Need help with a certain character build

[VoxelMush]

I'm relatively new to UnReal World though I have a basic grasp of its mechanics and whatnot. I went ahead and completely randomised my character, and I got a Sartolaiset starting in the Abandoned Camp scenario. The Sartolaiset's skills seem to generally be very low and while they specialise in agriculture, my character won't have any seeds or shovel with him so I'm a little bit lost at what to do.

So far I've basically only ever played as a Seal-Tribe, fishing being the only way to sustain my character. I'm very inexperienced with both active and passive hunting and I've only ever killed squirrels, a few times, never getting a kill with traps. None of my saves have ever lasted into the first winter.

Can you advise me on what I should do and how to play with this character? Thanks in advance. 

[PALU]

I haven't played any Sartolan characters, but I generally start my characters out by setting up a few of the smallest deadfall traps (they don't require any precious string) to catch occasional birds, with bait being optional. The next step is killing a large non carnivorous animal, like an elk or a reindeer that can be gotten with endurance hunting. While doing that, I throw rocks at any nearby stationary birds I happen to zoom in reasonably close to, as it's possible to hit one occasionally, and they tend to drop to the ground giving you some time to kill them before recovering.
Squirrels are the easiest to kill, but don't give much net food given the time it takes to process their skin (the same goes for birds).
One a big animal has been killed it's time to roast the meat and prepare the skin. Once the meat has been roasted it's time to haul it to town to exchange it for some tool(s).
Agriculture typically happens during the second year (I start in "spring", usually) with a lot of time spent during the winter to prepare for farm plots, and the meat and some skin collected during the year is exchanged for tools and seeds, with the aim to build up a stock of food so that a month or so can be spent mostly burning and preparing soil.

The worse a character is at active hunting the more I'd lean towards passive hunting. I typically build a trap fence around a single tile lake and have 3 bear or pit traps on each side (no spikes, to harm the skins as little as possible).

The first 2-3 years are basically spent setting things up (farming, building a homestead, trap fence). The first building built is a sauna (for smoking), with a cellar being made as soon as I can (to get food to keep longer).

Others use other strategies, though.

[VoxelMush]

snip

Do your characters sustain themselves on birds and squirrels until an elk/reindeer can be killed?

[koteko]

I usually start either in spring or autumn, depending if I want to start in an agricultural way (spring) or hunter/gatherer (autumn). Let's assume you start in spring.

Your first needs are knife and axe. How do you pay for it depends on what you start with. One way or another, I get a knife and a axe very soon and thus am quickly able to produce fox traps. One unlucky time I had nothing, so I made a knife and then made a javelin with the knife, then fished (very inefficiently) for weeks to keep myself alive and buy little by little more durable things. Then sold all the durable things to buy an handaxe and eventually a small knife.

All this time, you protect yourself from the cold by keeping a fire going near the sea, lake or river-side shelter you live in (and fish from).

With a few fox traps I buy dried/smoked food. I can now survive for several days without troubles. I explore to find a place to settle and/or immediately go after my first prey.

I start making traps all around the shelter (the ones without cord, and starting with the smallest types). With those you should easily capture birds and small animals if you stay there to fish or make fox traps. You start accumulating bird leather and you can eat the meat, or roast it and sell it for more durable things (I find it more efficient it to eat it while making boards and then fox traps).

Little by little you'll get lucky: you'll kill a reindeer/elk/bear, and use the fur to make yourself some warm clothes. Otherwise, keep selling your fox traps and buy the clothes in villages. Wool and fur. (the generic "fur" is pretty good).

If you want to go the agricultural way, you should buy seeds now. But if I were you, since you are still learning to survive, I'd do it like PAUL and postpone to the next year. Until winter, just accumulate warm clothes (from hunts or paid for with fox traps), find a nice place to settle (you need water and trees nearby) and disseminate the surroundings with traps.

Building a cellar is a good idea. Also protect your chosen area with fences, and if you feel like it, start building a log cabin.

[PALU]

Yes, my characters rely on birds mainly while chasing big game. In a few cases a grumbling belly has been somewhat satisfied by berries, but in most cases I there aren't any available when I start. You can actually go for a fair while without food or only the occasional piece of meat, but the only characters who've been starving significantly have been escaped slaves on small islands.

[VoxelMush]

Thank you PALU and koteko very much for your replies! Things are going quite well and I've got 10+ cuts of dried/smoked meat, my traps are working and I can say this is the most fun I've had with this game, all thanks to you and Sami! 

EDIT: And now my character died. I thought I could cross thin ice, and if it broke, my character could climb back out. I was wrong. 

[Privateer]

 I think (imo) unless you are roleplaying some ideology, random roll or selected the game, especially the early game is about survival.
#1 Essentials, food, shelter, water.
A) Food is an ongoing theme and stress injector. Though I've not done it recently, it used to take a very long time to starve to death. The game will
frequently.. and more frequently "Alert" you to build anxiety and adrenaline.
  Food collection early on, depending on season and herbology, berries are the only 100% safe plant to harvest (assuming you can't identify some plant or grass). Meat is the primary survival food as well as for long term security.
a) Fish are locatable, close by, in almost every area (body of water large/deep enough to fish). You are allowed to fish with many items; rock, stone, staff. javelin, club, fishing pole, net, trident. Only fishing pole and net target more than one fish at a time. Fishing provides a possible means to security.
b) Traps, A few versions/years back placing a trap would "cause the start of NPC activities" in usually inactive areas of the world (areas where you are not). This could be exploited to the point that placing a large deadfall trap on a one square tile in a river for example, would "Cause" and animal to spawn on that spot. This used to make trapping very simple as you can guess. Sami has since made AI changes, spawn rule changes, and tied much of a traps success on your trapping skill. Small deadfall traps are great for areas around you where you see small mammals and birds, if you can bait them your chances "may" be improved. Loop snares require resources but can be effective for catching small mammals and birds and are easily moved. Large deadfall, pit/spike pit and fence require more effort/resources but can have huge upside. Placement as mentioned before does require a bit more thought/planning. Trapping provides a possible means to security.
c)Active hunting is when you actually pursue an npc. Rocks are great tools for hunting squirels and slow birds when you find them. Ranged attacks and chase are valid prospects but can be difficult early on. Chasing large game is difficult to succeed without a plan. Large marsh areas are a good opportunity to chase one to to weakness. Using rivers, lakes, seas or other deep water you can limit the animals ability to escape and swim to weakness. Active hunting provides a difficult means to security, especially early on.

Once you are secure you can get into better stuff
With a knife and an axe you can survive anything!