tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-379287241318002122.post2955137165726657271..comments2024-01-28T08:54:32.914-06:00Comments on That's interesting...: The survivorBill Garthrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08552459555883204060noreply@blogger.comBlogger19125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-379287241318002122.post-37469781895230219352014-03-28T07:48:05.771-05:002014-03-28T07:48:05.771-05:00M1nks, if you check the "Notify me" box ...M1nks, if you check the "Notify me" box at the bottom of these comments (just below the comment box itself), you should get an email notification whenever there's a new comment.<br /><br />Alternately, just below my profile, there's an option to subscribe to all posts and/or all comments, but that's probably more than you want or need. :)<br /><br />Note that I haven't tested those options, because I get an email notification of all comments anyway. But it's always worked for me when I've commented on other blogs.<br /><br />In the game, my character isn't exactly a pacifist, but just the cautious type. And he knows those aren't really children anymore. But it's still a constant reminder of what has happened to children, which is naturally depressing.<br /><br />It's been raining all the time in my game - with occasional acid rain - so my character has been reluctant to get too far from shelter. One of the schools on my map is far to the northeast, through the forest. The other is on the other side of town, so it will take time to get there, too.<br /><br />I just cleared the FEMA camp, hoping to create a base in that direction. But I don't think my character would be comfortable sleeping among all those mass graves. :)<br /><br />He's getting a little worried about winter, plus he's got stuff stashed all over the place, so he'll probably try to consolidate things in his hotel room to the south. Then he'll try to explore further to the south, to get around the city that way, or just go through it, methodically clearing out zombies along the way.<br /><br />I've got a number of temporary bases, but nothing I really want to make permanent. Of course, I'm not sure I'll <i>ever</i> want anything permanent, since it's always going to be useful to have a base close to wherever I'm currently exploring. (I haven't been back to my evac shelter for a long time now.)<br /><br />Oh, and that Halligan bar isn't much bigger than the crowbar it replaces (heavier, though). It's fairly slow as a weapon, but still pretty nice. Still, I probably wouldn't use it at all except for role-playing purposes.<br /><br />In general, I like fast weapons (which is why I still prefer my machete, rather than the rapier I found), but I like to use a variety. Bashing weapons can stun enemies on a critical hit, and the Halligan bar can kill two at once. But I normally only use it where it would seem to make sense (against skeletons, for example), even when they're easy to kill with other weapons, too.<br /><br />Just role-playing.<br />Bill Garthrighthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08552459555883204060noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-379287241318002122.post-36122648664700120422014-03-28T06:02:14.191-05:002014-03-28T06:02:14.191-05:00I’ve just seen this post – it’s annoying that I do...I’ve just seen this post – it’s annoying that I don’t get notified if someone replies to my posts.<br /><br />I agree that the variety is a fantastic feature of the game. I saw someone bitching on a forum about how they thought Cataclysm was rubbish because of the huge amount of trash in the game and most of it is useless! Man, I couldn’t understand that point of view at all! I consider it subversive in its encouragement of reusing and recycling, demonstrating how supposed trash can nearly always be put to another purpose somehow. I had chucked my burnt out bionics into a pile of ‘can’t work out what their use is yet’ and yesterday looked at the recipe for the only bionic I can currently craft, and sure enough a burnt out bionic is one of the parts I need.<br /><br />Regarding schools, yes definitely worth a visit. It is crammed full of skill books and other books, lots of food (although a lot of it is candy rubbish), computers and lockers and wooden furniture for disassembly and, of course, lots of clothes once you’ve dealt with the zombie horde. Just be prepared to have your morale crash! Seeing as you’re playing a pacifist you might consider it out of character to head to a school and slaughter everything that moves. There are a lot of kids.<br /><br />Regarding weapons I can craft most stuff now – I picked up crafting books from the school, or possibly from one of the stores in town, which means I can make all of this exotic gear if I wanted to. I’m pretty happy with my rapier though. <br /><br />I have a couple of halligan bars (and I have two copies of a Firefighting craft book so I could make one if I wished). I found them too heavy or bulky to lug around so they are probably quite slow as a weapon? I’ll stick with my Longbow/Crossbow/Rapier for now but I certainly agree that having so many options lends a depth and richness to the game that keeps it interesting.<br />m1nkshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07349479059917642644noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-379287241318002122.post-4544303667814780182014-03-24T07:56:31.873-05:002014-03-24T07:56:31.873-05:00M1nks, what continues to surprise me about Catacly...M1nks, what continues to surprise me about <b>Cataclysm</b> is not just the variety of creatures, but the variety of <i>items</i>, too. I'm still finding neat things which I've never seen before (like a road map, which was <i>very</i> nice).<br /><br />And some items I've found in other plays of the game - like that permanent nightlight I mentioned - I haven't seen this time,... and I've been playing the game a <i>lot</i>.<br /><br />Buildings and other locations are incredibly diverse, too. You mentioned that school, but I've never seen one. (There are two nearby which were shown on that road map, though, so I might work my way towards one of them. Are they worth a visit?)<br /><br />I've never, <i>ever</i> found a rapier in a game (I'm jealous!), though I found a broadsword in my previous game. Right now, I've got pretty good weapons in all three damage categories - bashing, cutting, and piercing - but even after playing this long, I don't have the best. I like that. There's always something new to find.<br /><br />There are still things that surprise me, too. I found a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halligan_bar" rel="nofollow">Halligan bar</a>, which I'd never seen before, and I've been using it as a crowbar. It's slow, but when I used it as a weapon, I was surprised that it not only stunned some enemies, and knocked them backwards, occasionally, but that it would hit more than one nearby creature with one strike.<br /><br />I try to fight creatures one at a time, and I don't normally use the Halligan bar as a weapon, but it surprised the heck out of me the first time I killed two creatures with one hit. :) I love how this game keeps impressing me!<br />Bill Garthrighthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08552459555883204060noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-379287241318002122.post-70862727691908915332014-03-21T12:28:54.629-05:002014-03-21T12:28:54.629-05:00I would move to a lab if there was one within my m...I would move to a lab if there was one within my map. I could relocate to a house perhaps because I've cleaned out a chunk of the town but the convenience of so many hunting animals and the forest next door is good. All the animals just ignore me really and now I've moved downstairs my scent and sound is no longer attracting the Zombears and Zombie Dogs. I usually just have to kill 2 or 3 if I wander around outside and then I'm free to run around where I please. They spawn a lot!<br /><br />My list of freaky Zombies is growing. I've now killed Swimmer Zombies, Firefighter Zombies, Smoker Zombies and Spitter Zombies. Those last two were fun - twice I've been surrounded by pools of acid and I'm standing in the only dry patch. They can spit a loooong way. And the Smokers were easy with a gas mask. Hard to spot in all that smoke though.<br /><br />There is a Shocker Zombie floating around that I haven't tried yet. I'm thinking maybe a gun for that one? I certainly don't want to be hitting it with my metal rapier!m1nkshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07349479059917642644noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-379287241318002122.post-73394315900946948252014-03-21T08:44:40.770-05:002014-03-21T08:44:40.770-05:00Sorry, I can't help you with that. I get along...Sorry, I can't help you with that. I get along fine with my shopping carts and wheelbarrows. :)<br /><br />Some day I might try driving a vehicle, but I haven't yet - not once. So you'll have to tell me how it goes.<br />Bill Garthrighthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08552459555883204060noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-379287241318002122.post-85428142879141050452014-03-21T08:42:15.775-05:002014-03-21T08:42:15.775-05:00That's odd, M1nks, because I've never had ...That's odd, M1nks, because I've never had anything break into my evac shelter. But then, I keep the drapes drawn, and I've got the Light Step and Weak Scent traits, so maybe they don't know I'm there until I open the door.<br /><br />In my earlier game, I found a radiation-powered (so permanent) nightlight, which let me read, sew, or craft at any time, no matter how dark it was. That would be really nice for underground living!<br /><br />Or you might consider living in a science lab. The rooms above ground have enough light to see and craft (though not sew or read, if I remember correctly - not without additional light).<br /><br />There's only one entrance, unless you find one that hooks up to a sewer system, but there are no windows above ground and the doors are metal, so nothing can break them down. (I'm talking about the room doors. Once you open the main doors, you can't close them again, as far as I know.)<br /><br />And you can probably find a permanent source of water underground, if you search long enough. So science labs are really nice,... except for that only-one-entrance thing. (You can still get animals spawning inside, occasionally, but the rooms are small, so that's rare.)<br /><br />I haven't explored them in this play-through - not yet, anyway - because I spent a lot of time doing that in my earlier game, and I wanted to do something different this time. But there are three science labs nearby (I've looked around the top level of two of them), so I'll probably do that eventually.<br />Bill Garthrighthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08552459555883204060noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-379287241318002122.post-13216908620192513982014-03-20T15:35:38.895-05:002014-03-20T15:35:38.895-05:00Also I still have yet to work out how to drive a v...Also I still have yet to work out how to drive a vehicle. I am trying to get anything working at all before I try to drive an RV to my evac shelter and starting turning it into an armour plated deathmobile. I think one of the problems might be lack of a seat? So I've taken a seat from one car and I'll put it in. Well I will once I get my hands on some sort of welder. Getting mobile is proving to be a bleeding nightmare in this game!m1nkshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07349479059917642644noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-379287241318002122.post-18319338896603388932014-03-20T11:06:04.403-05:002014-03-20T11:06:04.403-05:00Argh! I've done with trying to live above gro...Argh! I've done with trying to live above ground - even with my spiked pits Zombears and dogs keep breaking my windows and doors when I'm sleeping and reading. So, I'm in the process of moving everything underground. They aren't dangerous, even when sound asleep a Zombear has a hard job so much as scratching me, but I'm really sick of fixing my digs every five minutes. <br /><br />£&^%$*^% &^%$£!!m1nkshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07349479059917642644noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-379287241318002122.post-89116467907132790622014-03-19T13:49:04.323-05:002014-03-19T13:49:04.323-05:00Everything seems relatively simple now; I’ve still...Everything seems relatively simple now; I’ve still got a lot to learn but I’m cruising through the basics now. <br /><br />Currently I’m taking an ambulance to bits and carting the scrap metal back to base. I want to build a charcoal forge but I can’t at the moment. I’m not sure if that is because of a lack of level in the appropriate skill or just because I haven’t found the recipe yet. That is one difference in this game – not being able to craft things if you don’t have the recipe – I’m not sure how that affects those will Illiterate as a trait? I am definitely spending a lot more time reading in this version. <br /><br />My list of critters killed keeps expanding. I’ve tangled with Triffids (found out that my rapier doesn’t hurt them so thankfully my bow did) including a Queen who nicely killed a Zombear and another Triffid who was trailing after me and showed me why I wanted to keep out of range of its special attacks. Also, a Shrieker Zombie (which I was concerned about deafening me but I think it was just an alarm system). I saw a Necromancer Zombie which I hightailed it away from – not quite ready to go toe to toe with that one. Not until I’ve cleared the mobs in the general area anyway so I can just concentrate on whatever that throws at me.<br /><br />I found a Triffid Grove a little ways out of town. I wandered up for a look but about 5 Triffids came down after me so I decided that I wasn’t THAT curious! Once I have a few more molatovs and am comfortable in using them I might give it another go. Perhaps a Flamethrower as well? They are plants so I doubt they like fire that much.<br /><br />There is also a Fungal Grove on my map but it’s up North through the forest and I haven’t felt any inclination to go and investigate that. It’s not like they drop anything great although the fluid sacs are really handy; I no longer have to boil water and so far they haven’t gone ‘off’. <br /><br />My style of play is definitely to find a base and stick there. Now I have Pit Traps all around my evac shelter I haven’t been bothered nearly as much with Zombears and Zombie Dogs smashing through my windows and doors to eat me. Just the one really and I’m guessing it spawned inside the area. Outside is a mass of critters that mostly seem to ignore me, even if they show as Hostile; so long as I don’t walk right up to them they seem to leave me alone. The exception being Zombears/dogs of course. <br /><br />So, for a Zombie apocalypse, everything is just peachy.<br />m1nkshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07349479059917642644noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-379287241318002122.post-33041316235517223672014-03-16T21:50:45.221-05:002014-03-16T21:50:45.221-05:00You're doing great, M1nks! You've learned ...You're doing great, M1nks! You've learned a lot since your first play of <b>Cataclysm</b>, haven't you? :)<br /><br />You know, one thing that's neat about this game is that there's so much content, so each playthrough can be quite different. In my previous game, I always had rats attacking me. In fact, they were a good source of food. And I had fungaloids all over the place.<br /><br />This time, I haven't seen a single rat or fungal creature, but I've had giant insects all around (ants, flies, wasps), and now blobs. I hadn't seen any of those in the previous game. It's kind of neat.<br />Bill Garthrighthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08552459555883204060noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-379287241318002122.post-80271596949378137512014-03-16T21:44:19.614-05:002014-03-16T21:44:19.614-05:00Yeah, I remember reading that in the changelog of ...Yeah, I remember reading that in the changelog of the new version. Apparently, you get cold-hearted after awhile, huh? :)<br />Bill Garthrighthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08552459555883204060noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-379287241318002122.post-65995882693593170342014-03-15T11:38:50.743-05:002014-03-15T11:38:50.743-05:00Note - guilt stops impacting you once you've k...Note - guilt stops impacting you once you've killed enough of them. I still get the message that I feel guilty but my morale no longer tanks.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-379287241318002122.post-7289387229005451162014-03-14T12:10:02.881-05:002014-03-14T12:10:02.881-05:00Well I’m pleased I could let you know something; w...Well I’m pleased I could let you know something; with all of the zombies I’m killing having an unlimited source of thread is wonderful for my tailoring. I’ve just had another raid on the school and along with my morale being completely in the pits, I now have another stack of clothes to fix. I meant to try to make some trap boards but I didn’t get around to it so I just ended up doing everything by hand. Man, kill 40+ little zombie kids in one go and watch that morale drop. <br /><br />Oh well, once it’s done it’s done and I’ll have a school full of (hopefully) decent books to read as well as enough clothing to fix to make my toon a master tailor. <br /><br />I definitely prefer having a wide selection of critters to kill (notice how I’m putting myself in the ‘predator’ position. That’s optimism for you!) rather than just bulk standard Zombies. So far I’ve killed Joe Blog Standard Zombies, Kiddie Zomkids, Zombie dogs, Fungaloids, Spores, a Skeleton, a Jumping Spider and a Worm, plus the usual assortment of natural woodland life. I found a rapier in one of the basements so that is now the weapon of choice (really fast and around 30 cutting damage), with my Self Bow for shooting things as they approach and some throwing knives just to mix it up. <br /><br />I’m also lugging around a loaded rifle with my FO ammo just in case I come face to face with something that I can’t run from and looks like it will rip my head off if I don’t nail it fast. So, I guess that is quite a lot of weaponry :-) <br /><br />I’m also digging pits around my evac shelter and will start to make some spikes and turn it into a bit of a fortress. I didn’t bother in my last game but this one looks to be a lot more dangerous and I want to have a safe(r) bolt hole. Even with my Animal Empathy (which is a great 1 point trait) there are a lot of giant wolf spiders and whatnot wandering around outside, not to say anything about the odd zombie that seems to be far from home. I saw a Smoker Zombie when I was out hunting one morning which seemed miles away from any towns. I kept my distance especially as I don’t have a decent filter mask yet.<br /><br />I haven’t tangled with the Tough Zombie yet either. As he’s all dressed in athletic gear I’m going to bet that he’s probably quite fast and the padded armour might provide some protection. There is also a Fat Zombie to the east of the school which I’m not actually concerned about. I’d be likely to be able to pick him off with my bow. I might even be able to craft a new short bow now, well, once I’ve finished crying into my teacup about all the little zomboid kids I’ve been splattering…<br />m1nkshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07349479059917642644noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-379287241318002122.post-78274191325271292392014-03-13T20:15:30.483-05:002014-03-13T20:15:30.483-05:00Melee is probably harder because they increased th...Melee is probably harder because they increased the hit points of zombies. You have to do more damage in this version to take them down.<br /><br />To be honest, I didn't notice that you could disassemble rags into thread. Now <i>that's</i> nice, especially since you can make a bone needle, too, if necessary.<br /><br />And I agree with you about archery, but I don't have the patience to raise it from nothing. I'm hoping I can find a magazine or a book to give me a start on the skill (but no luck so far). Until then, I guess I'll stick with melee.<br /><br />And yes, that's a great idea to lure enemies into a minefield - assuming that you can get the creature to walk on a particular mine without being so close you take damage, yourself. Unless the minefield is very thick with mines, the creature might just walk through it without setting any off.<br /><br />I carry bear traps with me (in my shopping cart) to use when I encounter tough melee characters. They do some damage, but also greatly slow them down.<br /><br />Unfortunately, they're <i>very</i> heavy, so it's hard for even a strong character to carry more than two or three. (Caltrops are light enough to carry around, but they don't do much damage.)<br />Bill Garthrighthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08552459555883204060noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-379287241318002122.post-91528767309126622382014-03-13T04:59:57.926-05:002014-03-13T04:59:57.926-05:00I’ve started a new character on the latest version...I’ve started a new character on the latest version. This time I’ve just gone for the standard build as I’m pretty ok with the game mechanics now. I didn’t try being a Hobo this time around; I think it will be difficult enough on a new version with fewer starting points, I don’t need any more of a challenge. I do have skill rust turned on though – IntCapped as per my last one but this time without the Forgetful trait.<br /><br />After my water woes I decided to start as a Survivor like you and at least that way I had one of the two containers I needed to clean water. As it turned out I would have been ok I think. My starting position is surrounded by forests and fields with a school and a town off to the south east. I’ve had successful raids on both places and on the second day my Zombie body count is already sky high. I think melee is tougher but it could be that I am just a bit more underpowered and I’d forgotten how tough l fights are when you are starting out. I got two infected bites from two zombies that I was kiting with my initial gear but then a short while later successfully kited about 8 of them at once with only a few light scratches. They were just the standard ones and little kids (wow my morale took a real hammering after I splattered about 15 in a row). I’m currently running away like a little girl from a Tough Zombie. Until I have a bit better gear anyway. I’ve worked on my tailoring like a demon (were you always able to Disassemble rags into thread and have I just never noticed or is that new?) and everything is now reinforced and I’ve just made myself a knife spear but I have no skill in it yet as I’ve been using a crowbar.<br /><br />Still, all in all it’s a fairly promising start. She’s up to day 3, healthy, lots of food and drink, a stone fireplace that I’ve just built, a bow that does rubbish damage for now but archery skill is great long term, good gear with plenty of storage and so far no bleeding Zombears! <br /><br />I’ve located a few mines dotted around but they are hard to see because my perception is too low (9) although that may be because of the tileset because if I recall I couldn’t see them previously either. I’ve been marking them with dropping stones on them and I might see if I can add to the traps my making some nail boards and dropping them there. Maybe then I’ll try and lure Mr Tough Zombie into a bit of a killing field…<br />m1nkshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07349479059917642644noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-379287241318002122.post-47611931733635994692014-03-12T09:06:38.642-05:002014-03-12T09:06:38.642-05:00An opening to the netherworld. You can't enter...An opening to the netherworld. You can't enter portals (not yet, at least), but strange creatures pop out of them.<br /><br />This is the first one I've ever seen, but I know they're supposed to be very dangerous.<br />Bill Garthrighthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08552459555883204060noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-379287241318002122.post-83460963885988430042014-03-11T20:56:39.263-05:002014-03-11T20:56:39.263-05:00What's the blue portal?What's the blue portal?Chimeradavehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14373236451090168388noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-379287241318002122.post-36413249512206315562014-03-11T08:30:34.775-05:002014-03-11T08:30:34.775-05:00Yes, indeed, M1nks! So, are you still playing with...Yes, indeed, M1nks! So, <i>are</i> you still playing with the "Classic Zombies' option selected, or have you set that back to default? With "Classic Zombies," you won't see any of the really dangerous creatures. (Swamps won't be so deadly, for one thing.)<br /><br />Either way, you've clearly learned a lot about the game. It does get easier, doesn't it?<br /><br />I've never used a tent, so I don't know if it will protect from acid rain or not. (Raincoats won't.) Also, note that my character does get injured by acid drizzle - raincoat or not - but only occasionally, so it takes a long exposure to do much damage.<br />Bill Garthrighthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08552459555883204060noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-379287241318002122.post-57293050842385919802014-03-11T04:20:18.903-05:002014-03-11T04:20:18.903-05:00You really are running into a lot of stuff. As I ...You really are running into a lot of stuff. As I said in a previous comment I’ve only encountered mostly bulk standard Zombies plus the odd Feral, Cop and Soldier. Beyond that 4 manhacks attacked me when I failed to hack into the Police Station computer and when I went for an explore in the Subway I saw a Subterranean Dweller or something like that anyway. There were a lot of corpses down there and a fair amount of loot (including two sets of power armour that I had to leave behind) but I didn’t run into anything else ‘living’. I was actually trying to find a way around to another part of the town I was in but my travels underground kept taking me up until I eventually hit another town to the north of me and then I had a heck of a job getting back. <br /><br />I could have just retraced my steps (and it would have been much smarter) but I (me) was keen to find some different threats and explore the map some more and my character was very over confident in her skills. I was a bit worried about getting caught out without a tent though… I have one so I think I’ll travel with one in future. I trust that would save my skin in the event Acid Rain? Acid drizzle doesn’t worry me, my clothing protects me. I’m not sure if that’s just standard or because my tailoring skill is high and all my gear is in top notch, reinforced condition. <br /><br />So, no rain but it was a mare getting back over the river which separated me from where I wanted to be. In the end I found a spot that on the map went from Shallow to Shallow with no deep water in between. Of course that was on the map…. In reality there was plenty of deep water and as I had absolutely no swimming skill I came very close to drowning. But, I made it and managed to make it back to my house just as nightfall started to close in.<br /><br />Now that I’ve located a river there are a few swamp marked tiles that I could go check out if I felt like seeing something other than zombies. Or Zombears which are just a bit of a minor annoyance now. Wow, how things have changed…<br />m1nkshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07349479059917642644noreply@blogger.com