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Other Projects => Other Games => Play With Your Buddies => Topic started by: Mephansteras on November 14, 2012, 11:12:53 pm

Title: Unreal World LP - Fortress of the North
Post by: Mephansteras on November 14, 2012, 11:12:53 pm
With the new version of Unreal World out I decided it'd be fun to do a Let's Play of it. For those of you who don't know it, Unreal World is a survival rogue-like set in a pseudo Iron Age Finland.

Based on an idea from Girlinhat, I've decided to try making a Fortress. Now, this is a huge endeavor and will take quite a while to do. I have to survive long enough to make it, and get enough supplies to keep myself fed while I make it.

Your input is welcome, but I'll be making a bunch of decisions on my own since the focus is on eventually creating a Fortress (as opposed to any other goal)

With that in mind, I'm going to play this as if my Character was a Dwarf. He'll start off from the most civilized group, the Driikilainen. I will also be somewhere in the South-western region, since I'll want to have reasonable access to good quality equipment.

Now, here comes the first Question: What kind of starting scenario should we use?

Here are the options:

The Unreal World - Start playing at the middle of a wide, unfamiliar wilderness.
The Village - Start playing outside a strange but cosy-looking village. Can give some advantages, but doesn't usually have a big effect.
Runaway Slave - Having been slave to Njerpezit for years you finally take a step to escape from your captors. Very difficult start (and quite likely that I'd die before getting anywhere).
Unfortunate Hunting Trip - Your father lies dead on the ground and the beast who killed him is still present. Can go really well or really poorly.
Lonely Settler - You find yourself alone on foreign ground with two unfinished cottages. Can give a few equipment advantages, but we'll almost certainly abandon the starting spot so it's mostly wasted.
Hurt, Helpless and Afraid - Wounded and left for dead, you struggle to survive in the wilderness. Very difficult start (and quite likely that I'd die before getting anywhere).
Traps and Trapping - You start playing fully equipped with the tools for passive hunting. A half-way decent starting set that gives some extra equipment.
I Want to be a Fisherman - Carrying extensive fishing equipment you start to follow your path as a fisherman. Makes initial survival pretty trivial. Probably the easiest starting scenario.
Abandoned Trap Fence - You find an old trap-fence in the wilderness. Might be a little helpful, but usually gets abandoned pretty quickly.
Abandoned Camp - You find an old camp with firewood, shelter and useful items. Occasionally gives something decent, but tends to have little effect.
Agriculture - You posses some valuable seeds and are ready to try out your agricultural skills. Nice bonus for later on, but doesn't do much for initial survival.

The next question is whether or not I want to do the optional quest lines. They act as a tutorial (which I don't need) and give some nice free equipment (namely an Axe and Fishing Pole). Mostly acts to make the game easier, but does feel a bit like cheating to me.
Title: Re: Unreal World LP - Fortress of the North
Post by: jester on November 14, 2012, 11:26:20 pm
Runaway slave, there is no other option.
Title: Re: Unreal World LP - Fortress of the North
Post by: Girlinhat on November 14, 2012, 11:47:16 pm
A bit of background for the game, and why a fortress is an impressive endeavor...

Food is important.  You have varying degrees of Nutrition, and the higher your nutrition the slower your hunger bar fills.  Fish are amazing for nutrition, meat next, and plants least, with water technically filling hunger but giving no nutrition at all, so you get hungry faster.  For the purpose, "I want to be a fisherman" gives you 2 nets for passive fishing and a rod for active, and is the easiest start since you will assuredly have food, and that means more time to do other things.

"Hunting Trip" is nice too, since you start with a bow and arrows and you can butcher your father for early food (cannibalism is A-OK!) and this will last you a few days.  If you start with bow skill, that's also easy hunting.

As for the castle?  Wood buildings are the only option, and they take 6 whole trees per 1 wall segment.  A modest 3x3 house has a perimeter of 20, for a total of 120 logs felled.  Trees are about... 10-25% of the map, so in order to build a suitable fortress that'd be probably on the order of 800+ tiles scoured, which is roughly 28x28 area, and for all intents that's MASSIVE for just a modest 3x3 walking room house (5x5 including walls).

So for any proper fortress... good land management will be important to understand the size of the thing to fit into map tiles politely.  This is actually important because each overmap tile has a limit on the number of items it can hold, so keeping things in different zones can help reduce item loss due to memory overflow.  A farm zone would have to be in another map tile, for sure.  Similarly, the smoking room (for curing meat) and drying area would probably be best in other zones, which begs the question of just how big this thing will be.  If we're counting it in overmap tiles now, it should probably be at least 2x1 enclosed zone, with additional farmland zone(s) nearby, all of which would be enclosed in cheaper fences+spike pits.

This will surely be a massive undertaking, though I may suggest you actually not build on a mountain, but instead on some marshy-ish land.  Certain lowlands where there's few trees, there's plenty of conveniently flat land, and there's usually herds of animals in the large open spaces, like reindeer and elk and stuff.  That's good hunting, and there's usually pockets of water to drink from as well.
Title: Re: Unreal World LP - Fortress of the North
Post by: ansontan2000 on November 15, 2012, 12:23:00 am
Fisherman. Survival is what we need to secure first.
Title: Re: Unreal World LP - Fortress of the North
Post by: Girlinhat on November 15, 2012, 12:25:16 am
Since this is an objective-oriented LP, I do vote fisherman.  You can get secure food, but then ignore it and go hunting.  The nets are there to make sure the game doesn't end prematurely, even if you get all your meat from hunting.
Title: Re: Unreal World LP - Fortress of the North
Post by: SomeStupidGuy on November 15, 2012, 07:20:03 am
Having played this game before, I think we wanna be a fisherman.
Title: Re: Unreal World LP - Fortress of the North
Post by: Girlinhat on November 15, 2012, 08:16:12 am
Also worth noting: Dump skill points into climbing.  Do it.  Climbing trees on the overmap is the best way to go hunting by far, and without it you'll barely be able to see any wildlife.
Title: Re: Unreal World LP - Fortress of the North
Post by: RedKing on November 15, 2012, 08:46:37 am
This is an absolutely insane idea. I've never even managed to finish a cottage before in UW (even starting with the half-finished cottage).
Title: Re: Unreal World LP - Fortress of the North
Post by: Azated on November 15, 2012, 09:18:16 am
Quote from: RedKing on November 15, 2012, 08:46:37 am
This is an absolutely insane idea. I've never even managed to finish a cottage before in UW (even starting with the half-finished cottage).

The last time I played, I build a 3x3 house, a 20 tile large farm and a trap fence spanning the shore of an entire island. Then I gave up. :D

It's all about dedication.
Title: Re: Unreal World LP - Fortress of the North
Post by: Mephansteras on November 15, 2012, 10:58:01 am
Ok, fishing it is.

So, here is Bomrek, exiled Dwarf:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

We'll...just have to pretend he has a better beard then that. And is much shorter and stockier. But all around a decent set of stats for a Dwarf!

And here are his skills:
Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Probably should have done the Easy custom options so I could dump points OUT of skills (like club) but...whatever. It's good enough, and he's great at building which will be a huge help for this.

Our Starting Area, full of animals. But a bit light on water:
Spoiler (click to show/hide)

We are off to a great start, though. I IMMEDIATELY found a squirrel in a tree, which I knocked out with some well thrown rocks and hacked up with my sword. So we have a squirrel skin and some fresh meat.

Our inventory, including the recently acquired squirrel meat and skin.
Spoiler (click to show/hide)


I'll start a proper journal from his perspective tonight. Just wanted to get things kicked off before I headed to work.
Title: Re: Unreal World LP - Fortress of the North
Post by: Girlinhat on November 15, 2012, 11:11:06 am
Off to a poor start!  Barely any skills and no water!  First objective is to run to the closest shore, then run along it until you find a river and then rapids, and set your nets.  Then work on some big fence+pit lines, so you can capture animals/merchants.  They become larders that don't decay, so you just come by and kill an elk in a pit, harvest food, reset trap, and go about building.  Since live animals don't rot, you basically have food on demand, and this works even in winter.  Plus rapids don't freeze, so there's that too.

Also worth noting that if you build an item on ice and deconstruct it, it leaves ground.  Ocean Forts, anyone?
Title: Re: Unreal World LP - Fortress of the North
Post by: Mephansteras on November 15, 2012, 11:37:22 am
Yeah, finding rapids is certainly my first objective. But I'm not worried. I've done plenty of Fisherman runs before, and nothing about my current situation concerns me too much. I should find some rivers to the West, if I remember the map correctly.
Title: Re: Unreal World LP - Fortress of the North
Post by: Mephansteras on November 15, 2012, 02:44:06 pm
The Diary of Bomrek - Exile from the Mountainhomes

The sun rises behind me. The armok-damned sun is rising. And I'm out here in this cold, and far too open land.

But what choice did I have?

My name is Bomrek, and until today I was an apprentice Carpenter in the great Dwarven Fortress of SpikeMenaces. Most of my time was spent deep in the great caverns building scaffolding for the masons to work on. I had just started tutelage under my father in the more refined arts of woodworking and furniture making.

Of course, that wasn't my problem. No, the problem is that no one got around to making the fancy glass goblets the Duchess ordered. And they picked out a random dwarf to blame. Me.

Why me? I've never even set foot in a glassblower's shop, let alone have a clue how to make a goblet out of the stuff. But there it was. My sister warned me that the Hammerer was coming for me bless her little heart, and a few friends of mine helped me scrounge up some supplies as I bolted for the exit. None of us doubted for a second that the hammer blows would be the end of me.

And so I left. My friend in the smithy got me an exceptionally nice Bastard Sword to use, as well as a knife I can at best call functional. Some practice work for an apprentice no doubt. I have a bit of food, the clothes on my back, and I nicked a fishing rod and some nets as I passed the fisher's area near the door.

Fortunately for me the guards hadn't heard yet, and no one raised a fuss at me heading out.

But I can't go back. The penalty for dodging a Hammering is almost as bad as the Hammering itself. Both combined would probably make me a permanent fixture in the floor.

So here I am. In exile, surrounded by Trees in the over world. And here I will have to learn to survive. There should be humans around to trade with. Well, somewhere, anyway. If I'm going to do anything meaningful I'll need to get myself an axe. This sword, while masterwork, is hardly a fit tool for carpentry or tree felling.

Before any of that, though, I'll need to survive. I need more food. With these nets that should be pretty easy, so I'll need to find a place to set them out. Preferably a River.

I will head West, and I shall see what I can find.

I am a Dwarf. I shall not give in. I shall prosper. I swear on my beard that I will!
Title: Re: Unreal World LP - Fortress of the North
Post by: RedKing on November 15, 2012, 02:47:13 pm
I'm apparently a few versions behind in UW.  ???
Title: Re: Unreal World LP - Fortress of the North
Post by: jester on November 15, 2012, 03:33:55 pm
If you set up on the edge of water/lakes, you can also use your punt to transport logs, makes building sooo much easier.

  And damnnn thats a good sword to start with.
Title: Re: Unreal World LP - Fortress of the North
Post by: Mephansteras on November 15, 2012, 03:38:26 pm
Yeah, I'm definitely going to be using boats for log transport as much as possible.

And the sword is pretty impressive. I still need an axe, though.
Title: Re: Unreal World LP - Fortress of the North
Post by: Theodolus on November 15, 2012, 05:28:14 pm
How come I have never heard of this game? Got the shareware version and so far it seems pretty impressive. Also, this diary is pretty interesting so far. :)
Title: Re: Unreal World LP - Fortress of the North
Post by: Mephansteras on November 15, 2012, 11:05:49 pm
The Diary of Bomrek - Of Fishing and Trade

One of the first things to greet me in this bright land was a squirrel. The furry beast chattering at me from the top of a tree. It annoyed me, so I threw rocks at it until I knocked it out and it fell from the tree. After dispatching it with a quick slice of my blade, and I know that's overkill, I skinned and cleaned it. It'd make a good lunch.

Anyway, lacking any better options I set off to the West. I walked for quite some time, going from hilltop to hilltop and scaling mountains to get a better idea of the lay of the land around me. After the better part of a day I came across a nice sized lake. Since I'd already roasted and eaten the squirrel earlier I figured I should set up camp for a bit. I needed a supply of food to keep me going, and it makes sense to use these nets I'm lugging around.

Fishing Camp
Spoiler (click to show/hide)

It took a while, and I was forced to eat some of the provisions I'd brought with me. But between the nets and my hook I managed to gather up enough fish to keep me fed for a bit.

Fish!
Spoiler (click to show/hide)

After two days in that camp, and with a few more fish to add to my collection, I headed off. Soon I spotted signs of Humans. But the camp was obviously inhabited by Savages of some sort, and I felt they wouldn't have what I need. Humans can also be unpredictable and violent, and without armor I felt it was wiser to steer clear of them.

Savages
Spoiler (click to show/hide)

After a lot more walking I finally came across signs of actual Civilization. The smoke from cook fires rose up to the sky, and proper houses dotted the village. Perhaps here I can get an Axe!

Civilization
Spoiler (click to show/hide)

As it turns out, there are quite a few of these Driik villages around. Quite handy, and they had many shops with fine goods for me to buy. Sadly, I lack much in the way of things to trade with.

Many Towns
Spoiler (click to show/hide)

However, I was able to trade my Spear for a Masterwork Carving Axe. This will prove most useful when building anything of note, and should suffice for other tasks. I'd have loved to have gotten some more types of axes, but as I was unwilling to part with my sword I had to content myself with the one axe.

New Axe!
Spoiler (click to show/hide)

I'll have to practice my wood carving. Perhaps I can make some trinkets to sell. They had a number of tools that would help me greatly, as well as small boats and clothing that would be quite useful.

I spied a river off to the north, where I think I'll set up a small camp. Someplace good to place the nets and practice my trade. Maybe build up a stockpile of food while I plan for the future.
Title: Re: Unreal World LP - Fortress of the North
Post by: Girlinhat on November 15, 2012, 11:22:59 pm
Pike and burbot, those will keep you for a few days!  Not a bad start, all said!

Do keep in mind that you can craft a stone axe, though it's generally poor at everything, and you can always hire an adventurer, kill them, and loot their axes.
Title: Re: Unreal World LP - Fortress of the North
Post by: EuchreJack on November 15, 2012, 11:34:27 pm
Quote from: Girlinhat on November 15, 2012, 11:22:59 pm
Pike and burbot, those will keep you for a few days!  Not a bad start, all said!

Do keep in mind that you can craft a stone axe, though it's generally poor at everything, and you can always hire an adventurer, kill them, eat them, and loot their axes.
Fixed that for you.   :P
Title: Re: Unreal World LP - Fortress of the North
Post by: SomeStupidGuy on November 15, 2012, 11:37:07 pm
Cannibalism in this game, is kind of a given. You kill someone, of course you're going to eat them.
Title: Re: Unreal World LP - Fortress of the North
Post by: Mephansteras on November 15, 2012, 11:50:34 pm
Quote from: SomeStupidGuy on November 15, 2012, 11:37:07 pm
Cannibalism in this game, is kind of a given. You kill someone, of course you're going to eat them.

That's not really my style, though. And definitely against dwarven ethos. So I won't be doing that this LP. I'm not an Elf!
Title: Re: Unreal World LP - Fortress of the North
Post by: Girlinhat on November 15, 2012, 11:58:18 pm
Then you have a difficult task ahead of you, if you intend to build your fortress without any delicious Roasted Unnamed Foreign Trader Cuts.  Or worse, when you do learn their names.
Title: Re: Unreal World LP - Fortress of the North
Post by: SomeStupidGuy on November 16, 2012, 12:10:48 am
Quote from: Mephansteras on November 15, 2012, 11:50:34 pm
Quote from: SomeStupidGuy on November 15, 2012, 11:37:07 pm
Cannibalism in this game, is kind of a given. You kill someone, of course you're going to eat them.

That's not really my style, though. And definitely against dwarven ethos. So I won't be doing that this LP. I'm not an Elf!
I respect that, I'll just be over here enjoying some nice delicious dried hunter cuts.
Title: Re: Unreal World LP - Fortress of the North
Post by: Mephansteras on November 16, 2012, 12:41:39 am
The Diary of Bomrek - Crafting tradegoods

Determined to improve my lot, I went up to the river and found myself a decent place to camp by the rapids. The river would provide plenty of food, and the forest would give me wood to ply my trade with.

Crafting Camp
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Spoiler (click to show/hide)

The river gods are with me! This river has so many fish in it I'm not certain I'll be able to eat all of this before it goes bad. Survival, at least, seems to be taken care of.

Bounty of the River
Spoiler (click to show/hide)

I spend several days crafting various tradegoods. Javelins, clubs, wooden bowls, and the like. My skill is enough to get decent results, but I find this crude knife to be a hindrance. First order of business is going to be getting a better knife!

Taking a fairly large amount of goods, I wander through the various towns. It takes quite a while, but I manage to trade my old knife in, with a few Javelins and clubs, for a Masterwork Broad Knife! Even poorly wrought dwarven steel has good value, it seems.

However, the majority of my goods are just too rough for interest the merchants, and I head back to my camp. Now that I have a better knife, perhaps I'll be able to do better.

After about a week of working on crafts, as well as some intermittent fishing. That previous catch does go bad eventually, but a new haul replenishes my stores sufficiently. I also discover that I need to pay more attention to how long the nets have been out. One haul of fish went bad before I brought in the nets! Wasteful. I shall be more careful in the future.

With an improved stock of goods, I headed off to the towns once again. There I was able to procure a small, lightweight boat. The craftmanship on this is quite good, and I feel that it will prove most handy in the days to come. If nothing else, I can finally get across the river to explore some more. It did take nearly all of the goods I had crafted, however. No matter, I think it's worth it.

Trading for a Boat
Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Now I find myself thinking more of the future. I have good quality tools, if not the variety I'd like, and an easy source of fish. I also have transport, which opens up a lot of options.

Obviously, I'll need a more permanent living situation. This camp is all well and good, but it's not going to work in the long term. No...I need someplace a Dwarf can really call home.

I need a Fortress.

Yes. Something grand. Something that I can be proud of. A true Fortress for a true Dwarf.

I think that's my next task. I need to find a suitable place for this Fortress. Probably along the river, as I will need many, many logs to build this Fortress and it'll be easier floating them along the river than dragging them along the ground.

Tomorrow, I set off to explore the river!

And then...we shall see what this lands holds for us.
Title: Re: Unreal World LP - Fortress of the North
Post by: FritzPL on November 16, 2012, 02:53:39 pm
Deep in my heart, I've been waiting for this to happen.

Posting to watch for the moment, I need to get back to this game to give any useful stupid dwarfy suggestions to what should be done.
Title: Re: Unreal World LP - Fortress of the North
Post by: Mephansteras on November 16, 2012, 09:53:37 pm
I scouted the river for a while today, and found several likely places with Rapids that could make a decent spot for a fortress.

The question now is, which spot do I go for?

I could head Down to the Sea, and go on either bank of the river.
Spoiler (click to show/hide)

I could, of course, stay where I am and turn this camp into something more permanent,
Spoiler (click to show/hide)

If I go up a ways, just outside of Driik territory, there is a large island in the middle. Now, I don't fancy myself an Island Dwarf, so I won't settle on it directly, but there are a few promising spots near it. One North, one South, and one East
Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Past that the river widens, giving me even more options to work with. Three along the Northern Bank and one on the Southern.
Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Do I take any of these? Or do I venture further up this river? We'll be getting much further away from civilization if we do that, though I have no idea if that's good or bad.

Title: Re: Unreal World LP - Fortress of the North
Post by: Girlinhat on November 16, 2012, 10:17:18 pm
Get outside of Driik cultural zone, if only barely.
Title: Re: Unreal World LP - Fortress of the North
Post by: Mephansteras on November 16, 2012, 11:04:22 pm
Quote from: Girlinhat on November 16, 2012, 10:17:18 pm
Get outside of Driik cultural zone, if only barely.

Everything other than the seaward one and my campsite are outside of their cultural zone.
Title: Re: Unreal World LP - Fortress of the North
Post by: Mephansteras on November 19, 2012, 11:33:44 pm
After taking a better look at the potential spots, I have chosen one!
Spoiler (click to show/hide)

This spot has several advantages. It has ready access to the river, plenty of timber both on site and in the vicinity, and a nice choke point between the river and a pond which I can use as my entrance area. Also, while it is outside of the territory claimed by the Driik, it isn't so far away that I can't make trips in for supplies when I need to.
Spoiler (click to show/hide)

So for now, I've set up a camp near the choke point. The nets are out, and I've caught a few large fish to keep me going while I start work. This is going to be my primary home for a while, so I plan on creating a cabin here which will eventually be enclosed by the Fortress walls.

First order of business will be to get a cellar built so that if I get an especially good haul of fish I can store them without losing too much to rot. After that, I can work on the cabin. I'll also need to start getting some traps set up, both in this area and across the river. A Dwarf can't subsist on a diet of fish alone!

Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Title: Re: Unreal World LP - Fortress of the North
Post by: FritzPL on November 20, 2012, 04:46:00 am
Make use of that choke point - build a trapfence there. It doesn't give you any big chances of catching anything, but it's always worth a try.
Title: Re: Unreal World LP - Fortress of the North
Post by: Girlinhat on November 20, 2012, 08:41:45 am
Actually, a dwarf may very easily subsist on fish alone.  They're highly nutritious!  And that would be a terrible place for a trap fence, far too small.  More likely you'll be making it into a defensive choke point, which is relatively useless in gameplay terms, but will look very cool.
Title: Re: Unreal World LP - Fortress of the North
Post by: RedKing on November 20, 2012, 11:11:34 am
Oddly enough, most of my DF dwarves *are* heavily piscivorous.

I never had much luck with fishing in UW, but maybe that's why I tend to never live more than a week or so...hunting just tends to wind up getting me badly injured and/or dead.
Title: Re: Unreal World LP - Fortress of the North
Post by: RedKing on November 20, 2012, 11:12:16 am
Oddly enough, most of my DF dwarves *are* heavily piscivorous.

I never had much luck with fishing in UW, but maybe that's why I tend to never live more than a week or so...hunting just tends to wind up getting me badly injured and/or dead.
Title: Re: Unreal World LP - Fortress of the North
Post by: Mephansteras on November 20, 2012, 12:13:55 pm
Well, yes, of course I *could* live off fish. But it seems more Dwarfy to see about trapping animals to get some good red meat into the diet.

Probably won't get a chance to do anything more with this for a few days, but I'm hoping I'll get to get some solid play-time in on Friday.
Title: Re: Unreal World LP - Fortress of the North
Post by: Girlinhat on November 20, 2012, 01:59:03 pm
The main thread has explained hunting and sneaking.  The real trickery is that animals are hyper-sensitive.  If they are Alert, or they're looking towards you, then you need to wait (hit .) until they calm down.  And of course your sneak skill helps you to not break branches as you walk, so you're more likely to remain sneak as you approach.  Weight matters too, as your encumbrance directly reduces your skill level.
Title: Re: Unreal World LP - Fortress of the North
Post by: EuchreJack on November 21, 2012, 01:23:02 am
Quote from: Mephansteras on November 20, 2012, 12:13:55 pm
Well, yes, of course I *could* live off fish. But it seems more Dwarfy to see about trapping animals to get some good red meat into the diet.

Currently, meat offers no advantages over fish.  However, animal carcasses give skins which can be made into clothing, which is awesome.  Every extra bit of clothing offers some protection, and furs that you don't make into clothing can be traded with fur traders up north for actual armor.
Title: Re: Unreal World LP - Fortress of the North
Post by: jester on November 21, 2012, 07:18:14 am
Quote from: EuchreJack on November 21, 2012, 01:23:02 am
Quote from: Mephansteras on November 20, 2012, 12:13:55 pm
Well, yes, of course I *could* live off fish. But it seems more Dwarfy to see about trapping animals to get some good red meat into the diet.

Currently, meat offers no advantages over fish.  However, animal carcasses give skins which can be made into clothing, which is awesome.  Every extra bit of clothing offers some protection, and furs that you don't make into clothing can be traded with fur traders up north for actual armor.

Also, you have to get it by belting its owner over the head.
Title: Re: Unreal World LP - Fortress of the North
Post by: Mephansteras on November 21, 2012, 12:14:28 pm
Just so people know, I'm not new at the game. While I'm sure there are various intricate details I don't know, especially about the current version, I'm quite capable of getting a character to survive through winter. So while I'm perfectly happy for people to chime in with suggestions or to point out something I may have overlooked, I don't actually need rudimentary advice on how to play.

My current plan is for this character to survive primarily through fishing for now. I will get a trap line set up soon, though, so I can start benefiting from additional meat + furs/leather. At some point I may also see about trading for some herd animals, since it's always nice to have a backup if you need it. I'm not going to focus too much on actual hunting, since that takes time that would be better spent working on the Fortress. I imagine most of that will just be opportunistic squirrel hunting.

Not going to bother farming, at least for the first year. Meat and gathered plants should suffice, along with any grains that I may trade for.
Title: Re: Unreal World LP - Fortress of the North
Post by: Mephansteras on November 24, 2012, 12:20:34 am
The Diary of Bomrek - Good old fashioned Traps!

Now that I've marked out where I'm going to build my fortress, it's time to get things going. First thing is first - a Cellar to keep food fresh. The nets will usually give me more food than I can eat at one time, and being able to keep it all from rotting will be good. Fortunately, digging a cellar is not big chore for a Dwarf! And I get it finished just in time for my nets to pull in a bounty of fish. Over 24 pounds worth of fish! With this much food at hand, I can concentrate on my next task - getting some decent traps up and running. I feel the need for some fresh meat, and hides won't go amiss either.

Cellar
Spoiler (click to show/hide)

I head off for the east, and find a likely spot. A nice conifer swath that should be teeming with wildlife. I found a nice pocket that I can mostly fence in, but I think for the most part I'll be going north-south with it.

Trapline
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Spoiler (click to show/hide)


While I'm working on my fences, a stupid squirrel decided to start haranguing me. Well, I showed him not to insult a dwarf! A perfect throw of my javalin knocks it unconscious and out of the tree! Squirrels aren't much, but fresh meat is fresh meat, and a welcome change from fish.

Perfect Shot
Spoiler (click to show/hide)

The trapline continues to grow, and when I come back one day to continue working on it I find a welcome sight. Tracks! Quite a few of them, from many different animals. I see Elk, Wild Boar, and Forest Reindeer tracks all going through the area. Looks like I chose a good spot indeed!

Tracks
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Title: Re: Unreal World LP - Fortress of the North
Post by: FritzPL on November 24, 2012, 05:50:20 am
Wild Boar? Really? I haven't heard of those, nor seen them before. In game, that is.


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Title: Re: Unreal World LP - Fortress of the North
Post by: Girlinhat on November 24, 2012, 02:26:12 pm
Ok you said not to give advice, but here's a dandy trick I learned:
Build your cellar beside a wall or a shelter.  When you're drying foods, you need to tie them up to a cabin wall or a shelter.  When the food finishes drying, it drops off into the cellar automatically so you don't have to move it yourself, just dry and forget.  Dried cellar food will last you like 3+ years.  I think the same idea applies to roasting, but it may burn if you leave it too long.  I suggest you use a small fish or a bit of squirrel meat to test this, and see if you just set it to start roasting above the cellar, will it burn or will it store?

Also raw meat doesn't keep long, even in a cellar it spoils quickly.
Title: Re: Unreal World LP - Fortress of the North
Post by: SomeStupidGuy on November 24, 2012, 02:28:30 pm
Quote from: FritzPL on November 24, 2012, 05:50:20 am
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I'm in support of this. Trap-fences are a thing of beauty. It'll keep you from having to do much for food, thus freeing up time for fortressing.
Title: Re: Unreal World LP - Fortress of the North
Post by: Mephansteras on November 24, 2012, 03:11:19 pm
Quote from: Girlinhat on November 24, 2012, 02:26:12 pm
Ok you said not to give advice, but here's a dandy trick I learned:
Build your cellar beside a wall or a shelter.  When you're drying foods, you need to tie them up to a cabin wall or a shelter.  When the food finishes drying, it drops off into the cellar automatically so you don't have to move it yourself, just dry and forget.  Dried cellar food will last you like 3+ years.  I think the same idea applies to roasting, but it may burn if you leave it too long.  I suggest you use a small fish or a bit of squirrel meat to test this, and see if you just set it to start roasting above the cellar, will it burn or will it store?

Also raw meat doesn't keep long, even in a cellar it spoils quickly.

That is a good idea! I'll have to try that. Should be easy to do. I get tons of fish out of the nets.

And, yeah, I only store Raw Meat in a Cellar if I'm preparing to smoke/dry it but have to work in stages. Usually if there is so much meat it takes several trips to grab, or when I need to tan a hide to make cords.
Title: Re: Unreal World LP - Fortress of the North
Post by: christonian on November 25, 2012, 01:26:38 pm
wow extremely fun to read great to see people still doing a unreal world lets play
Title: Re: Unreal World LP - Fortress of the North
Post by: Mephansteras on December 02, 2012, 04:00:00 pm
The Diary of Bomrek - Bounty and Danger

After a few days of working on my Trap Fence I come back to find a very welcome surprise. An Elk Stag has fallen in one of my pit traps and been killed! Looks like my hard work is already paying off!

Stag!
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Over 300 cuts of meat! Far more than I can carry at once. And much more than I can use before most of it goes bad if I don't smoke it. So that's obviously the next step.

I stick the meat in my cellar and prepare the hide. I'll need to cut it up for cords in order to smoke the meat. And, since I don't have a smoke house set up, I'll need to see about using one in a nearby village. I imagine that I can convince them to let me use some wall space in exchange for a few cuts of meat.

After a day of preparations, I begin on my first trip down the river. This will take several trips, since I can only carry so much at once. Fortunately, with my fine boat the trip is quick by river.

However, I get a rather unwelcome sight on my trip down.

Savage Neighbors
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Savage humans have taken up residence on the Island right near my new home! I'll have to see about setting up some defenses soon. At least food shouldn't be a problem for a while.

After a few trips I have a nice stock of stag meat smoking in the nearby village, and I can start work on my defenses.

Smoking Stag Meat
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Since the savages are to the East of me, I start work on fortifying the choke-point since that's the most likely area they'll try to come through.

Defenses Started
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As I work on my defenses I still need to check my nets and trapline. The stag meat won't be done for a while, so fish is still needed, and if any animals fall into my traps I don't want the meat to spoil.

Speaking of which...

Reindeer tracks
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It seems that Reindeer can move through trees. Good to know, I suppose.

My skills have been improving. Long way to go, though.

Skills
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My Defenses are almost done. Well, for the choke-point at least.

Choke-point Defenses
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My nets continue to bring in fish to keep me fed. More than I can eat before it goes bad, actually. Although the spoilage is minor. Just a few perches.
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I spy some savages on the island while looking around. I don't like them so close, but at least they're sticking to the island for now.

Savages Sighted
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My trapline continues to provide for me! Those wild sow tracks I spied earlier have show up in the flesh. Looks like Bacon is on the menu!

Wild Pig
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Even more meat is now smoking on that wall. It's about time I started thinking of building my own smoke house.

Smoking Meats
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And even more game is caught in my traps! The elusive Forest Reindeer and a Black Grouse that had been flying about will add to my collection of meat and skins.

More Game
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Since I need a good tree-felling axe, and I have some more furs to trade, I decide to make up some more trade goods. Axes are pretty expensive.

Trade Goods
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But...it's not enough. I'm going to have to make more stuff if I'm going to get an axe that's better than my carving axe for chopping down trees. That's a bit disheartening.

Axes are Expensive
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On my way back from town, I spot a Reindeer in the woods. I really don't need more food, though, so I just leave it alone.

Reindeer Sighting
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With all the time spent working on defenses and dealing with my recent catches the Stag meat finishes smoking. My food supplies are doing quite well, and when the pig and reindeer meat is ready I'll be in even better shape!

Better Food Stores
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Title: Re: Unreal World LP - Fortress of the North
Post by: Girlinhat on December 02, 2012, 04:16:12 pm
You're doing significantly well.  If I had any suggestions, it'd be to make a skin-processing center.  Build a series of walls 1 tile from the river, then floors between the river and the walls.  Add some benches/tables/etc.  Optionally enclose it and add a door.

The purpose of this is to get instant-access to water for hideworking, as well as a beating surface, shelter from rain, possibly a bed, etc.  This provides for some convenient hideworking, as you can just pick it up, step to the next tile, and perform the needed actions.  It'd also make a good place to bring your boat ashore, dock it inside immediately and handle the cargo.  Could also put this on another overmap tile, just to be sure that you don't hit the item overflow limit and lose valuable hides.  Also worth noting: You can paddle a boat onto a door, making a convenient boathouse, and apparently furs will lower in quality over time, as my fine hide dropped to normal quality.  I don't know if a cellar keeps hides higher quality longer.

If you find any foreign traders, you can trade your hides for metal items, and then metal items for Driik tools, because they're more valuable they make a good form of currency.
Title: Re: Unreal World LP - Fortress of the North
Post by: Mephansteras on December 02, 2012, 05:02:27 pm
Yeah, I've been working my hides on a tree trunk stuck next to the water. A dedicated processing station sounds like a good idea, although I think getting a smokehouse up first is probably more important.

Been looking for foreign traders but haven't found any yet. Really hoping some show up soon so I can trade my furs for a decent price.

Oh, and I tried the idea of cooking fish right over the cellar. Didn't work, you still have to pick it up to stop it from burning.
Title: Re: Unreal World LP - Fortress of the North
Post by: Girlinhat on December 02, 2012, 05:06:01 pm
Ah, wasn't sure how roasting would work...

Watch your trap pits.  Eventually they'll catch traders.  You can either harvest them there (hunting knife deals bleeding damage), or trade with them and eventually they escape on their own.
Title: Re: Unreal World LP - Fortress of the North
Post by: jester on December 03, 2012, 01:46:55 am
Though be careful trying to harvest if you only see one in the pit, I made that mistake having a huge trap fence near my house, killed the guy, grabbed his stuff, put in on the pile and went back to fishing, 3 crossbow bolts in the back.
Title: Re: Unreal World LP - Fortress of the North
Post by: FritzPL on December 03, 2012, 03:51:01 am
My word, that is amazing! Be careful with those Njerpez, tho. They are scary, unless you have a bow.

Good job on food. I always roasted it, and becuase of that I had a few starvation moments. Now, tell me - do you need cords to smoke food, or does that only apply to drying?
Title: Re: Unreal World LP - Fortress of the North
Post by: jester on December 03, 2012, 08:46:02 am
You need cords, best way is to do the meat in batches of 19, thats the max for 1 cord.

  Good way to deal with the santas is to grab 4 or 5 guys and tell them you want to go hunting.  Although having them right there will probably make the LP more interesting.  Just make sure you stock up on dogs, its the dwarvern way.
Title: Re: Unreal World LP - Fortress of the North
Post by: intense on December 05, 2012, 01:19:23 pm
Very good LP, enjoyed every bit of it. Also good inspiration when i`m out of ideas for my toon, keep up the good work