For the love of saplings

[jeneah]

I've been poking around the forums and haven't seen these tips so here goes:

 

Saplings are great because 1) they can be dug up and replanted, 2) they don't require fertilizer, and 3) they are visible on the map.

 

This makes them ideal for marking things. If you hate not being able to see roads during the winter, plant a string of saplings in the middle of the road. To conserve saplings (and avoid spreading fire), plant them relatively far apart (2 or 3 on a screen at most). If the road is curvy, place them in the bends so that in the winter you can stay on the road just by running from one sapling to the next.

 

This can be time consuming, and inventory-slot-consuming, so I only mark important roads, like those leading to camp, or heading towards a herd of beefalo. Basically, any road I think I'll need in an emergency situation in winter. You can also use them to mark key paths that may not correspond to roads, such as that turnoff you always forget when you're on your way to your bunny traps, or whatever.

 

As a side benefit this can create a lovely twig highway if you get low on twigs later in the game (I never bother with "twig farms" near camp). Also, it looks pretty on the map!

 

Saplings are also great for labeling wormholes. Before jumping into a wormhole I always make sure I have at least 4 saplings in my inventory. I plant two on one side of the wormhole (east, west, north, or south), jump in, and place two more saplings on the same side of the wormhole on the other end. The next time I find a new wormhole I do the same thing, marking on a different side. That way, when I look at the map I can tell easily which wormholes correspond with each other, and I don't have to rely on my memory or take notes.

 

(I've experimented with different numbers of saplings for marking wormholes; one is too few because they can be hard to see, mistaken for other saplings in the environment, or hidden behind a tree. Three is overkill. Two is perfect!)

 

This does fail if one side of the wormhole is in rocky terrain, but usually that doesn't impact more than one pairing, and you can just leave that one pair blank and know they match up.

 

I hope this helps someone!

 

Don't starve!

[greenglacier]

Fascinating thoughts. I love to read articles like this. They make my day

[orian34]

what an awesome post!

[Cboxhero]

I've never really thought about doing something like this. I'll definitely start marking things with saplings!

[greenglacier]

I've never really thought about doing something like this. I'll definitely start marking things with saplings!

Me too. I'll hug saplings & trees every day and @ThePreChewedTree isn't exception. 

[The Letter W]

Hmm, I usually use trees for marking purposes, but saplings work as well!

[jeneah]

Yeah, trees are nice because pinecones stack to 40 instead of 10, and you're picking them up anyway when you get wood. Also, they have the great benefit of being available before you get a science station (since you need the station to make a shovel).

 

But I find them a little confusing as markers since trees are plentiful on the map as it is. Also, you have to replant them if you fully harvest the wood (if you dig up the stumps, that is). Last but not least, it takes a little time for them to go from planted tree to little tree that is actually visible on the map (whereas the sapling is instantly visible and you can dig it up and replant it if you stuck it in the wrong place). That doesn't always matter, but sometimes it does! Also, they aren't great as road markers because you can't run *through* them like you can saplings.

 

Still, trees as markers are great in a pinch! I like to plant them in circles around a campfire if I'm in a generous biome or if there is something nearby I want to check out later that won't show up on the map (like a set piece of good stuff but my inventory is full). This would be a great way to show a circle of mushrooms if you want to find them later. The circle is artificial enough to be easily viewed on the map.

[The Letter W]

The only things I really mark are Wormholes, so I just make a pattern of trees on either side of them.

[Monkey_BBZ]

Now that I think about it, isn't this what signs were designed for?

[jeneah]

Signs are great for marking good stuff on the map, but for some reason I always forget to prototype them! Of course, they're no good for marking roads. Plus they take four logs, so I still prefer saplings for wormholes (although mixing it up with signs will make it that much more legible on the map... hmmm....)

[The Letter W]

You can also dig up turf to make arrows. I started doing that in DST so people could find the base.

[Catweaselcrow]

I use the "Wormhole Markers" mod to ensure I know which wormholes are paired up. I can heartily recommend it.

 

But the idea of replanting saplings along a road for easy navigation in Winter is an excellent one. + 1 from me.

[Mcdooby]

My brain is weird and allows me to remember a lot when it comes to games so I need no markers the map is plenty reference tho I have had fun planting to create images and words on the map.

[jeneah]

I never got into digging up turf for some reason, but using it for marking is very intriguing! I'm going to give it a try. Thanks W!

[brummbar7]

I never bother with "twig farms" near camp

 

Same.  But I also plant grass along roads as well.  Grass on one side, saplings on the other.  Never have farms of either, just plant them all along the roads that inevitably converge on my base.  Makes it very convenient to just refill on either whilst travelling to do other things.

 

[LadyWerebeaver]

I have been trying to think of the best way to mark worm hole pairings for a long time (backpacks to one pair, signs to another pair, etc.) but I hadn't thought about saplings- that's an excellent idea! Thanks for sharing

I recently saw someone who had lined their roads with gold. I'm going for that option because I will want my markers close together on my bendy forest roads, and wouldn't want it to all accidentally burn down!

[The Letter W]

I never got into digging up turf for some reason, but using it for marking is very intriguing! I'm going to give it a try. Thanks W!

 

 

It's pretty neat! Doesn't work all that well in winter though since the snow covers 'em.

[GalloViking]

I used to plant trees on edges of roads. But saplings can do the trick as well.

[Abenlen]

I've been thinking of marking my important roads on this playthrough by planting trees.  That should provide some relief  from the heat in the unlikely event that I might live to summer, right?

[greenglacier]

My brain is weird and allows me to remember a lot when it comes to games.

I knew it i ain't alone with that!

[spencer320]

I've been thinking of marking my important roads on this playthrough by planting trees. That should provide some relief from the heat in the unlikely event that I might live to summer, right?

Planting trees is a good idea for the shade it would provide as your heading back to base, but keep in mind that if one tree starts smoldering and you don't put it out, the whole path of trees could burn up! Oddly, burnt trees still provide shade. Game logic, go figure.

I like the idea of sapplings to mark wormholes. I usually use signs, same as you said, one to the east, one to the north and so on. I dont usually start exploring wormholes until I have an established base and a way to regain lost sanity. Using saplings would be a cheaper way to mark them tho.