'll take some time to get to that point, so some more trampling is probably in the forecast.

As for the photo missions, I also got "not close enough" and "mission completed" for the same photo when taking the photo of a fallow deer with the lake on the background (that mission seems to be especially bugged).

[Krempi]

Originally posted by TarjaS:

Originally posted by Krempi:

The bow takes a bit to get used to but boy do I love it to oneshot nearly every animal that gets close. I did the sick bisons last week and hope you can make use of my tip:

There was a complete group of sick bisons right at the hunting stand in that area. I shot one and then just did another mission. Returned after that and the group was back, so I took my second one.

Photo missions are really weird. I got a "you are to close" and "perfect. Mission accomplished" through the same photo. How does that even work?!

Thanks for the tip. A hunting stand sounds good, although I think someone said that the bisons can still hurt you even when you're inside one. Of course I'll try to shoot the bison with one shot, but I expect it'll take some time to get to that point, so some more trampling is probably in the forecast.

As for the photo missions, I also got "not close enough" and "mission completed" for the same photo when taking the photo of a fallow deer with the lake on the background (that mission seems to be especially bugged).

Yes, they can still hurt you from below but you don't have to use the stand. My group was just standing near the hunting stand in the mission area so it might be the same for you :)
The trampling can get dangerous if the whole group charges you but if you get attacked by the one you shot you can simply sidestep the attack just like with bears and boars. The attack animation is pretty linear.

It was exactly the mission with the fallow deer and the river in the backround where I had this occur. Maybe it's a bug/feature with that one :D

[TarjaS]

Originally posted by Krempi:

Yes, they can still hurt you from below but you don't have to use the stand. My group was just standing near the hunting stand in the mission area so it might be the same for you :)
The trampling can get dangerous if the whole group charges you but if you get attacked by the one you shot you can simply sidestep the attack just like with bears and boars. The attack animation is pretty linear.

I prefer hunting stands, because you can get higher to see properly and they also feel safer, even if they may not be.

The bisons for me are the scariest animals in the game. It has nothing to do with how they behave, but because they remind me of the beef cattle I often go by on my bicycle in summer on my way to the nearby nature reserve. My uncle had dairy cows, so they don't worry me, but beef cattle behave more like herd animals of a prey species. They stare at you, especially mothers with calves, and you can tell they are trying to figure out if you're a threat or not. And there is only a frail fence made of two metal wires (with non-lethal electric current in them) between you and them. That wouldn't hold them for a second, if they decided to come through it.

[insert coin]

Thanks to southofpegasus for sharing his experience with the Mr. Black mission. This is an exact description, of how the game can feels like.

[southofpegasus]

Originally posted by SnowCat:

Thanks to southofpegasus for sharing his experience with the Mr. Black mission. This is an exact description, of how the game can feels like. :eleven:

You're welcome. And thank you. :)

[southofpegasus]

To add to (complete) my previous Mr. Black story...

I just recently finalized the Mr. Black saga. The second mission was very easy knowing the trick now. I simply spotted him and then ran straight at him. He didn't start trotting away until I was less than a hundred yards away. Within a couple of minutes I had a photo of his back end that fulfilled the mission and just a few short minutes later the most satisfying harvest of my CoTW career to date.

http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1317042643

[insert coin]

That's a lot of fur, congratulations.

[southofpegasus]

Originally posted by SnowCat:

That's a lot of fur, congratulations.

Thank you. If only I could make a nice rug now.