No idea where my brain was at yesterday - blame over 6 hours of driving.

What I meant to say is that the landscapes I saw could have been lifted straight into the game. Including similar coloured hills and patches of ground, and there were 1 or 2 prepper settlements as well. If there had been more rocks I’d have questioned my reality.

Anyone playing this on PS4/PS5? I wanted to try some strand contracts but no one on my friends list is actively playing it seems.

Thanks to Syph for the loan of this. This game is incredible. Can't think of an open world game I've enjoyed more so far. The mechanics and level of detail are polished in a way that only Kojima seems to do. Small things keep happening that remind me of the level of craftsmanship in this game. For example, making the mistake of carrying cargo in my right hand and then realising I can no longer use that hand to hold my breath, or finding out I can throw further with my right hand than my left.

Added you to PSN Davie, but think you have a good point on boosting my progress too much. Will refrain from the contract until later in the game.

Nice one.

Have upped the difficult to hard. Felt like I was coasting through some aspects a little too easily. It’s a subtle shift with increased timefall damage and better Mule AI and tougher BTs. Enjoying the extra challenge and I’d recommend it. Also there is an additional rank you can get when perfecting premium deliveries.

I play this on and off too. I don't have much time but I play for a bit maybe once a week. I've pretty much ignored all of the building stuff as I don't really know how it works.

I'd love to see all the shit you've built Davie. Your in my friends list so do I need to do anything in game to see your structures? I've just been on the fragile express and about to start chapter 3.

Cupatay wrote:

I'd love to see all the shit you've built Davie. Your in my friends list so do I need to do anything in game to see your structures? I've just been on the fragile express and about to start chapter 3.

Go to Bridge Links in your menu. Find davie (or whoever) in the friends list and press triangle. This will create a “strand contract” which means you are more likely to see his stuff.

Cupatay wrote:

I'd love to see all the shit you've built Davie. Your in my friends list so do I need to do anything in game to see your structures? I've just been on the fragile express and about to start chapter 3.

I made a link to you pal.
There's loads of boots, pcc's, roadstars (for use on my highways) etc in share lockers for you all

Love the mountains. Must get back to this.

Yep the sound of the wind and that bit where you zip over the falling boulders sounds great on the old surround.

I'm going to cover off a lot more side deliveries on this run. I spent a lot of time zipping between three bases in the mountains as I'd had a nice setup and the power ups synergised well.

drumbeg wrote:

Spent a good hour or two trekking in the mountains last night.

Started off OK with me laying down some zip points for future trips. Long slog up through the snow.



Stamina quickly went out of the window. Was a relief to see some friendly faces up there.

Who are those guys? Not other human players are they?

I'm still in the opening section doing errands lol.

I think I'm supposed to go further west at some point. I have resolutely not done that.

I had a 30 hour PS4 save which i loaded into the PS5 version, but i really wanted a fresh start, and i'm so glad i did! 

Prior knowledge cut down alot of the hassle with the BT zones, and once you get to that point in the story where you have free reign, i loved building the roads and the infrastructure to help out other players . 

I haven't completed the resource heavy roads in the mountain area, because trudging through that region setting up zip-lines was without a doubt my favourite part of the entire game - gauging distances, judging the incline/decline, the geometry of it all is soooooo satisfying. 

Then when you activate the next Chiral Network NPC and all the online player ziplines pop-up you can add them to the mix...but mostly ignore because my route was paramount. Either way its a 2 min zip over the mountain range now they're all in place.

I love hitting Mule camps and robbing all their resources until they respawned again. Thats a happy kind of grind - because those rescources helped build all the structures that benefit the greater good!

Then i cracked on with the story for curiosities sake and there were a couple of Episodes that fell really flat for me. I won't name them because i don't want to spoil anyone elses experience. 

So, i played through to the credits and it looks like a NG+ scenario based on the reset missions/deliveries available, so i've left it alone for the past 2 weeks.

I think about it alot, not because i wanna go back (yet), but because its a unique and profound experience, and not many games i've played deliver in that fashion. 

I understand why most players or "gamers" would dismiss it, but its so well created and designed (within an inch of its life) by a singular vision - and thats what appeals to me most. Don't get me wrong, i am not a Kojima fan-boy, but i do appreciate creativity when i see it regardless of medium.

Erm...drunk rant over! Loved it 10/10.

Curtis wrote:

I haven't completed the resource heavy roads in the mountain area, because trudging through that region setting up zip-lines was without a doubt my favourite part of the entire game - gauging distances, judging the incline/decline, the geometry of it all is soooooo satisfying.

This... and I've never got more than the first cutscene+20 on any MGS game. Love this game. Need some quiet time off work to dive back in properly, only just about to start out on my first real big trip west.

Curtis wrote:

I haven't completed the resource heavy roads in the mountain area, because trudging through that region setting up zip-lines was without a doubt my favourite part of the entire game - gauging distances, judging the incline/decline, the geometry of it all is soooooo satisfying.  Then when you activate the next Chiral Network NPC and all the online player ziplines pop-up you can add them to the mix...but mostly ignore because my route was paramount. Either way its a 2 min zip over the mountain range now they're all in place.

This is the part of the game I have been at for the last few evenings. I have reduced arduous routes to a trivial zip wire trip. I did start to build some roads in the region, but have put that off for now as the zips are the optimal way to get around with what have been relatively light loads. Will need the roads for some of the heavyweight premiums though. 

Have just done a delivery in whiteout conditions to the highest peak so far. The atmosphere was incredible, and again it's the surround audio that really drives it home. I've been in real whiteout conditions in the alps before and this game really captures that sense of struggle and disorientation. This game really nails mountains. 

Curtis wrote:

I love hitting Mule camps and robbing all their resources until they respawned again. Thats a happy kind of grind - because those rescources helped build all the structures that benefit the greater good!

Interesting, because I've avoided hitting the MULE camps so far, doing so only when required by a mission, but I did an amazing stealth mission to retrieve something a couple of nights ago where the route I took involved abseiling off a rock face into MULE territory and into long grass. I'd studied movements and the target got close enough for me to strand him undetected. Got out unseen and unpinged. Felt amazing because due to the complete lack of signposting or obvious approaches that this game presents in such situations, it at least felt like I had devised this masterplan purely off my own back based on a vast number of options. It's wetted my appetite for more ah-hoc MULE harassment.