Advice for noob about to drop this

[jack_the_beast]

Hi all, I'm playing this game but I usually have a strong adversion for survival/crafting game, honestly I don't even know why I bought it, since it's pretty evident what it is. However I like the idea and I'm giving it a shot, the problem I'm really unable to do anything because I can't find things. Example: I find injured outsider, I should bring him horsetail or khat, can't find either, I usually get attacked, can't cure myself because of the above and can't cure outsider, can't have outsider to join clan, can't have children, clan's screwed.
This apply to any outsider I found, I literally only find dead branches, the plant used to make the bed, rocks and fishing spots.

I almost pretty screwed now because the game spawned me at the new settlement after an attempted first evolution leap with 1 elder female (useless) one female and one male, which I mated and got two kids, I then let a generation pass because I could do anything there and I have one elder and two adults who won't mate because they are family.

I might have screwed up because I didn't understand before that I could mix and match clan members to have more kids so my numbers dropped but I'm really disappointed that the mating is not automated at least during generation passing, I mean these are animals I would expect them to AT LEAST mate on their own.

Any advice to solve this situation? How do I found stuff more efficiently? How do I know when it's time for an evolution leap? When I tried I felt behind silence because of too many deaths. I tried reading the guides but didn't really helped

[Cougarific]

Originally posted by jack_the_beast:

I should bring him horsetail or khat, can't find either

Use SMELLING to find foods like horsetail, khat, coconuts, berries and mangoes, etc.

Originally posted by jack_the_beast:

I literally only find dead branches, the plant used to make the bed, rocks

These are considered tools, which only show up in Intelligence (not Smelling).

Evolution leaps are for MUCH later in the game. There are 7 evolutionary stages and 7 biomes to explore, so it makes sense to do an evolution leap every time you reach a new biome.

You can tell which biome you're in by paying attention to the Landmark icons (diamond-shaped icons) - they show the name of the Landmark and the biome it's in (e.g. The Jungle (biome) // The Little Swamp (Landmark)).

Evolution leaps will move the clan to a random settlement in the same biome.

Don't be afraid to start over, most players restart at least once after learning some basic game mechanics. The long opening cinematic is skippable (hold Tab on keyboard or the back / menu button on your controller).

[jack_the_beast]

Use SMELLING to find foods like horsetail, khat, coconuts, berries and mangoes, etc

ah ok that's useful, I thought everything could be detected with intelligence

Evolution leaps are for MUCH later in the game

how do I know when it's time to evolve? from the guides I've read the swamp environments it's pretty dangerous, I do I set up a camp there?


still the mating mechanic doesn't make too much sense IMHO

[Argakyan]

Also small tip but remember where you found certain ressources like horsetail etc. If it spawns in a location once it will do so for the rest of the game too. With a bit of time, spawning locations will become very easy to spot even without using ingame senses (intelligence, smell, hearing) such as what a khat bush looks like or black obsidian rock.

Automatic mating is actually something your monkeys will learn over time ingame with the necessary neurons activated. While you have to manually have sex now, it gets automated over time.

Evolutionary leaps are something which I only recently grasped myself. Basically you want to do everything you can in your proximity without leaping. Every kid you get has a chance to spawn with a random mutation. Throughout the game, by exploring landmarks, you can encounter meteorites. Do not investigate them upfront.
Instead always make sure to bring your tribe with you when investigating a meteorite - they will grant every kid without a mutation one & will double the amount of neurons you can preserve into the next generation. Make sure that before you leap, all of your adults & elders have mutations (this can be done with 2 meteorites). Once you're there, you've gotten hold of the maximum amount of benefits you can get out of a leap since those will lock-in mutations. Mutations pose unique perks which can otherwise be lost again over time by skipping generations.

Alternatively it's still fine to just leap without explicitly min-maxxing meteorites. It's your first playthrough. It's good to just play around & get to know systems.

[Cougarific]

Originally posted by Argakyan:

Automatic mating is actually something your monkeys will learn over time ingame with the necessary neurons activated. While you have to manually have sex now, it gets automated over time.

Sorry but that's inaccurate. You will always have to do the coupling / mating yourself.

Originally posted by jack_the_beast:

how do I know when it's time to evolve?

I recommend one evolution leap per biome, as explained above.

Originally posted by jack_the_beast:

from the guides I've read the swamp environments it's pretty dangerous, I do I set up a camp there?

Try using common sense instead of guides - would you choose to live in a swamp?

When I explain stuff to struggling streamers, "Oh, that makes sense!" is the most common reply. Allow yourself to git dumb and start thinking like an animal trying to be smart.

A good settlement has plentiful food, fresh water and shelter from the rain.

No settlement will be as safe as the starting area, so be prepared to defend the settlement before moving the clan (learn how to Dodge and Counterattack, and how to find remedies for injuries and illnesses).

[jack_the_beast]

Try using common sense instead of guides - would you choose to live in a swamp?

No, that's why I'm a bit confused when you say one leap per biome, swamp is the closest biome to the starting point.

[Argakyan]

Originally posted by Cougarific:

Originally posted by Argakyan:

Automatic mating is actually something your monkeys will learn over time ingame with the necessary neurons activated. While you have to manually have sex now, it gets automated over time.

Sorry but that's inaccurate. You will always have to do the coupling / mating yourself.

What you want to look out for are the neurons "Attachment Need". They come in 3 steps, giving you automatic couples, then 1 baby & finally 2 babies after a generation leap. For further information I have the link to the relevant wikia page on communication neurons here ( https://ancestors.fandom.com/wiki/Communication_(neuronal_branch) ).

There you go. That's what they asked for & now you too can be inaccurate next time somebody wants to know about it.

[Cougarific]

Originally posted by jack_the_beast:

No, that's why I'm a bit confused when you say one leap per biome, swamp is the closest biome to the starting point.

The swamp isn't a biome, it's in the Jungle biome. The biome is shown on the top line of a Landmark location - it will say "The Jungle // The Little Swamp".

The first new biome you reach after the Jungle will be the Great Lake.

Originally posted by Argakyan:

For further information I have the link to the relevant wikia page on communication neurons here ( https://ancestors.fandom.com/wiki/Communication_(neuronal_branch) ).

O okay, I've never done a Generation leap with fewer than six babies (especially not late in the game), so I've never seen the magical babies.

[SvarogX]

I feel ya, I am currently stuck in the starting area, searching the jungle for this oase..All adults died, so I am gonna start a new tribe..
But hey thats what our ancestors struggled with, just that they were a bit smarter than us now, otherwise we would not be here.

[jack_the_beast]

Originally posted by SvarogX:

But hey thats what our ancestors struggled with, just that they were a bit smarter than us now, otherwise we would not be here.

probably they were just better at procreating.

anyway I dropped the game in the end, it's just not my cup of cake

[moyer4487]

its a cool game. i just have to work and think about things in parts of the game. i just got it myself and still figuring out how this game works. but many gamers do not find figuring everything out as fun. and i can understand that.

[[LZ]Icy]

Im also stuck on this game at the start , find the meteor , i already did, why i have to do it again?

[Cougarific]

Originally posted by LZIcy:

Im also stuck on this game at the start , find the meteor , i already did, why i have to do it again?

Yeah the fact that the tutorial doesn't recognize if you've already completed an objective is a problem.

There will be more meteorites to find but at this point you should just ignore the tutorial because you've probably already completed the next couple of objectives as well (add an outsider to the clan, give birth).

The long-term goal is to grow the clan and gradually move them across the huge map, adapting to new environments and evolving as you go.

Some Landmarks are potential settlement locations. Find one you like (with food, water and shelter from the rain), bring the clan there, build some beds and "SETTLE" at a bed to create a new settlement.

After the starting location the best next settlement IMHO is the Under-the-Cliff oasis. Keep exploring and discovering Landmarks until you find it.