Does anybody remember the time when they just got the game, and just started to explore? (Before the intro update) Well, I’ve got a story to tell.
Long ago, when I only had a dilapidated shotgun and a dilapidated pistol, I was finally starting to get close to the the end of the starting island, when I had a choice. Go to the main island though the bridge, or a slim, natural way that went further up the archipelago. First, I surveyed the bridge, which was guarded by a broad shouldered, tall, and creepy robot (at the time I didn’t know it’s true name, a hunter)
Which then I quickly thought I couldn’t stand a chance, so then I started to travel to the natural path. When I got there, I discovered a small, but fruitful military camp. I found a gun, and picked up a variation of unique supplies, when I saw a yellow arrow frantically pointing right in front of me. I jumped as I heard a guttural howl split through the air. I slowly looked up to see the same type of machine that I saw that was protecting the bridge, except this time, there were three of them. I screamed, in game (kind of) and in real life, and rushed to the beach, where I quickly planned to rush along. I fired potshots at the robots, which all but hit. Then, I started to retreat back to the nearest town, and in my wake I hastily threw flares to distract them, which failed. (at the time flares were pretty much useless) I noticed I was mortally wounded, but kept pushing on, until I found the perfect homestead; a farm. But one thing seemed off. The place was occupied by the little dog things I’ve seen roaming around (these days, a pack of runners). I quickly planned which building to go in. The barn, the house, or the small little shed. In my haste, I picked the barn. I quickly opened the doors, and rushed inside. When I slammed the door, I felt a common sense of relief. And 30 minutes later, I broke open the doors to assault the waiting dog robots, and to plan to raid and attack whatever was on the bridge.
Ahhh…more or less exactly the same choices I took, the same horror I felt, the tail between my legs retreat, and early on that safehouse/barn was hell on earth…fear!
Miss the good old days
Thanks for sending me down the memory lane!
Ditto! Pushed the same route myself, but the Hunters were waiting around the safehouse and attracted few Runners with them. Had a blast when cheesing out the robots from inside the barn.
Because in the early few days of gameplay, the usable items like flares, lures, grenades, etc. were so useless, I havent used them after that and I still discard every throwable item even today.
That was exactly my route as well, although the Hunters weren’t round the camp (just a Seeker and two Dogs), and I carried on my happy way and found a back entrance into the Bunker. Later I went back and killed the Hunter on the bridge, who turned out to be the softest target in the game (there’s a gas tank in the boot of the car he stands next to - requires a good shot, but then I am one).
I had similar experience when trying to advance into Northern part of Achipelago but back then, bridge was guarded by military hunter. Now (after game nerfs) proto hunter stands there.
At 1st, i saw military hunter on the bridge and knew very well how deadly military hunter was (since i ran into one at the Naval base mission), so, i tried to take the land bridge. Before running into the camp at land bridge, i scouted it and saw several seekers and dozens of runners guarding it. I figured that i’d rather deal with 1x machine (military hunter) than dealing with several at once, so back to the bridge i went.
I planned long time on how to get past the military hunter. My plan was to lure the hunter at the foot of the bridge, where several cars were that offer me cover while i placed explosive gas can on the foot of the bridge so i can snipe it and blow up the hunter as well.
Sadly, back then, GZ was very unstable for me and crashed a lot. I had to make several attempts to execute my plan, making my way from closest safehouse to the bridge while avoiding patrols (it was some distance away) but every time when i was just about ready to throw in lures, game crashed.
In one of the attempts, the hunter wasn’t on the bridge. I took the opportunity and crossed the bridge. When crossing the bridge, i did hear hunter sounds and proximity warning also went off and i realized that the game had spawned the hunter inside the bridge, just below road level. I made it safely to other side and was able to unlock safehouse there (Church) before my game crashed. Back into the game and i did check out the bridge and military hunter was back on the bridge guarding it. But since i got past it (i guess the game gave me a break after all those crashes), there was no need for me to engage it anymore.
Ahh, the barns. I remember the first time I closed the barn doors with a pack of hunters on my tale. I sighed in relief and turned around and BOOM! Impaled by a hunter who managed to glitch himself into the barn.
If Generation Zero ever go Hollywood, that should be the intro scene
Wanna laugh?
Well first time i was near the first bridge, i saw a destroyed tank…the thing is…i thought it was “alive”, i never saw a real “tank” and remembered everybody said the game was buggy…so the tank is in the water…but it`s “alive” what other reason is there for a tank to be in the water?
And i runaway, only later i understood the enemy awareness icon was from a hunter i forgot to destroy.
Noob things indeed
The first time I encountered a Harvester, was just across that bridge. I had just killed my first Hunter, and that felt epic. Here comes this lumbering beast of a machine, and all I have is a rusty shotgun, a worn hunting rifle for hunting small game, and a peashooter. I wasn’t so cocky then.
I managed to “get over the bridge” via the coast and the camp, and arrived fairly beaten at the house to pick up the “Path to the Gods” side mission. It was buggy, and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t pick up the notebook.
Then I heard @Zesiir’s first havester and got pretty scared. I ran to the church and got even more beaten, and the beating continued for an hour or so. Finally I got so angry, that I ran out the church into the woods, only to meet again with my harvester. “Sod it, attack the bugger!”, and I did. With old Bethan. For some reason I ended up behind it, and I just kept on shooting up its ass. And suddently it fell over. Dead. I simply couldn’t believe that I just had succeeded taking down that beast! Then I went and did the hunter on the bridge.
AHAH so funny that the same happened to me.
actually even worse…
I went to the little farm at the right of the church, looking for the harvester, and there i had my first encounter with a tank, i fought it with a worn 12 G Pump Action, Mollerr PP and a Meusser Hunting Rifle.
38 minutes later 5 hunters and 4 runners and 1 tank and 1 harvester were destroyed, i must have died like 7 times for the first time, and i was almost empty of ammo.
Those were the “good old times”
My go-to gun for taking down harvesters (until experimental weapons came), was the .270 rifle.
Rocket pods off from a distance and then a little closer to taking pot shots to critical parts.
the science kicked in 
many explosion’s 
and deaths later i accidentally learnt to Fly 