Death Stranding

Grumpypants

This game is a master piece. The game mechanics are amazing.

I'm 36 hours in to my second play through and for most of that I've been on Episode 3. Last time I focused on just delivering packages but now I'm building the infrastructure.

I've built the whole road from lake knot to South lake knot. It took ages but it's kind of a meditation. I log on and hike for a few hours bringing floating carriers of metal and ceramics with me.

I have now just wizzed through episode 4-5.

Just met mamma so now I can build a bunch of zip lines. Have them set up now to get from mama across the waterfall to the farm. And another from South distribution center up to the weather station.

Heading to the mountains now will try zip line let me them to keep moving road building materials out that direction.

Anything to avoid those BTs.

Zero-Cool

I'm still really torn on whether to keep going on my end game to platinum or start a new game and do what you're doing grumpy. My problem is that i have a great network of ziplines so I'm just zipping from one delivery to another and it's getting a bit boring, the plat is looking like too much of a grind.

I could just focus on road building though and load a truck with tons of deliveries instead of doing 1 at a time.

Also, speaking of Mama, my missus is watching Maid on Netflix and it's so weird seeing the lead actress who also plays Mama.

Grumpypants

That is the risk, it is such a rewarding struggle to hike over the mountains and deliver something, that when you get the roads and zip lines and just drive/zip right there it loses that rewarding feeling. I've limited the Zip lines to areas that are a right pain. The weather station I hated that trek as there are so many BTs it takes ages. And that big huge waterfall that you can't get across between South Knot and the Timefall Farm.

I am definitely enjoying the second playthrough more. I generally prefer the second time around in most games as I have a better idea of what to do so I can enjoy the mechanics more.

Zero-Cool

I was actually wondering about road building and you sound like the right chap to ask. I was thinking of loading up a truck with metals and ceramics and hitting the road, building as i go. Do you find the float device works better?

JimBurnley

You sound like a pair of civil engineers 😀

Grumpypants

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118022629#Comment_118022629

The fastest way I have found is with the bike with the little trailer. It can carry a surprising amount and it is much faster than the trucks. If you just drive to the end of the last bit of road you laid then you can get to the next paver easily and keep it moving that way.

The main stretch down to the south distro centre and then to the cosplayer is fairly quick. You can get a good bit of materials from the different buildings maybe rob a few mule postboxes that usually does it.

Getting over to south knot city was much harder as each paver needed way more materials so it takes a few trips each time, and it is harder to find the ceramics.

I'm starting building towards the Mountain distribution area now. I've done the first two bits that turn right at the craftsman and I've also two bits up to the weather station done but they are not connected in yet so not much use right now.

I pushed through the first two episodes fairly quick, maybe 2-4 hours. Then I've purposely been taking my time on Episode 3 just laying road 🤣. I just stick on the soundtrack and potter over and back, a chain of floating carriers or if I want to speed up I use the bike.

If I don't see and mules or BTs and just stick to my work I find it very relaxing. I've been doing that for a solid 30 hours now. Only last night did I blast through episode 4 which is very short (the WW1 one).

Now I have the zip lines I'm setting them up to be able to get to the pavers with the materials a bit faster.

Grumpypants

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118022744#Comment_118022744

Funny enough I used to work in civil engineering and built real roads! It's like a truck driver getting home and playing truck simulator for the evening 🤣

_CreeD_

In the east the Road makes a lot of sense, especially for the terrain between Distribution Center South of Lake Knot and South Knot. For the West I'd stop at the Distribution Center North of Mountain Knot and just use Zip lines from there. It's harder to activate the network through there which means paving costs will be much higher and it's pretty flat from there to Mountain Knot if you do want to take a vehicle. Also that last stretch of road from the valley floor up to the city is terribly designed and winds like crazy, ground level is more direct. If you do plan on making a lot of van runs anyway just pick a side of that last split uphill and use your cuffs to kill all the BTs in your way. If you wipe them all in that zone they're gone for good and you can just drive up easily from then on. Of course none of that answers the insane OCD of just wanting to finish it :)

Grumpypants

Ive almost linked the roads. I had gone all the way to the south city , now I've been working on getting around by the craftsman to the mountain knot city. It's linked all the way around passed the incinerator to the to the distribution center behind the mountain . I've more sections to join up. Only three more near the terrorists site on the way up to mountain knot city. Then three more to get over the snow.

It is a bit if a pain to get 7000 ceramics to the top of a mountain for one small section. But I'm determined to do it.

Decent zipline infrastructure too. Tending to use it to get to the areas without a road. Artist, robotics, prepper, mountaineer etc.

I'm still amazed by this game. There is so much effort put into such small things that no one else seems to even think about. I guess that is why he is so good.

OptimusTractor

Anyone have 1m likes from other porters. On the crest of 800000 myself.

Grumpypants

Just finished it, clocking in at just past the 80 hour mark. Every minute was glorious.

I did spend a huge chunk of that building every inch of road in the game. I could drive most places and those without roads had zip lines.

The guy is a genius. How he turned walking into such an enjoyable and rewarding mechanic is amazing. Much like hill walking in real life you not only feel rewarded for reaching the top. But the actual journey was its own reward too.

It is an amazing world. I love the pathing in it too. (Where if you travel the same way again and again you start to see the path forming on the ground).

It is also stunning to look at with each area very different. I was very often just walking for hours exploring.

I never got sick of the delivering. Trucks and zip lines make it easier but also less rewarding so I would still head off on hikes to remote locations with boxes on a floating carrier just to get that reward.

The story is bonkers. Lots of the ideas are so out there they reach ridiculous levels, but I feel that Kojima is not happy doing anything even remotely safe and without these mad ideas we wouldn't get the insane level of detail put into the game mechanics either, which the game is so much better for.

Glebee

Just started Chapter 5 and still cant tell if I love this game or hate it.. Its amazing that a game can be so divisive that you cant decide if is good or bad..

Zero-Cool

Finally decided to start a new playthrough as going for the platinum was killing my love for the game. On the Directors Cut, anyone know what the new difficulties affect? I would rather breeze through BT encounters and not worry about Mule camps but u don't want the deliveries to be easier. The treks are the most rewarding bit.

Grumpypants

I left it as it was, I found the mules and BTs much easier second time as I knew what to do. They were far less annoying/scary. Some parts do force you through a BT area but in general, I found it much easier to avoid them altogether.

Zero-Cool

Cool ok thanks. And with the new directors cut stuff, i read they introduced new tools you though through the story. Is Christ 2 still worth getting through quickly enough or any npc's worth delivering to first?

Was in the Pollock Holes in Kilkee yesterday and wandering around the rocks gave me a real hankering for some Death Stranding :)

JimBurnley

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119355083#Comment_119355083

That's gas, I was in Connemara and Inishbofin over the weekend and Death Stranding came immediately to mind :-)

brady12

Just finished Death Stranding directors cut on ps5 . Being a huge MGS/Kojima fan i was looking forward to it . Really liked the game , addictive loop . But what the hell were the last two hours of that game . this is what happens when there's no one there to tell kojima no . self indulgent nonsense 😂

Zero-Cool

I can't really remember the last 2 hours, i really need to get back to it and finish it again. That final walk and ending was absolutely incredible though.

Grumpypants

Is it the beach bit where you are just kinda wandering until you hit an invisible trigger point? It was a bit odd. But there is nothing not odd about that guy's mind.

brady12

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119615883#Comment_119615883

yup . Very weird . I prefer that then an difficult end to a game but jesus it was some nonsense even by his standards 😂

Grumpypants

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119620894#Comment_119620894

All his games would improve immensely from not having the weird shite. So much is made to be a realistic representation that it's like nothing else, then a flying ghost soldier with tentacles appears .......

weiland79

Any tips for a new player? I've just gotten to knot port and can't get the game out of my head.

duploelabs

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120114571#Comment_120114571

You've basically completed the introduction by getting to port knot city.

without spoiling too much....

Connect to as many preppers as possible. Build roads as soon as you have resources, if the area you want to traverse doesn't have a road network available (like to the alchemist) use pylons. This will probably make no sense currently, but it soon will

Zero-Cool

I'd add if you are getting a bit burnt out with prepper runs outside the main missions, push ahead with the story. You could be in chapter 3 for a loooooong time just doing runs. Chap 4 and onwards really moves the story song and you'll get to come back and do those runs later as well.

weiland79

Prepper runs?

Zero-Cool

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120119369#Comment_120119369

Every NPC who has deliveries for you.

duploelabs

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120119369#Comment_120119369

The guys who live in the bunker stations are preppers and the tasks they give you to shift cargo are prepper runs

Grumpypants

You can steal the trucks that the Mules are using! Some will drive around and some will be parked in the garage.

This will help a lot at the start of Chapter 3 to get moving large amounts of items to build the roads. You will be able to buy/build your own truck after a while but it can take time to unlock.

Zero-Cool

I randomly reinstalled this as I needed a relaxing game and absolutely hooked on it all over again. Had started a new play through and just unlocked the Bike. Gonna mostly move on with story missions and building infrastructure. But goddamn, a game about walking/running/hiking delivery parcels around should not be this enjoyable. I cannot wait for DS 2.

Glebee

It is some game alright, story is bat sh1t crazy but once you get hooked, it's simple brilliant.