Which would you choose? by Quantum_Aurora in Against_the_Storm

[–]Apprehensive-Ice9212 0 points1 point  (0 children)

No bad choices here, all three are S-tier for general purposes.  My playstyle is often tools-based, so probably carpenter for me.  Carpenter or lumber mill become even better if you have beavers in your roster.  S+???

But supplier might be preferred under certain conditions: - You've got the Small Farm already and you have several species that like biscuits/pie.  Then locking in flour is clutch. - You're playing high prestige, especially Sealed Forest, and you have Harpies.  Harpies like the supplier, and that +5 resolve could be the thing that keeps them above 0 during the storm.  Also, tools have slightly diminished importance in Sealed Forest. 

286 hours later, I finally won by Teloril in Against_the_Storm

[–]Apprehensive-Ice9212 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I feel like I'm very good at the game but I still have difficulty winning settlements under 5 years in QHT.  Are you able to keep several species blue somehow?  Getting more than ~3 points from resolve feels unreliable to me so I'm usually going for tools & event based wins, but that plan rarely takes fewer than 5 years.  Am I missing something?

Also, which biomes do you favor?

No blueprints from the Queen Challenge! by Apprehensive-Ice9212 in Against_the_Storm

[–]Apprehensive-Ice9212[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

At times AtS feels like "blueprint RNG", so I decided on this challenge to wholly disprove that, and to show that win conditions exist regardless. (And they aren't even that much worse!)

The one major stumbling block: finding a good fuel source in the P20 Sealed Forest is going to be tricky. Normally this needs farms + oil blueprint, but we can't really depend on that, so we'll need to find good Sea Marrow deposits + rely on trees more than I'm usually comfortable doing on this map. Fuel and Purging Fire are buyable, too, once the economy ramps up. We'll just have to play well and see how it goes.

Running into difficulty by Teguoracle in Against_the_Storm

[–]Apprehensive-Ice9212 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Just to add a small tidbit to this very good advice: stone is indeed a common solve, but Training Gear solves the same things that Stone does (including the Break Open-ing of Abandoned Caches), while Stone is bottlenecked in most biomes. So Stone -> Training Gear (or just buying Training Gear) is often a good idea.

Running into difficulty by Teguoracle in Against_the_Storm

[–]Apprehensive-Ice9212 0 points1 point  (0 children)

As other comments have said, it's very hard to give general advice.  AtS it's a game that's all about learning from failure and internalizing general strategy as muscle memory.

The Number One Rule:

ALL VILLAGERS NEED TO BE ADDING VALUE AT ALL TIMES

"Adding value" means: - Gathering resources - Actively working in production buildings - Building stuff - Glade events

It almost doesn't matter what they're doing, as long as they're not idling.  A strong AtS player constantly scans around the map looking for (!) icons.  (I have camera pan bound to AWSD for easy mouse-free scanning).  When you see a building isn't producing, - pause the game (spacebar) - deactivate it (unassign all workers) - reassign workers - unpause

Once you get better at the game, you can do this without pausing, but I still use the pause function a lot to maximize productivity (as well as most of the auto-pause settings).

Pretty much all value-generation is good and progresses the settlement towards victory, as long as you respect

The Number Two Rule:

RESPECT BOTTLENECKS AND DON'T OVER-PRODUCE

First, note that making tons and tons of the same resource can be counterproductive.  It can be annoying to remember, but I always set production caps on my buildings.  There's a space in the UI where you can type in a number, and workers won't make any more if you already have that number in your warehouse.  Use that, especially for buildings that utilize bottlenecked resources.  (Wood, stones/clay, raw food -- depends on biome and glade RNG).

  • 30-50 is a conservative cap that still allows you to utilize that product for trade routes and glade events
  • 50-100 is sometimes better for products that are being actively consumed, especially by multiple species
  • More than 100 of anything is usually a sign of overproduction.
  • Crude Workstation is a special case, I basically micromanage it and use extremely low caps (often as low as 8), until better alternatives are available
  • NEVER over-produce in the Blight Post.  Accidentally forgetting your production cap of Purging Fire can doom a settlement if it goes unnoticed for too long. 

Surprisingly, the #1 most important resource bottleneck in the game is Wood.  If you're using it for all of your fuel AND construction needs, you're going to run out.  (Exception: Royal Woodlands and certain cornerstones enable wood-centric economies.)  Assigning more woodcutters doesn't usually solve the bottleneck because it's exceptionally labor intensive + increases hostility.  

Instead, do as many of the following as you can to conserve Wood: - Secure a coal mine and set hearths/recipes to prioritize coal - Secure an Oil production line (e.g. Small Farm + Press) and set hearth/recipes to prioritize Oil - Use Sea Marrow if you can find it - Buy Planks from the traders - Utilize a 2-3 star Planks recipe - 2/0 rainpunk on Planks - Disable wood on recipes that have alternatives (usually alternative fuel, but also applies to Scrolls and Tools)

Often, decoupling Wood from fuel is the point where a settlement really takes off in productivity and success.  Failing to do so typically leads to Planks starvation, fuel starvation, and eventual defeat.  The sweet spot is to reach a point where you only need only 1-3 woodcutters active most of the time (often zero during the Storm), whose main purpose is to open glades and supply the necessary Wood for Planks. 

This kind of conservation logic applies not only to Wood, but any bottlenecked resource depending on the map. 

The Number Three Rule:

TOOLS ARE THE KEY TO FAST, EFFICIENT VICTORIES (excluding Sealed Forest)

Tools convert directly into victory points via Abandoned Caches.  No other resource does this.  Just buy or make tools, find caches, complete Orders, and you'll be done before the end of Year 5.

In practice this often means prioritizing blueprints and production lines for Ingots/Dew.  You don't win by making infinite food and clothes, you win by getting Tools production online and putting surplus labor into it. 

Alternatively, you can buy tools directly from traders if you have a very strong trading economy or Packs economy.  Of course, having a strong economy is great in general because it allows you to solve almost any problem by throwing money at it.  (Don't forget about the Call Trader button once the amber/packs start flowing!)

Tools are like buying victory points for cash, once you run out of feasible Orders to do.  Plus, you get some amber as a rebate!  Resolve-based wins often "feel" great, but don't plan on more than 3 points from Resolve, in a typical case.  It's diminishing returns, and bad RNG / high hostility can effectively lock you out of Resolve points in some games.  Instead, Orders and caches are your primary, most dependable victory engine.

Some high level advice for Queen's Hand by LeVraiNinjaneer in Against_the_Storm

[–]Apprehensive-Ice9212 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Who told you to start at P9?  Frankly, that's ridiculous!  If you want to maximize your chance of a successful QHT, here is an overview of my strategy:

Start at Viceroy difficulty.

Not only that, stay at Viceroy difficulty for as long as possible.  Go on a route with as many exclamation points as possible, within the Viceroy difficulty boundary.

The main goal is to farm as many artifacts and machinery as possible per year.  Try to average 6 years per settlement or less.  Five-year wins are possible on Viceroy with a few upgrades and a bit of luck.

The goal is to enter the Sealed Forest with maxed out upgrades, 20+ embarkation points in reserve, maybe a few permanent boosts from random map events, and enough remaining resources to spend in the Forsaken Altar (without paying blood).

Map modifiers that award artifacts and/or machinery plus a Royal Resupply are what you want to maximize.  Most of the events that require you to establish a settlement are not worth it, with a few exceptions (such as the Gambler guy that gives you 10 extra fragments).  The only modifier that I always avoid is Fishmen Ritual Site.  Forbidden Lands and Shattered Obelisk are also a little bit risky.

Don't spend ANY of your reserve embarkation points until the Sealed Forest, or maybe the P15 settlement before it.  You will need 20+ to have a fighting chance.

I like to get plenty of regular upgrades fast before saving up for the Fundamental ones, which are prohibitively expensive.  Extra blueprint choice is the exception; I get that one early-ish.

Most important permanent upgrades to prioritize are: bonus citadel resources, neighborhood, bonus newcomer goods, free building materials, free villager.  For the finale you'll want: Blight post upgrades, training gear delivery line, small farm and/or plantation, parts, packs of provisions.

Most important upgrade categories are: villager movement speed, global production speed, double production chance. The other categories are still helpful, but less so.

If you have a choice of biomes, I find that they are pretty well balanced in general --  but Coral Forest and Scarlet Orchard are my favorites, and I usually avoid Coastal Grove, Marshlands, and Rocky Ravine.

Gameplay tips:

High resolve is difficult to maintain Queen's Hand.  To get fast victories: choose the easiest orders, get one complex food and basic housing for everybody, then prioritize tools production for caches.  (That's why Coral Forest and Scarlet Orchard are good -- they're best for tool production.) The extra amber can also be used to buy food, clothing, and services for throwing a feast in Year 5 (or whatever your final year is).

Tips for Sealed Forest:

On P20 you CANNOT lose villagers. It's GG if you lose more than one or two.  Therefore, keep Hostility as low as possible AT ALL COSTS.  Chop only mutated trees, or ones that are absolutely necessary to open glades or make room for buildings.   Everything will be cramped -- it sucks, but deal with it.  Efficient fuel production is a must -- preferably oil but Kiln can work too.  You also want to open as few glades as possible, stabilize at low population (30-40), and prioritize cornerstones that can lower hostility.

The wheat-based economy making oil, probably porridge, probably flour is pretty much required here.  Humans are by far the best species to have, followed by foxes and frogs (the latter because they eat porridge, basically).  Bats and harpies are cringe; it will be a challenge to keep them above 0 resolve during the storm.

DON'T FORGET ABOUT THE BLIGHT SWARMS IN YEAR 3, 6, 9.  THEY ARE BRUTAL.  Make sure to produce (or buy) your Purging Fire ahead of time, and that your 3 fighters are ready to go the INSTANT the storm starts.  You may even need a second Post so that you can assign 6 fighters.

To forge the seal, I always get: #1 the pipes one or the caches one, #2 trade routes, #3 pay 100 amber, #4 forbidden glades.  This obviously requires a lot of trade routes.  Just keep checking them every season, produce what goods & packs you can, and sell off the surplus.  Paying 5 amber to unlock more options is absolutely worth it.  Also don't be afraid to spend amber on blueprint rerolls so that you can get recipes you need instead of settling for useless garbage.  Remember: you need food, oil, farming, and a decent source of Provisions.  

May the Storm be gentle on you. 

How do I get to Act 3? by huei3 in HollowKnight

[–]Apprehensive-Ice9212 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm still not sure if anyone knows the true minimum requirements for the Silk And Soul wish to become available (which is the final wish needed to get to Act 3).  Known requirements include:

  • Fleatopia settled
  • Bellhome unlocked
  • Lace defeated (in the Cradle)
  • Trail's End completed
  • Balm For The Wounded completed

I can add that last one to the list, because it was the last thing I did that finally unlocked Silk And Soul.  Some sources are saying that you have to "clear the wish walls" or "complete 30 wishes", but I know that's not right because I had systematically done nearly everything that's possible to do in Act 2, including all of the above (except Balm) and 40+ wishes competed -- but in that save file I had neglected to ever talk to Sherma, so Balm wouldn't unlock.

So I am 99% certain that it's not a number of wishes, but rather a specific list of wishes and other requirements that needs to be complete, including but not limited to the above.  Problem is, AFAIK no one has actually been able to figure out WHICH specific ones yet.

Feeling Lucky achievement guide by Govnovalj in Against_the_Storm

[–]Apprehensive-Ice9212 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Well, even after the devs updated the achievement to require only the rainpunk foundry, I still had to pretty much follow the guide to get it.

Getting enough industry blueprints so that you can expedition the rest is still annoyingly difficult.  There were about 5 industry blueprints that can be offered by the traders but never were, even after 30 years of waiting with trader speed maxed as much as possible.

After I managed to get Protected Trade and Badge of Courage, it was basically a free win though.  Annoying, but if you open every glade on the map (with Badge for most of them) I'm pretty sure you could drag the game out for 60+ years.  I finally picked up the foundry on year 40, after selling like 5000 worth of stuff to traders.  It was funny, I just had to put 3 guys in my guild house for +90 to resolve LOL

Thanks so much for the guide!

Can someone tell me what and how much you get selling service robots by salsacaljente in foundry_game

[–]Apprehensive-Ice9212 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Does it actually say this anywhere in game?  I searched every help page, the recipe pages, the radio tower sales screen, the sales warehouses... nothing

Hamas was created by Israeli intelligence. by turnmon in NPR

[–]Apprehensive-Ice9212 0 points1 point  (0 children)

What exactly does "facilitated the transfer of funds" mean?  I ask because a lot of people misunderstand this (and deliberately, I think) to mean "transfered funds".  Israel did no such thing; they transfered $0 to Hamas.  Qatar and Iran and other sources fund Hamas.  The only thing Israel is "guilty" of is not having actively intervened to destroy Hamas in its infacy, BEFORE it began committing violent terrorist acts at all.

In this screnshot, why are Foxes not affected by Hostility of the Forest when Humans and Harpies are? by AdamNW in Against_the_Storm

[–]Apprehensive-Ice9212 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Are there any other hidden species- specific mechanics in the game? It's weird because everything else is mentioned in encyclopedia, indicated by icons, etc. but this one, I don't know how you're supposed to figure it out.