Living Rough

[Pucc]

So I've watched my fair share of Ray Mears eating things he's pulled randomly out of the ground and declaring that they taste amazing and some of Bear Grylls fannying about doing the exact opposite of trying to stay alive but nothing could prepare me for a new world in btw.

Starving doesn't quite cut it I feel the stick I crafted out of the first tree I punched more of an accurate description of my disposition. So this thread is for those who've started new world recently and have had the harsh reality of HCH bite them in the arse. Tell me your survival stories in the early days after starting... here's mine.

Day 1: Started in a Taiga biome, punched a tree, killed a few sheep then hid in a hole by the side of a river (I spotted some pumpkins on the opposite bank). The mutton kept me up for the next day in which I managed to craft a fishing rod, from the string the spiders who wanted me dead kindly gifted me.

Day 2-4: fishing during the day mining at night and eating what ever came flying out of the water at me. At this point I'd gathered enough Iron to craft a Hoe.

Day 5-6: I'm now currently growing Pumpkins (and some Hemp) and fishing trying to build up stock piles so that I can go mining for a good length of time. What are the pumpkins for you ask? At the moment I'm eating them (Fish and pumpkins seeds what a delicacy) but in the future they'll be used to feed my chickens once I get them penned in. Then I can upgrade to eggs!

Things are slow and I can definitely feel the struggle for survival but I like it!

[FlowerChild]

I just had an unfortunate incident myself actually.

I'm maybe five to ten hours into my new world (hard to tell the actual time played as I keep jumping back and forth to code to tweak things), without a single death. I'm fairly well established with a small hut with chickens in the basement and a small mushroom farm. It should be mentioned that I'm playing by rules that are even harder core than the present hardcore :)

Anyways, I finally got my first iron pick through surface level caves. I dug down under my cabin, was exploring a large cave network and had worked my way down deep enough where I was starting to see redstone and gold deposits, when a couple of creepers spotted me at a distance. I ran like hell, but they stayed aggroed on me, and I was eventually backed into a corner.

I started taking swipes at them with my stone axe, backing off each time, but one ended up detonating while I was towards the edge of the blast radius. The combo of wool and leather armor I was wearing saved me, but the concussion sent me flying...right into a lava flow.

Still, I wasn't dead, and managed to get out of the lava, but I was on fire and moving slow from being wounded. There was water just a few blocks away, and I limped my way towards it hoping to quench the flames. I burned to death in the block right next to the water, in what was probably my most agonizing MC death ever.

With a heavy heart, I prepared to start all over again in a new location, and spawned atop a mountain. Oddly though, there was a big chunk of the landscape in the distance already generated while that which was still close to me was filling in. Then I saw it...my cabin, maybe a couple of hundred meters off from where I stood. I must admit to a huge sense of relief at that sight :)

[Taleric]

That is by far the best part of HCS, after a HC penalty short of world deletion. Being able to stumble upon and return to your previous or forgotten buildings.

In the present world I had 4 or 5 failed attempts at a start, a couple of MC days into each build. Once I got established and began to venture out I would spot things in the distance and freeze saying "WTF is that!" only to realize I had long ago built and forgotten places. I wish I had HCS several months ago so I could have more of these experiences.

By the time I got a start where I did not have a foolish death, all the easy food had evaporated. Oddly it was the chicken pumpkin combo that got me through. Not before being down to the wire with all food exhausted on roughly a large map area and me saying a prayer before each cracked egg. I gladly ate those egg whites even after I got sandwiches to save more satiating food for exploration.

I have found the seed and meat drop rates to be very well balanced to make you feel pressure till you automate and/or reach comfortable production level. FC's "Have fun staving!" would crop up in my mind during these times.

[Rugaard]

my most unfortunate game was that I started near a desert biome and as always I play on worlds with large biomes I expected the desert to be large. so i spent the first 3 days gathering food from the forest and managing to make myself an iron pick and sword from the iron bars i found in a desert temple at the biome borders. while i didn't bother hiding in the night I had a few close calls with skeletons and unfortunately lost both wolves I managed to tame before I entered the desert.

the first day into the desert i found two abandoned villages and a cave where i found some coal and iron, that night i lost my first wolf to a pair of skeletons. the next day I found a temple that net me 30 iron bars and 24 gold bars as well as 9 diamonds, I spent the night in an abandoned village and turned my loot from that temple into tools and armor, the next day I started getting worried as my food supply was starting to get low and at this time I was wishing I hadnt used all my wood on torches, i found another temple but this one had bones and a few useless books as well as a couple bars, no diamonds. that night I hid myself in a cave I had found and I did a bit of mining, lost my second wolf to a creeper that dropped in on me, the next day, I found an inhabited village, I died of hunger on the village outskirts

I will say even though I failed, that was the most fun Ive had in had long time

[savagelung]

It should be mentioned that I'm playing by rules that are even harder core than the present hardcore :)

If they don't spoil any plans you have for the future, I'd love to hear what these rules are!

This story happened in my second world with 4.66. I had just come back to BTW after around a year of absence, but I had mostly caught up in a short-lived 4.65 world.

I was pretty well-established. I had a windmill, a small stash of iron, tanned leather armor and some meagerly enchanted diamond tools. I decided I wanted to enter a nomadic phase before producing SFS, and I set off with just enough tools and map parts. My plan was to find a village, secure as many villagers as possible, grab some seeds, and then embark home, setting up markers to retrace my steps.

This took much longer than I expected... Over the course of 6 hours, I found at least 4 desert temples and 6 villages, all of the villages being abandoned. I filled two full maps without finding any of the prized crops.* At this point, I'm about ready to give up and try using Nether portals. I turn around to head back home, and out of the corner of my eye, I spot a plains biome. I figure it can't hurt to explore one more area.

As night starts falling, I decide to sprint (normally I don't sprint unless I have dinners or I'm in battle). Off in the distance, I saw the faint glow of a torch. I didn't have high hopes, I expected only to hide in an abandoned house before returning home defeated. Then, through a window, I spot movement. Brown-colored movement. A bowel movement? A zombie covered in dung? No, it was a villager.

Since it was night, I knew I had to work fast. I started throwing down torches and blocking doors with dirt. I took a few hearts of damage from skeletons but the zombies were all fixated on the apparently-delicious villagers. As I was blocking up the last house, I heard that dreaded fuse. In my panic, I accidentally threw my sword and wasn't able to block.

I lost everything: the maps, the tools, the food. I knew at that second that it would take an eternity to ever find that village again.

To make things worse, I respawned in a swamp. Frustrated, I looked around for the mountains that I called home, and saw nothing. I considered giving up and starting a new base, when out of the corner of my eye I saw string. I figured it would take a very unusual circumstance for a spider to die by hands other than mine, so I picked up the string. Sure enough, it was 11 string. I had been here before, and thrown the string out of my inventory! Suddenly, I remembered a desert adjacent to the swamp. I looked around, and to the East I saw sand. I have never been happier to find sand.

I sprinted across the desert haphazardly, hoping not to get shot or blown up. After some time, as my hunger approached peckish, a mountain rendered in the distance. And on top of this mountain, my lonely windmill. I made it home that night, defeated and dejected, but at least I was home :)

* Incidentally, a good rule of thumb for finding abandoned villages is to have at least two full-sized maps of distance between yourself and your spawn point.

[Daisjun]

I found myself being largely nomadic the first time I restarted with HCH.

The first day I frantically gathered some wood and stone and slaughtered as much as I could. I then spent the night in a hole and heard the screams of the rest of the animals being mopped up around me. Then of course there's always a spider or two keeping you company so when you step out you're immediately set upon, so as soon as I'm out of that hole I sprint for my life. I kill animals along the way and jump from cave to cave, mining during the night when I can, then packing everything up and moving on in daylight.

My optimism always peaks when I see a village off in the distance, I can't make it in time so I hunker down for the night, excited of the prospect of what riches lay there. Daylight comes and I finally make it and of course...the village is abandoned.

This happens about about three times during the course of the week and then I finally find one that's occupied...and it's enormous. I desperately try and fence it off and light it up as quickly as I can but it's too late, the zombies have come. Everyone is dead...including my soul.

I am now the lone survivor in a post-apocalyptic waste land, trying to rebuild from what lays around me, but excited at the prospect at that maybe one day, not too far from now...I will find a carrot.

[Jeet]

It should be mentioned that I'm playing by rules that are even harder core than the present hardcore :)

Sorry to go a bit off topic, but I'm very curious as to your self-imposed hardcore rules FC.

[magikeh]

There i was, early in the game, no stable food source, but enough in a chest to keep me going. From some of my previous deaths I had some obsidian and so it was decided that i would venture off into the nether. For the quest of a village (not abandoned) So i built a hut on the next hill (living in extreme hills) setup the nether portal and poked through to make sure everything would be safe for my adventure. When i got to the nether i saw that i was up on a plateau and it would be a good time to build a little hut for my nether portal. Digging away i came across some lava, and that stuff moved fast within seconds i was in it, jumping away i ran to the saftey of my portal and still burning it looked like i would not make it, so i went thru the portal to the overworld side, just to say one more goodbye to the house that i had worked so hard to create, but then the fire went out. I stood there stunned at my good fortune and decided to enter the nether once more. Feeling a little adventure savy i moved off to a platform 100 blocks ahead, then i saw a netherfortress, deciding to go nearer i moved in, and there on my side of the platform there was a blaze.. I had a few rotten arrows and a bow, I decided that the blaze rod would be all worth it if i could kill the blaze. Three shots later and a bit of running i was the proud owner of one blaze rod! On the return back to the portal I saw a wither skelly, not wanting to take any chances i sprinted back to the saftey of my hut, and went thru the portal back to the overworld. Noticing that it was dark out i decided to stick it out until the mobs would start burning.. after waiting a couple minutes i figured i could evade the creepers and make a dash for the home (the sun was starting to rise, so why not right?) when i exited my nether hut and stood atop the hill i saw a skelly between myself and the home, so i stood there evaluating my position, and thats when i heard the fuse go off, next thing i knew i was flying through the air with only a couple hearts left, but alas the fall off the hill was too much to handle, i sat there staring at the red screen as the skelly in the background mocked me.. my precious blaze rod was sitting on the ground, and now there is a timer attached to it..

check out the entire show in my latest LP episode!

[FlowerChild]

Sorry to go a bit off topic, but I'm very curious as to your self-imposed hardcore rules FC.

Oh no, they aren't self imposed (well...they are, but not in the sense you mean), I'm just playing with code you guys don't have yet in order to balance it :)

You'll be seeing it soon in the next release.

[wizardglick]

It should be mentioned that I'm playing by rules that are even harder core than the present hardcore :)

If they don't spoil any plans you have for the future, I'd love to hear what these rules are!

There were a couple clues in FC's post....

[Vexalor]

In a recent game of mine, I spawned in a large plains biome. Seeing no wood in sight, I slew several nearby pigs with my bare hands and happily took there meat. This took a while with no tools, and the sun had already passed its zenith. Realizing my foolishness in failing to search out wood first, I immediately noticed a thin tendril of taiga forest in the distance to my immense relief. I gathered what I needed and then dug into a hill back in the plain, snagging some chickens with hemp seeds to boot. Upon morning, I left my cave to the streaming Minecraft sunshine and enjoyed the sight of burning zombies and long grass waving in the wind (using AnimCraft TP; thanks Magikeh). I was then promptly blown up by a creeper. It had been hidden behind a ridge to my right. Because I was on hard difficulty and at short range, this killed me instantly. Referring to myself derisively as a noob, I re-spawned at the edge of a desert and a forest and again gathered wood and dug in for the night again, this time with pumpkins. Mining, I found an extensive cave system. After having cleared a particularly iron rich cave, I soon had about thirty iron.

I decided against my better judgement to make a pickaxe rather than a hoe and ended up heading down deeper with a compass back to my chickens in mind. Not even very far down, I encountered one of those arcane vertical cave/pit things going down some ways. I saw iron at the bottom and was counting my luck when a creeper appeared, which chased me around the vertical shaft's rim. I kept taking swings at him with my stone axe until a skeleton shot me from behind throwing me into the creeper, which detonated, throwing me into the pit. Somehow I still had exactly half a heart left, and I hid in an alcove for a bit. I left it to collect the iron, but was suddenly attacked by a spider and pushed into... guess what... a ravine. I yet again survived, but I was mortally wounded, out of tools, out of most blocks, out of food, and starving. I dug myself a coffin in the stone and starved to death in pitch darkness.

Cursing my bad luck, I spawned in a taiga while it was still dark and walked several paces before immediately falling into a lava pit that I could not have seen because it was below me and producing no light due to one of Minecraft's famous lighting glitches. I of course re-spawned in the same spot and realized that not so far away I could see a plain... with a patch of torch light in the distance.

Anyways, this has got to be my most hilarious series of deaths post 4.65.

[TheOneGuy]

Oh boy... since I recently just came back, I had no idea about these new hardcore modes, such as hardcore hunger or, hardcore movement, so my "returning" experience did not end to well for me

Day 1: I spawned next to a river with a village right to my back...or should I say "abandoned" village. There was sugar cane close by, with cows, pigs and sheep wandering everywhere. As usual, i started my MC day with, of course...punching wood. I kept punching until i had about 12 pieces and made a crafting table, along with a wooden pick. I walked over to the side of the river and mined in a open area of stone. I got just enough for a pick and a axe, and casually chopped some more trees down. Afterwards I "took care of" some of the local cows for leather and steak, to keep me going for awhile. Night approached fast, and I soon found myself bundled up in a small house in the abandoned village. I waited, and time slowly passed till I saw the sun come back up.

Day 2: I quickly broke my barricaded door and began searching for a open cave, it only took about 2 minutes for me to find a cave. I quickly spotted some coal and made torches - but I saw i was only getting 1 torch per coal, I said in my mind "Wtf?". I ignored it at the time and went deeper in the cave. I gathered as much coal and iron as I could, and soon afterward I reached lava, all with my (many) trusty stone pick(s). I began branching out in the lava to reach iron on the other side of the pit careful to watch the open cave above me. I reached my destination and hastily gathered the iron I began to walk back to the other side of the pit when suddenly I heard a "thwap" and saw a arrow whizzing straight to me - it struck me and sent me flying into the lava for a painful, item sizzling death. I could not believe the ONE time a skeleton actually hits you, its on a 1 block wide branching next to lava I was pretty saddened about my death, but nonetheless I re-spawned at night near the village and began to attempt to retrace my steps (I dont use HCS for those of you wondering.). I came across a spider and thought "Eh, maybe ill just punch this guy to death real quick" suddenly it shot some...ball at me, and I was glued on the spot, it danced around me biting and teasing me. Until I died a slow inevitable death..

After that, I kinda just stopped for the day, since it was kinda late...but I am not giving up just yet, to much stuff to discover to give up now, but yeah. My first "returning" experience did not serve me to well, not to mention I am not used to dying...as I never died much at all...before these updates. =)

[Gabecraft1234]

I am hidding in a small 2 block high cave crippled and blind while three angery ender men screem at me from the outside. Food is starting to run low . . .

[FlowerChild]

I am hidding in a small 2 block high cave crippled and blind while three angery ender men screem at me from the outside. Food is starting to run low . . .

Lol...that sounds like the kind of note you find on the corpse of an adventurer :)

[UnresponsiveIcon]

I am hidding in a small 2 block high cave crippled and blind while three angery ender men screem at me from the outside. Food is starting to run low . . .

Lol...that sounds like the kind of note you find on the corpse of an adventurer :)

I imagined it would be something like:
'To whom ever is reading this, I'm fucked'

[Pucc]

Had a Dawn of the Dead type experience last night whilst fishing. I was stood a top my temporary fishing post (a three oak wood block tall pillar - guess I'm going to have to make a more permanent one as of the update) having an evening fish whilst a few lonely zombies decided to join the party. I had three in total fumbling around at the bottom of the pillar when a skeleton appeared around the corner. Yup you guessed it, he shot me off with precision into the loving arms of the zombies. The weren't loving enough apparently, I survived but I won't be sitting down for the next week or two.

[Gunnerman21]

After hours and hours of searching for an inhabited village, my friend and I finally found one in a desert. We quickly made a farm of some nearby sheep and we are slowly getting more and more food, but it's harsh... sometimes we cant punch anything in a fight because we're hungry, then we have to "run" back home to cower in the blacksmith shop. It's getting rather difficult to progress, we have a crank and millstone, but we havent used it, plus we dont have any hemp either... I suggested a chicken farm so we can use our wheat seeds up, but we cant find any chickens. It's a hard knock life for us... a hard knock life.. for us...

[Mr_Hosed]

I just had a *wtf was I thinking* death. I finally built up a base enough to want to not lose it's location. I built a compass and gathered some supplies and headed off for spawn leaving markers along the way. Found a heard of cattle and slaughtered about 24 of 'em. Then night came, but a beach was with in site. I made a mad dash to the beach, built a boat and sailed away just as monsters started to close in on me.

I hit landfall on a desert beach and decided it was a good spot to build an outpost for future treks. Built my cobble tower of power, started cooking all the steak I'd picked up, and defended my home for the night. Before I headed off again I wanted to leave a chest of goodies behind so the next day I treked through the desert until I found a mountain with some trees on it. Harvested some wood and headed back. Built a chest and proceeded to cook the rest of my steaks.

Again I defended my outpost through the night.

Next day I was ready to head out for spawn again. Not a monster in site until I reached the mountains I harvested my wood from the previous day. No problem, a single creeper... Or so I thought. I dodged in and out a few times with my stone axe and then proceeded to forget everything about battling creepers. "Oh, another 2 hits and it's down! Bumb rush it!" I thought to myself.

SSsssss.... Boom! Shit, where am I now?

[Taleric]

... The pigmen were quickly running me down. I was sure I had dispatched the ones agitated by my nether forestry program. Obviously I had missed a few and was ill prepared to handle them, fleeing over a large swath of soul sand. Running out of room, trapped in a corner, I juggled for a potion in vain. My last thoughts, as they slew me were why I had neglected to make splashing potions...

... In the forest again. The knowledge that time in the other dimension was suspended compared to this one put me at some ease. I might one day return to repay the pigmen for their lack of hospitality. Nothing in sight but trees, I knew I would need a compass to return home. I set out with the sun killing stray animals as I went. At night I mined out caves and during the day I followed the food. A full 4 days later I had fashioned an iron pick and began to dig down in the lowest part of a cavern. I could hear the pop and fiz of lava as I neared my target depth. Then to my surprise the stone opened into a mineshaft. Very well, nearly out of torches and low on food I entered to find my prized red stone. Blocking intersections as I went I could here the angry desidenz of the mine, screeching and growling, hungry to consume me. Then up ahead I spotted the red glow of my target. Greedily I began hack it from the wall jumping down into the hole I had made to grab ever piece. It was then that the spiders found me. I had opened a hole into an adjacent tunnel and let the tiny freaks in at the same time. Killing the two that had set upon me I boxed myself in as more arrived. Poisoned and without food I filled a chest with my goods that I might someday return. I wielded my stone axe and prepared to go out fighting...

... In the forest again.

[Mr_Hosed]

I just had a group of mobs work together to take me down in a cool way.

Scene:
Cave system, half lit, pit-of-death with ledge seperates the lit and dark halves of the cave.

Events:
A spider and creeper came at me from the other side of the cave system. The spider managed to hug the walls of the cave and get across the pit. While taking out the spider, the creeper blew up and left a crater.

I proceeded to run across and light up the cave. I turn around and another spider has climbed up from the pit. He knocks me down to half health before I take him out. THWANG! Crap, now I see a skeleton. Where'd he come from? Oh, the creeper crater created a stairwell to the depths below... Great.

I go charging towards the skeleton. He gets another 2 shots off. I'm down to 2 health... What's that behind the skeleton? Ah crap, another spider. Wait, I can't move? What the Hell! NO! THWANG!...

Where am I now?


At this new location I was caving and ran across an enderman. Somehow I managed to agro him and instantly found myself crippled. I managed to wall myself in before he could finish the job though. That one was intense. I don't think I would have survived if I wasn't wearing wool armor.

[william711]

I was looking for a spider that was making lots of noise outside my house. turns out he was behind me so I turn and fight with stone axe #128 when I am attacked from behind by his friend who snuck up on me. stone axe #128 broke and I began fumbling for stone axe #129 when the spider finally killed. I didn't really feel like playing after such a lame death so I saved and quit and was greeted by this lovely title text:

"HaHa...noob."

I feel flowerchild speaking through this game.

[FlowerChild]

"HaHa...noob."

I feel flowerchild speaking through this game.

Bazinga! I was wondering when someone would first encounter that text at an entirely appropriate time ;)