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UnReal World => Stories => Topic started by: Buoidda on October 25, 2020, 11:19:20 PM

Title: Island challenge stories
Post by: Buoidda on October 25, 2020, 11:19:20 PM

Hi, I posted about an punitive island challenge in the general discussion: http://www.unrealworld.fi/forums/index.php?topic=5841.0 (http://www.unrealworld.fi/forums/index.php?topic=5841.0).

Here we can share stories about it.

Writing prose is entirely optional, I'm more interested in how ppl fare.

Here's a little something from the character in that challenge thread.

X#X##X#X#X#X#X#X#

Ukko Driikiläinen was dumped on a remote island, completely nude and without any tools. Luckily the Njerpez had left him with pretty light injuries. Starvation hit, but was manageable with birds and hares from light traps. The traps dotted almost every corner of the medium sized island. He has also caught couple of pikes while warming up early in the mornings. While fishing, Ukko heard a seal splashing about and had still some rope for a heavy deadfall trap.

Unfortunately most lingonberries withered while he was building the heavy trap. Even the Tellervo's gift mushrooms spoiled that he had been sacrificing for Ahti in hopes of a catch. He had planned to collect an ample storage of bait for birds, but there had been too much work with the traps and birds. Ukko had also seen a badger lurking in the distance. He had been eagerly improving the setting of bigger deadfall traps on a bottleneck part of the island. But the clever thing never touched the traps, even when Ukko surprised it sniffing about just next to a big deadfall trap. Even the smaller trap seems to be too suspicious for it. "Picky thing, aren't you? Is the bird smelling too bad?", Ukko had shouted after the escaping badger.

But then, upon returning to camp, from atop the high cliffs, he could see an enormous bull elk who had blissfully swum to the island. Upon sight of Ukko, the poor beast ran itself to exhaustion along the beach, refusing to return to the icy waters again. Soon he met the blunt end of Ukko's bird-and-hare-leather-bound stone axe and the bull fell into oblivion from the very first blow to its hip. The second blow secured its passage. "This was a miracle. Maybe it had swum a long way and was already utterly exhausted. I wonder whether I should sacrifice to Tapio or Ahti. I know no stories about swimming elks." After couple of days toiling, 48 lbs of the unfortunate critter is drying. Ukko is laying patterns for his new outfit, wondering where all that elk meat went. It will feel good to wear something before winter brings it's worst weather.

Title: Re: Island challenge stories
Post by: paulkorotoon on October 26, 2020, 11:08:19 AM

PROLOGUE
Hroarr regains consciousness when the sun is directly overhead. His whole body aches awfully. Damn njerpezit have beated him up badly. Seems they considered the damage serious enough not to finish him. Slavers stripped him naked, took away everything Hroarr had with him, and left him to die.

But he doesn't recognize the area... To find oneself in an unknown place with no garments, no weapon and no food, is almost a certain death.

Almost. This word is hopeful. Hroarr is afraid, yet a desire to survive is greater than fear.

Must find water. He decides to go east, and after two hundred steps the search succeeds. Except... there's too much water. Hroarr feels apprehensive, he hurriedly falls to his knees and takes a sip. It's bitterish. It's sea water. It's an island...

Yound warrior light a fire and finds a few apt rocks. On the second attempt, he crafts a fairly sharp and handy knife.

Hroarr cuts his palm and sheds a thin stream of blood on the ground. “Mother Earth, accept my sacrifice. Give me your help, oh spirits”, he whispers, eyes closed.

Naked man with a stone knife, against approaching winter and tremendous ocean. Who will win?

ATTEMPT 1

ADDITIONAL CHALLENGE TERMS

Not using the world map.
Zooming out to the wilderness map only when standing on top of a mountain.

STATS

Spoiler: show

SKILLS

Spoiler: show

SPELLS

Spoiler: show

INJURIES

Spoiler: show

DAY 1. 44% injured, 0% starving
Hroarr picks up some herbs for treating the wounds. Wanders along the shore until he finds a stony hill. The island is pretty big. No sign of inehmo. He notices a couple of birds flying nearby. Builds a shelter.

DAY 2. 39% injured, 1% starving
It takes the whole day to craft two crude javelins. May come in handy.

DAY 3. 30% injured, 4% starving
Hroarr gathers more herbs and sets a few light lever traps.

DAY 4. 24% injured, 6% starving
He spots a black grouse and even manages to approach close enough to throw the javelin, but misses it. Finds lingonberries and sacrifices a fistful. Tries to fish, no catch.

DAY 5. 16% injured, 8% starving
It's getting colder. He has to light a fire again and again, to warm himself. Finds a black grouse in the trap for the first time! Hroarr skins it and sacrifices the only cut of meat.

DAY 6. 10% injured, 13% starving
He sets a big deadfall trap in hope of a large game.

DAY 7. 6% injured, 16% starving
Exhausted, Hroarr sleeps for too long. Numb hands fail him as he's trying to make a fire, and he freezes to death...

Title: Re: Island challenge stories
Post by: Privateer on October 26, 2020, 09:58:58 PM

Challenger (Haastaja Islander)

Profile Stats:

Spoiler: show

Skills:

Spoiler: show

Spells:

Spoiler: show

Injuries:

Spoiler: show

Day4~8?: Not sure, Spending all my time pulling twigs, scouring for lg/med down trees, picking berries, Getting warm enough to try and javelin a fish for about 1.5 hrs before freezing stop.. rinse and repeat atm.
Have stone knife, crude staff, crude javelin, couple torches. Been seeing a grouse for two days, I need to get warm/gather items for trap before to long.

Map: Found a clifftop

Spoiler: show

Day: I have no idea. I have 3 shelters now, One on the East coast, one (original) in the middle, and the final on the west coast.
Made 2 small traps and used lingonberries for bait. Making fire, finding wood and collecting berries are still in the forefront. The traps didn't do anything on the East coast, so I moved them to the West coast shelter. 3 birds so far from the new trap spot. Only one skin was viable, but the roasted fat was a nice refresher. Not dead yet.

Skills Update:

Spoiler: show

Ah well first attempt failed, I died stupidly. Pushed the cold limit trying to skin a grouse, instead if picking it up and taking it to a warmer place... 28 days

Spoiler: show

Title: Re: Island challenge stories
Post by: paulkorotoon on October 27, 2020, 05:11:31 PM

ATTEMPT 2

ADDITIONAL CHALLENGE TERMS

Cultural regions toggled off.

STATS

Spoiler: show

SKILLS

Spoiler: show

SPELLS

Spoiler: show

INJURIES

Spoiler: show

DAY 1. 38% injured, 0% starving
The island appears to be quite large. Hroarr spots a bear cub and realizes it's his chance. However, he losts a track. it takes the rest of the day to craft a javelin. Must calm down. it's unlikely to kill a bear being wounded so bad.

DAY 2. 33% injured, 0% starving
Hroarr notices a willow grouse. Need to set traps. But first he should gather some herbs and berries.

DAY 3. 28% injured, 0% starving
He builds a shelter and goes on gathering lingonberries.

DAY 4. 24% injured, 1% starving
Hroarr spots the bear cub again, and again it flees. He sets a couple of small deadfall traps nearby, asking the spirits for help.

DAY 5. 19% injured, 4% starving
The cold is too strong. Hroarr fails to light a fire and dies of frost.

Title: Re: Island challenge stories
Post by: Buoidda on October 27, 2020, 07:40:53 PM

The many incarnations of Hroarr, fun read ;D

X#X#X#X#X#X#X#X#X#X

Ukko has spent following weeks skinning and butchering small game from the traps and throwing rocks at squirrels. Even the hares that fail to wander to traps are half-blind on this island. He literally walked over to one and kicked it to death. Starvation started rising a bit just before the hoofed ones' meat was dry enough to preserve through the summer too. If only he'd know how to get more than one cut of meat from around ten pounds of fat bunny. But the insides of animals seem so - icky. Especially after pounding them to jelly with a rage only a starving man can muster.

The badger never returned, probably drowned during the warmer days. While looking for it, Ukko found a dead lynx some distance away from the shore, on the ice. He also almost drowned taking a shortcut. Probably the ice will be too thin for standing upright safely for a long while still. He sees the ice bridging to neighbouring, smaller islands. But he knows sea ice is too perilous to brave this time of the year.

Weather has been mild this winter, thank the gods or - who knows - his own dedication to daily sacrifice. After all, he'll be needing blessings to get off this island alive. There was a colder week, but now the fur gear has kept him warm during the nights without a fire. Many seals splash around the island. He made ropes from bird skins and has set up couple of shelters with heavy bear traps on sea shores where the currents keep the sea from freezing. When the seals are close, Ukko moves base to hopefully come to a catch later.

His diet is strong now even with hardly any fish caught. Already one seal skull decorates a lone pine tree near his shelter. The extra fat will enable him to tan the one cured squirrel hide. How he'd craved for fat to eat when starving. He ate the squirrel's fat earlier, without even realizing he was going to use it to tan a squirrel hide.

It will be a long wait for the waters to warm up. "Hopefully I don't really have to swim away from here." Ukko has made a raft, but soon decided the currents make it impossible to maneuver without a proper paddle. (The idiot doesn't realize he could paddle with his legs.) If only some passing trader boat would see his fires.

X#X#X#X#X#X#X#X#X#X

I'm tempted to try @Privateer's method of zeroing skills, wasn't aware of that. I'm pretty sure the traps have been spawning extra animals for Ukko (see the pile of bones in the picture). It would be interesting to see if trapping helps at all with 0 trapping skill.

Title: Re: Island challenge stories
Post by: paulkorotoon on October 27, 2020, 07:45:31 PM

ATTEMPT 3

ADDITIONAL CHALLENGE TERMS

Cultural regions toggled off.

STATS

Spoiler: show

SKILLS

Spoiler: show

SPELLS

Spoiler: show

INJURIES

Spoiler: show

DAY 1. 53% injured, 0% starving
Hroarr gathers herbs and builds a shelter. The island is big enough to hope there are some large animals.

DAY 2. 42% injured, 0% starving
Young man crafts a staff and prepares some slender trunks for fire.

DAY 3. 36% injured, 3% starving
He gathers lingonberries, the only food available now. Crafts a javelin and falls asleep.

DAY 4. 30% injured, 4% starving
Hroarr sets up a couple of light lever traps. He needs meat desperately, as one cannot last long eating just berries and grass. Tries to fish, no success.

DAY 5. 23% injured, 9% starving
Suddenly it becomes colder, and he fails to get warm...

Title: Re: Island challenge stories
Post by: Buoidda on October 31, 2020, 08:28:03 PM

In the meantime, Ukko is training hard. Swimming up and down the bay until cold numbs the limbs. Shivering, he warms up by a fire at the shore, measuring his will to continue training. A third lynx was killed, this time caught in a big deadfall. It had cornered and eaten a rabbit in the southern peninsula. The big clueless one, persplexed by the sea. Ukko had kicked it earlier. He wonders if it was still limping and why fell prey.

"The waters need to be a lot warmer for any serious attempt for mainland. Where are the trader boats? It's almost summer. They should be already racing to get winter furs first. Even I have something to show."

X#X#X#X#X

Swimming increases at most three times per day. Well not every day. Increases seem chance based. Sometimes no luck. Training tactic is to swim close to the shore little bit more than numbingly cold, and warm up only to bitteringly cold and continue. On spare time check traps, fish or craft. Very little moving around. Swimming until freezing would be more efficient, but I'm terrified of failing because of numb player brain at this point. So extra care is taken.

I should also mention I've updated and started using my old fletching mod (see signature). As a wannabe archer-bowyer irl, I just can't bring myself to shoot those branches. For challenge transparency I had to publish it even though I wasn't planning to otherwise.

EDIT: Swimming at 100, time to start crafting while the waters warm up. Boy that was boring. But now this character is ever so precious. This is what makes these permadeath games so thrilling. You waste your real life for something unreal, which could, and will - I promise you - vanish in a blink of a button. ;D :o >:( :'( :( :P :)

Title: Re: Island challenge stories
Post by: Privateer on October 31, 2020, 09:40:25 PM

Profile

Spoiler: show

Skills

Spoiler: show

Injuries

Spoiler: show

----------------------------------
Day 1: Found a good shoreline picking rocks, stones and wood along the way. Collected downed slender trees and managed a shelter before midnight.
Day 2: The weather is just above freezing so investigation of the immediate area to the West and North is the plan. Gathered some wood, rock but no sign of any vegetation to eat. Found a couple 2~3 tile choke points joining land masses.
Day 3: The temp is again over freezing so to the South and East today. Located some cranberry plants so I collected the small amount and build a small trap at a choke point on my way back to shelter. Nearing the shelter I spotted a lynx, it ran off NNW. I don't have any bait so I put two small traps (unbaited) to the North of the shelter. Made staff/javelin before sleep.
Day 4: Down to about 10 cranberries, warm again, spent 2 hrs fishing (with no luck). Nothing in 'lynx' traps, checking other trap and found bloodscape on the way. Found partly eaten rabbit, no skin, got 1 cut + fat, nothing at trap. Back home bait one trap with fat and roast the cut.
Day 5: Cooler this moning, Traveled further SSW 'chasing' more berries. Found a few crowberries, then some lingonberries. Stayed mostly cold all day. Heading back to shelter, replaced cranberry bait with lingonberry in trap. Ran across two lynx on the way home. Moved trap w/fat bait to south of my shelter in hopes of snagging a lynx there. Still haven't seen any tracks.
Day 6: It's a bit cold, going to check traps and maybe get more berries

Spoiler: show

0/2 :)

Title: Re: Island challenge stories
Post by: Buoidda on November 01, 2020, 06:05:59 AM

Ah, the ominous snarl of the unreal tiger. Humorously called lynxes they are. So sad. :-\

Btw, what led to this encounter? Was it injured?

Title: Re: Island challenge stories
Post by: Privateer on November 01, 2020, 07:27:12 AM

Quote from: Buoidda on November 01, 2020, 06:05:59 AM

Ah, the ominous snarl of the unreal tiger. Humorously called lynxes they are. So sad. :-\

Btw, what led to this encounter? Was it injured?

It was a fresh day, I was moving through a spruce mire area where I had seen some before, but I never saw it. Until Ancestors screen I was only guessing what animal it was.

Title: Re: Island challenge stories
Post by: Buoidda on November 01, 2020, 08:00:08 AM

Hmm. Instakill. Shocking and unfair. But life isn't fair. Bears do that too. (Makes me think about all the times playing ADOM and just suddenly dying without warning, be it a trap or invisible monster. Roguelike-life hangs on a thin thread.) Can't say it was bad luck either. I've heard a few of these lynx victim stories over the years. In this case the victim was badly injured already and no clothing so those contributed to his downfall. But nevertheless lynxes are unrealistically dangerous, slicing through necks like butter. A reason why my chars try to wear at least a hood always. I wonder if there are any previous discussions about it.

To newbies reading, (which @Privateer certainly isn't): Keep a distance to them unless they are fatigued/badly injured. Wear protection if possible. Aggressive lynxes can be kept at bay by throwing stuff at them. That usually makes them flee again.

Ukko update:

Waters are still chilly, but Ukko is itching to leave. He's trained so much he feels like a fish in the water. He completed a trap fence near his camp, and the gods gave him yet one grey seal as a parting gift. Ukko hung it's skull near the fence to warn possible humans about the pit and traps. They are all untriggered now. One last sacrifice at the seita boulder on a nearby hilltop. Ukko gathers his food supplies, manages to swim with them across a narrow strait to the next island. He climbs a cliff and memorizes a parting view of the island that was his home for many months.

Save available for the curious and whoever wishes to practise island hopping. I'm using my fletching mod.

Spoiler: show

Title: Re: Island challenge stories
Post by: Buoidda on November 01, 2020, 05:08:11 PM

Long swims go easily after all food is left behind. Water is comfortable at last. It must be past midsommer already. On a bigger island, a fellow lost soul. Quite a character. Good swimmer too, has two axes but refuses to even talk about lending axe for making a raft or even a paddle. Finally he agreed to split some boards. Soon a raft and a paddle are made and Ukko heads back to camp to fetch all the accumulated furs and skins.

An islander village looms in the horizon. This Rikori is a real oddball. Even when Ukko is paddling, Rikori swims behind. With all that steel he's carrying? "He must be a spirit." Ukko decides. While in the quiet Islander village, Ukko tells his story. Villagers listen almost unbelievingly. Rikori is grateful for finding a village and stays there. He gives Ukko lesson in hideworking for his companionship. After trading for a broad knife, Ukko looks for Rikori to ask him once more for one of his handaxes. Ukko doesn't find him. "I've been blessed with a savior."

X#X#X#X#X#X#X#X

This was pure luck. But I'm relieved, it would've been pretty tedious to swim all the way to mainland. Highest fatigue was 36 after 10 wilderness tile swim. Some backtracking. No coldness problems after stepping into water was "comfortably warm". Everything but a few pieces of clothing was left behind. It was very handy to have leather shoes. Leather for rope which became stone axe for making a paddle and a raft.

Title: Re: Island challenge stories
Post by: Buoidda on November 01, 2020, 06:06:23 PM

Finally in a land of familiar people. Driik villagers gather around Ukko to hear his amazing stories in the hands of the Njerpez and the long hermitry on the island. Battle scars turn even the hardest sceptics around. In return, he hears news from home. "It will be so good to see my family again, mum will burst in tears she will", Ukko yearns. After recuperating a day, trading and long evening talks, Ukko starts his journey home.

But that is another story.

X#X#X#X#X#X#X#X

Challenge complete. This wasn't too hard. More like tedious. I guess the big ones were light injuries at the start and some luck spawning a stag and reindeer early enough to get fur clothes. And of course Rikori, but he was really a fast-forward past the easy and tedious island hopping part. I was clubbing with pikes so well at that point that few starvation points were more result of player rush and Ukko's homesickness than his ability. Grandmaster swimmer in warm waters doesn't seem to be in any danger of drowning, either. It was different in winter. Three times fell through the ice. Each time almost didn't get out. Could've well have died then.

I'm already thinking of a retake with a zero skill guy. (My hand is stiched up and I can't get to work so I have plenty of play time now.)

Island swimming would really be a never-ending nightmare with the no-zoom constraint. I was thinking of only using minimum zoom in wilderness map, allowing max zooming out only on cliffs and mountains. But then again, that would be more of an annoyance than a real constraint. So, next time, I'm all in for not zooming out until finding a cliff in the first, critical part of survival.

A save:

Spoiler: show

Title: Re: Island challenge stories
Post by: Buoidda on November 01, 2020, 08:43:46 PM

Edited the scenario story :o I fear death is not far....

Spoiler: Scenario and character details • show

Extra challenge options:
- zooming out allowed only on cliffs and mountains during winter (closed eyes for game start)
- "zeroed" Seal Tribe, stats rerolled until bad enough

X#X#X#X#X#X#X#X#X#X

Day 4, 11th week before midwinter: Single tile heathland island. Injuries 76. I'm soo dead. :'(
Day 2, 10th week: Crawled across the ice and found a bigger island. Don't know how big. (Wow. This is much more exciting this way!) A week or so in game. Stone knife, light trap, shelter. A lot of cutting for firewood with a fire nearby, some torches, berry picking, urgently laying light traps following shoreline. First hare trapped already. Starvation 6, injuries 60.
Day 4, 10th week: A cliff. A big island is seen to the east. Life is following the shoreline and staying warm. Couple of birds in the traps. A hare runs through a trap and vanishes in the woods, limping. Later the critter is found in the same trap. Now rope and a stone axe. Starvation 13, injuries 49.

Spoiler: First cliff view • show

Day 4, 9th week: Here the not zooming out plays a big part. Some trouble finding a way to the big island. Dropped through the ice twice. Lost 17 pounds of lingonberries in total. Stone axe was saved by throwing it on the ice. Starvation rises and weather gets colder. Need to find big game. Starvation 29, injuries 24.
Day 1, 8th week: Spotted a lynx and moved north not to cross paths with it. Left a baitless big trap at the cliff. Met a group of reindeer which was moving along coastline. Left a bear trap and continued. Later the group turned back and voilá! one of them got caught in the bear trap. Fur! Starvation 34, injuries 20.

Spoiler: Trapped reindeer • show

Day 6, 8th week: Clad in fur! Didn't kill the trapped reindeer, but used it's flock effect to slay the other doe and calf first (94lbs calf carcass, 0.9lbs skin?). In the meantime, berries withered again. Have 40 fistfuls so that's enough bird feed. Now off to find some legging and coat material. Starvation 18, injuries 13.
Day 1, 6th week: Found some more berries. Set up a trap trail around a bay. Few catches. Zig-zagged through the island due south to look for big herbivore tracks. Saw a fox, but ignored it. Baited the lynx trap in the south tip of the island and while zooming out on the cliff, the lynx was already in the trap. Spotted a seal too from the cliff and found good big trunks near it, but lacking rope. Returned north to bay area to check the trail for birds. Starvation 0, injuries 8.

Spoiler: Bay • show

Spoiler: Trapped lynx • show

Day 5, 6th week: Two ropes more. Starting another island sweep while going to make a trap where I saw the seal. On the way a terrible sight! Drowned, rotten ( :'( :'( :'() reindeers near the place I first saw them. Curses! I wondered why the group was so small. Should've been investigating... Injuries 4.

Spoiler: drowned reindeers • show

Day 2, 5th week: Threw a rock at a seal. Didn't set up a trap because lack of trunks. Should've cut some... Very little
anything. There are birds on the island, but not in the bay area. Maybe the traps should be more widespread. But it's very troublesome not being able to move on wilderness map. Getting lost is easy and half the island being thick coniferous doesn't help either. Arranging feather arrow signs. Finally a sow moves far away in the woods. Starvation 6, injuries 2.

Spoiler: Sow sighted • show

Title: Re: Island challenge stories
Post by: paulkorotoon on November 03, 2020, 10:24:01 AM

ATTEMPT 4. Had frozen to death.
ATTEMPT 5. Had died of frost.
ATTEMPT 6. Had been killed when tried to rob a lone trader.
ATTEMPT 7. Had frozen to death. Again.
ATTEMPT 8. Had been shot with a single arrow when tried to rob an adventurer.
ATTEMPT 9. Came upon two wolves stuck on a crag close to the shore, tried to kill them with rocks, got too close to them and had been killed with a single blow. Sooo stupid.
ATTEMPT 10. Had starved to death. 75 days!
ATTEMPT 11. Had died of starvation.
ATTEMPT 12. Had starved to death. Once more.

Title: Re: Island challenge stories
Post by: paulkorotoon on November 03, 2020, 01:12:49 PM

ATTEMPT 13

ADDITIONAL CHALLENGE TERMS

Playing as Islander (I've got really tired of rerolling start location).

STATS

Spoiler: show

SKILLS

Spoiler: show

INJURIES

Spoiler: show

THE ISLAND

Spoiler: show

DAY 1. 56% injuried
The island is huge. “Good”, Hroarr thinks. The bigger is island, the higher are chances of large game presense. He wanders here and there, climbs a stony hill and suddenly spots several reindeers at a distance of bout two hundred steps. “Thanks, Sky Father”. Hroarr grasps his knife and runs. After a long pursuit one of the reindeers is exhausted enough to be overtaken. The young man feels excited. He gently sets the first cut of meat on the ground and whispers, “Oh spirits, thank you. Horned brother, forgive me, as I need your skin and your flesh. May your spirit find its way back someday.”

DAY 2. 49% injuried
Hroarr builds a shelter, prepares some slender trunks for fire, then roasts the meat and tans the hide.

DAY 3. 45% injuried, 1% starving
He makes leggins and mittens. Not enough to feel warm, yet far better than nothing.

DAY 4. 39% injuried, 1% starving
The whole day is spent on looking for the rest of reindeer pack. No sign of them.

DAY 5. 34% injuried, 1% starving
Hroarr finally spots them and kills one. Skins, butchers, continues the search.

DAY 6. 29% injuried
Another reindeer! The young man is lucky to have swift feet and keen eye. The hardest is not to lose the track. Reindeers are fast, yet not enduring. Follow them, herd them close to water, and you'll almost certainly manage to catch at least one.

DAY 7. 24% injuried
Hroarr stores up more firewood and tans the hides. Half of the meat is hanged to dry, half is roasted. He doesn't forget to make sacrifices.

DAY 8. 19% injuried
He makes a shirt, a hood and footwear. So good to feel warm at last!

DAY 9. 14% injuried
Hroarr fells more young trees for fire. Then makes a javelin. Maybe he'll be lucky enough to catch some fish.

DAY 10. 10% injuried
He continues searching for prey and collects some berries and saplings. Spots an elk, but fails to track it down.

DAY 11. 9% injuried
Hroarr goes on preparing firewood. It's getting colder.

DAY 12. 5% injuried
Searching for big game. No success.

DAY 13. 2% injuried
Hroarr stumbles upon a reindeer pack, but it's too dark and they flee.

DAY 14. 1% injuried
The young islander comes back to look for tracks and all of a sudden spots a dead reindeer on the ice. It's probably one of that pack he had scared off yesterday. Hroarr pulls the carcass to the shore, skins and butchers it.

Spoiler: screenshot • show

DAY 15. 1% injuried
The hide is tanned, the meat is drying, and Hroarr decides to explore the shoreline, hoping there are more drowned reindeers. However, he finds nothing. Later he meets an adventurer and asks him to help Hroarr leave the island, but the man refuses.

DAY 16
Finally, an overcoat. And a squirrel caught. Time to get leather, so as to make an axe and set heavy traps.

DAY 17
He goes on exploring the shoreline, now looking not only for a big game, but for a watercraft of that adventurer. No luck. Two more squirrels caught.

DAY 18
In the evening Hroarr puts up with a thought he's unlikely to find neither a drowned reindeer nor a watercraft. He starts setting light lever traps.

DAY 19
It starts to show hard, and soon the ground becomes all white. More light lever traps set.

DAY 20
Hroarr goes back to shelter after setting several traps and spots an elk. This time he must catch it! It takes a while, but finally he herds the animal on ice. Of couse, ice breaks. Hroarr waits until the elk is breathless and pulls it to the ground. He is tired and happy.

Spoiler: screenshot • show

Title: Re: Island challenge stories
Post by: Buoidda on November 03, 2020, 01:25:55 PM

Hail Hroarr the Incarnate! 8)

Day 2, 4th week before midwinter: Found a drowned sow but the rest hid in the woods. Scouring traps. Pretty well small game. Here walked next to one.

Spoiler: Bird just sitting there • show

Day 3, 4th week: I have a tamed eagle owl.

Spoiler: Rip hare • show

Day 6, 4th week: Met Ilari who promised to help me off the island. But first some hunting.

Spoiler: Food for journey home • show

Day 1, 3rd week: Wolves! "Stay back, boy!" That was the last thing Ilari told me.

Spoiler: Wolves! • show

I was late to the fight carrying tons of goods and fatigued. Wolves killed poor Ilari. Luckily the commotion made the rest flee. I killed the injured wolf lying next to him. Then grabbed his stuff and ran away.

Spoiler: Battle log • show

Back at the raft-to-be, I couldn't leave Ilari to the wolves. I fetched his body and made a pyre for him. Luckily no sign of wolves. They'd probably been my death if not for Ilari, in this densely wooded place.

Spoiler: Funeral • show

Ok I know it's winter still, but not zooming out would've been insane. I also did a lot of dismantling traps zooming in and out ::)

Spoiler: show

Day 7, 3rd week before midwinter: Herded an elk onto sea ice, but everything didn't go as planned. Injuries 27.

Spoiler: Elk hoover • show

Spoiler: State of my ribs • show

Day 1, 2nd week: Now put it cold in exchange and hangin'. Injuries 25.

Spoiler: Elk on my mercy • show

Day 2, last week: Got a bit frostbitten processing the elk skin. But now got a full fur outfit. Driik was not far south. Traded for axes and tried to have a fine broad knife. Didn't have enough goods so I threw it against a wall. Later the villagers thought I still have it. Luckily saying I don't want it anymore solved the misunderstanding. Injuries 25.

Spoiler: In the village • show

Challenge complete.

Spoiler: Skills • show

X#X#X#X#X#X#X#X#X#X#X#X

Hmm. This was a lot less tedious training-wise but oh all that walk and getting lost in the woods. Didn't bother to zoom in anymore on the mainland. It's just too boring and tedious when you're not in danger anymore.

This is a nice blank skilled character to continue on. I think Áigin's going to winter in Driik and head north to find home in summer.

But that is another story.

EDIT: But a short one. I was doing the wounded adventurer quest, found the camp in a spruce mire and tried to set up a wolf trap, hearing an angry growl... Neck protection is soooooooo important in this game. (Other attacks didn't penetrate.) Always find a mail cowl.

Spoiler: RIP Áigin • show

Title: Re: Island challenge stories
Post by: paulkorotoon on November 03, 2020, 04:04:53 PM

@Buoidda, yep, he's so stubborn that even death cannot stop him!

Title: Re: Island challenge stories
Post by: Buoidda on November 03, 2020, 04:11:53 PM

@paulkorotoon How did you put a description on the spoiler tag?

Title: Re: Island challenge stories
Post by: paulkorotoon on November 03, 2020, 04:32:11 PM

Quote from: Buoidda on November 03, 2020, 04:11:53 PM

@paulkorotoon How did you put a description on the spoiler tag?

[spoiler=your_description_here. Case doesn't matter, the text will be uppercased.

Title: Re: Island challenge stories
Post by: paulkorotoon on November 03, 2020, 05:03:57 PM

DAY 21 – DAY 22
He spends two days tanning hides and preparing firewood.

DAY 23
Hroarr makes a fur coat. Now that full set of clothes is obtained, he's calm about upcoming frosts.

DAY 24 – DAY 26
The young man continues setting light lever traps and processing birds carcasses.

DAY 27
Hroarr tans enough leather to make a rope. He crafts a stone-axe and sets first heavy deadfall trap. Hopefully there are animals big enough to get into it.

DAY 28 – DAY 29
Four birds and two squirrels. “The spirits are gracious to me”, Hroarr thinks, making another sacrifice.

DAY 30
He hunts down one more reindeer. Seems Hroarr learned their habit a little.

DAY 31 – DAY 33
The young islander tans the hides and looks for a game. Spots a reindeer pack twice, both times fails to catch anything.

DAY 34
Hroarr comes across that pack again, and this time manages to pull down three reindeers in a row! An hour later he catches the fourth one. Hroarr is so heated that he kills the beast with bare hands. The fifth reindeer flees.

Spoiler: screenshot • show

DAY 35 – DAY 41. 8%..4% injuried
One of deers had quite badly hit Hroarr in the left arm. It aches. He tans the hides, occasionally checks traps, and rests. Tries to fish with a javelin a couple times, catches nothing.

DAY 42. 3% injuried
More fishing, two burbots are not dexterous enough to avoid the javelin.

DAY 43 – DAY 47. 1%..0% injuried
The reindeer hides are finally tanned, and Hroarr makes a set of clothes and armour of leather. And a fair supply of ropes.

DAY 48
Hroarr wanders around thinking what to do next. He's got clothes, he's got a pretty good amount of food, he's got some tools. Now he needs a plan. Hroarr comes back at his shelter, lights a fire and sits by it for a quite long time, asking the spirits to guide his mind.

Title: Re: Island challenge stories
Post by: paulkorotoon on November 10, 2020, 05:40:17 AM

DAY 49
Patience. That's what he needs, Hroarr decided. He wanders in the forest, looking for reindeer tracks, and suddenly spots a small elk. Chasing him, Hroarr also notices a lynx. The elk manages to flee.

DAY 50
The young man continues tracing the elk and finally finds it. The chase takes a long time, and both are so exhausted that they barely can move. Finally the animal is killed, and Hroarr falls prone. It takes an hour to recuperate enough to skin and buther the carcass.

DAY 51
He tans the skin and rests.

DAY 52
Hroarr spots the lynx again and decides to set several bing deadfall traps.

DAY 53 – DAY 58
He resets light lever traps and sets them in another part of the island. Five birds and a fox caught.

DAY 59
The lynx gets into the trap! It manages to tear Hroarr's left shoulder.

DAY 60. 10% injured
The young warrior rests and tries fishing, yet no success.

DAY 61. 10% injured
Foreign traders! Hroarr asks them to let him travel with them, but they refuse. However, that doesn't makes him upset because he barter a handaxe. For the first time Hroarr feels really happy. It must be the spirits who guided the traders exactly here.

DAY 62. 10% injured
Hroarr decides to fish until reindeers' meat dries. Three pikes this time.

DAY 63. 9% injured
A pike and a burbot! The spirits are kind to him. That's enough for several days.

DAY 64. 9% injured
It's getting much colder.

DAY 65. 15% injured
No catch gain, and Hroarr gets his left foot frostbitten.

DAY 66. 12% injured
Fish seems to avoid his javelin, and he stops fishing. Time to prepare for escape.

DAY 67 – DAY 69. 11%..10% injured
Hroarr disarms all the traps, makes a paddle and a raft, loads his few belongins on it and leaves the island. Farewell, the spirits of this place, and thank you for all your help.

DAY 70. 9% injured
It's hard to find a way through the ice, and his path is tortuous and slow.

DAY 71. 17% injured
Hroarr's feet get frotbitten, but he doesn't care. And finally he reaches the mainland, climbs a hill... and spots a fortified village. So, he is in Driik. Hroarr falls on his knees and cries loudly, “I'm safe!” The struggle against the island is over. Yet there will be, of course, more struggle. But Hroarr isn't afraid.

Spoiler: screenshot • show

Title: Re: Island challenge stories
Post by: paulkorotoon on November 10, 2020, 05:44:25 AM

Well, it was fun. I've been really lucky to have so many herbivores on the island, and to catch a lynx, and to meet those traders. Not going to play challenges in the nearest future though. It was a bit exhausting (and sometimes infuriating :D ).

Title: Re: Island challenge stories
Post by: Brygun on December 03, 2020, 11:11:22 PM

In honor of Bouddia, one of the early modders that the BAC used, I am taking up the challenge. This is the introduction post. I will post the full story in its own thread.

>>>>
Character name: Iltros

Objective: Fresh play with game changes, writing practice

Rules of play: It is another writing practice so I might reload after a death like for accidents. Example: If I’m real life tired and not paying attention then walk onto ice that breaks and drown.

MODs: BAC
Might add a weapon trainer mod later.

Culture:
Driik

Attributes:
Well… I did do one where I did a lot of rerolls not for a superman but at least not crippled. Rereading the rules for Bouddia’s challenge I deleted that character. This new one was on the first roll set and at least not a cripple. This one wasn’t a reroll.
On a scale of 1-5
Intel 3
Will 4.5
Str 2.5
End 2
Dex 4.5
Agility 3
Speed 3
Eyesight 4
Hearing 3
Smell/taste 3
Touch 4

Rituals:
General Sacrifice
Bear Skull Rite - place a bear skull in a tree to return the bear spirit
Net favorableness - have your sheep walk over a net
Blood stanching incantation - recite to stop blood loss

Skills:
Wanted to have a concept of a viable pre-adventure life. Did lower his skiing skill reflecting mostly in the Driik area or out fishing. Settled into high “skilled” for fishing and carpentry skills. During the warm seasons out fishing with the family who made their own boat. Other laborers were hired to fell logs (timbercraft). They made clinkered punts for themselves or sale. In the winter time they worked on carpentry (or other skills using that score).

Scenario:
Hurt, helpless and afraid

Game Course:
Unreal world

Wounds: on a scale of 1-5
Deep cut in left eye, bright red, 5! (GAAAH!)
Minor puncture in fight forearm 0.5
Fracture in left eye, 3
Shallow cut in abdomen, 2

Backstory:
His family were boat builders and fishermen among the Driik. In the warm seasons they fished more. In the winter they built more. They among the few that made the larger clinkered punts. Laborers were hired to do the timber craft like felling logs while they built the boats. If boat work wasn’t needed they crafted other things or worked with the iron smith.
This winter time Iltros was hired to sail traders among the islands. The trader’s own ocean craft wasn’t expected until spring. This was their effort to make a few more trades over the winter.
While among the islands a great storm blew up. Giant waves tossed about. One might see shapes in the foam of faces of people, horses and octopus. They say a foreigner with a fishing trident walked amid the storm waves. Iltros fell out of their boat and was speared by the stranger, in his left eye! As blackness of pain was overtaking him Iltros recited the blood-stanching ritual.
Iltros woke up on the land, naked, hurt and afraid.He was limbs spread over a knoll on the ground looking up to the open the sky. Looking that is with only his right eye.
His left eye was caked over with blood and salt. He worried he would his sight in that eye. Yet he could remember a tale that in other lands of a man who gave away one eye to see in the spirit realm.
This is how Iltros remembered being brought into the island challenge.

Links to my other stories:

Iltros
The island challenge
http://www.unrealworld.fi/forums/index.php?topic=6007.0

Cornan
An adventure to emulate Conan
http://www.unrealworld.fi/forums/index.php?topic=5461.0

Novrus
A long adventure establishing a first winter house
https://www.unrealworld.fi/forums/index.php?topic=4640.0

Title: Re: Island challenge stories
Post by: Brygun on December 04, 2020, 01:00:26 AM

Darkness brought fear of blindness. It was only late night. Sleep had faltered as chill winds slipped in the sloppy shelter. The fire had gone out. The opening let in the cold. Stumbling and half blind Iltros cut branches off the nearby spruce trees. These he wove into a mat to keep him off the ground. Another to lay over him. This still wasn’t enough for his naked body dabbled in goosebumps. More gathering was managed for a larger fire. Sleep was needed, food was lacking and the waters next to him seemed to look back at him with the face of the sea-man.

When he awoke the next few times the fire was still going. Still he pushed more wood in. He couldn’t risk freezing.

Finally when he woke there was the glimmer of daylight. As if to mock the day was even colder.

With daylight Iltros could see to work. Spruce and spruce mats were better fitted to block wind. Being a fisherman he looked at the water knowing it could feed him.

Struggling in the freezing to keep the fires going…

He died

Title: Re: Island challenge stories
Post by: Brygun on December 04, 2020, 03:17:46 AM

Pekka is starting another go

https://www.unrealworld.fi/forums/index.php?topic=6016.0

This is at a slightly reduced level called "washed ashore" where you can have some clothes and do a few rerolls intended to have a plausible backstory. I hope to live through a second night. Its nice to have pants.

Title: Re: Island challenge stories
Post by: Brygun on December 04, 2020, 04:08:30 AM

Pekka died tying to make first shelter for the second night.

Title: Re: Island challenge stories
Post by: Brygun on December 08, 2020, 09:34:09 AM

Tuukka is lasting longer.

http://www.unrealworld.fi/forums/index.php?topic=6082.0

In fairness while doing a 10-hour long log splitting he died. That I felt is a bit gamey as I had to continue the work or lose the 7-ish hours when the trouble started. Realistically there was ready wood available to extend the fire. That said... if you enjoy reading my stories Tuukka is continuing.

Title: Re: Island challenge stories
Post by: Brygun on December 09, 2020, 02:12:21 AM

Gotta say,

Paddling off your first island, slowly chilling in the ocean air, landing on a new island... and finding a frozen elk waiting for you was totally... "cool". 8)

Title: Re: Island challenge stories
Post by: Buoidda on December 10, 2020, 10:28:40 PM

NOT QUALIFIED FOR CHALLENGE: spring+mods (though I do not get/take essential survival benefits from my mod)

Aillon of modified Seal-Tribe managed his first swim. Neighbouring islands are so few and far between that had to resort to counting tiles.

Started in spring to have no berries. Only single reindeer and a willow grouse spawned on land in spring. Tried to train fishing, but starving got +50 at some point. Then started getting seals in deadfalls. Developing my own mod (2.1+) at the same time.

Spoiler: show

Title: Re: Island challenge stories
Post by: Brygun on December 11, 2020, 05:30:27 AM

Quite the swim!

Started in spring? Oh wait... I think I combined the two challenges for a naked winter island start and died a lot for it.

Title: Re: Island challenge stories
Post by: Buoidda on December 11, 2020, 06:24:49 AM

No you did it right... I just tried the spring for a change and see if it would spawn less animals than winter like I've read somewhere. It did. Less I mean. But staying warm was less of a problem than I expected.

EDIT: Áillon had to swim north and then back west. Found a bigger island than the original (10-20 tiles), but swimming distances are too big even for a grandmaster. Can't see new islands anymore. Seems like he's properly stranded until outside help arrives on the island. But he's hopeful: birds greeted his arrival on the spruce-thick shores.
Áillon is not qualified for the punitive island challenge: spring+mods (though I do not get/take essential survival benefits from my mod)

Title: Re: Island challenge stories
Post by: Brygun on December 11, 2020, 08:06:58 AM

Quote from: Buoidda on December 11, 2020, 06:24:49 AM

But he's hopeful: birds greeted his arrival on the spruce-thick shores.

"Welcoming spirits in the form of birds"

Title: Re: Island challenge stories
Post by: Buoidda on December 22, 2020, 06:08:55 PM

Update:

Áillon wintered on the big island. There were elks and seals, but no people visited the island. It was a long year. He developed several seal-hunting tactics and made an enclosure for elks. To keep them alive longer. When summer sun finally warmed the waters, he set out to swim to north-east, even when not seeing land in the horizon.

It very nearly cost him his life.

Spoiler: show

(I had no save. Last bits of this swim were nerve-wrecking.)

Unable to see properly among the waves, he only could get a glimpse of what lay ahead.
(I was using the map to navigate, since zooming out doesn't work when swimming.)

Spoiler: show

The waters went cold again in fallow month. Áillon had to wait for what felt like weeks for the sea to be warm enough to swim such long distances again.

Finally some bigger islands. This must be archipelago!

Spoiler: show

A village! Saved!

Spoiler: show

Áillon hauled some sauna stones in exchange for a board and some food. Then he fashioned a paddle, made a raft and set out to get his stash of furs and half-cottage worth of logs.

Title: Re: Island challenge stories
Post by: Brygun on December 22, 2020, 08:39:16 PM

Did Aillon swim from island to island? :o

Title: Re: Island challenge stories
Post by: Buoidda on December 22, 2020, 10:49:05 PM

Sure. After a year of waiting for travellers I got fed up waiting and decided to swim even if don't see islands to the east. There are rare spots to wade and rest out at sea I was hoping to hit one but didn't.

Spoiler: show

Good fishing skill shields from starving but it is more important to just go and starve if the water is warm enough. Water might get chilly again and then you're stuck. It must say "you feel comfortably warm" after you enter the water. If you misjudge water temperature, it is an sure way to die of hypothermia way off shore.

Here's a link to the main challenge topic. It contains a link to the swimming guide I learnt from. Not sure if its 100% accurate on the "return when moderately fatigued", though. Might be outdated info. Fatigue seems to rise more quickly when you are already fatigued, might be successful skill check based. I just don't know for sure how it works.

Punitive island winter challenge (https://www.unrealworld.fi/forums/index.php?topic=5841.msg15671#msg15671)
Swimming_(Skill) (https://www.unrealworld.fi/wiki/index.php?title=Swimming_(Skill))

Title: Re: Island challenge stories
Post by: Brygun on December 23, 2020, 02:08:41 AM

I applaud your swimming.

Have you considered swimming to Angleand?

Title: Re: Island challenge stories
Post by: JP_Finn on December 24, 2020, 06:14:54 PM

That’s some swimming Buoidda!
Do you swim diagonals for wider ‘view’ or straight lines? Is either one more/less fatiguing?

Title: Re: Island challenge stories
Post by: Buoidda on December 24, 2020, 06:51:16 PM

Thx. I try to align the very center pixel of (the massive red dot showing) my position in line with my target green island dot as precisely as possible. Nearing it, the red dot will cover the target and usually I don't have to zigzag too much if I took care to aim right. But when I think I should be meeting land at any time, I start to zigzag.

Resembles a bit like aeroplane landing simulation: steady approach from far away helps a lot.

I have no idea if diagonals differ in fatiguing. Turning takes time though.

Title: Re: Island challenge stories
Post by: Buoidda on December 27, 2020, 12:20:11 PM

In celebration of my latest and laborious new mod release, I generated this new character, Lemet. I actually managed to get reasonably low speed and eyesight (for a seal-triber) without rerolls. Using @Night's magnificent start location selector (https://www.unrealworld.fi/forums/index.php?topic=6072.0), I'm trying a completely different place than usual.

I'm using my craft mod (2.3) and therefore I can start making a stone axe pretty soon, but let's see... The best new trees grow on the other side of the world. Also swimming to the mainland shouldn't prove a problem, should I survive to the summer. I think I've done enough swimming for a while anyway.

Spoiler: show

The skills are modded in ini_skills.txt. I didn't like the zero skill types because some skills are just horrible to try to raise later in game (especially carpentry).

Title: Re: Island challenge stories
Post by: TheyCallMeSibs on January 02, 2021, 02:45:03 PM

My Wilson is stranded on a 3 tile island in the very south west, further than anything I've ever been on. I've got the self sufficiency mod I might play around with once I survive the winter. So far he's 21 days into the experience, put up roughly 40 light traps and hasn't seen a single living thing, which worries me greatly. Injuries stayed steadily above my fishing skill until starvation took over, so that hasnt worked out either. What if there just arent any spawns on my little corner?

Title: Re: Island challenge stories
Post by: Buoidda on January 02, 2021, 05:08:40 PM

Lemet also didn't see any spawns for the first month or so. Then a couple of birds and seals started spawning. But now he's deceased of boredom. I wanted to play on the mainland for a change, also to better test my mod.

For Wilson, I would definitely expect at least seals at some point.

Note also that each readying of a trap upsets the spirits a bit. With so large number of traps, this needs to be balanced out with (daily?) sacrifice.

Animal populations' spawn mechanic is quite refined: here's a excerpt from the changelog (http://www.unrealworld.fi/news.txt).

Quote

- overhauled: animal populations

Creation of animal populations has been thoroughly checked, adjusted and balanced.
These adjustments concern not only the commonness and relative number of animals, but
also their natural habitats. Frequency of big game remains quite the same as it was,
and most notable changes are seen in populations of small animals and birds.

In general you can now expect more varied and greater number of wildlife to exist in
the world, but natural habitat of animals has a much greater role than before. You
can't expect to find any forest animals in any type of forest.

Few examples:
Gluttons and ravens prefer large intact coniferous woodland areas.
And so do pine-martens - but they also like cliffs and caverns nearby their home
forests. Badgers mostly occupy mixed or leaf tree forests - preferably with some
wetlands nearby. Weasels aren't too picky about their habitat as long as there's enough
trees and vegetation to provide coverage - but they tend to avoid too open areas.
etc. etc. etc.

With balanced and overhauled animal populations in use you are bound to find more
animals and more different species within smaller area than before. It's possible
that an area of 5x5 wilderness tiles (500x500 meters) can have a dozen of different
forest birds, three hares, two squirrels, a fox and a badger around. It's possible -
but naturally not always the case. And despite of more wildlife existing it's not
evident that you'll get to spot it from a close (or hunting) distance.

To learn more about changes in habitat and population adjustments see updated
game encyclopedia [F1] pages for:

Title: Re: Island challenge stories
Post by: TheyCallMeSibs on January 02, 2021, 06:02:53 PM

Yeah, I saw that part. I've now gotten exactly one bird and one pike for my struggles, and Winter has set in properly. I hope I survive the starvation to the first seal :C

Title: Re: Island challenge stories
Post by: Modest Grouse on August 19, 2021, 09:35:05 PM

I did a variant of this. Essentially I did Nekot's challenge; got to a mountain, saw that I was outside a cultural region and on a peninsula with no villages; and shortly thereafter decided that staying zoomed-in all the time was excessively tedious, so I just decided to not explore and see if I could survive the winter without villages. The story I had in mind was that I was exiled for a year. More of a peninsula challenge, but that's not so different from a large island. I just made it to midwinter, but this character is now well-equipped enough that, absent doing something stupid, there's no reason he won't survive winter. The main turning points were:

Spoiler: show

UnReal World forums

UnReal World => Stories => Topic started by: Buoidda on October 25, 2020, 11:19:20 PM