Owktree

Definitely not required. Previous to having prospecting picks on the MP server I am currently on I was scouting for surface deposit markers (bits on the surface) and also going into shallow caves to look for ore deposits in the walls. (Can also find on the sides of hills where stone is exposed.) I was finding both copper and tin ore this way that then could be mined later on when we had the tools.

And nothing prevents you from immediately smithing the new ingot into something upon making it from a bloom. It's often still hot enough for that.

It's dependent on the environment ratings of the blocks. And it can be forest or shrub rating with the 1.19.3 json files. Plus I've seen stretches of terrain that I consider quite open with what I thought was very little shrub and no trees. And a sample environmental reading for that area was something like 60% Forest and 60% Shrub. So the appearances might be somewhat deceptive. And why if I really want to be sure I'm clear of wolf and bear generating terrain I am looking for the things that indicate the average temperature in the region is too warm for them.

Not sure if this should be considered a guide instead. However, as a discussion I guess it works as well. 0. Introduction This is an essay on what the plants you encounter out in the world of Vintage Story can tell you about local climate conditions. With a heavy emphasis on what this indicates about the probable presence of the wildlife predators that will target and stalk the player. Data is from anecdotal information collected while playing the game plus perusal of the json files. Mainly in version 1.18.6 of the game. Some of the data is, of course, obsolete with version 1.19 of Vintage Story. However, most of the information is I believe is still accurate as well as the main conclusions. A lot of references are made to temperature ranges, rain amounts, and forest rating. These are all local conditions of a surface block and can be viewed via the command "/wgen pos climate". Local tempeture varies by date but the local average temperature is what is being referred to here since it is the value used when determining whether a particular plant or animal may spawn there. Some spawning criteria also include an altitude factor, but that is generally going to be ignored here. And a caveat to make clear here is that a local plant indicator is not a sure guarantee about a predator not being present. The predators move around and may well wander into an otherwise "safe" area while chasing prey. Average temperature also decreases with altitude. So a "safe" valley may well have the dangerous predators spawning upon nearby hills and thus being in the region anyways. 1. Predators (Bears, Wolves, and Hyenas - oh my!) The three wildlife types that will specifically target and chase players are the wolf, hyena, and three of the five species of bear (Black, Brown and Polar). As the data will show below the bears are by far the most dangerous of these due to their broad spawn ranges, greater climb ability, comparatively greater health pool and damage capability. See Appendix A for a list of comparative data. Wolves and Hyenas both operate in packs, but are individually weaker in combat then bears. They also have more specific spawning requirements than bears and are thus there are areas they will not generally appear in. Anecdotally wolves and hyenas tend to flee combat after taking damage sooner than bears. Low walls or pillars (2 high) are sufficient to keep both wolves and hyenas out or melee range. Both are slightly larger than 1x1 block as well. What can surprise a player is two capabilities a bear has. One, it has a vertical climb just over three blocks whereas all other creatures have a vertical climb of just over one block*. To contain a bear, as compared to a wolf, a pit would need to be twice as deep or a wall twice as high. Secondly, a bear can climb a ladder if it is placed one or two blocks above the surface the bear is on. See Appendix B for some suggestions regarding defense against bears. * - Climbing ability was adjusted heavily in version 1.19. Many creatures like sheep now have a much greater climbing ability. This makes walls much less effective as a containment or channeling strategy. Wolf Spawn Parameters: -15 to +15 temp; 0.25+ rain; 0.50+ forest; <7 light level Mainly noted is the forest requirement which means that wolves are generally associated with thick trees or shrub land along with the associated threat of encountering them in close proximity while transiting such lands. The temp range indicates that once temperate lands are reached wolves will generally not be spawning there. Hyena Spawn Parameters: +25 to +40 temp; 0.10 to 0.39 rain; >9 light level Hyena will spawn in hot and relatively dry terrain. Which is also usually open which means spotting hyena packs is easier than wolves in wooded terrain. This is also terrain that is warmer than that the predatory bears spawn in. Bear Spawn Parameters: Varies by type and this is important! (These numbers adjusted to version 1.19) Polar: -48 to -9 temp; any rain; any forest Brown: -15 to -2 temp; any rain; 0.20+ forest Black: -5 to +20 temp; 0.25+ rain; 0.40+ forest Sun: +24 to +40 temp; 0.60+ rain; 0.40+ forest Panda: +20 to +33 temp; 0.50+ rain; 0.60+ forest Temperature range is probably the most important criteria since it indicates climate breakpoints at which certain predatory bears no longer spawn. Warmer than 0 C average temp precludes Brown Bear spawns. Warmer than 20 C precludes Black Bear spawns. The rain and forest criteria are secondary but would indicate that open and/or dry areas are less likely to have bears spawning in them even if the temperature range is within the criteria. The next section covers the climate requirements for generating various trees and plants in the game. And some of these plants only appear in areas where average tempeture is above some of the above predator spawning tempeture criteria. ========================== 2. Plants (what they tell you about local average temperature and climate) Trees, plants and other objects are spawned at world generation or when the player enters an area. The criteria used for what could be spawned is based on world parameters and the heatmap for that area of the world indicating its average temperature, rainfall, etc. The JSON data for the objects can supply some useful data along these lines. A. Trees Limited usefulness due to mix of tree sub-types beyond the tropical ones that turn up in the 27+ range amidst other indicators; e.g. there are 4-5 sub-types of maple tree. And the maple tree spawning temperature range is very broad and not a good indicator. The following trees do provide some useful information: Tree Temperature Acacia 28-40 Bald Cypress 15-24 Ebony 28-40 Kapok 27-40 Purpleheart 27-40 Redwood 14-18 The tropical trees (Acacia, Ebony, Kapok, and Purpleheart) are all clear indicators that climate temperature is above the 20 C breakpoint. Bald Cypress and Redwood are indicators of climate not past 20 C, but generally past 15 C. [Aside: If you see Redwoods on hills near otherwise tropic woods it is cool enough for Black Bears up there!] B. Flowers, Wild Crops, and other Plants Some are very useful indicators of the breakpoint lines. Mushrooms are not very good indicators due to their wide temperature tolerance ranges. Plant Temp Forest Rain ------ ------- ------- ---- Lupine 1 19 0-0.35 0.3-0.8 Woad -2 21 0-0.35 0.25-0.7 Daisy 7 20 0-0.31 0.4-0.75 Cornflower 3 23 0.1-0.45 0.35-0.75 Edelweiss -1 12 0-0.7 0.3-0.8 Golden Poppy 22 25 n/a 0.5-1.00 hot, fairly wet Orange Mallow 20 37 n/a 0.1-0.35 hot, dry Croton 25 40 0.6-1.00 0.75-1.00 hot, very wet, probable forest Coopers Reed 3 23 near water 0.4-1.00 Papyrus 24+ near water 0.33+ Waterlily 10 40 in water 0.65+ Black Currant -2 23 < 0.5 0.3-0.7 Red Currant -3 22 < 0.4 0.3-0.7 White Currant 0 24 < 0.4 0.3-0.7 Blueberry -2 18 > 0.5 0.3-0.7 Cranberry -2 18 < 0.7 0.45+ Rye -10 14 0-0.50 0-35-0.75 Spelt 3 26 0-0.50 0.38-0.75 Flax 3 31 0-0.50 0.35-0.75 Carrot 5 24 0-0.6 0-35-0.75 Onion 3 29 0-0.6 0.38-0.75 Parsnip 1 22 0-0.65 0.38-0.75 Turnip 1 26 0-0.65 0.38-0.75 Sunflower 15 36 0-0.30 0.30-0.65 non-forest, dry(ish) Amaranth 17 42 0.1-0.4 0.35-0.80 Soybean 20 40 0-1 0.35-0.75 hot Rice 22 40 0-0.5 0.50-1.00 hot, wet Cassava 23 48 0.1-0.4 0.20-0.60 hot, dry(ish) Pineapple 26 45 0.60-1.00 0.70-1.00 hot, wet, probable forest Peanut 25 40 0-0.70 0.50-1.00 hot, wet Silvertorch 20+ 0-1 0-0.29 hot, dry Saguaro 22+ 0-1 0-0.25 hot, dry Barrel 20+ 0-1 0-0.25 hot, dry Tallfern 22+ 0.5+ 0.7+ Eagle -12 10 0.5+ 0.4+ Cinnamon -3 15 0.5+ 0.75+ And two more pieces of information along these same lines, but pertaining to non-plants. 1. Termite Mounds generate only in a temp range of +22 to +37 and rain range of 0.25 to 0.39 2. Gazelle spawn: +20 to +90 temp; < 0.50 rain; < 0.10 forest (Hot, dry, open) Note: Apologies for the above not being formatted in a manner more easy to read. ===================================== 3. Conclusions Based on the above data what can local plants and animals indicate about the predator threat in that area? a. The 0 C line - Brown Bear limit (was the 10 C line with version 1.18) The only real indicator plant for this breakpoint is the Waterlily starting to appear in climate 10 C or warmer. So plants are not real helpful here and the 15 C line is probably a safer set of criteria to go by. b. The 15 C line - Wolf limit There are some clear indicators here. Eagle and Cinnamon Fern start to disappear. Bald Cypress, Redwood, Sunflower, and Amaranth start to appear. c. The 20 C line - Black Bear limit Probably the most valuable breakpoint to find indicators for. The tropical trees as previously mentioned. Tropical crops (Soybean, Rice, Pineapple, Cassava, and Peanut.) Tallfern are a very good indicator since they are distinctive. Papyrus will replace Coopers Reed when it is slightly warmer than 20 C. Berry bushes can be viewed as an indication that bears are still possible. Cactus are generally an indicator of the area being too warm or too dry. Croton are a rainforest indicator and also mean a warm climate. Finally, the two orange flowers Orange Mallow and California Poppy are both indicators of the 20 C line and relative safety in that area. Berry bushes are sort of a negative indicator. If you still see them there is still a chance that Black Bear can spawn in that vicinity. ===================================== Appendix A - Predator Capability Comparison ------------------------------------------- Wolf: Attack - Tier 2; Strength 8 Speed - 0.052 (faster than a sprinting Seraph) Health - 14 Approximate seek/detection range of 9-15 blocks Hyena: Attack - Tier 2; Strength 6 Speed - 0.040 (roughly same speed as a sprinting Seraph) Health - 12 Approximate seek/detection range of 10 blocks Black Bear Attack - Tier 2; Strength 10* Speed - 0.040 (roughly same speed as a sprinting Seraph) Health - 44 Approximate seek/detection range of 20-30 blocks Brown Bear Attack - Tier 2; Strength 12* Speed - 0.055 (faster than a sprinting Seraph) Health - 64 Approximate seek/detection range of 20-30 blocks Polar Bear Attack - Tier 2; Strength 16* Speed - 0.060 (faster than a sprinting Seraph) Health - 66 Approximate seek/detection range of 20-30 blocks * - JSON file makes reference to a Tier 2, Strength 15 "slashing attack" as well. Speed Comparisons Note: Number is pulled from the JSON and I guess is some sort of m/sec value or something similar. A seraph has a walking and sprinting speed which can vary by class, armor being worn, and encumbrance due mods or other factors. Anecdotal evidence is a Commoner class Seraph with no general penalties sprints at a speed of roughly 0.040 by these scales and thus can chase down raccoons and chickens. 0.025 - Panda Bear; Sun Bear 0.035 - Raccoon 0.037 - Chicken 0.040 - Black Bear; Hyena; Fox 0.050 - Pig 0.052 - Sheep; Wolf 0.055 - Brown Bear 0.060 - Polar Bear; Hare 0.065 - Gazelle Seraphs swim faster in water deeper than one block than any of the animals. Useful for pursuit and evasion. Bears drowning in deep water has also been seen even in the early 1.18 versions. ==================================================== Appendix B - Defending Against and Avoiding Bears ------------------------------------------------- Going to concentrate on the Black Bear and Brown Bear threat. Panda Bear and Sun Bear are generally not interested in fighting you unless you aggravate them. And you can outrun them anyways. Polar Bear are pretty similar to Brown Bear. The Advantages the Bear has over a Seraph 1. More Health 2. They hit harder in Melee Combat 3. Brown Bear are faster than a sprinting Seraph. (Black Bear about as fast as the Seraph.) 4. Watch out for that vertical climb of three blocks 5. They are friendly with wolves - you can encounter a bear who is traveling with company The Advantages the Seraph has over a Bear 1. Faster Swimmer 2. Capable of Ranged Combat 3. Can jump to reach ladders or get over a fence 4. Can wear armor to potentially reduce damage (not really a suggestion here compared to other options) 5. Narrower than a bear; e.g. can fit through a one block wide gap that a bear will not fit through 6. Can construct the magical obstacle - the fence Keeping awareness is of high importance. If you see and detect the bear before it detects the player than the option to immediately try to retreat is there. Or to take actions to prepare for a confrontation like getting to better ground, deep water, constructing a pillar, etc. Plus this gives the player the initiative to start a fight if one is desired. Successful Melee Combat with a bear can be done. A positional advantage where the player attacks the bear from below through a gap the bear can't enter works quite well. Attacking a bear on the surface from underwater can be effective. If a bear is trying to climb over a block or maneuver instead of trying to hit the player it can be struck with melee weapons without taking damage. Example: If a bear is trying to squeeze through a gap instead of striking at the player the player can hit the bear with a melee weapon and not get hit back even though they are in range of the bear. Ranged combat from a pillar or edge of a pit where the bear cannot reach the player can be effective assuming the player has sufficient weapons (spears, arrows, or rocks) to kill the bear before running out of ammunition. To keep bears out of areas requires the use of high walls or fences. They can also be trapped using pits or fenced enclosures that allow the bear to get in but not back out. ================================================ Appendix C - The Magic of the Fence ----------------------------------- One thing not to be overlooked in defenses is the fact that the simple fence which juts up just over one block will not be pathed* over by drifters, seraphs, or animals. (There are mods to allow this.) Creatures can climb down onto the top of a fence from higher ground however. * - Pathed. The animal is capable of climbing over it. But the coding makes it so that the animal or drifter won't try to do so. If they get on top of the fence they will gladly path down the tops of adjacent fence blocks. The seraph, and other creatures with a jump ability can leap over or onto the fence top. [Aside: This might explain the ability of animals like hares or chickens to sort of pile up and then get over fences or obstacles they could not normally escape.] In regard to bears or other attackers a simple fence line can provide a barrier behind which the player can pelt the foe with a ranged weapon with relative impunity. The attacker will attempt to path around the fence if it can however. But a short fence acting as a block might provide sufficient time and space for the player to escape or otherwise reach safety.

An in-game editable list might well be nice. A priority? Not yet. If you want the list to work with elsewhere you can get the list of waypoints via "/waypoint list" and then use ".cp chat" to copy the list (well, your entire current chat contents) to the clipboard.

No more war pigs have the power Moose of God has struck the hour

Glass and ice are "holes" in cellars from what I have read elsewhere. I'd advise sticking to rock, dirt, etc. for your cellar walls and surfaces. Plus a nice solid door.

Depends. Often when you hit an igneous rock (andesite, granite, peridotite) it might well be that all the way down. But not always since it might switch to another igneous type. A sedimentary rock will switch to another sedimentary rock, a metamorphic, or an igneous. Depth of a layer may vary from very few layers to many. And above surface level eroded hills can contain different rocks than the current surface strata as well. One way to see igneous rocks higher than sedimentary rocks. If basalt is around then you can get basalt and below other types of rock.

Yes, eventually. About the only thing that will stop them from respawning nearby is for you to light the area. Cutting down trees and clearing the forest and shrubs won't change the environment of the chunk from the values that make it valid for them to spawn there in runtime. However, a number of animals do have a lighting-related spawn criteria that player-created light can affect.

One option as well is to relocate your base to a preferred terrain and possibly warmer clime. It does take a temporal gear to reset your spawn point and once you do so any real connection to your original spawn location beyond it being 0,0 on your map is gone. One can also meta-game research spawn conditions for the various animals and plants and basically learn indicators of whether or not an area you are in is relatively safe from wolves or bears spawning there. Relatively, since they are animals and will wander. Bears chasing prey might end up a fair distance from their original position. Finally, animals do not currently path over fences even if their abilities would allow them to climb over them. They can and will path from an adjacent higher block onto the top of a fence. Fences can thus be an effective barrier or used as part of a constructed trap as well.

This is one reason to take all sorts of different routes when exploring or foraging near your base. About a year in I decided to go up a slightly different gully into the hills and there was a half stack of Terra Preta about 50 blocks from home.

Alternate on #2 is a non-spawnable bolt hole that includes ability to chuck spears at and harvest drifters if you are careful about it. Generally built far enough from your base that if you exit it and run clear after the storm the remaining drifters will despawn and none spawned on or in your base area.

I believe it no longer dislodges. However, it also does not qualify as something to close off a room or cellar either. Which also applies to the "sleek door" which the old doors changed to. You need to use one of the solid doors that don't have a window in it now.

The secret rule is that right after you get a populated skep established to build your apiary you will hear and discover them constantly and everywhere. The neat ones have been ones I've found like four blocks up in an isolated birch tree in the middle of a meadow area.

The terrain has climate and heat map ratings for degrees of forested, shrub, rain, etc. The command "/wgen pos climate" will show date for where the player is standing including the average temperature. The json file for wolves indicates that a forest rating greater than 0.5 and a rain rating greater than 0.25 is required. Assuming, of course, that this code is actively used as part of the spawn process.

In the abstract it, or any other modification, has to be looked at in that way. A new crop, making use of the same nutrient and growth rules, is essentially a tweaked variation to be compared the the existing ones. A different appearance and probably different growth rates, temp ranges, etc. Probably similar nutritional values. For a game still doing basic engine development work adding variety that is essentially there just to be variety is simply more code to be maintained and tested each iteration that is not adding anything to the basic gameplay loops. (Plus one seeking such variations can find mods to provide those or make their own.) The same can be held to apply to the predators. Wolves were the base threat for a while. Bears are arguably a variation / reskin to have another predator. Though one could also argue their abilities and spawn parameters differ enough from wolves to be considered a new class of predator. (Especially the enhanced climbing ability since this is pretty unique in the current game creatures.) I would guess the line between whether something is a reskin or "new" will vary by the beholder. And for another new predator to be considered how much different, and what differences, would it have to be from the wolf and bear basic abilities?

That is a sub-type of ruin known as "ancient ruins". I've seen 3-4 shapes of them made from stone blocks. Granite, sandstone, and limestone.

It's not on the mountain. It's *in* the mountain. Urist Seraph approves!

For those who think windmills are unsightly. Just put them inside a structure.

I've found it two ways. 1. Spotting it along a cliff as mentioned above. Intermixed with slate usually. And the bit of Green Marble I found was two blocks embedded in some slate. 2. Fell into a cave running from the wolves. Right onto a layer of marble about 10 blocks down. Pure luck.

If you can get or make them you can repair clothes with sewing kits as well. They add 75% back on to the condition of the clothes. (As compared to 10% for twine and 50% for linen.)

Impacts are sort of odd compared to how they are in IRL. Pretty high mass/size for the depth of the crater, but still are creating suevite stone which implies a pretty high speed/energetic impact. Possibly a case where the interdimensional catastrophe created all sorts of odd effects. (handwave here)

Deeper rock is deeper rock. Exposed higher rock (which may or may not be the same type as the lower rocks) will erode down by the various geological transport methods. You can see that in various hilly regions of a world where the hills can be another set of igneous and sedimentary rocks, possibly reduced to gravel and sand, sitting on top of another set of rock layers which can be basalt, sedimentary, and igneous rocks in their own set of layers. The question of how a sample of a lower lower layer got transported upward to be some boulders on the surface is a valid one if it's not the uppermost surface layer that is currently being exposed by erosion or other processes. (Assuming, of course, that geologic processes similar to IRL are in action.) [Edit: And to answer the question of how deeper boulders might get the surface in a way that IRL does not have. The past upheaval in the world that led to the odd geography, buried ruins that can be unnaturally entombed in solid rock, etc. could have also displaced limited amounts of deeper rocks to points that are now exposed on the surface.]

The "8" next to the loaf of bread in the "You can sell" section indicates that the trader buys the bread in sets of 8. The 4 in the tool-tip indicates the trader is willing to purchase up to 4 sets.

I have opted for two sets of armor as well. Run around most of the time in a tailored gambeson since it's penalties are low and it's good enough protection against most of the wildlife and lower level drifters. And it might protect me long enough to get away from a bear. For deep spelunking or places like the Resonance Archive I fixed up a set of Blackguard Armor purchased from traders. I've been pretty happy with the results since it's pretty good protection and was not an outrageous cost in iron ingots.