Early farming

[Chogata]

So, I've been playing for a few hours (on single), I love it so far except I sorely miss a minimap (or maybe there is one and I haven't found it?), but one thing that bugs me is that I still cannot grow my own food. I can't hunt also, I tried, but everything is faster than me and arrows seem to require feathers and chicks ... are faster than me . I've read in the wiki that I can replant berry bushes, I need to start doing that. But I have a house, I have storage, I've left my first charcoal pit smoking yesterday when I logged out, yet I'm all the time at the edge of starving, because it's either go and scavenge for food (and get lost, often!) or do something useful (like produce charcoal to finally make that copper hoe...)

I really don't like it. It's counter intuitive, it's pushing me too fast into metal age. Agriculture is older than metalworking.

I vote for a stone hoe.

There can be improvements after metal is introduced. Maybe metal hoe is more effective and allows farmland to be better irrigated? So we could have degrees of irrigation (medium/high), crops would mature slower on medium irrigated soil and/or give smaller yield (like 2 carrots instead of 4 from a mature crop). 

 

BTW, side question: do wild crops mature? I have a 8/9 flax almost next to my house and it's stayed that way for several in-game days now...

[Tyron]

Oh yea there's no minimap (yet). But you do can see coordinates when you hit 'V'

Some hints on animal hunting:

• Throw stones and spears on them! A spear 1-hit kills a chicken
• Lead them into traps they can't escape from
• Those that hunt you: You can attack from above with a spear or stick when sitting down

Some suggestions on starving

• You can cook and eat the roots of cattail plants
• If you do kill an animal, you can also eat the fat directly for a large saturation boost
• Berry bushes are plentiful in temperate to somewhat cold areas

With those in mind, I don't think you ever need to enter metal age to not starve.
Currently wild crops don't mature, I do would like to add that though.

 

[redram]

One more free food - the cacti with red fruit on top, you can break those fruit and eat them.  They're fairly rare though and certainly not reliable, and do not regrow and cannot be replanted.

But ya, a big part of the game right now has to do with what biome you spawn in, and what you find.  Hot biomes like jungle and savanna and desert, and ice biomes, will not have reeds.  This makes the start harder if you start in one of those areas, because you can't expand your inventory yet.  I think this should really be mentioned in the wiki or something because it's frustrating to start with no reeds nearby, and not know why.  Gravelly hills are also very barren of any foodstuff usually

Wolves spawn in temperate areas.  I find it best not to settle in an area with known wolf spawning points, however, I do like to settle near such an area, as wolves are easy food as long as they don't surprise you (or spawn in your base, as I've had happen).   Pigs are best avoided where possible, as the females are aggressive if they have piglets.  But I don't think they chase as long as wolves. 

The best biomes are temperate swamps and plains.  They have abundant berry bushes and reeds, and usually animals as well, not to mention easily navigable terrain.  Once you accumulate a supply of berry bushes you won't have food problems anymore, though I imagine that will probably change at some point.

The easiest way to deal with all hostile mobs right now is just pillar up 2 high.  As Tyron mentions, animals you'll have to sit down (g key) to be able to hit them with a sword from atop a pillar.  Spears have a longer reach and you should not need to sit down.  Wolves are actually a great resource once you learn how to deal with them.  Try not to get stuck in a container or sign GUI if you know wolves are around.  I also avoid logging in woods if I've heard any wolf howls.   they can sneak up on you easy.

Chickens are weird, when they're running they seem almost impossible to hit when they're moving.  I don't know if this is intended or not.  I pretty much have to chase them until they stop or hit a wall, then I can hit them.  I feel like if this is not an intended difficulty factor, maybe it should be changed to not be so hard to hit them on the run.   I find the best way to deal with them is create a wall or fence nearby, and dig 2-deep pits at each end, then chase the chickens into the pit.  Killing them then is like killing fish in a barrel.

Pit traps are indeed your friend btw.  When I make my temporary starting base (a 2-high square wall) I always dig pit traps at the corners.  That way the drifters that accumulate during the night fall in the pits, and I don't have to worry about them in the morning.   Especially in the stone age, it's best not to waste precious spear uses on drifters.

I'd also mention for  newer players, that there are plans in the works to have latitude based climate (iirc), rather than the random mish-mash we have now.  So at some point frigid and tropical areas will be more predictable I think.

 

[DMKW]

Berry bushes and reeds are a new players best friend.  I usually spend the entire first day running around in a big circle around my spawn point.  You are looking for flint for tools and reeds for storage.  Since reeds now also provide food they are even more useful early game.  As you are doing this also snatch up every berry bush and edible plant you can find.  Leave the ones that aren't mature enough to provide seed.   You may not be able to garden yet but they will be handy when you can.  You should have a decent collection of berry bushes at this time.  I used to use these as the walls of my base.  They kept creatures out and allowed me to snack as I'm making my first tools.  As Redram says, its helps to be selective on which biome you start in when you are a new player.