What craft skill is it?

[Tom H]

When I make a leather item, like a belt, what craft skill am I using? Hideworking? 

Is carving wood items (bowls) considered carpentry? How about stone weapons? Javelins? Torches?

[ModernNorseman]

You can view most of these in the "diy_glossary" in your Unreal World folder.

The stone axe uses the *COMMON* skill, which I believe is set at 50 as a sort of all around skill you can't improve. Same goes for javelin.

Wooden bowl uses carpentry, and that skill can be improved

I believe the clothing will also be *COMMON*.

[PALU]

Also note that clothing can never be better than average quality, regardless of the quality of the hide used (which means using Superior hides/leather for clothing is a waste, although it probably does increase the chance of not producing poor quality items). In addition to this, produced item quality is limited by the quality of the source item, so you can not produce high quality bowl, and high quality javelins require high quality staves, which can not be made, only bought (and they're quite rare).

[Tom H]

Also note that clothing can never be better than average quality, regardless of the quality of the hide used (which means using Superior hides/leather for clothing is a waste, although it probably does increase the chance of not producing poor quality items). In addition to this, produced item quality is limited by the quality of the source item, so you can not produce high quality bowl, and high quality javelins require high quality staves, which can not be made, only bought (and they're quite rare).

Thanks, Palu. It's very disappointing to learn that achieving GrandMaster in Hideworking is the end in itself. All these hides I've made, particularly leather, are pointless once there is little to trade for. I've actually broken down most of my traps to avoid catching anything.

[caius]

It's very disappointing to learn that achieving GrandMaster in Hideworking is the end in itself. All these hides I've made, particularly leather, are pointless once there is little to trade for. I've actually broken down most of my traps to avoid catching anything.

And you've hit the challenge of late-game play.  What is the next goal or objective to work for? 

Take those leather hides and furs and try to make fine to superior skis and ski poles?  Make a "princess and the pea" pile of superior quality furs to sleep on?  Make a trap fence that stretches the length of the entire map (barring rivers)?  Become a GransMaster in Weatherlore?  Build hunting lodges and fishing lodges across the map? 

What do the rest of you do in late-game?

[PALU]

I'm currently on a plodding slow mega project of building a wall (a palisade in my eyes) around my homestead sitting at the outermost edge of the tile to keep undesirable creatures out. The decision to do that came from vagabonds hanging out in the neighborhood and cutting down a huge number of trees in the area, so it's basically a way of cleaning up most of the trunks (half of the logs used come from my previous bear trap defense line).

When done, which probably takes another year, I plan to travel to the top left corner of the map to see what the marker up there is...

[Dungeon Smash]

The nice thing is that the BAC mod provides many late-game challenges.  I'm currently working on collecting all the bog iron and charcoal i will need to make 120 nails to complete my clinker ship and sail the vast lakes to Kaumo territory!  In addition to blacksmithing, you can also get into advanced cooking, woodcarving, weaving, etc...  I like making kvass drink and fancy cheese.

But yes, I also just recently disabled all my trap lines - I caught 2 elk and a reindeer within a period of about 5 days and had more hides and food than I knew what to do with.  My larder is full of smoked meat and every time I leave the house it seems there's a rotten elk when I come back... just seems needlessly cruel to keep harvesting game at this point.

[caius]

My larder is full of smoked meat and every time I leave the house it seems there's a rotten elk when I come back... just seems needlessly cruel to keep harvesting game at this point.

Trade it!  Or give it away to villagers and they will love you.

[Dungeon Smash]

Haha, there's really nothing the villages around me have that I even need at this point.. not much point in trading with them, when I already have endless hides, endless cured meat, and masterwork versions of Woodsmans axe, Broad knife, Small knife, and Handaxe (as well as basic/fine versions of all other axes & knives).  It's possible Driik might have useful goods for me, but I live in No Man's Land near Kiesse (my home tribe) and meat would spoil before I got to Driik.  Kiesse, Kaumo, Sarto and Reemi just don't have much that I need. I just smoke and hoard meats and hides, then perform trading missions in the winter when it's easy to ski over frozen lakes & rivers.  Right now it's late summer, so mostly not worth the effort for trading.

[Tom H]

Yeah, I've been all over every area except the Njerp stomping grounds. Unlike with my previous long run character, this world suffers from a relative lack of Masterwork gear and tools. I can find several dozen masterwork bows of various types but not a single Masterwork spear of any kind WHICH SOMEONE WILL TRADE! I've seen them but they're never among the items offered as trade. And, No, I won't hire and kill someone for his gear.

In the entire world, there is not a single Masterwork broadknife. In fact, there's only ONE Fine broadknife! Saw a Masterwork mace once on a foreign trader, NOT for trade. Saw a Masterwork spear on a trader once, NOT for trade. That has been annoying.

Otoh, I've found numerous Masterwork swords and battleaxes. Lacking much skill with either, I just trade for them because they are there.

[Dungeon Smash]

the items in villages do change periodically