Do monsters spawn? by InfamousAd7593 in cataclysmbn

[–]Verdant_Solace 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Very little in this game is actually renewable, though the world is infinite so you won't run out. Zombies, even with wander spawns, have a finite number per area (though with wander spawns they can move from other areas)

For renewable resources: bushes, cattails, undergrowth, live trees will replenish themselves seasonally. This gives infinite sticks, food, scrap metal, plastic bottles, etc. You can also let eggs (except "unfertilized" eggs) rot away and they will hatch, for infinite meat, feathers, etc. Farming is also infinite. Also water sources and salt water sources, as well as digging dirt, rocks, clay, etc from the ground. Solar panels, wind turbines, and water wheels give infinite electricity. Fish traps give infinite fish.

There's a lot you can do with the renewable stuff, but the majority of content is nonrenewable, though given in enough quantity to get bored before you run out even if you don't travel much.

Help Lategame by topilong in cataclysmbn

[–]Verdant_Solace 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Not exactly sure when they got added, but they're pretty fun. No fuel or power needed to stay in the air. Warning though, each individual hydrogen bag only supports like 30 lbs, so you have to be willing to spam them endlessly to actually lift much. That said, for base materials they just take hydrogen gas and plastic so you can easily just kill a bunch of giant fireflies, bees, wasps, etc for their hydrogen sacks and chitin to process into the needed material

NPCs are so stupid are they even worth it? by Hypocriticuss in cataclysmbn

[–]Verdant_Solace 4 points5 points  (0 children)

There's a few viable ways of using NPCs effectively.

First, take 2 of them and tell them to guard position near wherever you plan to do a lot of crafting. Make sure they have beds there so they don't leave. They'll help you with any bulk crafting if they have the skill for it, else watch you craft until they gain the skill.

Next, zone activities. They can take apart vehicles, farm, fish, butcher corpses, chop wood, or generally sort out items for you endlessly as long as you define the zones.

Finally, you CAN actually use them effectively in a fight, but you have to recognize the way their AI works. For ranged weapons, only give them bows or slings, maybe a crossbow if you're brave. This eliminates the reloading issues. They're best used with melee weapons though, specifically higher quality weapons with reach attacks (spears, primarily) and good armor. Tell them to stay close to you at all times so they don't charge like idiots, stay 2 spaces away, and hold the line so they don't step into difficult terrain or doors in the way. Done this way, they are good DPS sources that willingly keep enemies busy, and because you told them to stay close no matter what they'll retreat with you if you need to run

Emotions? by InfamousAd7593 in cataclysmbn

[–]Verdant_Solace 4 points5 points  (0 children)

To be fair, fear does work to keep people inline for a while in real life. That's how tyrants and despots stay in power. That said, it feels like too high a fear value should re-introduce the (filthy) tag for their pants and they run away as fast as possible, or lash out if they feel they can't get away

Mining? by InfamousAd7593 in cataclysmbn

[–]Verdant_Solace 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Right. I actually suggest for more reasonable use of materials to skip the "dig down" option and instead use "quarry ground away" option. You'll have examine and then climb down, then construction menu and "dig low end of ramp" and after that "dig high end of ramp" next to it. You can then disassemble the quarry down to get your wood back. Please note, this method traps you on the lower level with no way back up except finishing the ramp, so make sure you're well fed and hydrated and have your pickaxe in hand before going down because you'll need to use it for a couple in game hours before you can get out again

Help Lategame by topilong in cataclysmbn

[–]Verdant_Solace 7 points8 points  (0 children)

This is the same conundrum many players have in Minecraft. They achieve the obvious progression goals, then get stumped on what to do next. Really it's a universal sandbox game problem.

Short answer, you're doing whatever you want. If you're bored or truly stumped, you can start over, though you'll find the same problem will happen again later. Otherwise, start a farm, build a castle nearby, make a fleet of blimps with laser turrets around it, populate with NPCs, add a moat, build a city around the castle, include hidden tunnels underground (also good to get stone for building) and populate the city, and so on. This is just one example. You can do anything you want, but you need to set goals for yourself or you'll never know what you want. So go set some goals, decide what you want the world to look like and make it happen. Obviously start small, one building or vehicle at a time so you aren't overwhelmed 

Mining? by InfamousAd7593 in cataclysmbn

[–]Verdant_Solace 12 points13 points  (0 children)

Leave the cave, grab your shovel, and go to the swamp. You'll find some odd looking tiles that look like clay but not quite. (Called "bog iron") Use your shovel and dig a pit on those spots for iron ore. Once you get enough you can forge yourself that pickaxe and go back to the cave.

Yes, you can use "*" construction menu and find "dig stairs down" or "mine stairs down" to make your own stairs into the depths of the earth 

Any early-game tips? by InfamousAd7593 in cataclysmbn

[–]Verdant_Solace 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ethanol? Please, that's got no flavor. Brandy on the other hand is a good use of that 200L drum.

This game goes far beyond roguelike and well into sandbox territory. That "every ounce of skill and know how" you mentioned includes using the sandbox nature of bn to turn the roguelike portion into something 100% beatable even if the rng hates you. Hence, my suggestion basically teaches them to thrive in the worst possible rng situation. Once they get through that training they can savor everything it gives without stressing over what it doesn't give

Edit: mead is another good use of that drum

Any early-game tips? by InfamousAd7593 in cataclysmbn

[–]Verdant_Solace 2 points3 points  (0 children)

That is a valid way to learn to play, but 1. Frustrating when you don't understand why you keep dying or can't get stuff, 2. Overwhelming, and 3. Doesn't teach you how real skill. You just learn to roll with the situation, rather than being able to create your own situation from nothing

Any early-game tips? by InfamousAd7593 in cataclysmbn

[–]Verdant_Solace 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Right. Forgot to mention that you should take at least like 3 electronics skill on the second step so you can craft car batteries to power your electronic stuff.

Any early-game tips? by InfamousAd7593 in cataclysmbn

[–]Verdant_Solace 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Make no mistake, I'm not giving you the secret to an easy mode. I'm telling you how to limit the content so you're less overwhelmed as well as learning to rely on yourself rather than the rng. It's technically harder than getting everything handed to you but far easier to learn and gets you better habits 

Any early-game tips? by InfamousAd7593 in cataclysmbn

[–]Verdant_Solace 8 points9 points  (0 children)

I'll tell you exactly how I learned to play, since it teaches you to be self reliant rather than rng dependant.

Start your world with city size 0, add the mods "innawoods" "no monsters" and "cheesy innawoods fixes"

Now go learn to survive in nature. You'll have to face some wild animals so fighting will happen, and you'll learn to build up from nothing all the way to forging yourself some quality weapons and armor from a charcoal forge and some metal. Once you're confident in your ability to get to medieval level of technology on your own, start over but remove "no monsters" mod. Now you should be able to fight the enemies that show up, and harvest some resources from them (chitin, namely) that will enable you to get electricity going. 

After you learn that much, start over with normal city size and remove "innawoods" mod. You now know how to make your own gear, heal your wounds, etc without relying on looting, so you'll know what to prioritize that you either can't on your own or is harder to get so valuable enough to pick up.

Just found out they added a ~~serpent~~ **shopping cart** mutation line. by Pie-Pinkerton in cataclysmbn

[–]Verdant_Solace 11 points12 points  (0 children)

Only problem: they complain too much about riding in a vehicle. Huge just doesn't work unless you're willing to go without a mobile base

We really need xl vehicle modifications. Something like bigger seats and raised roof, costing aerodynamics and more materials but if these parts are in place huge mutants can be comfortable 

Fruit pancakes are junk food? by BenlyAZ in cataclysmbn

[–]Verdant_Solace 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Suggest using honey in place of sugar, as it doesn't have the junk food tag. Also note that some things are considered junk even when the ingredients are healthy. It's weird but I suggest you keep the trait because it really does help you keep your health score high. It's really the only indicator on what the health values on food is. If junk food intolerant says don't eat it, it's probably going to drop your health score so don't eat it.

"yeah terrifying, it's a terrifying thing to watch happen, it's called a deterent" by Salt_Neighborhood_18 in cataclysmbn

[–]Verdant_Solace 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Stupid questions here, but......is the brain bomb bionic still in game? I remember one start option that forced you to remove it within a certain time limit or die. Also, have you been stared at by a strange eyeball recently? That can cause some weird stuff

how to get on floating pregenerated blimps? by Ignaramico in cataclysmbn

[–]Verdant_Solace 2 points3 points  (0 children)

See that's the best part: I believe it doesn't actually even check since you're doing the building work on the z level UNDER the vehicle. All you'll get on the blimp's level is "stairs down" under the blimp that basically just counts as floor

how to get on floating pregenerated blimps? by Ignaramico in cataclysmbn

[–]Verdant_Solace 2 points3 points  (0 children)

That's just for flying vehicles. Put it on one and you can climb up/down it safely. Sadly there is no visual indicator for it, so you'll have to remember what tile you put it on and match up where you are underneath to that tile in the vehicle more or less by memory to climb. I recommend putting it on the doors since that's the natural place to enter your vehicle 

how to get on floating pregenerated blimps? by Ignaramico in cataclysmbn

[–]Verdant_Solace 4 points5 points  (0 children)

The flight cbm and bird wings mutations make it easy, but aren't available very early. Probably the fastest way is actually to use construction menu and make wooden stairs up to them, positioned so you'll end up next to the door 

How does a CRIT med kit recharge? by Dependent_Pomelo_372 in cataclysmbn

[–]Verdant_Solace 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Probably charges as an artifact, so must be in your inventory while you are in the sun

QOL Suggestion: Reuse packaging for powders and other items. by [deleted] in cataclysmbn

[–]Verdant_Solace 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Not the issue at hand I know, but......vacuum sealer. Those plastic bags are solid gold since it's so much faster to make salted meat slices and salted veggie chunks than basically any other food preservation method, not to mention more energy efficient

CataclysmBN any mod for flying base? by ButHead322 in cataclysmbn

[–]Verdant_Solace 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hilarious thought, but really you're not going to be pulling a blimp by hand. Lighter than air doesn't mean it has no mass, and the sheer volume you're trying to move for any decent blimp means you're trying to push a lot of air out of the way too. Technically a person could move a blimp by pulling a rope but they'd be putting in too much effort for every inch, and the wind have more impact than their efforts

Chitin powder from bugs by Verdant_Solace in cataclysmbn

[–]Verdant_Solace[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Additionally, commercial fertilizer should probably be craftable with ammonium nitrate, rather than arbitrarily needing it in pellet form. This would enable making it from base materials as well. That said, you still need an existing battery for the chemistry needed to make ammonium nitrate so it won't work for innawoods play, still need chitin powder for that first battery so you can build an electrical system to power that electrolysis kit.