Getting your first elk jankiness

[Jubal]

So I went and purchased my first elk. Couldn't work out the buttons for getting the blanket and saddle onto it immediately, hit something wrong, and it ran away into the dark and disappeared entirely (like, the entity console command can't find it within 5000 blocks now so I assume it's fully despawned).

So now I'm faced with trying to save up another hundred gears, which feels game-breaking as a level of setback given that over the last 140 hours of gameplay I'd saved up just enough to get the fifty I needed to purchase the thing in the first place.

My initial suggestion would be that the person who can sell you tamed elk gets like a pen that the elk can spawn into so they can't immediately bolt if you mess up and click a wrong button, especially given that the game does not, you know, explain the elk mechanics in any way. Feeling extremely done with this game right about now.

[PsiOmegas]

Hey dude,

That sucks and I agree. Ive also had a few experiences like this, that have made me extreamly fustrated as I lost expensive gear or items (My first time mining iron, a competly silent deep drifter walked up behind me and 1 tapped me with no ques whatsoever. lost my whole kit and an inventory of iron ore). My suggestion would be to just spawn yoursef some more gears. Hit / and type "gm 2". This will make you enter creative mode. Open your inventory and give yourself 100 gears.  To exit creative mode type "gm 1". 

[Jubal]

2 minutes ago, PsiOmegas said:

Hey dude,

That sucks and I agree. Ive also had a few experiences like this, that have made me extreamly fustrated as I lost expensive gear or items (My first time mining iron, a competly silent deep drifter walked up behind me and 1 tapped me with no ques whatsoever. lost my whole kit and an inventory of iron ore). My suggestion would be to just spawn yoursef some more gears. Hit / and type "gm 2". This will make you enter creative mode. Open your inventory and give yourself 100 gears.  To exit creative mode type "gm 1". 

Yeah, I'll mull over what to do, I think I could equally just console-spawn a new tamed elk? I think this particular instance feels more of a gut shot than most because it's a main quest reward moment, so the "hah, no reward for you, that'll be another double-the-price amount, you just wasted hours of work lol" is the sort of point where it feels like the game stops providing a challenge and just starts trolling the player.

[PsiOmegas]

1 minute ago, Jubal said:

Yeah, I'll mull over what to do, I think I could equally just console-spawn a new tamed elk? I think this particular instance feels more of a gut shot than most because it's a main quest reward moment, so the "hah, no reward for you, that'll be another double-the-price amount, you just wasted hours of work lol" is the sort of point where it feels like the game stops providing a challenge and just starts trolling the player.

Oh yeah I think your right actually. And yeah when the stakes are as high as they are its rough losing time to game jank like that. The entire game design around the elk (amoung other things) is kinda questionable. Like the game does nothing to tell you that you even need a medalion right? So without getting the info from outside the game it basicly does just entierly disrespect the player. 

[Jubal]

Yeah, the requirements the trader gives you are saddle and bridle. So another sensible thing would be to add medallion on that list and have the trader prompt you to put the medallion on first.

[Jubal]

Note to anyone reading this thread in future: I did eventually find the elk again! Despite its apparent missingness, when I'd gone and done a bunch of other stuff then returned to the same trader a few days later to sell some shovels, it reappeared by the trading post. So now I do have my hoofed pal

Does anyone know if it helps to put a big feeding trough in place for the elk? I might do it anyway because my buddy should have snacks, but I'd be interested to know if it makes an actual gameplay difference

[Demoncyborg]

1 minute ago, Jubal said:

Does anyone know if it helps to put a big feeding trough in place for the elk? I might do it anyway because my buddy should have snacks, but I'd be interested to know if it makes an actual gameplay difference

it doesn't really, no. your elk will usually stick by it is the main one i can think of, but its creature weight doesn't truly matter unless you're planning on.. uh, eating it.
that being said, I always give my elks treats anyways. It's totally possible to leave them in a pen with hoppers to try and make sure you catch their antlers when they eventually drop, too.

[Jubal]

1 hour ago, Demoncyborg said:

it doesn't really, no. your elk will usually stick by it is the main one i can think of, but its creature weight doesn't truly matter unless you're planning on.. uh, eating it.
that being said, I always give my elks treats anyways. It's totally possible to leave them in a pen with hoppers to try and make sure you catch their antlers when they eventually drop, too.

Surely just about the most wildly inefficiently expensive food in the game (I guess going and getting tropical biome food might be on a similar level, but even then).