Sevenless wrote:I never found it an issue keeping fed via hunting as a fledgling settlement though. I think I might put the section on farming before mining because it does produce a lot of useful products. Part of the reason why I put mining first is the time component required to collect all the needed seeds. With a small foraging radius, as new players are likely to keep, getting the seeds required is tough. I was mining my first tin deposit right about the same time we managed to finally collect wheat, carrots and flax.
But nutrition wise, beginning miners are unlikely to *need* farm food. Farm food takes a more labour per nutrition unit I've found, certainly when farming without travel sacks or scythes. Since beginners are unlikely to be focusing on stat grind just yet, tables aren't likely to be common. As such, roast meat is a real good way to fill bulk hunger bar.
Wheat is probably the biggest boon with early farming other than the perception foods and booze. (Pumpkin pie, blueberry pie, etc.) You're quite right about farming not being very useful to a dedicated miner. The only thing that provides Str is pumpkins, and then it's only 50/50 with Con.
I think the one concern I have with this reply is the purpose of the guide. Are you encouraging people to join a village or work solo for a bit? If the former, then dedicating towards farming, mining, etc. works. However, if the guide is for the later, then farming is a much easier method of staying fed than hunting or foraging. Also, anyone solo is going to have to think about raising nearly all attributes. Charisma, and maybe Psyche, aren't needed by solo players. If you're going to describe both, then both views are needed. I know that could really add length and complexity, though.
My other concern is solo players advance in tech much more slowly than villages. A solo player doesn't need much in the way of metal until they can get enough to make all the necessary tools for working it. Also, for a solo player, it's sometimes easier to trade for the metal they want/need than trying to produce it. High quality metal takes a buttload of work: high end clay, lots of trees continuously being replanted, miners digging for the best ore they can find on the deepest level they can reach, etc. It's a lot of work a single person just can't do efficiently. You need alts or a couple of friends.
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