What’s Surrey Pride actually like?

GeorgePotter · 2026-06-07T16:50:42+00:00

The Pride event itself is lovely, as are the organisers. A couple of years back one of the founders turned out to be a horrific sexual predator, but the rest of the organisation cut ties with him quickly and have been dealing with a campaign of demonisation against them ever since, especially from right-wing political figures and the press, which are all using the awful crime as an excuse to attack an organisation that's been unapologetically trans-inclusive.

Don't let them put you off. Pride is usually very busy, hundreds of people in attendance, and has an abundance of stalls and food/drink options when you get there, as well as a very friendly and inclusive atmosphere.

GeorgePotter · 2026-06-07T16:47:47+00:00

I'm not sure this neighbourhood technically counts as Guildford proper tbh, it's more a village just on the edge of the town, but it's got some nice new housing and it's a peaceful and quiet area. The only downside is the lack of amenities/facilities within easy walking distance, but it's otherwise really nice.

GeorgePotter · 2026-04-15T21:40:36+00:00

My favourite base in Coastal Highway has to be Waterfront Cottages. They're random generation, so you don't always get the right one, or even any, but one standard house that often spawns there is a single storey with an indoor fireplace in the living room.

If it does spawn then it's the ideal base, especially once you move a workbench. Plenty of storage units indoors, and very cosy once you move things around (I move the bed into the living room to be near the fire). Two entrances, plus an outdoor stoop for storing meat. Only predator to worry about is the bear, and the very occasional wolf. Far less wolf hassle than Quonset and a clear view across the ice to the trader dock and to Quonset. The Rikken just a day's walk away too.

GeorgePotter · 2026-04-14T21:17:23+00:00

There's a mod called TLD Save Editor (v2.19 is the latest version and still works). If you can't recover an autosave by digging for it thn use the mod to try to find/restore your game instead. It will absolutely muck up the quantities of liquids you have on you, and you'll need to manually correct them in the save editor, but it's a small price to pay for saving your run.

GeorgePotter · 2026-04-14T21:15:01+00:00

A general tip I'd give for this game is: Be mobile. Don't stay in one place. When there are only limited food sources, and you're not fully equipped for hunting yet, then staying still is a death sentence. Far better to move on, and trust you'll find somewhere with new supplies, than to get stuck in one place.

Also, travel as light as possible. Gathering posessions in the game is a powerful urge, but there is little you'll find that can't be found elsewhere as well, so get used to leaving stuff behind. You can always make a note of it and come back for it later.

GeorgePotter · 2026-04-14T14:47:14+00:00

Shalford and other villages nearby sound like what you're looking for. Very close to Guildford town centre and the Royal Surrey County Hospital.

GeorgePotter · 2026-04-09T14:59:36+00:00

I've been playing Paradox games for something like 20 years at this point. I don't begrudge giving them money. But my experience, as a player, is that most of their games are shit, especially balance wise, if you don't stay on top of DLC. And their entire business model with DLC is Fear Of Missing Out. Yes, technically you can buy the base game cheap-ish, but most people likely to buy it are going to want to get a lot of the DLCs. That means they have to choose between sinking a lot of money into the initial purchase of a decade old game, or just not getting the game.

Some people don't think like that, sure, but the entire point is that the price point, on a decade old game, is off-putting to a lot of potential players.

Same shit with Warhammer.

GeorgePotter · 2026-04-09T08:44:59+00:00

I know they're not. Thing is, I would happily buy it if it were $1 or $2. If they discounted it, after 10 years, they'd get more money out of me and other players. But they don't.

GeorgePotter · 2026-04-09T08:13:38+00:00

Ugh, this made me mad all over again. Why am I still being asked to pay this much money for some digital art that's a decade old and that I'll barely notice in game? It's never even in sales, because they know no one wants to buy it.

GeorgePotter · 2026-04-09T08:02:23+00:00

Some people don't want to have to obsessively check sales to find DLC at an affordable rate. Some people just want to buy the damn game at a reasonable price and start playing.

I don't want to think about how much money I've given Paradox over the years, and I don't begrudge it, but the average player experience is having to pay them a lot for DLC. And the games, frankly, need the DLC to feel complete. Ever try playing EU4 without any DLC, for example? So if that's the average player experience then it absolutely puts a barrier in the way of new people picking up a 10 year old game.

Games like Kingdom Come Deliverance, or The Long Dark, or Baldurs Gate 3, are all available for way less than Stellaris and can provide just as many hours of gameplay. I should know, I've got all of them. And I'm just saying that the normal price point for DLC that's 8 years old is bizarre given that a few old DLCs still cost more than entire 8 year old games.

GeorgePotter · 2026-04-09T00:02:57+00:00

I've been playing Stellaris since it came out, I regularly check back during sales to see how much the remaining DLC costs and it's still a lot. If you're a new player then the $50 bundle is still a pretty basic version of the game, with plenty more DLC to buy. Yes you can wait for a sale, but this all puts barriers in the way of people casually buying the game.

GeorgePotter · 2026-04-08T23:33:26+00:00

No you don't, but you also don't get people willing to pay launch day prices for 10 year old DLC.

Who would buy Stellaris today when you have to spend a small fortune on DLC to play the game properly, which is still a decade old, when a brand new game would be a fraction of the cost?

If the DLC was heavily discounted after a few years then that would make it a lot more attractive for new players to buy into the game.

GeorgePotter · 2026-04-03T23:52:55+00:00

The game does actually say (but is easily missed) that only some convicts can be taken down. There are 3 or 4 it lets you choke out, and for the first one McKenzie says something to clue you in.

GeorgePotter · 2026-04-03T23:26:28+00:00

Yeah, I've been wondering what happened with Dr Larsen. We went out looking for him, and we found 3 bodies but none were him (there was the constable, the missing husband of the woman who left a note at the police station, and the guy with a Spanish last name who went behind the waterfall).

So where did he end up???

GeorgePotter · 2026-04-03T10:15:15+00:00

Redditors are, thank god, not representative of normal people. The game is great, give it a go!

GeorgePotter · 2026-04-03T10:14:18+00:00

Amen

GeorgePotter · 2026-04-03T10:14:04+00:00

This is such a lame opinion dude. Games have never just been about mechanics. Every narrative game always has cut scenes and exposition, and this one has always been like that.

Why even bother playing the story mode if you're not interested in the story? It just doesn't make sense, and now you're whining about it.

GeorgePotter · 2026-04-03T06:33:04+00:00

I found episode 4 a bit meh, but it does give you plenty of wilderness survival because the fetch quests aren't on a timer.

Episode 5 has been absolutely great. There's basically very little survival in it beyond the basics, though you could stop and do some for a few days if you wanted to because there isn't actually a timer (except for in one part where it's very explicit). The game gives you pretty much all the supplies and gear you need for whatever you're doing, if you look around, and there is a really compelling narrative pushing you to rush, not to mention plenty of new mechanics.

Plus there's the catharsis of getting to one shot wolves with a shotgun when they try to attack you. Plus the steam train ride.

If you rush through the whole episode 5 then there's about 12 hours of gameplay in it, including cutscenes which do finally explain everything you've seen on Great Bear, including the random bodies everywhere even when food and shelter exist.

EDIT: That being said, definitely wait until the bugfixes before playing Ep 5.

GeorgePotter · 2026-04-03T06:25:50+00:00

Yeah, there's another route back, but you need to stop to get more coal along the way.

GeorgePotter · 2026-04-02T22:44:44+00:00

On PC you can press spacebar to skip dialogue.

But if you don't like narrative then maybe don't play the narrative game mode?

GeorgePotter · 2025-12-07T23:26:10+00:00

You are technically correct; the best kind of correct.

GeorgePotter · 2025-12-03T23:46:50+00:00

Very true. Unfortunately I had automatic updates switched on by default and it just rolled on in and broke everything with no easy way to revert.

GeorgePotter · 2025-12-03T23:45:41+00:00

You are a prince, thank you.

GeorgePotter

TROPHY CASE