How to set up a homestead? Wheat, hemp, cows.

[Cain]

So I'm a new player to the H&H world. My buddy is part of a village which I'm hoping to join, but I'd like to go through the process of creating a homestead on my own, without just having everything given to me. Plus I don't want to just take take take when I join a village. So what I'm wondering is:
-How would I acquire wheat/hemp seeds? I've spent a few hours wandering through woods and haven't seen any wild seeds or anything. Same thing with a cow/sheep.
-What's the deal with quality? I've heard it affects weapon damage. Why else would it matter? Like why would someone want a q99 apple tree.
-Do I need to be scared of decay? Does putting stuff in baskets (wicker in my case) protect them from decay? Is there someway to avoid it? Does owning land slow it down?
-Are there people out there who would just kill me on sight for no reason? How else can I die besides swimming or players, do high level animals continue to do hard damage after you're unconscious?
-What's a viable combat rotation for me? I've got a stone axe. I've read the combat move descriptions but the whole system is pretty confusing. Should I stick to melee combat, or is ranged equally viable at higher levels? And is it true that to kill a x level animal i should have 10x skill in that form of combat?
-From the leveling system that is implemented it seems like raising all your stats equally is the best idea. Is this a realistic goal? Or do most people end up with 3-4 stats that they level and ignore the rest?

Any answers will be greatly appreciated!! Look forward to seeing ya'll in game.
-Bryce

[Neyvn]

-How would I acquire wheat/hemp seeds? I've spent a few hours wandering through woods and haven't seen any wild seeds or anything. Same thing with a cow/sheep.

Seeds are really only locatable in the Supergrids outside that of the main these days, though limited to things like Onions, Hops and Such, The better or more wide spread crops have been sort out and harvested by the explorers of our game. Best to ask your friend for some seed. Cows/Sheep are unable to be 'Captured' as of yet. They appear on Grassland and Heaths at a regualar speed. You can make your own Grassland by using low Qual seed or Excess seed to plant as Grass from the adventure > Landscaping menu. Only on Plowed land first...

-What's the deal with quality? I've heard it affects weapon damage. Why else would it matter? Like why would someone want a q99 apple tree.

One would assume that it would be for apple pies in the way of Apples, after the mods introduced Qual system, it was discovered that the higher the qual the better the item really is not only in the way of weapon damage, but on the hunger meter and FEP slider. More hunger is filled with some foods, and more FEP is filled aswell.

-Do I need to be scared of decay? Does putting stuff in baskets (wicker in my case) protect them from decay? Is there someway to avoid it? Does owning land slow it down?

If its outside and on the ground. It will disappear if it can go into your Inv. its best to put them into baskets or into a cabin, inside a cabin I have been told that things will no degrade as fast but will disappear after a while, so if you are running out of baskets make some more. Straw is a Side Result of harvesting Wheat, make sure you pick it up, 10 can be weaved into a straw basket that can hold 4x4 Slots. Much better then the 6 from the Wicker ones...

-Are there people out there who would just kill me on sight for no reason? How else can I die besides swimming or players, do high level animals continue to do hard damage after you're unconscious?

Yes there are some people that will kill you on sight for no reason. Though they are far and inbetween. Not as common as we once thought, be thankful you are coming into the game now. Some animals will hit hard enough that they will do Hard damage, HHP, while your awake and just before you fall unconscious. Some will however camp your body, so pray you can get away before they start to wittle your HHP down due to having only 1 SHP (Soft Health Points)

-What's a viable combat rotation for me? I've got a stone axe. I've read the combat move descriptions but the whole system is pretty confusing. Should I stick to melee combat, or is ranged equally viable at higher levels? And is it true that to kill a x level animal i should have 10x skill in that form of combat?

You should really wait before even thinking of attacking something in the X level. Learn how to fight against some low level fox and deer, learn what each skill does in the way of if it stacks over your main form of attack or replaces it compleatly. Unarmed is kinda rigged at the moment, so punching untill you stack up 4 initiative then knocking their teeth out will kill a level 2 deer with a small amount of skill.
Archery is currently a hassle, after you have killed your target, you need to pick up ALL your arrows before you can continue, its slow and annoying cause you still need to put them into your quiver afterwards...

-From the leveling system that is implemented it seems like raising all your stats equally is the best idea. Is this a realistic goal? Or do most people end up with 3-4 stats that they level and ignore the rest?

Most stats are at the moment little of use to even bother, but hindsight is 20/20 level them up anyway, it is also best to level them up equally, gods I know. Don't eat too many Strenght foods else it will take something like 10000 Deer dogs even to level up Agility. Sigh...
FEP or Food Event Points increase at different ratios while some are pure in what stat they increase (BBB's are Strength and only strength) some are scattered with what they give, remember that even if it has the largest amount FEP is random by percentage. If you eat something that gives you 10 AGI 20 PEC and 70 STR you still have 10% chance of gaining Agility over strength....
The reason you eat equally is because your highest stat repersents how many FEP is needed before the next Stat point is gained. Having 70 Strength means that you need 70 FEPs to move 20 AGI to 21...

[kobnach]

So I'm a new player to the H&H world. My buddy is part of a village which I'm hoping to join, but I'd like to go through the process of creating a homestead on my own, without just having everything given to me. Plus I don't want to just take take take when I join a village. So what I'm wondering is:
-How would I acquire wheat/hemp seeds? I've spent a few hours wandering through woods and haven't seen any wild seeds or anything. Same thing with a cow/sheep.
-What's the deal with quality? I've heard it affects weapon damage. Why else would it matter? Like why would someone want a q99 apple tree.
-Do I need to be scared of decay? Does putting stuff in baskets (wicker in my case) protect them from decay? Is there someway to avoid it? Does owning land slow it down?
-Are there people out there who would just kill me on sight for no reason? How else can I die besides swimming or players, do high level animals continue to do hard damage after you're unconscious?
-What's a viable combat rotation for me? I've got a stone axe. I've read the combat move descriptions but the whole system is pretty confusing. Should I stick to melee combat, or is ranged equally viable at higher levels? And is it true that to kill a x level animal i should have 10x skill in that form of combat?
-From the leveling system that is implemented it seems like raising all your stats equally is the best idea. Is this a realistic goal? Or do most people end up with 3-4 stats that they level and ignore the rest?

Any answers will be greatly appreciated!! Look forward to seeing ya'll in game.
-Bryce

Newly created areas have wild plants. Once they are picked, they are gone. There are still some near me, in relatively safe terrain - but I moved out of the initial supergrid. So the normal way to get seeds is from other players; experienced farmers generally get 3 seeds for each plant they harvest, and only need to replant one. They'll happily give you their lesser quality seeds, which they'd otherwise just drop. Those will generally be better quality than wild plants, which are quality level 10.

Quality affects everything. You get more benefits (food event points) from food of higher quality. You get a bigger stat gain from amulets of higher quality. Sleeping in a higher quality bed cures travel weariness faster. You get better logs when you cut trees with a higher quality axe, and better planks when you saw the logs with a higher quality saw. (In some of these, you also need to have sufficient skill.) You also get more learning points for using higher quality ingredients.

A few things aren't affected by quality. Wood put into houses; stone put into pavement; wood and metal used to build chests; tea (currently, pending a fix); probably a few others I've forgotten.

To avoid decay, put things in a house.
To reduce decay
- live in a civilized array, where animals are level 1
- keep things on pavement, not ground
- build on pavement (it may not let you build on bare ground anyway)
- check and repair when you see that red tinge; very few things are destroyed with only one decay hit

Yes, there are griefers in this game, some of whom consider PK to be loads of lulz. Idling AFK in places like the Ring of Brodgar is probably a bad idea. Other folks have been known to get touchy about folks chopping trees near their homesteads, or hunting 'their" bears.

Ways to die:
- swimming
- PK
- animals will not keep attacking while unconscious, but they may stand over you till you revive, then attack again. You lose one HHP per KO, plus any grievous damage, so you CAN die. Teleporting to your hearth while unconscious is one way to escape. Avoid bears - I think they do grievous damage, like players.
- leeches can kill you, if you get too many on you and leave them there. Don't get KO'd in a swamp.
- starvation can kill you. Don't go AFK while tired and hungry - tiredness converts to more hunger, which eventually starts doing damage. Especially don't leave yourself working and go AFK (beware of attempting macro usage).

Stats:
- mine were even until dex and psy were introduced. This proved fortunate, when agility and constitution suddenly became rather more useful than previously. If I were restarting, I'd try to get them all even.
- as a very new character, feeding oneself without help, keeping one's stats even is impossible. You can't get strength food or dex food, and you need more than just basic skills to get them. Int is easiest (fishing costs 200 LP, and you start with a fishing rod). Con is probably next easiest (bread). Except for cheese, getting str requires killing boars or bears. And getting dex requires raising survival, and probably also perception and exploration.

[Dondy]

It will be hard to find wheat or hemp seeds growing wild, expecially in the inner rings but not difficult to trade for a few starter seeds. You might try trading dead chickens, as they are a dex food and pretty well anyone can use it

You need to find cows, sheep and chickens on grassland. They spawn and unspawn so it is hard to predict when they will appear but the more populated the area the less chance you have of finding them. Try looking immediately after a server reset. That seems to be one of the best times.

Do not eat meat or onions raw.

Try to keep your attributes balanced as it will be hard to raise the lower ones once the top ones get high.

Quality effects everything. For example, a q6 rabbit steak only feeds you but a steak higher than q10 gives you agility fep. A q10 tree will make mediocre boards even if you have carpentry higher than ten, but combine a q99 apple tree, a good saw and high carpentry skill and the boards you make will be high q. This in turn means that the herb table you make from it will produce better q products. Or if you make a tanning tub it will be better q leather and make armour that has higher hit points.

yes, be scared of decay. The safest place to store anything is inside a house. Failing that, leave it on paved ground. When it turns pink it is starting to decay. Owning lad doesn't effect this but it slows down theives

[Neyvn]

You think we get Medels for helping new folk but we don't.
Just shows how much we want to help you guys that not 1 but 3 people posted...

[Dondy]

It won't be practical to level all your stats at once, but keep it in mind and get them even as early as you can.

For example to get cave bulbs you will need to find a cave and have a source of light such as torches, and you will need both good perception and exploration. So you simply won't be able to get cave bulbs at first although they are the only decent source of psyche. But what this means is you will keep an eye out for caves and consider settling near one when you find one. And you will work towards having fibre and making a loom early on. Then you can make cloth, which is needed for torches and have a source of light to go searching for those bulbs.

For strength you will need boar meat, bear meat, or a access to a cauldron so you can make rennet to make cheese. You might consider investing in production of some luxury good like silk so you can trade for a cauldron, or you might prefer to advance your combat skill so you can kill boars. Either is a viable track but going after the boars is easier. The combat skill is useful and you don't have to guard the cauldron and worry about losing it to a thief.

People who have just raised a few stats and ignored the others have sacrificed a lot of options. For a long while agility was no use, and so people let it trail. It was a nuisance catching all those damned rabbits... Then there was an update and suddenly agility was essential for easy teleportation travel. It turned out that ignoring the unuseful stat came with a drawback after all.

It's probably much too difficult to keep all your stats level all the time, but easy enough to stop eating con food when you see that it has crept up a few points more than the others.

[sabinati]

last time i was at the Ring there were a bunch of unclaimed crops, presumably for public use

[Potjeh]

Strength food isn't actually that hard to get. You just need a bit of marksmanship and a boat. Just sail up and down rivers until you find a fairly low-level boar, then shoot it dead. It can't counter-attack you while you're on the boat. Bows take the least skill points to hit the target, and their damage is not affected by your stats. Just try to get as good bow and arrows as you can, to raise your damage. You'll need to raise your survival skill to get decent bones for arrows. And yeah, archery is really tedious because of arrow retrieval, but such is life

[Smithy]

Another thing you can do to get str food is scavenging. Often people will kill the boars they encounter just for the lp. They then abandon the carcass, unskinned. You get the lp for butchering, the hides and the meat, and even bones to make arrows.

A good settlement strategy is to go out somewhere within easy range of either apple or mulberry trees, on the water, and amid animals that are just outside of your skill level to kill. Whenever menaced by an animal dash into the water as deep as you can. (NO SWIMMING! Swimming is lethal.) You can then lead them up or down stream, sneak by and go back to what you were doing. And once you have a house you can escape from animals in there too, although they will camp outside your door.

After a couple of weeks of play you will be up to killing the animals, and your new farm will not be an annoyingly long trek from your hunting territory. Start by killing them from in the water, using a bow. You can be standing in the shallow water, as deep as you can get, to shoot at them, and they can't hit you. You don't have to be in a boat. (But bears have a long reach so use caution.) Killing animals this way will give you the lp to actually tackle them when not standing in the water eventually.

Raise your cooking skill above ten early to take advantage of the steaks you get. If they are less than q10 after you cook them they may only slake your appetite and not provide fep.

[kobnach]

On other thing - you asked about decay, and mentioned objects that can be put into baskets. Everyone but Nevyn promptly responded to the word "decay", not the whole question - including me.

Objects that can be put into a container, whether your inventory or a basket, will disappear if left on the ground, whether or not it's inside a house, or paved. They'll disappear instantly if the server resets, or in a few hours if not. Players of this game don't generally call that object decay.

What we call object decay is something else, and affects objects which can't be put in inventories, both those which can be lifted (like a churn) and objects which cannot be lifted (like a kiln). Objects outside of houses get hit with a decay tick, randomly. They then become damaged. Each object can take some number of decay ticks before being destroyed. Wicker baskets decay very easily; they may need only a single tick. Kilns can take a lot of damage before being destroyed.

When this kind of decay occurs, the object turns slightly red; the more damaged it is, the redder it gets. Objects can also be damaged with the "destroy" action; you can watch them get redder and redder and then eventually disappear completely.

Many objects become unusable before they are destroyed; sometimes that's the easiest way to notice they are damaged.

All damaged objects can be repaired. This requires materials; each object type requires a specific material, usually something used to make it. (A kiln requires clay, an oven requires bricks, a straw basket requires straw.) The quality of the repair materials does not affect the quality of the repaired object, so I can repair a high quality oven with plain ordinary bricks.

Logs, tree stumps, boulders and houses do not decay. Immature trees "decay" by growing; mature trees don't decay. The only ground surface to decay is plowed land, which will decay back to an unplowed state.