The Outpost, a BTW Playthrough Journal

[morvelaira]

Spoiler

Show

Yes, another one. This topic is my own attempt at a journal style chronology of my playthrough at BTW, highly inspired by this video:


It will be told from an in character perspective with screenshots and, if I learn how to do them well, videos. Here goes!!

I am the younger child of a large, poor family. There is no money left for my family to help me get my start in life, so I - like many young people in my situation - joined up with the prestigious Block Mining Company. It’s hard, dangerous work, but when push comes to shove it’s better than begging on the streets.

The Block Mining company has been a major force in the City since the Catastrophe. Legend has it the the world used to be round. There used to be other shapes than square that things came in. Not anymore. Whatever was really the cause of things going square, the monsters came at the same time. Humanity diminished. The world grew dark.

After many years though - even generations - we learned about our world again. The Block Mining Company was at the core of this. They pioneered the techniques - discovered new ways to bring the materials of this world together. Now that humanity is ready to stand on its feet again, they’re at the forefront of helping us to expand. Young men and women such as myself, taken to far scouted locations, given a kit and told to dig. Sometimes those pioneering souls have started new outposts, which have grown into new towns. Sometimes they’re never heard from again.

I am one of these souls. I would have loved to have sat on a rich bed, eating donuts all day, but we can’t have everything. I signed up at my local branch of the company and was given a basic starting pack... Mining pick, trusty shovel, axe to collect wood, necessary torches to fight back the dark and an instruction book. I was rather confused when the book wouldn’t open right away no matter how hard I tried. The old man just laughed and said not to worry about it. The book would open when I was ready for what it had to tell me, he said.

Well, he was right.

Contents of the Book, so far...

Page 1
Hello there, and welcome <New Explorer> to the Block Mining Company!

You’ve chosen a new and exciting career in order to help your homeland and benefit humanity at large. Good for you! You may have noticed this book didn’t open before now. That’s because it’s actually a handy bit of science that is situationally aware, and will only reveal instructions to you when it knows you are ready for them. Neat, huh? The fact that you’ve gotten to reading this page means you’ve already reached your target location.

Your first task is going to be to build yourself some shelter. Keep it well lit, now! Don’t want those monsters gettin’ you. The next several pages are available to you to make notes, draw doodles, anything you think is helpful. Just make sure you get a roof over your head!

Spoiler

Show

I’ll add in a screenshot of spawn to this post once I get a-going. ^_^

Also, I totally hear a 1950s Cave Johnson in my head when I write/read the book entries. Just sayin’.

[Stormweaver]

I'm going to enjoy reading this methinks :)

[ziggylol]

loved it, you should make it into a movie type of thing with a cool voice :) just an idea

[walker_boh_65]

Not sure what the video has to do with it, but I love the story all the same.

[Kwilt]

Interesting already. Can't wait for more. :D

Also, when you said you were reading in the style of Cave Johnson... I couldn't resist.

(Also, cut me some slack if it's shitty. It's 7 AM, just pulled an all nighter building on my RP server, and I did very little editing other than the <New Explorer> and noise removal bit. But like I said, I couldn't resist.)

http://chirb.it/LF0qwc

[morvelaira]

Also, when you said you were reading in the style of Cave Johnson... I couldn't resist.

And I quote... LAWL

[morvelaira]

As I sit down in my little space to write as the sun disappears from view, I am struck by a sudden indecsion. How to start. Note to self? Dear Instructional Diary? Report from Outpost XYZ? Regardless, I’ve started already and so I must continue.

My drop off point this morning was in the middle of what appears to be a small swamp. Not the most comfortable of climates, but I didn’t sign up for this to stay out of the mud. Scouting around a little bit, I can see what appears to be a mountainous and snowy region in most directions... and if I squint across the water at one end it appears to trail off into some sand. Maybe a tundra?

Spoiler

Show

My initial searches also revealed a small, self-contained ravine by the edge of the water. It’s sides are steep, but I can already see the resources littered about it’s walls and floor. The dark smudges of coal. The subtle red of iron. Well... I’m a miner, aren’t I? I started to carefully dig straight in, making makeshift stairs as I moved the earth.

Spoiler

Show

What luck I had! As soon as I reached the depth I was looking for - not so far from the top but still solidly in the rocky support of stone - I hit a coal vein. I pulled out all of that light-giving substances as I could and the hollowed out area just needed a little more finishing up to make a decent hidey hole. Having decided to make a stand here at the ravine, I focused on making the necessary additions. A door, a box to leave things in, and stairs that were a little bit more safe.

Spoiler

Show

Yes, book. I see your pages starting to turn. Let’s see what you’ve got for me next.

Page 2

Congratulations! You survived the first night! Or, at least you probably will, since you found some shelter and some light. Now do you remember how many rations we gave you? That’s right, none! A woman cannot live on mining alone, so to really make sure you’re successful here, you’re going to need to find a regular food source. There’s probably lots of tasty pigs and cows and chickens about.

Oh, you don’t want to slaughter the native animals wholesale? … Damn hippie. We’ll take care of that eventually. But for now, what you need is wheat. It’ll keep you going until we can get you some real food.

How did the book know I didn’t want to eat raw meat? I wonder....

[Stormweaver]

*likes*

[Shengji]

*also likes*

[BigShinyToys]

*also also likes* :)

[Deepsniper]

Will attempt to keep reading along. but "triple likes!"

[walker_boh_65]

cannot think of something clever, so I'll just say I like it as well.

[M!C]

Count me among your regular readers.

Oh and it will be your fault that I failed to reduce my time spend on the forums. ;)

[morvelaira]

Count me among your regular readers.

Oh and it will be your fault that I failed to reduce my time spend on the forums. ;)

Mission accomplished? And thank you for the positives you guys - makes me smile.

[morvelaira]

I could hear them in the night.

The low moans and clanking bones of the dead. The shrill squeal of chitinous mandibles. The whoomp, whoomp, whoomp of the dark strangers. I swear I even hear a hiss, but I couldn’t be sure until I left my shelter in the morning. Then I saw it.

Spoiler

Show

Luckily I remained hidden, and the creature went on it’s way.

Now, the thing about swamps is that most people see the brown vegetation, the pools of stagnant water, and they think the place is dead. This couldn’t be farther from the truth. Swamps are teeming with life and potential. Animals abound. Nutrient rich soils built up by flood buried minerals makes plant life so aggressive in such a small area that it chokes each other out if not tended properly. Growing wheat here is going to be no problem at all, but I’ll have to keep it separate. Raised, probably to avoid any flooding.

A good sturdy foundation was the first task, and for that I would need stone. I dug a little further into my hidey hole, and found some Iron along the way, too. I think this little space I’ve cleared will be good for a Block Mining Company Mineshaft (tm).

A base of cobblestone and some carefully constructed stone bricks will serve for a foundation that won’t be washed away. Wood flooring on top of that will be a good frame. To make it a proper greenhouse, though, I’ll need some glass to let the heat and sunlight in. And for that I’ll have to explore a little more than I have so far, and find some sand.

Spoiler

Show

[Cynu]

-Deleted-

[ct08857]

nice morv

[Blazara]

Beautifully written, a masterpiece in the making! :)

[Vankras]

nice, me likey, looking forward to more :)

[Pentagram]

Definitely getting the Cave Johnson voice.. Also, very well written!

[Pseudosavior]

I'm really enjoying this, can't wait for more! :)

[morvelaira]

Braving the depths of the river for sand was treacherous. Digging out the hardened sand while holding my breath got me in trouble more than once as I found myself going desperately for the surface and the sweet air it provided. I managed in the end.

A good sturdy frame on the foundation I built. A little dirt, a little water, and a collection of different seeds I found while out and about. I hope one of them is wheat!

Spoiler

Show

With nothing else specific to do, I decided to spruce things up a bit. Add some stairs. Get a proper mineshaft going. I found a cave that has and entrance on the ravine floor below. What luck! It’s also rich with minerals, so I’ll be busy for a while.

Meanwhile the plants continue to grow.... I hope it speeds up a bit. I’m hungry!

[whynocheese]

Really like this Journal Morv good job! It would be awesome though possibly tedious if Kwilt could do the voice for Cave Johnson for all the Guide Book parts.

[morvelaira]

Really like this Journal Morv good job! It would be awesome though possibly tedious if Kwilt could do the voice for Cave Johnson for all the Guide Book parts.

We'll see if he's interested. KWilt?

[Speltz]

Great story, morv! It's pretty cool to hear different ideas for why Steve is doing his thing. I always figured him for a shipwreck survivor, but this scouting and base establishing angle makes for a way better backstory. Looking forward to what the future has in store, both in the story and the video/voice acting (snazzy voiceover, Kwilt).