Some Questions

[AdamBlackbird]

Hi, I'm new to the game, and I have some questions. Most of my questions I've answered through playing and browsing the forums/wiki, but these, not so much.

Are there any paid features to this game?

How much is there in terms of penalties for not playing regularly? What happens if I don't play for a couple weeks?

Do pots decay like baskets? (I've never seen it happen, but from what I've read it sounds like they'll up and poof on you, and I don't want that. Logically, pots wouldn't, but I feel I should ask)

One post mentioned griefers. I haven't seen anyone (I've seen signs of habitation, but only a couple of them are developedish, and I haven't actually seen anyone), so maybe I'm in a sparsely populated area and it won't be an issue, or am I being naive, and will wake up to find I don't have anything anymore?

Is it stupidly hard to play solo?

[SpineApple]

As far as I know, houses don't decay, and things inside them don't decay, your walls decay but decay slower on paved ground, if you make getting a log cabin if you want to set up some nice hermit camp somewhere a priority, you can, when you unlock crates you will only need like 1 Or 2 to start (worked for me), after that I got yeomanry and 2 cupboards which is great.


If you don't play the game that much farming is probably a good choice, as well as cheesemaking and bee keeping, anything that takes time (and it takes about 3 Days for most crops to grow, this can be reduced with beehives)


And good cheese making is still a great thing to trade as far as I know, or at least it used to be when I played the game a year or two ago and everyone and their dog was a cheese maker.

[Radenk]

Are there any paid features to this game?
Absolutely not.

How much is there in terms of penalties for not playing regularly? What happens if I don't play for a couple weeks?
Not much if you have a claim (otherwise your stuff decays) -- raiders might build a battering ram and ram into your settlement while you're away, though.

Do pots decay like baskets? (I've never seen it happen, but from what I've read it sounds like they'll up and poof on you, and I don't want that. Logically, pots wouldn't, but I feel I should ask)
Almost everything decays, unless you have a claim, in which case nothing decays other than cupboards/anvils/some other stuff, but that's only if they're outside.
Keep in mind that nothing (except cupboards) decays instantly. If something starts to decay, it'll start turning red and you'll have to repair it.

One post mentioned griefers. I haven't seen anyone (I've seen signs of habitation, but only a couple of them are developedish, and I haven't actually seen anyone), so maybe I'm in a sparsely populated area and it won't be an issue, or am I being naive, and will wake up to find I don't have anything anymore?
If you don't have a claim, everything you have is up for grabs. If you have one, same thing, but thieves will need the Theft skill and leave scents, which you (or some ranger) will be able to track. My advice? Build a palisade asap.

Is it stupidly hard to play solo?
Not really. A lot of people go the hermit way. You won't have the best resources and might become bored quickly, but you'll still be able to play normally.

[MagicManICT]

Man, typed up a long post and got ninja'd by Radenk

I've pretty much got to agree with everything he says. HnH can be a fun game, but it can also be a chore some days. It's all up to you on what to do with it.

[AdamBlackbird]

Considering people are still digging up pottery from thousands of years ago, pottery goods shouldn't decay :p

But thanks for the advice! I'm sure more questions will pop up in time.

[AdamBlackbird]

I'm trying to find a good site for my eventual settlement. How important is it that I have a well inside it? What else needs to be considered?

[MagicManICT]

I'm trying to find a good site for my eventual settlement. How important is it that I have a well inside it? What else needs to be considered?

Pretty, though not mandatory. You can always use barrels to get water, though it's a pain. It's best to have a well for drinking and basic needs and then chase down high Q as it's needed.

Consider soil quality, too. For a hermit, this is probably one of the more important things. Try to find 30+ for a farm. It just makes it easier to get started. Consider clay as well. If you can find really good clay, this is going to help out with a lot of things such as baking, pottery, and smelting ore. Really good for hermitage would be 40+. You'll probably not find an unclaimed spot that's higher.

[AdamBlackbird]

Ok. Sounds like a lot of work.

After reading around in a bit more detail, I noticed this one guide says coniferous forests = bad. I'm also in one, and I'm on an island. Should I be restarting?

For the clay thing, should I just be near it, or actually build on it to reserve it? One of the spots I was considering has mudflats nearby.

[TeckXKnight]

Ok. Sounds like a lot of work.

After reading around in a bit more detail, I noticed this one guide says coniferous forests = bad. I'm also in one, and I'm on an island. Should I be restarting?

For the clay thing, should I just be near it, or actually build on it to reserve it? One of the spots I was considering has mudflats nearby.

No need to consider restarting. They're just less abundant in terms of food and it's a bit more difficult to start out for beginners. If you're already decently enough established then there's no worries. The main concern is always staying alive and growing. If your available resources are impeding that, or the local dangers are too great, then you should move. If raiders and fauna are impeding you severely, then reconsider living there.

Mudflats =/= Clay. They can have clay on them but you're guaranteed nothing. Check first to see if it has a clay node (q11+ clay) by digging some clay out of it. If not, then it doesn't have clay and never will have more than 1 piece of q10 clay every 2 days. It's usually a better idea to settle a soil node. It may be better to just feed up an alt character to yeomanry and claim a clay node then palisade it when you're well enough off to do so.

[AdamBlackbird]

Ok, sounds good. I'm getting along fine now (though for a time I was worried I'd starve), but could build a boat and explore a bit if it's a good idea. Am I crazy to think my inhospitable remoteness would decrease my encounters with raiders?