The Long Dark (Steam/X-Box Early Access)

#101
#101
VolInNorthCack said:
It is indeed brutally hard trying to get started. But once you figure out the mechanics, it is quite pleasant. My active game right now is about a 300 day run on interloper which is the hardest difficulty. It trains you to weigh and measure every decision that you make. Especially since resources deteriorate and do not repopulate.

Once you figure out a steady food and water source and shelter, that's 80% of the success formula.

There is a learning curve. I don't know if I would even recommend starting with the story mode. I might suggest doing a sandbox on the easiest setting where animals won't attack you just to get the feel for it.

I consider it a horror game on some levels as well. Until you have been caught in a blizzard in the middle of the night in Ash Canyon or Hushed River Valley, you don't know terror.


It's one of my top 5 favorite games of all time too, so I might be a little biased
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Me too. Just like this guy says in the start of this video, when I had to read To Build a Fire in middle school I became fascinated with cold environments. Nothing scarier than a story about being stranded in either the arctic or the ocean to me.
 
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#102
#102
VolInNorthCack said:
It is indeed brutally hard trying to get started. But once you figure out the mechanics, it is quite pleasant. My active game right now is about a 300 day run on interloper which is the hardest difficulty. It trains you to weigh and measure every decision that you make. Especially since resources deteriorate and do not repopulate.

Once you figure out a steady food and water source and shelter, that's 80% of the success formula.

There is a learning curve. I don't know if I would even recommend starting with the story mode. I might suggest doing a sandbox on the easiest setting where animals won't attack you just to get the feel for it.

I consider it a horror game on some levels as well. Until you have been caught in a blizzard in the middle of the night in Ash Canyon or Hushed River Valley, you don't know terror.


It's one of my top 5 favorite games of all time too, so I might be a little biased
Click to expand...
I would welcome some tips as well to make it easier to start out and not give up. I have tried twice and quit both times. I just end up roaming forever trying to get enough resources to amount to anything. Structures you would think would be a good head start, but they really don’t offer alot other than shelter. Am I just getting bad rng, or are resources that scarce?
 
#103
#103
BruiserVol said:
I would welcome some tips as well to make it easier to start out and not give up. I have tried twice and quit both times. I just end up roaming forever trying to get enough resources to amount to anything. Structures you would think would be a good head start, but they really don’t offer alot other than shelter. Am I just getting bad rng, or are resources that scarce?
Click to expand...
If you are new, always, always, ALWAYS start in Mystery Lake. It's the most central region and has ample resources to give you a good start. And has the most mild weather. The key places are the Camp Office, Trapper's Homestead, and the Carter Hydro Dam. The railroad track runs basically East to West in the region. So use the sun to figure out which way you need to go.

The Camp Office is a great place to start. It is the central spot in the region. It has access to plenty of sticks and wood for fires. Should even be a pot for boiling water. The camp office borders Mystery lake which has several fishing huts. You just need to cure some intestines and craft some fish hooks from scrap metal on the workbench there to make a fishing line. Once you have that nailed, stay there for a while and make sure you can feed yourself reliably for several days. Another hint, store raw meat and fish as well as cooked meat and fish outside of your structure. It will keep longer in the snow.

Once you are confident, branch out some. If you follow the outline of the lake, there are several cabins all around the lake you can loot for supplies. If you follow the train tracks east, they will take you straight to the Dam and there is tons of good loot there, usually even a pistol or rifle in one of the lower levels. You can find good clothes there too.

If you follow the train tracks west, they will take you to a transition to the Forlorn Muskeg region. This is a very wide open region with several bears and many many wolves. I would stay out of this region until you are a little seasoned. There is not much for resources there aside from a forge in the far southwest corner. And a radio tower in the north. Another tower to the south and a few abandoned camps around.

If you turn right, just before you enter the tunnel to Forlorn Muskeg, you can make a trip to the Trapper's Homestead, which is another good starting point. On the way to Trappers is a little valley where you can find a dead body and usually a hatchet. There are ample rabbits you can trap. There is a bear that patrols the area and occasionally a couple of wolves. But there is also deer there. You can usually find a rifle or pistol in the cabin. There is also a cave path to Mountain Town next to Trappers. I would not recommend it until you have built up your stamina and strength though as it requires a couple of rope ascents.

Mountain Town is not a bad place to start, lots of resources there too, but there are just a crap ton of wolves.

Elsewhere in the region, there are some trailers scattered about at a couple of logging camps. There are a couple of lookout towers to the north of the Camp office. One of them is destroyed. The other one is intact and you can even stay there if you want. But it's kind of hard to get resources up to it. There are a couple of hunter's blind's where you can usually pick up ammo, a hatchet, a knife, arrows, maybe even a bow or a gun sometimes. It's random. But you can usually find a lot of deer around the hunting blinds. Good place to fight bears and moose too. There are a few train cars scattered along the tracks you can find some things in.



Main things to stock up on:

Bandages and Old Man's beard
antibiotics or mushroom tea
painkillers or rose hip tea
water
sticks/wood
food
Storm Lantern/torches
bedroll
Some sort of weapon (I pretty much only carry a bow, knife and hatchet)

Take advantage of any herbs, berries, or anything else you can find. Even cat tail stalks will keep you nourished if you pick enough of them.

Try not to go out at night unless you absolutely have to. Full moon on a clear night is okay, but just beware. If snow starts falling, you better find shelter soon.

You can walk or run away from wolves. I don't even bother with them anymore. I just run right by them or walk away from them. They will give up after a little while.

If I am staying long term in an unfamiliar area, I will drop charcoal or use spray paint on the ground to make a trail that I can follow even in blizzards. Like from my structure to a fishing hut. Or from my structure to where I have traps set.

But yes, it is very much a lot of walking and looking over your shoulder every few seconds type of game. But try to enjoy the beauty of the world they created too.



I hope this helps you get started. Believe me, if you stick with it, you will get it. It took me a long time. First, it was "can I make it 10 days?" "Can I make it 20 days?" "Can I make it 30 days?" If you can make it for 30 days, then you can probably make it for as long as you want.
 
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#104
#104
Christian Lowe said:


Me too. Just like this guy says in the start of this video, when I had to read To Build a Fire in middle school I became fascinated with cold environments. Nothing scarier than a story about being stranded in either the arctic or the ocean to me.
Click to expand...

I got lost once solo camping in the Adirondacks. I have never been so scared in my life. A two day trip turned into a 4 day trip. I was lucky. But found out I could do it. I think that's why I love games like this and Sons of the Forest. I like Stranded Deep too, it was pretty fun, but I don't think I ever died in it. It was a little too easy.
 
#105
#105
VolInNorthCack said:
I got lost once solo camping in the Adirondacks. I have never been so scared in my life. A two day trip turned into a 4 day trip. I was lucky. But found out I could do it. I think that's why I love games like this and Sons of the Forest. I like Stranded Deep too, it was pretty fun, but I don't think I ever died in it. It was a little too easy.
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That’s crazy. I have a similar experience, but not nearly as cool or dangerous. I was like 5 or 6 and my family had a hundred acres in the country. I’d roam by myself and got lost once. Didn’t get out until dusk. Parents thought I just played all day but I was fighting for my life lol
 
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#106
#106
Christian Lowe said:
That’s crazy. I have a similar experience, but not nearly as cool or dangerous. I was like 5 or 6 and my family had a hundred acres in the country. I’d roam by myself and got lost once. Didn’t get out until dusk. Parents thought I just played all day but I was fighting for my life lol
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I can only imagine as a 5 or 6 year old. I grew up on about 40 acres, but I knew it all like the back of my hand. That must have been terrifying for you. Probably seemed like you were in there for days lol.
 
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