Punitive island winter challenge

[paulkorotoon]

Two more deaths, gonna take a break because it's frustrating, hehe.

[Buoidda]

It sure can be.

A few pointers to any newcomers who wish to try:
- When still naked - obsess over fire.
   - Gather firewood rather than cut it - it is far quicker. Always have enough ready for at least one night, preferably several.
   - Branches and other small wood burn too quickly. Light branch fires to cut slender trunks. Light slender trunks to cut groups of young trees.
   - Always be on a lookout for groups of young trees. Light a slender trunk fire near them to be able to cut three or at least two young trees with one fire.
   - Do not waste big trunks for fires that burn longer than you need them to. The winter will be much colder later. You also need them for traps when you get rope.
   - Learn to use torches.
- Do not waste time on wooden stakes/fences and javelins. Throw rocks unless your club skill is much worse than spear.
- Fish with rocks. With stone tools you get crude javelins which are -10 skill in fights, I don't know but possibly in fishing too.
- From the start, you are in a real hurry to have plenty of food, firewood and fur clothes before the mid winter strikes.
- EDIT: Try to a make wooden shovel and dig the pits you need before the ground is too frozen.
- Reindeer, elk and bear have the warmest fur. Good for hoods, footwear and mittens, areas on which you can't have many layers.
- Mind the spirits. You can sacrifice mushrooms and grasses. Use lingonberries for bait. Low energy meat is also better as bait than one sorry meal.
- Stay the F*** out of the ice! If you must brave to a carcass, drop everything but a wielded knife and crawl. You can test the ice by pushing stuff on it.
- Swimming guide: https://www.unrealworld.fi/wiki/index.php?title=Swimming_(Skill)

The Island will await patiently.

[PALU]

Also, when collecting a carcass off the ice, pull it to you, crawl back, pull, crawl back...
If it's light enough to be carried, drop it and crawl back anyway (I don't think I've been in that situation, though).
You may well have to heat up by a fire one or more times, as that's very slow work.

[Buoidda]

Tested fishing 50 times with a rock and 50 times with a crude javelin, trying to keep a balance with burden penalties (didn't bother with continuous fire) and time-of-day. Alternating rhythm was something like fishing 5 times with one, sleep, 5 times with the other, sleep. On quicker fishing days did more, but changed equipment after 5 times fishing.

Testing wasn't neurotically scientific though, but I caught 8 pikes with a rock and 8 pikes with a crude javelin. Fishing skill (*) rose from 43 to 46.

Didn't learn anything. Might do it again in summer when it's easier not to wear anything.

[Brygun]

Having lost 2 documented characters within 2 days each I will assert the superiority of Bouidda's Island Challenge of Deathly Winter.

And this from a long time vet and modder.

Bouidda, I salute you. - Brygun of the BAC

[Buoidda]

Now now @Brygun, ur making me feel akward  Personally I find Nekot's challenge harder to complete, at least strictly by the rules. Though it has much more luck factor involved, imho.

Nekot's "The Challenge":
http://www.unrealworld.fi/forums/index.php?topic=901.0

Sure island challenge is tough - until you find large fur bearing game. But then it's fairly simple to use the 'corner them to breathless' tactic or herd them to drown on an island. After that you basically just wait for warm waters or an axe-wielding woodsman to spawn.

In Nekot's challenge you can't do that without encountering them near water. And the added restriction of not being able to zoom out makes accomplishing that really difficult (and frustratingly tedious after a while, unless you get lucky).

HINT: Use Night's magnificent little software to choose starting location: https://www.unrealworld.fi/forums/index.php?topic=6072.msg16429#msg16429

[Modest Grouse]

I've played variants of this multiple times, to the point that to me it is the main thing to do with UnReal World. To make tit feel kind of balanced (say, 75% odds of success) is to discard everything except a metal knife. It doubles meat yield, which makes a pretty big difference in not starving. An island in the 6-12 tiles range also makes things more feasible -- the game is basically "survive until an elk [or deer] shows up", and so you need to have an island where an elk eventually shows up. The scenario has become slightly different now that there is pausable crafting, which makes it possible to split boards from a log with a stone axe, make a paddle, and row to the mainland. But this seems well and good -- previously the options were swimming (not always possible) or waiting for someone (traders, woodsman) to show up with a metal axe, but that seemingly can take a year or more.