New Player here - Some Questions

[webmetalreese]

I'm not new to base building or survival, but rather to the colony management. I started over about 4 times until I felt comfortable enough to see it through. With that, I have some questions that the tutorial nor the forum has provided answers to. (I might be looking in the wrong place as well)
1. Can you hunt in this game? I've yet to see any animals, but I require skins. Is this only done through taking a taskforce to scavenge?
2. I've had one bed for the longest time. Only after having one guy do research like full time was I able to get enough points to build the sheep structure, but I had to build an oven to get that, to make bricks, and I needed wheat...all this for a damn bed? Am I missing something? Is there another way to get wool?
3. Regarding #2 while spending all that time researching building my base - I lack the time to properly craft boards, bows, and clubs and have no even considered scavaging in other areas. I figured to start I needed a researcher, a farmer, and an "all around" guy - but they don't seem to be cutting it. How can I increase effciency so that when I'm attacked I don't have to worry about dying?
4. Why when I set a task for someone, they go to sleep - wake up and leave to go do the task - only to turn around when they get there because they forgot to eat? Is there a way I can set a priority for them to sleep first and then eat when they get up?
5. Selecting multiple items to harvest (ex trees) with the icon at the top - does this set it as top priority for EVERYONE in my camp or just a person I selected? Having trouble figuring this one out - sometimes its ignored completely, or one tree is cut down and then the whole area is abandoned.
6. I have the ability to craft a stove, but I have no idea what it's used for. All my survivors just eat salads....can I kill the sheep for meat?
7. The arrows in the pictures when I go to skills - this is what they "prefer" and will level up faster when doing this, correct?

I think that's about it for now. Any help would be appreciated. I'm not completely destroyed and I'm trying to keep my colony count at 5 for now until I feel comforable at base with things flowing.

[webmetalreese]

OK After playing a couple more hours
1. You get skins from werewolves - that's the only way?
2. You need a least 4 sheep farms going and 4-6 vegetable farms going and one really good farmer who's priority #1 is to farm and chop down trees. Sucks to be him/her.
3. Putting up base defenses like spike walls and sand bags don't really do anything other than give your party protection. You can actually "Activate Defense Plan" and manually set your survivors to go a certain area when you're being attacked. This is good for a couple of reasons: First, you don't have to pause the game and sort your toons out, and second, you can set it so that some of them are beside the cabin, sawmill etc - which will give them protection. The only problem is that you never know which way they're coming from and eventually they start attacking you from multiple sides. Best bet, just build an area where you go all the time when being attacked. Almost like a kill box.
4. I still can't figure this out. If I can catch them heading to eat - ill make them sleep first and then they automatically eat when they get up.
5. Still don't know this one either. But if you plant trees everyone wants a piece of that action.
Honestly you should be able to set limits on wood and stone and water as well. Every single time I take my eye off them they are fetching water.
6. I don't have an issue with just having them eat salads.
7. Yes, the arrows indicate preferred.

It's wise to set all of your survivors priorities as soon as you get them. Some you will just leave, like a farmer for example. Others you will be changing constantly like crafter/builder. I have found by manipulating just this screen I can get the whole group to do one thing, but it's very fiddly and time consuming. I wish there were "set it and forget it" for wood, stone, mineral, etc. I know about the limits - but that's only for some things and they don't listen to the min it seems. For example: I have boards set to 10 min and 25 max, but when I get down to 8 boards I don't see anyone running to make more, even if I set it as #1 in priority.

I'm to the point now where I don't have armor/weapons good enough to fight the monsters to get the books I need to move on in the tree, so I'm stuck with 1000+ research points and compound bows. I have crossbows but I have no idea where to get resin. WHnever I try to raid a school I get pwned by ghosts, werewolves and possessed.

Thanks for all the help guys! :D

[Daezz0r]

Wow buddy, the walls of text xD
Lemme try to help ya out a little.

1. You can hunt, if you would want to call it that. Go to the world map and set up a task force. The selected survivors 'should' be skilled in combat - you can wait for getting some weapons in the first place before deciding which you choose (pistols, rifles, ...) and skill some more general like damage or accuracy.

2a. Two veggie farms are enough to feed three people, when at ~100% efficiency, add that up for what you need. Farming and chopping are two different skills, obviously.
2b. I always got along with two sheep farms, IF i wasn't selling fabric. Then I recommend AT LEAST six (of course you need the man power to handle all that stuff).
2c. Another easy way to earn some money is to craft coolers.

3. Either set up a kill room if you prefer an open base and don't want your survivors run more than they work if stone/... spawns outside or close it from three sides and at the fourth you must build a maze of spikes (up,down,up,down,....) that you can shoot attackers from turrets.

4. Afaik not.

5. Does not set priority at all. This depends on the task priorities you have to set up for each survivor. In the early game all should do everything, but not at the same priority.
i.e.
SurvA: Water,crafting,building,wood,stone,...
SurvB: Farming,stone,wood,building,...
SurvC: Water,farming,research,....

Later you should assign tasks to NOT TO BE DONE by certain survivors. Depending on how you skill them, and if, what bonus they already have. Or most of them will just swap jobs like one would with socks and nothing gets done eventually.

6. Nope, they'll only provide whool to your people. But to have more different foods get's your people some enchantments. The more, the better.

7. Absolutly correct.


Min auto limit determinates when your craftmen will beginn to craft that item IF there are the resources. They stop at max. And if there is no required workbench free/at all they cannot craft that item aswell, same goes for the resources supply, obviously.

Limits for gatherable stuff like wood,stone,metal,minerals,... work a little different. You can set the tasks, but they will just start to do them when the limits hits min. The tasks stay set until that point (unless you have option enabled to delete a manually set task after 24h ingame) - Just have to correct myself. Does NOT apply to tasks set via the menu.


Hope I could help you out a little.

[listless]

Yeah, you really don't need as many sheep pens as you might think. Wool piles up pretty quickly.

The green arrows not only signify a survivor's preference, but also let you know which tasks will make them level faster.

Rescuing someone with bonus Farming speed is great, because you'll need a lot of them - close to a quarter of your survivors will probably wind up being full time farmers.

As far as sleeping and eating, I find that placing a little hut with a food table and a couple of beds near where they're working makes them more productive. The shorter the distance between their task and their needs, the less time they'll spend walking - the more they'll get done.

defense

If you visit the Artwork section of the forum, you'll find a few bases that people have built. Some are a little elaborate and time/material consuming, but others are quite simple, cheap, and effective for the first hundred days or so. Early on, I usually either plant or cut out a group of trees close by for some cheap cover while I work on the perimeter. If you can work out a way to force enemies to come at you from one direction, that helps a lot since it not only focuses your survivors' fire, but it also staggers the enemies into waves which are easier to handle than if they all reach you at the same time from three different directions.

Also, it's best not to separate your survivors. Keep them in groups during attacks. Not only does it increase the amount of firepower the demons have to face, but also if someone's taking damage, having other people nearby makes it easier to rescue them. Since enemies focus on the nearest survivor in range, just moving your injured survivor out of range will force the enemies to pick a new target, and hopefully by the time the baddies have done that, your other survivors have filled them full of arrows.

[Ravenwolf Silvermoon]

Hi. Not sure what settings you are playing at. I am still learning myself, so am on currently on Forgiving mode till i learn more about game. You can randomly choose a different profession by clicking on dice at starting screen (didnt know that till 6 days ago). Later in game you can redo traits (respec/remaking a new profession for currently selected survivor and kepp all your skill points, but you do get a radom profession and lose your old one). For supplies like clothes, hides, etc, I find it easier per se to go on missions (scavenging/hunting/raids) for supplies and materials needed at nearby enemy camps/sites. Once you get decent weapons and armor you can gather more supplies and materials for building your base up. Also enemy sites with questions mark has random common, uncommon to rare items (weapons, armor and equipment). If this had multiple player option (like the wild eight type), could helped you in game lol. Anyways, find a profession that supports building, crafting and press all the letters on the keyboard while in game to see what they do lol, am still finding out stuff lol. Keep water and food supplies up. Again for supplies and materials, i ended up doing many missions/scavenging and got most of my weapons from them too. Safety in numbers too. And what others have posted too. Also dont forget to save after each missions, scavenging hunt or rescue missions, never now when storm hits or power goes out, or stretching your feet out and unplug cord.

[Doom]

just play and learn.

[webmetalreese]

Thanks everyone. I am playing and still learning, but some things I literally couldn't figure out with 20 or so hours into it - again new to management style with multiple characters just trying to get the most bang for my buck.
I'm in this odd situation now where I have lots of research points but can't level due to lack of books. When I go to scavenge them all of the enemies are very strong compared to what I have. I'll have to study up on fighting techniques but have already read some good guides.

[listless]

Originally posted by Ravenwolf Silvermoon:

You can randomly choose a different profession by clicking on dice at starting screen (didnt know that till 6 days ago).

I had no idea that was there even though I've been looking right at it all this time - can picture the image of the dice. I've always just "rerolled" new combinations the hard way by manually exiting out and clicking on New Game again. Really good to know that there's a more convenient way.

Originally posted by webmetalreese:

I'm in this odd situation now where I have lots of research points but can't level due to lack of books. When I go to scavenge them all of the enemies are very strong compared to what I have. I'll have to study up on fighting techniques but have already read some good guides.

For myself, I've always felt like I have to be able to beat the map either manually or through auto-resolve, but since fulll release, I've been trying to unlearn that way of thinking. Treating it like a stealth mission where the sole purpose is to get in - scavenge what you need - and get out without ever firing a shot or attracting attention - is actually a really interesting change of pace, and pretty stressful when you're dealing with Tier 5 enemies. The full version is difficult enough that I've had to change up my playstyle - sending out sorties simply to scout out weaker locations, spending more time at base so survivors can maximize their output while I evaluate possible loot locations - it's all been really enjoyable.

[Daezz0r]

Originally posted by rainyday:

For myself, I've always felt like I have to be able to beat the map either manually or through auto-resolve, but since fulll release, I've been trying to unlearn that way of thinking. Treating it like a stealth mission where the sole purpose is to get in - scavenge what you need - and get out without ever firing a shot or attracting attention [...]

Wait, woot? :'D I always pull the attention of any enemy on the map when I scavange someting manually, no matter where they are. How can you get out without dealing with them? :O

[listless]

Originally posted by Daezz0r:

Wait, woot? :'D I always pull the attention of any enemy on the map when I scavange someting manually, no matter where they are. How can you get out without dealing with them? :O

It isn't easy - often it's harder to pull off than a pitched battle, but in some cases, it's far more feasible than actually confronting the enemy. That's what makes it so interesting. You've got the rest of the team standing by either ready to run, or offer support, or to draw the enemy's attention while you're sneakiest survivor goes creeping through the map. It can get pretty tense. I suppose it's also possible to send just one survivor in, either having the rest of the team retreat right away or take the risk of sending her/him across the map all alone.

If you're lucky, sometimes you get a Scout or a Survivalist early on who has a bonus to Scavenging, and if you're very, very lucky, sometimes you get one with a bonus to movement speed or vision range as well. They make the best sneak thieves and rescue artists if you go all in on scavenge. You can always retrain them later when you no longer need those skills.

[webmetalreese]

I found that auto resolve helps greatly when dealing with battles with fallen angels. For some reason when I fight the battle I lose, but auto resolve will win. Kinda makes me think I'm doing something wrong when fighting. Still trying to get the hang of it. Lots of variables to consider, and realized its a lot of fun.

[CitizenX3639]

Originally posted by rainyday:

Originally posted by Daezz0r:

Wait, woot? :'D I always pull the attention of any enemy on the map when I scavange someting manually, no matter where they are. How can you get out without dealing with them? :O

It isn't easy - often it's harder to pull off than a pitched battle, but in some cases, it's far more feasible than actually confronting the enemy. That's what makes it so interesting. You've got the rest of the team standing by either ready to run, or offer support, or to draw the enemy's attention while you're sneakiest survivor goes creeping through the map. It can get pretty tense. I suppose it's also possible to send just one survivor in, either having the rest of the team retreat right away or take the risk of sending her/him across the map all alone.

If you're lucky, sometimes you get a Scout or a Survivalist early on who has a bonus to Scavenging, and if you're very, very lucky, sometimes you get one with a bonus to movement speed or vision range as well. They make the best sneak thieves and rescue artists if you go all in on scavenge. You can always retrain them later when you no longer need those skills.

Curious to the difficulty you are playing becasue on challenging they seem to be attracted to the noise. There is no way to avoid the constant attacks.

[listless]

I play on challenging too, and it is really tricky. I'm not very good at it so I wipe as often as I succeed, but early on sometimes it's the best bet you've got to get your research material, you know?

I try to pick a place with fewer enemies so I know ahead of time roughly how many roving groups I'll have to watch out for. Then it's a matter of keeping an eye on the enemy, and waiting 'til they've moved well away from the goods before sending the thief in. I have someone with good vision keep a watch out while the thief works. Got to be patient, too. You have to be willing to abandon your progress, run away and try again if it looks like the enemy's heading your way.

And some locations are much easier - urban areas with lots of buildings and objects that conceal you from view are more doable than open rural locations.

[Daezz0r]

Just lost another custom-max-difficulty settlement (7 days - by reaper and werwolfs), but thats exactly the way you need to get your stuff together.
I feel like wasting too much time, its not much, but enough to not be prepared for the second attack. Besides being unlucky here and there. :(

[listless]

Originally posted by webmetalreese:

I found that auto resolve helps greatly when dealing with battles with fallen angels. For some reason when I fight the battle I lose, but auto resolve will win. Kinda makes me think I'm doing something wrong when fighting.

I've had the same experience. It's interesting isn't it. There are some battles where the game gives you the edge in auto-resolve, but every now and then you come across a scenario that you can win manually, but the game's going to slaughter your party every single time.

Two of the major factors during auto-resolve must be dps and armor. Also, turning a few of your tankiest units into temporary melee units makes an enormous difference.

Originally posted by Daezz0r:

...max-difficulty...

I've never tried going that high... not sure I want that kind of pain and frustration.

[Daezz0r]

Originally posted by rainyday:

I've never tried going that high... not sure I want that kind of pain and frustration.

Ye, gave up yet, and am still preparing my crew for tough now keep on rollin'