100 Days in the Caves (1 year) Journal

[MatGreevil7]

So, I've seen a few of these journal type write-ups people have made describing their adventures. I had lasted a year and a half on my main playthrough and had transfered to world 2 after killing the 3rd and final Ancient Guardian, plus all 4 Giants. I then was reading the forums and found a few of these journals, the biggest of interest to me was Skorp's Starting during Summer. I had been debating if I should do something of the kind, but my idea was 1 year in the caves - to see the extremes of weather and seeing if I could survive them.

 

DISCLAIMER: I've only tried once so far, and made it to Day 25 as Webber, but please, feel free to read my "Journal" thus far.

 

So I tried it, I even decided to amatuer stream it and I do have a vid, although i'm not sure if I'll get it up as its in the wrong format.  However, my first playthrough I decided on Webber, to make things simple via spider agression. I lasted until day 25 on my first try, because the streaming kept lagging me a bit, where I'd have to save and quit and log back in. I tried to just deal with it while running through a swamp underground...and it didn't bode well. But! I will be heading back in there after a bit of a break. It was a lot of fun and I recorded a journal of sorts of the main things that happened - sorry no photos, I'll try to get the video up.

 

Day: 19 - I ended up playing my first try with Webber, as you can see. I spent about 3-4 days above. Got 20 poop, 1 catcoon hat, a stack of 40 sticks and grass, and even found a pig village where I traded something to the King for some gold, and looted 1 pig skin for my now football helmet.

 

Major problems at first were grass, then sanity, which is a constant battle.

 

I came up to the surface at day 10 to find fireflies for a miner's helmet, and found Glommer (who later died to falling rocks). From the surface I took about 10 grass back down with me, which has helped a lot.

 

Day 25: Death. With the stream and bootcamp running, there was some lag and I would have to periodically save and quit, then return. This time the lag got me and I figured I'd get the better of it...so I kept edging in and out of a tentacle spike to get some much needed spider sacs to heal myself. i did this with no armor and a miners helmet, so that last swipe got me. ah Day 25, not bad.

 

I had entered winter. Had a thermal stone to moderate the cold. I had discovered the hole to the 2nd level, and was preparing to go in there soon. Found a second skeleton's base, this one with a lantern, icebox, science machine, and chest.

 

For sanity I had been farming green mushrooms, and using spider sacs to try to counter it. There were some rock lobsters next to the Bunnymen so that made it easy to work through their zone, even picking up a good amount of carrots and meat that I was eager to eat from my drying racks. Oh well.

 

All-in-all a solid first run. Webber's neutrality with spiders seemed to pay off immensely. Two queens had spawned during the first 20 or so days, and I could easily trap and secure more spider meat/webbing/sacs etc. Although the last of the 3 dropped less than I'd hoped.

 

With the backpack and miner helmet was taking much more damage that i'd hoped. I'll have to try without the pack.

 

 

 

 

 

Here are a few of the other "Journals" I've found and read.

 

LayYaOut's Deerclops - http://forums.kleientertainment.com/topic/34395-most-hated-of-enemies-deerclop/

 

One by Lord_Battal in Default Survivor Mode - http://forums.kleientertainment.com/topic/34061-a-fresh-start-journal-of-my-world-thing/

 

And one by Skorp starting during Summer - http://forums.kleientertainment.com/topic/34401-surviving-throught-summer-as-a-starting-season/#entry446955

 

[MatGreevil7]

1 Year in the Caves: The Plan! (my planned process - of course subject to small changes)

Survive 1 year (~100days) in the caves.

To start: A week or less above ground to find the cave and get a few supplies. I don't want to get too many to make it easier, I want the caves to provide, but some things will be necessary: 1 x Rain cap (only moles aboveground) 20 x Manure (farms only based on manure poop) A stack of grass (low quantities down below) A few pig skins (to start a village so that I can farm more for helmets mainly or umbrella)

 

Character I may use:

Willow/Maxwell for easy sanity gain.

Wendy for lowsanity loss

Wilson for insulation

Webber for ease with spiders

Wigfrid for easy combat returns.

 

Characters I wont:

Wickerbottom - I don't play her, plus I feel like I may need to sleep a lot for sanity.

WX - not enough set peices.

Woodie - I've been playing a lot of him, but I feel like I will have enough problems and trees aren't one.

Modded Characters: a bit strong, I want the challenge

 

So far that's my plan! Lets see how it goes.

I plan to use no mods for this, although if it proves incredibly difficult, I may use a few on a trial run to 100 days, then go back and try again w/o them after I get the feel.

 

 

I currently started a Round 2 with Wendy because of the low sanity loss

[DarkBolo]

Interesting idea. Can't wait for more from you.

[StarvedPigs]

Gl you'll need it

[ThePreChewedTree]

Awesome! but this doesn't belong in the Rog area.

 

EDIT: I didn't notice you said WigFrid. Woops.

[MatGreevil7]

Thanks everyone! I'm super excited about this, and I'm enjoying it immensely! 

Awesome! but this doesn't belong in the Rog area.

 

EDIT: I didn't notice you said WigFrid. Woops.

 

The main purpose for the 100 days is to experience the extra difficulty of living in the caves now that the 4 seasons of RoG are implemented. 

I'm sure someone has tried living for an extended period of time in the caves before this, if not I'd be really surprised.  

 

I unfortunately could not find a way to get the video up, it was super long anyways and I'm sure a bit boring as I don't know how to highlight videos. But I have been taking pictures of my Round 2 with Wendy, and I'll post a story journal as soon as possible.

 

Teasers attached: Day 27ish

 

I resurfaced! Hoping for a Giant, but got ice instead.

My base thus far! (Haven't needed to use that tent more than once.)

I'll need to zoom this in a bit more. 

[BipedalBear]

Great Job! Just a question, will giants appear on the surface while you're spelunking? I'm on my 160s day and now I'm bored with all the boss fights(they are too easy for me). So, I'm hesitant on going to the ruins and kill ancient guardian;have they fix the bug for ancient guardian yet?

[MatGreevil7]

As far as I know he hasn't been buggy for me. I've killed the 3 on my main play through (where I'm on the surface) and moved on to the next world since I was bored on day about 150. 

 

The giants, I don't know I was curious at one point to see if I could find the Bearger, but winter had already set in. i forget its day 20 instead of 30 like it used to be.

[MatGreevil7]

Well, I had hoped to play a bit more (Currently at 36 days end of winter / entering spring) but the total darkness bug has gotten my game currently I'll come to the surface, and its 100% darkness all day, as if I had that setting on. Currently it is affecting my caves so that bunny men are out at all times, and pigs are hibernating. 

 

So, I don't have photos for the first section, but I entered the caves at day 7 on Wendy (my last allotted day to do so). Mainly I was trying to find a cave system, but since I had spent so much time up top, I was able to set up 3 pig houses down below and a basic farm. When I entered I found a ring of bunny houses to my east, and to the south a premade base including tent (I'm proud to say i rarely use)/fridge (huge)/ 2 farms and a chest. Plus there is a pond next to it, and that kept me sustained through all of autumn and early winter with food. 

 

In addition, there have been 3 herds of rock lobsters roaming about on different sides of my area and the remaining surrounding biomes have all been forests or rocks with bats (easily cleared). So my entry way is super comfortable. 

 

The only negative part is a fissure near my base that will produce a nightmare that aggros every 3rd day or so, and I'll have to deal with it solo as its my nightmare it seems.

 

A tree guard did happen in my forest, but I gave one flint to a rock lobster, and the herd took care of the rest. 

 

Abigail is awesome for taking out spider nests, saw her solo a T2 pack plus a tentacle and win. Oh man! Plus the high 200 sanity total and low sanity drain is a noticeable difference from Webber's measly 100 or so.

 

I did surface to try to check out if I could get Bearger, but autumn was turning into winter and I instead found myself farming ice.

 

The biggest thing about winter isn't the cold, but the lack of frogs from the pond. I made it too the 2nd level of the caves, and only there did I kind of feel the weather. It was a bit wet also. I have yet to make winter clothing, and simply run around with a miner's helmet and the shell armor that was in the chest (there are no slurtles in my caves (so far, although i've explored 90%)). 

So food, I had a decent stack of monster meat from spiders and the occasional worm (the change to their spawn is HUGE, I think its 1-2 instead of packs of 3-4, and they are really infrequent, maybe as much as hounds.)

I've been cutting down mush trees and picking mushrooms to make a constant diet of meatballs. 

 

its been working well. I had lost some HP from starvation a bit, but I still had the carrots around the Rabbit housing, that and the meatball diet, I'm almost at full again. 

 

I did come to the surface (thus noticing the lack of day as a fact, which I had thought interesting in the caves) and was greeted by hounds + deer clops, luckily i had planned ahead and brought 2 rock lobsters with me so it was an easy tank and spank for them, with me slashing in between.

 

Back down below now and just sort of hanging out. I need to go to the second level for gears for fling-o-matics, and I feel that for the most part if I clear the 2nd level in spring, i can spend the last season guarding my base from fires in summer.

 

All-in-all the caves are pretty boring to live in. Not nearly as much stuff on the surface. 

The excitement has been slowly exploring, plus the 2nd level the Ruins. It's been tough though. I'm not a Wendy player and the damage is something else. I've explored a bit and I think I found the maze, but the nightmares kept turning me back, especially since Abigail doesn't see them, and I have no walking cane to easily dodge around. I did clear out the entrance area with a few rock lobsters but holding off for now from going back. I want 1 more tentacle spot for a rain coat before that though. 

 

Well I hope the bug fixes soon...that's all for now. Caves Day 36...ish

 

 

[BipedalBear]

I fixed my perma-night bug, but since your goal is to survive in caves, there is no point in fixing it.

http://forums.kleientertainment.com/topic/32818-infinite-night-after-exiting-cavesruins/?p=433171

[MatGreevil7]

I was thinking the same, however I believe I may come into the problem of perma-nightmare spawns on level 2. I'm not the biggest when it comes to coding or messing with similar items or folders, so I figure I'll wait for the patch. Or if I get antsy, just try to reboot the game a few times, I got the days to fix themselves once already.

[MaestarLibrarian]

Bump....


Try Wickerbottom please :3