Congrats to Primitive Tech on First Oven!

[EpicAaron]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZGAYzItazw&t=9

After many years of work, the man finally did it. Looking at how few tiny prills of iron he gets from each smelt, we should be happy we even get a nugget at all...

If you aren't in the know, this guy creates primitive technology videos that feel almost made for BTW fans. He stokes fire, dries clay bricks, and builds all kinds of shitty dirt huts out in the woods. Recently, he has made an astounding leap into iron smelting. It is like he is climbing the tech tree!

The videos are very process-oriented. It makes me wonder what sort of game could be made if somebody designed a BTW-style game with real fine grain manipulation, like digging up dirt and carrying it around in little clay pots, or building a little waterwheel to automate a tiny bellows system. Better Than Wolves has these processes in the abstract. We can "craft" bricks by placing clay blobs in our inventory, but we don't get to experience the craft of actually mucking around in the dirt and shaping something. Or cutting a stick with a sharp rock in the other hand to make a spit. Instead of holding right click the knit, the player could actually play with bits of string in their hands to create things. Computers might be pretty strong these days, but I don't think even the most realistic VR simulations can touch that stuff yet.

Either way, I think FC was on to something in his drive to eliminate GUIs. Crafting is definitely the weakest aspect of Minecraft in my mind. Too abstract, and the early game demands a lot of it. Perhaps I have reached a point in my BTW survival career when I need to just go outside and start playing in the dirt IRL.