Sea Ice Community Challenge

[DeathWeasel]

I've been using my silver as a construction material for my base. The wood and steel are far too precious to spend on walls.

There's a lot of other small things you can do to help out as well. Putting the heater next to the research bench interaction spot makes it 50% light level which is enough to avoid the -5 in darkness malus. Also I've learned that if you need more than one heater you've made your base too big. One more thing I've done in my latest run that I've been neglecting is to build a human leather armchair in from of the research bench. Engie doesn't seem to mind the occasional meal of human flesh as long as she gets to sit on a comfy chair made from the skins of her enemies.

One more thing, keep Engie's schedule set to joy for every time that isn't sleep so she can keep that +10 Tons o' joy mood effect on at all times.

[Zhentar]

Run 3, Day 11: What strange force compels these wanderers? A mysterious woman trekked far across the desolate ice to my doorstep. Upon arriving, she immediately stripped naked, leaving her muffalo wool parka neatly folded. She walked over to my butchery table and then stood there motionless, waiting to die. The cold rapidly overtook her. We never spoke a word. I question what machinations have brought this to me, but the lifesaving warmth of the wool is far too great a gift to deny.

[Rhadamant]

I've been using my silver as a construction material for my base. The wood and steel are far too precious to spend on walls.

There's a lot of other small things you can do to help out as well. Putting the heater next to the research bench interaction spot makes it 50% light level which is enough to avoid the -5 in darkness malus. Also I've learned that if you need more than one heater you've made your base too big. One more thing I've done in my latest run that I've been neglecting is to build a human leather armchair in from of the research bench. Engie doesn't seem to mind the occasional meal of human flesh as long as she gets to sit on a comfy chair made from the skins of her enemies.

One more thing, keep Engie's schedule set to joy for every time that isn't sleep so she can keep that +10 Tons o' joy mood effect on at all times.

I've tried to go the route of building in steel and then waiting for a bulk goods to come by to buy more.

[Sola]

Day 70:  What a scumbag.  Engie's a decent people, and you break up with her while trying to survive on the single most inhospitable climate imaginable?

Sharing a bed and a permanent mood boost was the only reason I kept this non-doctor around.  Next passable colonist that appears is gonna replace this guy now


She did NOT need this in her life.


Day 73:  Stuff just went sideways.  In my zeal to kill of Flais, I accepted a call for help when I was ill prepared for it.  Flais ran out to save the new person by stripping nekkid and giving the newcomer his parka and weapon, but the pusuiers were too well prepared.  three personal shields proved too much and I ended up having my charge rifle, thrumbo horn, and glitterworld medicine stolen.  Flais died, the newcomer got an infection, and Engie lost her foot.  That ends this run


--
Also, this is a thing.


--
Run 15 was going well.  TWO wool parkas coming my way on day 15!  Unfortunately, the guy with the incendiary launcher was a crack shot.  Engie does not fight well while on fire.

https://youtu.be/kWc-oJvn7ig

[DeathWeasel]

On my fourth attempt, I've made it to winter 5502. The colony currently consists of my initial starting room, a larger room with 6 heaters and 10 hydroponics basins, and 7 wind turbines to power it all. I had the good fortune of having some cargo pods drop in some sandstone blocks and bought some steel from a bulk goods trader to build with. As soon as I got my first hydroponics basin up I had a wanderer join and I decided to let her stay. With the second set up hands we were able to get the smelter running non stop to produce more steel. Wanderer three and four joined soon after and we got a little worried about the food income, but it seems to be fine for now. Still working through the supply of steel slag chunks, and any new steel goes toward new hydroponics basins. Defenses consist mostly of hopes and prayers and a few scattered sandbags.

There was a scary moment about a year in when Engie got shot in the lung by a scyther. She stayed in bed the whole time and got up to extreme blood loss but managed to pull through.

Things are currently looking up. The colony has enough food for the four colonists and we're hoping to get some real defenses up soon. If things go poorly and the hydroponics room burns down or something, we have a supply of 5385 human meat just in case.

[Zhentar]

Run 15 was going well.  TWO wool parkas coming my way on day 15!  Unfortunately, the guy with the incendiary launcher was a crack shot.  Engie does not fight well while on fire.

https://youtu.be/kWc-oJvn7ig

Run 3, Day 33: A raider with an incendiary launcher gets off one shot before collapsing from hypothermia. That shot nails Engie, and she struggles to extinguish herself, getting badly burned. Some of her burns get infected, dooming her.


Run 4, Day 1: I'm getting my starting routine down. Only had to burn 5 wood in my campfire!

Run 4, Day 2: Why the  hell didn't I think of making a silver bed before? It fixes the awful bedroom and ugly environment debuffs, improves comfort, and speeds up resting & healing.




edit: Run 4, Day 5: Sweet merciful sky steel! It's a bulk goods trader! Suddenly that silver bed seems a bit more wasteful, but I only need 525 steel to meet my goals and I can afford to buy 540.

[Zhentar]

I'm suddenly met with the realization: I've spent so much time worrying about having enough steel that I've made no allowances in my layout planning for actually using that steel. Hmmmm....

[DeathWeasel]

Summer 5502

Finally finished research of a machining table to get some more steel from all the fallen mechanoids that have been accumulating around the base. Just as Engie finished construction of the table a bulk goods trade showed up to sell the colony 1000 steel. Now that we have tons of excess steel, work begins on a few turret guns to help with defense. We also bought 2000 stone blocks to set up a perimeter wall to help funnel enemies towards the guns. Maybe now the colonists can start to feel like maybe the next mechanoid raid wont be the last.

[Zhentar]

Finally got my first hydroponics bay built. The plants die from the cold whenever Engie opens the door to walk outside. Guess I'm going to have to scrounge up the resources for an airlock...

[Zhentar]

Day 30: Engie continues to loathe her roommate, Webster. Webster is kept around only out of necessity, to tend Engie in emergencies and perform research while Engie performs real work.



Yes! I can finally ditch Webster; I'll sell her to buy Engie's lover!



Oh. Never mind.

[Shurp]

Is it just me or do new recruits get more useless with every update?

[Rhadamant]

Day 70:  What a scumbag.  Engie's a decent people, and you break up with her while trying to survive on the single most inhospitable climate imaginable?

Sharing a bed and a permanent mood boost was the only reason I kept this non-doctor around.  Next passable colonist that appears is gonna replace this guy now


She did NOT need this in her life.


Day 73:  Stuff just went sideways.  In my zeal to kill of Flais, I accepted a call for help when I was ill prepared for it.  Flais ran out to save the new person by stripping nekkid and giving the newcomer his parka and weapon, but the pusuiers were too well prepared.  three personal shields proved too much and I ended up having my charge rifle, thrumbo horn, and glitterworld medicine stolen.  Flais died, the newcomer got an infection, and Engie lost her foot.  That ends this run


--
Also, this is a thing.


--
Run 15 was going well.  TWO wool parkas coming my way on day 15!  Unfortunately, the guy with the incendiary launcher was a crack shot.  Engie does not fight well while on fire.

https://youtu.be/kWc-oJvn7ig

Hey there! Yeah I meant to reupload the proper save file but I think the bitly linked to the wrong one. I'll get it linked correctly.

http://bit.ly/2iH2lye

[Sola]

Thanks.  That's gonna make things MUCH easier.  In that 90 day run I had, I *still* hadn't finished machining.  That 0 research was quite a kick in the jibblies.

Run 16: Heck of a start.  Two fail-to-constructs gets three cases of frostbite.  Can't do the grave-constructing to gain constructor experience like I used to
Fortunately, it doesn't even matter, as infection sets in.  Next game!

Run 17: a passion for research solves the joy problems I was having, and the 6 in research to start solves the science problems I was having.  This should be much easier now.

Day 6:  Easily the best start I've ever had in this challenge.

Not only did the pirates buy her for 900 silver, but she was also wearing a shoddy muffalo wool parka.  -188F cold tolerance GET!

Day 8: Guy calls for help, wearing hyperweave.  I go out to lure the pirates closer to my base so I have a shorter haul trip to make.  A max range survival rifle headshots engie.  I check the shot chance.  "Shot by pirate: 1.9%".  Fortunately, new guy makes it close to base, engie rescues him, he recovers from hypothermia, heals Engie, then goes off to die.

Day 12: It's really early to gamble my remaining food on another colonist, but this one has a lot going for him.  Capable of all relevant tasks, good passions, solves the "infection=death" problem, and provides a mood boost to Engie.  I've made worse gambles.  Welcome to the team!  Unfortunately, the one shot I have at building a double bed comes up shoddy.  Good job, Engie


Day 19: Out of food.  I may have made a mistake, but Electric Smelting is done, which wasn't even done at the end of my best run over a year in length.

Day 22: Neurotic lover is a break risk.  There is only one option.  Euthanize him and eat his corpse!  Engie does not approve.  Like.. super-duper does not approve.


Day 24: Still no bulk goods trader, and Engie's been cruising the edge of extreme break for days.  While I'm debating eating another human corpse, or the thrumbo corpse, Zzzt happens and destroys everything.  Thus ends the saga of Engie XVI.

[Shad]

The first raider had tuque and the first wandered had a shoddy, but muffalo parka. Having read all the horrible stories so far, I decided to do a different thing. I got Engie to pack up an leave. There's a 6 hex patch of ice sheet about 5 days travel away (around 10 degrees warmer), 2 of the hexes with hills. So Engie packed up all remaining food (13 days), some components and medicine and set off and colonised the hilly bit. Having found a vent she walled that off and no longer as to worry about freezing.

She may still starve to death, as I could not pack wood to set up a research bench and finish hydroponics. Will let you know how this proceeds.

[Sola]

I'm really getting to dislike "You need a bulk goods trader to show up" becoming an integral part of winning this challenge.

Run 17:  Starts well.  ..Until day 10, when Engie's fiance drops out of an escape pod.  Unrescuable, even if I wanted to save him, I couldn't.  Bring on the mood penalty

Day 11: Exotic goods trader.  Not bulk, but I'll take it.  They buy my glitterworld meds and sell me a normal quality bed.  Gotta get the mood boosts where I can find them.

Day 14: Behind sandbags and under a roof, Engie eats two consecutive headshots from a survival rifle.

RIP Engie XVII - Cause of death, gunshot to head.

Run 18: Fail-to-construct introduces frostbite, but Engie survives it.  Makes it hard to get that 4,000 constructor exp each day, though.

Day 13: Zzzt.  Only kills a conduit, but damages a lot of things.  This is easily the scariest thing that can be thrown at me when I have only one pawn.

Day 18: Sparkles showed up.  normally my favorite colonist, but I'm simply unable to support her.  Not after what I went through a few hours ago.

Day 21: Pirate merchant shows up, and I had a raid.  Managed a slave sale out of it for a whopping $60, because he was in bad shape.  Probably shouldn't have done it, since it'll affect my relationships with future settlers.

Day 30: Low on food, but I've got my smelt on.  I'll eventually be able to sustain if I don't starve beforehand.  Also, zero bulk traders thus far.

Day 35: Gettin' pretty hungry here.  The slag harvesting and smelting is taking too long.  I'll never get enough for an operable hydroponic farm in time.  Gonna have to start eating human corpses.

Day 37: Tasty tasty raw cannibalism!

Day 38: Replacing wood walls with silver walls, so I can at least butcher and cook the humans I dig up.

Day 40: Metal Break - Hide in room.  It turns out Engie is not much a fan of butchering humans.  Still no bulk trader.

Day 44: Catharsis wears off, and Engie hides in room again.  Reeeeeally really need a bulk trader.  like.. a season ago.

Day 46:  A Thrumbo appears!  This should allow me to stave off the cannibalistic urges for at least a little while.

Day 51:  About time!  Time to buy all the wood, steel, and meals they have.