Lighting and Killing Animals?

[Kristrin]

I just started playing this game again and a lot has changed. It use to be very easy to chase down animals for their skins, but now I find it very difficult. I tried using a bow and arrow to take down a deer and they just appeared to fall off. Rabbits and lizards are much faster now. I tried setting traps, but the animals I get from those are automatically killed and no skins or fur go into my inventory. Is there a better way to get skins now?

Also I have a terrible time seeing in the caves. Is there a way to change the gamma settings in game? Even with flares and the lighter I still feel almost blind.

I am playing in peaceful mode if that makes a difference.

[Chillum]

Bow and arrow should work fine, and they just got patched so that they fly straighter and stick in things when they hit. Did you maybe hit something between u and the deer?

Traps are intended for rabbits so u can place them in a pen and let them breed. Last I knew this wasnt working correctly, though it may have been fixed since last I tried.

You cannot change gamma in game. I have heard of players turning down a slider in the menu, but I've never found it. I'd rather play with it dark anyway, I love that feeling and its why I play this game. But, some tricks would be to use a bow + fire arrow or molotov. These will stay lit and not cost you massive amounts of cloth, just be prepared when you use it that it will get dark until you re-light your arrow.

Also there are flashlights in the game, though personally I find their light isn't great and I prefer the fire arrow tactic.

[Kristrin]

Thank you for the reply. I will have to give hunting another shot, at least for deer skin. I don't think I have the skill yet to kill a rabbit or lizard.

Hopefully someone will reply and point out which slider helps with lighting. I have night blindness, so I really can't see at all in the dark or low light. The caves have become so impressive since I last played, I really wanted to take a look and explore each one at length. I did find the flash light, but even using it with a flare didn't help. I will have to try to fire arrow trick.

[eclipse]

For the cage you can catch nearly all the small animals, once they are caught just use your spear to kill them before you open the cage.

As for the cave lighting press esc, graphics, bottom of that is color grading. Super works best for me in caves, Blockbuster for night, Modern for daytime.

There is Also a mod that makes the flashlight actually work like a real flashlight using modapi.
http://www.souldrinker.de/mods/index.php/Entry/11-Better-Flashlight/

[Kristrin]

Originally posted by eclipse:

For the cage you can catch nearly all the small animals, once they are caught just use your spear to kill them before you open the cage.

As for the cave lighting press esc, graphics, bottom of that is color grading. Super works best for me in caves, Blockbuster for night, Modern for daytime.

There is Also a mod that makes the flashlight actually work like a real flashlight using modapi.
http://www.souldrinker.de/mods/index.php/Entry/11-Better-Flashlight/

Both suggestions worked wonders for me. Now I'm trapping and getting food, plus I've been able to explore. This allowed me to be able to build at night and swim using the scuba stuff. I've been able to really play this game for the first time. My only wish is that there was a way to live in the caves, especially the waterfall one.

Thank you so much for your reply.

[Punani]

For hunting the weak spear might be a better option since arrows are quite costly with the feathers. Deers and other large animals are easy to hit with the spear. For rabits, grab a small rock from the floor that you can throw and throw it at the rabbits, instant kill and easy because it has a sort of white aim field.

[AcidMantis]

The most reliable method for hunting all the small mammals, lizards, and birds is the spear. You don't need the upgraded spear, but the updgrade is good to have if you are hunting and get surprised by cannibals. I haven't played much with throwing the spear, but all of these animals are easily killed just by chasing them down and killing them with a melee attack.

Rabbits will veer off course when you get close enough, chase them a few times and you will get the timing down. The melee range for the spear will hit the rabbits just before they veer. Lizards are even easier to get, and the small mammals are too easy. You will want to have high stamina when you start a chase and you will be sprinting the whole time. The benefit of the spear versus other weapons for this method is that the spear does not have a downward attack that stops you in your tracks like the other weapons, as you will need to be aiming down at the animal when you strike. You can certainly hunt this way with the other weapons, but you will succeed 90% of the time with the spear.

Birds are easily killed with spear melee as well, you just have to get a sense for the timing. I find that striking a little earlier than my instinct works good with birds. Just locate a spot where the birds land, stand 10 feet away, and charge in as one is landing. Waiting for them to land will give you only once chance to hit, but if you get into position as they land, you will have time to strike twice if you miss. Once they begin landing, it does not seem that they will scare off until after they have landed.

Deer are hard to run down, and you will usually only melee one to death if it is stuck or caught off guard. The bow is easily the best way to get deer. It just takes a little practice, and most of the time it will take two arrows. There is no way to get a sense for aiming the bow other than to just practice with it. If you do not drop the deer with your first arrow, it will run off a short distance. Sprint after it for a second but don't get so close that it runs off again, and shoot it again. You will get your arrows back from the deer carcass.

If you are just after meat, turtles, tortoises, pigs, and birds are the easiest animals to kill. And don't forget about fish, which are easily speared out ponds.

[eclipse]

Spears will one shot the deer. Profit

[knighthawk]

Survival game ftw... I found it hard to catch anything at first as well, lived on turtle meat for a long, long time lol.... after my experiences, I found weak spear is the best, only takes 2 sticks so who cares if you lose it, and is easily crafted.
Just practice your aiming, build an archery target if you really want to get good at it.
Heres my way to get food... fast and easy;
-Turtles move so slow you can't miss with axe or katana, gives 1 meat and the shell for a water collector.
-Oysters... just go for a swim in the sea and get them, have to be eaten soon though.
-Fish from a pond, use plane axe, katana or spear... get 3 and hang them on a drying rack next to pond. Repeat until rack full. Put a collector by the rack and you have dried fish and water everytime you visit to collect more fish. Same goes for shallow sea by the beach...
-Rabbits... my biggest fail when I started lol... built so many traps and got nothing, seems you have to be near the trap hiding for it to work. Could be wrong on that. Get 2 live ones, put them in a cage, they now multiply so easy food source. No skin if you pull the rabbit out of trap and kill it, only when you kill it inside the trap, or while its running around. I did find when I built an alpine tree house, near a lot of rabbits running around, my trap would catch them all the time. Bit more difficult getting them with the spear, but can be done.
-Deer... use weak spear, wait til they stand still, can't miss if side on.
-Lizards... use weak spear, again wait til they stop running... easy to hit.
-Cannibal arms and legs if you are really stuck lol... I have hung those up on drying racks but I think the cannibals eat them.

My base is in the bay with the anchor, and I have those food sources within easy reach. Nice break to go for a quick hunting trip in between trapping cannibals and chopping trees down :D
I find building drying racks and water collectors near each food source is a good way to keep a decent stockpile of dried food for when you want to go exploring. From time to time, the food disappears off the racks, but I think thats a bug more than being eaten by something.
Plenty more types of animals running around, but just covered the ones I go after regularly.