The Isle Basics for Newbies.

[Inner Sight]

Quite a few things aren't obvious in this game. As a newbie struggling in an aimless wander for survival it can be a bit unsatisfying. Trust me; I know. I'm still wearing my newbie hat with a mere 5 hours under my belt - the memory of that... lostness is fresh in mind when making this. Trying to find out the how to play basics was a struggle in and of itself as much of the information out there is vague or dated.

So I decided to put a general tutorial-level bit of advice since it isn't already in the forum or in the game. This is going to be a bit of a work-in-progress as I learn more myself.

Maps and Common Map-Related Mods

• Official Maps
  
  • Isle V3 - From what other players tell me this is an old version of a map with very little food and a lot of saltwater in it. Dying of thirst and hunger tends to be common if you don't know the map.
    
  • Region 2 - Very pretty and mountainous with a variety of edible plants. Heavy food pockets all over the map - every spawn point seems to be covered in veggies - with a few small watering holes you'll have to look around for. Dying of hunger - as an herbivore at least - is very unlikely. As far as I can tell though food doesn't respawn for a long time; forcing herbivores to keep on the move to feed themselves.
  
  
• Popular Mod Maps
  
  • Terra Vitae - Beautiful to look at. Very popular map with multiple biomes - a mixture of savannah, hills, forest and swamp. Food and water are all over it - but you'll still have to wander to find it.

Game Modes

• Survival
  A mode based around progression from low-teir dinosaurs to higher teir dinosaurs (see "Progression and Growth"). Progression takes a long time. Upon death the player starts over at the beginning.
  The general intent is to survive.
  
  
• Sandbox
  All dinosaurs are selectable. There is no set aim or intent for how to play in this mode.
  
  
• Realism
  It's like survival mode but there are rules against known player tactics. The intent is to give it a more balanced and realistic feel. Keep in mind the rules are not built into the system as a game mechanic but rather expected to be followed behaviors.
  
  • Apex predators (Giganotosaurus, Tyrannosaurus, and Spinosaur) cannot group up past nesting - forced to ungroup and solo after a baby reaches adulthood.
    
  • No KOSing (aka Killing On Sight). What exactly KOSing qualifies as is vague and depends on who I ask. All sources agree killing for sport to be against the rules.

Food and Hunger

Anything that can be eaten will be eaten with the "E" key. A good rule of thumb with hunger is the bigger your dinosaur is the more food it needs to eat.

• Not all plants are food for herbivores. In fact as a brand new dino (the Psittacosaurus and the Orodromeus - as well as any babies being nested) in some maps the only thing you can eat is a light-green fern. It doesn't stand out very much unless you're used to looking for it: http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=953714036
  It shows up in just about any biome but it's always a bunch of ferns in only a small part of any map.
  
  As you progress (or grow if nested) other plants are available to be eaten. You can still eat ferns, but the new options fill your hunger much faster. Blue flowers I know are options for teir 2 herbivores
  http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=953713678
  
  
• All dinosaurs are food for carnivores - including other carnivores when times are tough. Herbivores will provide you more food than your fellow carnivores.

Thirst and Water

There are two types of water. Salt water and fresh water - the saltwater is undrinkable. Press E to drink from any water that you can drink from. On a side note dinosaurs can walk or hide underwater - there's no drowning feature.

Progression and Growth

When you press the "Insert" button on your keyboard you get a full page of information. Progression Points (aka "PP") are earned over time. They remain at 0 until your dinosaur has grown to at least 0.8/1. Tap the escape key and wait for the countdown to hit "Progression" to check what costs what. When you pick a new dinosaur you'll respawn elsewhere on the map as that dinosaur.
Growth goes up over time as well until it reaches a full "1" - gradually raising Health, max Hunger, max Thirst, max Stamina, Mass and possibly attack range.

http://the-isle-dinosaur-game.wikia.com/wiki/Progression_mode This link can help with any progression path you want. The game doesn't make it obvious what each dinosaur can branch into.

Communication

Only players meant to be on your side are able to group and talk with you in the chatbox.

• Herbivores can talk to and/or group up with all other herbivores.
  
• Carnivores can only group up with or talk to other carnivores of the exact same species.

It's worth noting that when you make a post your dinosaur will make a broadcast call that everything can audibly hear.

Status Effects

Laying down (H key) can heal status effects faster. Mass is a factor for how likely bones will be broken or bleeding wounds will be caused.

• Broken Leg - Fighting or falling can result in a broken bone. While your leg is broken you can't jump, pounce, stomp, trot, sprint, walk or sneak; only limp slowly. Certain dinosaurs (Ankylosaurus and Pachycephalosaurus I can personally verify) have a very high chance - if not absolute certainty - of breaking the legs of their attackers when assaulted.
  
  Broken bones take a long time to heal and it's possible (don't hold me to it if I'm wrong) that broken bones can be compounded like bleed. It took a friend roughly 5 minutes to regain their full movement after I smacked them once as an ankylosaurus.
  
  
• Bleeding - Damage over time (DOT). It increases in damage if you move around. Just about any battle will cause bleeding but some dinosaurs deal more bleeding than others - to the point where some carnivores will run in, cause hundreds of damage worth of bleeding, and then run away with the plan to return after the bleed has drained their prey's health.

Damage and Mass

Mass is the dinosaur's weight. Mass goes up as your dinosaur gains in growth.
Damage between dinosaurs is calculated based on their weight/mass.

The bigger Dinosaur A is than Dinosaur B the more his damage is multiplied. Conversely a smaller dinosaur will deal reduced damage to anything bigger.

[PeasantKyr]

V3 actually has plenty of food, just have to find the right places.

Any map, could have edible plants that look different to the ones shown here. Grim Expanse is an example: all the bushes and plants are edible by something on that map.

Damage is calculated by using a "weight value" system. I cant remember the formula exactly, but it basically means that the damage you do is multiplied by how much heavier you are than what you are attacking, or divided by how much lighter you are than what you are attacking.

Bleed and bone break chance are also affected by the weight system.

Weight does scale with growth.

[Inner Sight]

Originally posted by Kyre:

V3 actually has plenty of food, just have to find the right places.

My friends took me to that map. They knew it by heart and took us straight to the food. It was a good probably-10-minute-trip even though the one in-the-know took us straight to it. We spawned so far from it I'm very certain I (and any other person that hasn't memorized the map) would have never found it on my own by natural foraging before having long since starved to death. I feel inclined to agree with their assessment.

Ultimately if the map requires you to know it by heart to find food then "Little to no food" is how a newbie in need of a tutorial will see it.

Originally posted by Kyre:

Any map, could have edible plants that look different to the ones shown here. Grim Expanse is an example: all the bushes and plants are edible by something on that map.

True. I'll fill those in when I have more pictures.

Originally posted by Kyre:

Damage is calculated by using a "weight value" system. I cant remember the formula exactly, but it basically means that the damage you do is multiplied by how much heavier you are than what you are attacking, or divided by how much lighter you are than what you are attacking.

Bleed and bone break chance are also affected by the weight system.

Weight does scale with growth.

That's really good to know. I'll go ahead and add that

[meshuggah12345]

Thanks for putting this up. I was so lost and unsure of what to do in this game, I was on the verge of refunding it. I tried looking up info and had alot of troubel finding anything that really explained "how to play" the game. Alot of what I did find was outdated, with menus and UI that was no longer in the game. Much appreciated!

[Inner Sight]

I'm glad it helped!

[Sargent Goose]

Dude you are a life saver! Awesome guide! Enjoying the game much more now. Thank you!!

[Frogger 2 Enjoyer]

I have no idea what ffood looks like on my settings, I have everything set as low as possible so finding food is harder for me since everything kinda looks the same

[Viserion]

I was hoping The Isle would have an official "How to..." for newbies, after purchasing this game about two weeks ago, I was excited and thought it would be a lot of fun (which it is) but trying to find your way across the maps can be a headache! The controls aren't that friendly and within 30 mins, you've died mostly from hunger or thirst! As a herbivore/carnivore, it is almost impossible to find food in the official maps and if you do so, it takes you ages, and once you progress to the next tier, you are still likely to die and get back to square one! If this game wants to keep its fanbase, they should rethink their strategy! Why don't you also make a single user version where it's you and the other dinosaurs without the trolls, who make up a significant percentage of the game! In the meantime? And seriously, who wants to memorize a map? Those maps are expansive and you can easily get lost! Wish the game would provide navigation so that you know where you're going...

[Inner Sight]

Originally posted by USSTalladega:

Well of course its difficult and frustrating. Hardcore survival isn't for casual players by default.

I believe the frustration comes more from the game's lack of explination for how to play than it does the difficulty of survival. It leaves brand new players lost on the bare basics of the game. They start the game, walk in search of food water and activity for 30 minutes, and die of hunger and thirst.

Think about it from a brand new player's point of view.

• A screen full of plant life - but you can't eat it. Newbies are lost on why this is because the game doesn't explain it. I was left thinking I simply didn't know which button was the "eat" button. It makes about as much sense as carnivores only being allowed to eat specific species. Players are confused and have to exit the game to find the basic information for how to play the game.
  
  
• Water is everywhere but sometimes we can't drink it. The game doesn't mention anything about saltwater and freshwater. It's something you only find out when you're frustrated by what you're forced to assume is a glitch and happen upon basic information on how to play the game from a 3rd party.
  
  
• Sometimes I swim, sometimes I walk along the bottom. Once aware of swimming anytime you walk the bottom as a newbie you're getting the impression the game broke - and for all I know this really is a glitch.
  
  
• You never know the people you're trying to talk to in chat can't hear you due to the difference in species.

ect ect. I could probably list a lot of examples but my experience with The Isle is a bit more dated right now. I can't remember all of the frustrations.

[Felix Hana]

herbivores can eat grass and not only a few special plants like in the isle

[Felix Hana]

Originally posted by Viserion:

I was hoping The Isle would have an official "How to..." for newbies, after purchasing this game about two weeks ago, I was excited and thought it would be a lot of fun (which it is) but trying to find your way across the maps can be a headache! The controls aren't that friendly and within 30 mins, you've died mostly from hunger or thirst! As a herbivore/carnivore, it is almost impossible to find food in the official maps and if you do so, it takes you ages, and once you progress to the next tier, you are still likely to die and get back to square one! If this game wants to keep its fanbase, they should rethink their strategy! Why don't you also make a single user version where it's you and the other dinosaurs without the trolls, who make up a significant percentage of the game! In the meantime? And seriously, who wants to memorize a map? Those maps are expansive and you can easily get lost! Wish the game would provide navigation so that you know where you're going...

if it was realistic herbivores could eat grass

[Fiend]

Thanks for this. My daughter and I have been playing around with the dinos on a local server in sandbox mode. My daughter has had so much fun just playing around with the various dinos and their animations. We're going to give one of the public servers a shot, though not sure what to expect after reading some posts here. :)

This thread definitely answers a few questions that I had. Thanks again.

[Viserion]

Originally posted by Aasha:

Originally posted by USSTalladega:

Well of course its difficult and frustrating. Hardcore survival isn't for casual players by default.

I believe the frustration comes more from the game's lack of explination for how to play than it does the difficulty of survival. It leaves brand new players lost on the bare basics of the game. They start the game, walk in search of food water and activity for 30 minutes, and die of hunger and thirst.

Think about it from a brand new player's point of view.

• A screen full of plant life - but you can't eat it. Newbies are lost on why this is because the game doesn't explain it. I was left thinking I simply didn't know which button was the "eat" button. It makes about as much sense as carnivores only being allowed to eat specific species. Players are confused and have to exit the game to find the basic information for how to play the game.
  
  
• Water is everywhere but sometimes we can't drink it. The game doesn't mention anything about saltwater and freshwater. It's something you only find out when you're frustrated by what you're forced to assume is a glitch and happen upon basic information on how to play the game from a 3rd party.
  
  
• Sometimes I swim, sometimes I walk along the bottom. Once aware of swimming anytime you walk the bottom as a newbie you're getting the impression the game broke - and for all I know this really is a glitch.
  
  
• You never know the people you're trying to talk to in chat can't hear you due to the difference in species.

ect ect. I could probably list a lot of examples but my experience with The Isle is a bit more dated right now. I can't remember all of the frustrations.

Thank you! You've said it loud and clear! A good game, but they should explain some of the basics to us! I've gotten better at the game (still learning bits) and looking forward to more gaming fun! The Isle's been out for a while (almost two years) and a simple "How to" wouldn't be hard!

[Viserion]

Originally posted by USSTalladega:

Originally posted by Viserion:

I was hoping The Isle would have an official "How to..." for newbies, after purchasing this game about two weeks ago, I was excited and thought it would be a lot of fun (which it is) but trying to find your way across the maps can be a headache! The controls aren't that friendly and within 30 mins, you've died mostly from hunger or thirst! As a herbivore/carnivore, it is almost impossible to find food in the official maps and if you do so, it takes you ages, and once you progress to the next tier, you are still likely to die and get back to square one! If this game wants to keep its fanbase, they should rethink their strategy! Why don't you also make a single user version where it's you and the other dinosaurs without the trolls, who make up a significant percentage of the game! In the meantime? And seriously, who wants to memorize a map? Those maps are expansive and you can easily get lost! Wish the game would provide navigation so that you know where you're going...

Well of course its difficult and frustrating. Hardcore survival isn't for casual players by default. You start from the beginning just like all the other similar games. You did read the store page right? But don't worry progression is getting replaced by survival where you grow up as a dino of your choice. And if you die you only have to start over as that dino or any other that you have unlocked with tokens. As far as the maps go there is the guides section to help you. The only ingame map we will have is one for humans. Otherwise pay attention to the landmarks. Also, how can you expect any official helpful resources from a far from complete game? Obviously the devs have WAY more important things to do with this game right now.

Even if the devs have WAY more important things to do, you do realise this game is almost two years old? I've played lots of games non-casually and at the very list, they have an official page abou the game and basics! Besides, it's a good way to bring in non-gamers into the gaming world! Is that much to ask now, is it?

[Inner Sight]

Originally posted by USSTalladega:

EA games don't count as actually released games so no. The community is your help not the game or even the devs at this stage.

That's a very arbitrary line of reasoning.

[Inner Sight]

Not really. It's arbitrary.

It's always the responsibility of the developers to explain how to play their game. Whether they list a table of commands (like most games) or do the "show, don't tell" path (akin to "Portal"). To imply the resposibility lays at the feet of 3rd parties is ultimately just trying to sweep the responsibility away and pretending a problem is not a problem.

It doesn't take much time or effort to just plaster a picture on the loading screen that lists the controls, what food looks like, or other gameplay basics. It'd take mere minutes.