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No Science Machine Challenge


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I won't pretend I'm as good at this game as some of the folks I know post on the boards here.  But I've more or less mastered long term survival and was looking for a challenge to make things fun.  I began wondering if it would be possible to survive a "year" (all four seasons) without ever making a Science Machine.

 

The answer is "Yes, it's possible."  I did it with Wendy (I set it for a random character and she's who I got).  I decided it might be fun to get the word out to the community so I started posting about it on the Steam forums here:

 

http://steamcommunity.com/app/219740/discussions/0/481115363859471646/

 

I got incredibly lucky in some of the features of that map, and some of the blueprints I found in tumbleweeds (surviving in this way probably requires a LOT of harvesting tumbleweeds so you are forewarned).  So I decided to try again and the next time I drew Woody and wasn't nearly as lucky.  He died in mid-Spring as I was desperately trying to figure out a way to make it through Summer.

 

So I'm at it once again, this time with WX-78, and I figured I would cross post it to the Klei forums too.  I'm trying to report in once every 5 game days.  I'll post the updates below but if anybody else cares to give this challenge a try, feel free to post here as well (or start another thread and link here might be a good way to go).

 

It wouldn't surprise me if this has been done here in the past but it occurred to me as a way to keep having fun with the game while I eagerly wait for Shipwrecked.

 

EDIT:  Oh, in case it needs to be said, I never considered using Wickerbottom for this as it sort of goes against the spirit of what I intended.  Somebody on the Steam forums likewise mentioned the Cave Camp set piece with a Science Machine already there.  Again, I consider that against the spirit of what I'm trying to do.  Feel free to make your own rules however.

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I've decided if I'm going to continue with this challenge I should update on some kind of regular basis for those who might wish to read about it. I'm shooting for every 5 days in game.

So I'm on the night of Day 5 with WX and things have been going pretty well. My map looks promising for this run and I've caught a couple lucky breaks. 
 

So I've got these two massive deserts with a forest biome in between them. That should mean I have plenty of tumbleweeds to keep me busy. In addition the Metal Potato Thing set piece is located in the northern desert, which means I can grow a little food. Most notably I might be able to save up some Watermelons for Summer.

There is also a really well located McTusk camp at the edge of the southern desert. So I won't have to trek all over the map to hunt him like I did with Woodie. My last bit of luck was finding a blueprint already for Healing Salves. Rocks and Ashes are never a problem to create. If I can bag a lot of Spider Glands and eventually start farming them, I might be able to create a big stockpile of Healing Salves. That could really save my bacon in a variety of situations.

I'm looking foward to seeing what else this map holds for me.

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I've made it to Night 10 and the past five days have been nothing short of amazing in terms of what I've found.

I located one more blueprint: The Ham Bat. Nice weapon but, considering the resources required to make it and the way it degrades, I'd probably just use a Tentacle Spike.

So I discovered right after my last post that Maxwell's Door is sitting right in the middle of my southern desert. That gives me some trees to use, which is nice. But much more important than that is the three ponds located near it! I'll be eating plenty of frog legs once my base there is fully set up.

Even better, just to the north of there is a sizeable meadow area with half a dozen or so berry bushes and a few rabbit holes. On the edge of that area is a very small rock biome AND the Wooden Thing along with its precious Clockworks! GREAT news for WX-78. I considered doing battle with them a bit but I'm still very weak. Plus I figured I could potentially use them to kill a few hounds if needed.

I did manage to upgrade myself a couple times anyway thanks to gears I found inside tumbleweeds. Looks like those have the same drop rate as the blueprints so hopefully I find a few more in my search.

That alone would have made me very happy but it gets even better. After a brief interlude in the Forest Between Deserts (where I spawned a Treeguard but de-aggroed him with pine cones after moving him further north near the wormhole) I decided to explore back to the north of the map, hoping to at least find a pig village and possibly the King. Near the spawn point was a huge grassland I hadn't yet explored with a number of Beefalo. As a HUGE bonus there was the set piece with the Rook, a Backpack, and a Honey Poultice!

BACKPACK!!!! That is going to make things so much more efficient.

After luring the Rook to be killed by the nearby Beefalo (giving me two more gears!) I headed north to find the pigs. On the way I stumble across a skeleton with a Walking Cane! I was almost upset to find it. I figured at this point you guys are going to start accusing me of spawning stuff with the console commands.

I did find the Pig King and nearby Glommer's Statue. No Pan Flute by the statue this time, which is a bit of a bummer. Those can really save your butt in a pinch. I got out of there pretty quickly though because the last couple nights have been full moons.

I'm a little afraid of how the next few days will go after this dream scenario.

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Made it to Day 15 and things continue to look decent.  The Backpack and Walking Cane are making things a lot more efficient.  Though I do have to remind myself to be a bit cautious as I’m not wearing armor most of the time.

 

I survived my first hound attack no problem but then there were only two.  I considered running to the swamp as I was near my northern camp but figured I was more likely to get seriously hurt by Tentacles than I was the hounds.

 

Probably the best thing that has happened is I found another blueprint:  Rain Coat.  For WX this is really valuable obviously.  I have been pretty concerned about how I was going to make it through Spring.  The most challenging requirement is Tentacle Spots so I’ve been venturing into the swamps trying to find some.  So far no luck.

 

I’ve managed to collect a decent number of Spider Glands for Healing Salves but I’d love to transplant some of the Spider Dens out of the swamps so I’m not in such danger trying to gather them.  Having them in the desert near my base would also save a good bit of travel.

Food hasn’t been much of an issue but that could change quickly in the Winter.  I still don’t have any kind of insulation that will let me go very far except the 67% Winter Hat I found in a set piece very early on.  I’m crossing my fingers for an early Tam’o’Shanter.

 

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I accept the challenge.

 

I have already started a new world and picked Wilson. However I  won't use anything that is made by a science machine or higher. Only what i can craft at the beginning that's all I will use to survive. I'm already at day 13 in autumn its going neat but I had 2 hounds attacks, I feel like that's the only threat. I'm also a little bit worried about sanity but that's not really a problem because I can just kill the shadows. Will see how it goes, summer will be the biggest challenge  I feel.

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Day 21 (I got too excited and forgot to stop on Night 20)

 

I spent much of the last five days in the swamps, desperately hoping for some Tentacle Spots for that Rain Coat.  Alas I only ended up with one.  Also I’m not sure why the Spider Dens are taking so long to get to Tier 3 but none of them have reached that stage yet.  I’m tired of hanging out in such a dangerous place that is also keeping me away from farming tumbleweeds.

 

I did come across one more blueprint in the meantime:  Sleep Dart

That’s got some interesting possibilities.  The tough part will be getting the Jet Feathers but perhaps some Penguls might get eaten in hound attacks this winter.  Those feathers do sometimes turn up in tumbleweeds too.

 

But the biggest, most exciting news, is I went right at the McTusk camp on the first morning of Winter and got my first Tam’o’Shanter!  That is extremely lucky and will make moving about during Winter much easier.  I’m going to farm McTusk as often as possible for additional Tams, but also for as many Blue Gems from his hounds as possible.  The whole Snow Chester seems like it could be a viable survival strategy.

 

(If you didn’t read my Steam thread, my theory with Woody was I might be able to get a Snow Chester and gather lots of ice to keep me cool during the Summer)

 
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I accept the challenge.

 

I have already started a new world and picked Wilson. However I  won't use anything that is made by a science machine or higher. Only what i can craft at the beginning that's all I will use to survive. I'm already at day 13 in autumn its going neat but I had 2 hounds attacks, I feel like that's the only threat. I'm also a little bit worried about sanity but that's not really a problem because I can just kill the shadows. Will see how it goes, summer will be the biggest challenge  I feel.

I wish you luck!  Sanity can usually be managed with picking flowers, making Garlands, and the occasional Cooked Green Cap.  If you have pigs nearby you can also befriend them for a pretty good sanity boost.

 

But you probably knew all that if you're trying something this crazy. ;)

 

Keep us posted.

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Night 25 (Full Moon)

 

Finally managed to make some progress in the swamps.  I was able to get a second Tentacle Spot to make my Rain Coat and came away with four Spider Eggs, which I transplanted just south of my desert base.

 

All the time out working on that left me rather low on food.  I was getting a few fish and frog legs from Merms killed by Tentacle Spikes but not enough to keep me full.  Now that I’m done in the swamps for a while I’m hoping to focus on food.  I may end up having to eat a little cooked Monster Meat and regenerating the sanity with my Tam’o’Shanter.

 

Speaking of which, I went after McTusk again on the morning of Day 24 and got another one!  I’ve been extremely lucky on those during this play through (and my one with Wendy).

 

Winter is only going to get more harsh from here and I may end up scattering a few fire pits around the desert so there is always one nearby as I gather more supplies.  If food gets really tight I may end up having to kill the nearby Clockworks for their gears.

 
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(If you didn’t read my Steam thread, my theory with Woody was I might be able to get a Snow Chester and gather lots of ice to keep me cool during the Summer)

Head's up, ice only stays frozen in ice boxes, not ice backpacks or ice chester. You can however try for a thermal stone blueprint, make 2 and freeze them in chester and interchange them between inventory and chester to almost completely nullify overheating. 

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Night 30

 

My luck with McTusk keeps on going and I’ve now got three Tam’o’Shanters.  I really only needed two in order to have them last for the rest of my challenge but it doesn’t matter anyway at this point:  I found a Sewing Kit blueprint.

 

It doesn’t really help me much but it will mean I can keep my Rain Coat going indefinitely so it’s not worthless.

 

I’ve gotten on top of the food situation.  In part this is thanks to my Spider Den setup.  I can eat Cooked Monster Meat.  My Tam’o’Shanter lets me regain the lost sanity pretty quickly and the Healing Salves allow me to heal the damage left over after eating proper foods.  Once Spring sets in I’ll be able to avoid that thanks to my nearby frog ponds.

 

I’m getting a little nervous about how I’m going to make it through Summer but Spring (especially with the Rain Coat) will let me farm tumbleweeds almost continuously for more blueprints and hopefully something will go my way there.  I certainly can’t complain about my luck in any of the rest of this play through.

 
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Morning of Day 36

 

Deerclops arrived on Day 31.  I had already planned for that and dashed to the forest biome between deserts.  There was a Treeguard there who could fight him and I was hoping he might spawn a couple more while rampaging around the forest.  I doubt a lone Treeguard could destroy him but I wasn’t staying around to find out.  There was really no point.  The meat would be nice but isn’t worth the risk and I don’t have a recipe for the Eyebrella (which is really too bad because it would be GREAT during the Spring and Summer).

 

Hounds showed up the next day but none of them were Ice Hounds.  Then great news and bad news:

 

I found the Thermal Stone blueprint!  I made two right away and decided to celebrate by going out at night to look for more tumbleweeds.  Near morning I found myself near the McTusk camp on the next to last day of Winter.  As I was pondering whether I should battle him one last time morning started and he pops out of his igloo.  I start running away to get enough distance to put on my battle gear and he hits me with a blow dart.  As I try to get my armor on, an Ice Hound kills me.

 

So now I just have to try and survive to get back to my stuff before I freeze to death.

 
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Night 40

 

Managed to survive and regain my kit and I even got revenge on the hounds that ultimately killed me.  Unfortunately they dropped no Blue Gems.  As much luck as I had with McTusk dropping his Tam’o’Shanters I only got two Blue Gems all winter.  With the Snow Chester and Thermal Stones, I would feel very confident about surviving Summer.

 

So...I still have the shovel from the Metal Potato Thing set piece.  I grabbed it and dug up every grave on the map (Thanks to my Tam, Green Mushrooms, and Flowers now that it’s Spring, sanity wasn’t a problem.).  I netted three more Blue Gems from that.  I need four more for Snow Chester.  So here are my options as I see them:

 

I can continue to gather more tumbleweeds, hoping for a good recipe that will let me survive Summer.  Tumbleweeds also have a 0.04% chance of dropping a Blue Gem but that’s so remote as to be nearly impossible in the time I have.

 

Or I can try to get Blue Gems by either farming the Hound Mounds (which is dangerous but manageable) or venturing into the Caves and hoping for some in an Earthquake.

I feel like the Snow Chester is my best bet but the methods for getting Blue Gems are pretty rough given my circumstances.  If I had better armor I’d feel confident about farming the hound mounds.  I guess the same holds true for going underground.  Both options are risky but I feel like the Caves are a good way to get killed without a better light source than a torch.

 

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Start of the day 21

 

I'm fine but my sanity is only at half. Another hound attack should be coming so I will be hanging out near beefalos for now. However for some reason they got into heat right when winter started too... This makes it a little bit annoying because i wanted to use their manure as free, sustainable fuel source for winter. Now that i think about it the shadows might pose quite a threat considering that my equipment consists of an axe and a grass suit. I am debating whether I should pick up all the flowers or take a trip to a deciduous forest for mushrooms.

 

Also I won't be using items that are dropped by other mobs like tam'o shanto and tentacle spike. I guess that was already included with "I am going to use only what I can craft at the beginning". And I totally forgot that pigman have a sanity aura, I so rarely befriend them. I should try to utilize them in this play through though. Thanks for a reminder.

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Night 45

 

Not much progress to report.  I had a hound attack on Day 42 and it had two Ice Hounds in it but neither dropped a Blue Gem.  Pretty serious doubts about enacting Plan Snow Chester.  Looks like my focus will be almost entirely on tumbleweeds.

 

The Spring did ignite a war between the bees and the Clockworks in the Wooden Thing set piece so now I have all those gears.  14 of them as of right now.  I’m hoping to save them until Summer as emergency food/health.

 

Found two more blueprints: Pick Axe/Axe and Dapper Vest.  Neither of them is any real use at this point.

 
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So I rolled Wigfreid (how do you spell that?) and I fear I might not make it through. I can kill spiders, and fight beefalo for food, but other than that I'm out of options. 

 

It is also spring, and I can't make endothermal fire for the summer time. I am almost tempted to cheat, but that defeats the challenge entirely. 

 

Ideas, anyone?

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Im at day 27 now

I decided to make sure and keep my sanity up and avoid the shadow creatures, my gear just isn't good and the seasonal weathers also do not help me in the fights ( no equipment to deal with the weather) but I don't worry much because there are plenty flower left for me.

 

The hounds that I expected came at night but I was near beefalos so I only got bit twice and i also got headbutted oh well. Then I went for mushrooms. Now im at 100 hp. I plan to gather some pig boys and go at the spiders so I can get the glances and heal myself. The Wilson's beard also makes me worried because it will be detrimental once the summer comes.

 

@emerphish,The area under the trees during summer should have a lower temperature than open air. Like a "shadow under the tree" effect. It worked few times I just didn't keep track of seasons so it should help you. Use the straw hat and parasol and tell me how it goes. If it doesn't work for you then I'm screwed for summer too xD

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So I rolled Wigfreid (how do you spell that?) and I fear I might not make it through. I can kill spiders, and fight beefalo for food, but other than that I'm out of options. 

 

It is also spring, and I can't make endothermal fire for the summer time. I am almost tempted to cheat, but that defeats the challenge entirely. 

 

Ideas, anyone?

Wigfrid can get by on Cooked Monster Meat for a while because she will regenerate the health and sanity loss through fighting (presumably spiders).  Mix in some cooked rabbit morsels and you might have a shot at not starving.

 

That said, the only change I made to the world settings for my attempts has been Autumn Start.  This is a really difficult thing to attempt and Summer is unquestionably the hardest part.  I see no reason not to at least put it at the end of the challenge.

 

As always you are welcome to devise your own rules.  Those are just the parameters I set for myself.

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