One Hour One Life Forums

RECIPE 27: POND (Redistribution)

This is a balance suggestion. Ponds should appear in other biomes (rather than only swamps), to support greater variety to early-game play and remove the meta sense that ("all villages need to be built next to green/swamps"). Swamps should contain the greatest frequency of swamps, but the occasional swamp should still appear in the green biome.

Also empty ponds should be dug up with a shovel to be destroyed.

RECIPE 28: WATERHOLE AND OASIS

These objects almost equivalent to a pond, except are aesthetically different. Waterholes appear in savannahs, and the oasis in the desert (very very rare).

For interesting-ness, waterholes could contain more uses than a pond, however they are intended to be very rare.

RECIPE 29: NATURAL SPRING (REVISION)

The grid spawning is rather unnatural. I think the game would be more interesting with random Natural Spring spawns, and Eve's already spawn on top of Natural Springs, guaranteeing a semi-viable start site.

RECIPE 26: Pit Kiln

Pit-firing pottery is the oldest method of firing pottery in the world -- and it is still used today in some parts of the world.

The advantages of pit-fired pottery is that it is easy to scale (just need a bigger hole), simple, and straightforward. The disadvantages are that earthenware are more likely to break during pit firing (less stable temperatures), more fuel consumption (not as efficient), and the inability to reach higher temperatures. Notably, pit-firing is unable to reach temperatures necessary to produce many glazes (shiny/smooth/colorful/texture) for pottery.

In OHOL, pit firing can balanced such that up to three pottery items can be fired at once, and consumes two kindling. Later pottery kilns will have increased fuel efficiency over this baseline. There is also a 15% chance that the firing process fails and only broken pottery shards are obtained.

Formula:

    1. Shallow Pit + Kindling = Pit Hearth
    2. Pit Hearth + Wet Clay Bowl/Plate (up to three) = Pit Hearth with Wet Clay Pottery
    3. Pit Hearth with Wet Clay Pottery + Kindling = Filled Pit Kiln
    4. Filled Pit Kiln + Firebrand = Firing Pit Kiln + Firebrand
    5. Firing Pit Kiln + (Time) = Shallow Pit with Clay Pottery (Successful - 85%)
    6. Firing Pit Kiln + (Time) = Shallow Pit with Broken Clay Pottery (Failure - 15%)
    7. Shallow Pit with Clay Pottery + (Action) = Clay Bowl/Plate + Shallow Pit with Ashes

wbsteve on youtube uses generated voices for his OHOL videos, idk if that's an option for you

RECIPE 22: Tin Ore (Cassiterite) Mine

Tin is an essential component for the production of bronze, however it is a rare mineral on Earth (25X less abundant than copper, and 1800X less abundant than iron). In fact, tin deposits were so rare that tin trade was a characteristic and critical feature of Bronze Age trading economy. Nations that controlled tin were powerful by nature (having access to bronze), and few nations had that access. Phoneticians were notable for trading tin all over the mediterranean. Tin was so rare that archaeologists have little evidence for how tin was mined/produced/smelted.

At Earth's surface, tin is present only as Tin Oxide (Casserite), which is a black and heavy ore. Unlike copper ore (green) or iron (red), tin is not particularly easy to identify. Very few tin mines were present in antiquity (some researchers have speculated that the amount of tin present in Cornish/other mines simply couldn't have produced enough tin for the entire bronze economy). It is speculated that much tin "mining" was done instead by "placer mining" (similar to panning for gold) in river beds.

Since OHOL lacks rivers, for the time being, conventional tin mines will have to take their place.

Formula -

    1. Casserite Vein + Bronze Pick (or any tech pick) = Casserite + Bronze Pick (-1) + Casserite Vein (-1)
    2. Casserite Vein (last use) + Bronze Pick = Casserite Pit + Bronze Pick (-1)
    3. Casserite Pit + Stanchion Kit = Casserite Mine
    4. Casserite Mine + (Action) = Casserite + Casserite Mine (-1)

RECIPE 20: Copper Ore (Malachite) Mine

Copper was one of first ores that humans learned to smelt. A number of copper ores are prevalent, but malachite (already in the game) was most famous -- in part because it could be found in limestone deposits (softer stone) that could be mined easily with primitive technology.

In this series, I push for bronze tech as a step before iron/steel, lengthening the tech tree overall. Consequently, a copper mine is necessary to fulfill the role of an iron mine in the copper age.

Formula -

    1. Malachite Vein + Bronze Pick (or any tech pick) = Malachite + Bronze Pick (-1) + Malachite Vein (-1)
    2. Malachite Vein (last use) + Bronze Pick = Malachite Pit + Bronze Pick (-1)
    3. Malachite Pit + Stanchion Kit = Malachite Mine
    4. Malachite Mine + (Action) = Malachite + Malachite Mine (-1)

In theory, technically all forms of animal skins needed to be "tanned" before they are made into clothes. Without a tanning treatment, animal hides literally rot, which means they decompose very quickly. Paleolithic humans discovered tanning very early -- and there are many methods to tan animal skins. Even if you see nice luxurious rabbit furs/pelts, etc, they have been tanned (although only on one side).

For the purposes of OHOL, tanning extends the shelf life of animal skins before they decay. Conversely, for balance, the shelf life of untreated animal skins should be nerfed.

RECIPE 16: RAWHIDE (SMALL/LARGE)

Rawhide is the term for animal skins that have not received tanning treatment, but has been preprocessed with scraping. When rawhide dries, it is actually very stiff and hard (used in things like drums) -- tanning is necessary to soften the hide.

In OHOL, I think it's reasonable to classify animal skins/pelts as either small (rabbit skin) or large (wolf skin, bear skin).

Formula:

    1. Animal Skin + Pond = Soaking Animal Skin in Pond
    2. Soaking Animal Skin in Pond + (Action) = Soaked Animal Skin + Pond
    2. Soaked Animal Skin + Bowl of Slaked Lime = Limed Animal Skin + Clay Bowl
    3. Limed Animal Skin + Wooden Frame = Stretched Animal Skin
    4. Stretched Animal Skin + Flint Chip = Stretched Rawhide

RECIPE 17: FAT SOLUTION

One of the oldest methods to tan a hide was to use brains. Brains contain an oil that is very good for tanning. Various Native American cultures used this method. For OHOL's purposes, I think it's reasonable to approximate this as "Fat Tanning Solution".

Formula:

    1. Raw Meat (e.g. mutton, rabbit) + Bowl of Water = Bowl with Raw Meat and Water
    2. Bowl with Raw Meat and Water + Sharp Stone = Bowl with Mashed Raw Meat and Water + Sharp Stone
    3. Bowl with Mashed Raw Meat and Water + Hot Coals = Simmering Bowl of Fat Solution
    4. Simmering Bowl of Fat Solution + (time) = Bowl of Fat Solution

RECIPE 18: TANNIN

Tannin is a vegetable-based tanning agent. It was used predominantly in the 1700s/1800s Europe (and is incidentally where the term "tanning") comes from. Tannin is make from the bark of the oak tree (among other trees). OHOL lacks an oak tree (but tbh I'm going to assume that an oak tree is added -- oak is useful for lots of things! Why don't we have cedar trees?).

Hides tanned with tannin are stiffer and harder than other tanning methods.

Formula:

    1. Oak Tree + Sharp Stone = Oak Tree + Oak Tree Bark + Sharp Stone
    2. Oak Tree Bark + Clay Bowl = Bowl of Oak Tree Bark
    2. Bowl of Water + Bowl of Oak Tree Bark = Bowl of Soaking Oak Tree Bark + Clay Bowl
    3. Bowl of Soaking Oak Tree Bark + Hot Coals = Bowl of Simmering Oak Tree Bark
    4. Bowl of Simmering Oak Tree Bark + (Time) = Bowl of Tannin

RECIPE 19: LEATHER (SMALL/LARGE)

Seems reasonable to divide leather up into small/large based on the starting material. Rabbits make small leather and large animals make large leather.

Formula:

    1. Stretched Rawhide (still on frame) + Bowl of Tannin = Tanning Rawhide + Clay Bowl
    2. Stretched Rawhide (still on frame) + Bowl of Fat Solution = Tanning Rawhide + Clay Bowl
    3. Tanning Rawhide + (time) = Stretched Leather
    4. Stretch Leather + (action) = Leather + Wooden Frame

Not only is it toxic, but it has the potential to be bad for PR.

There’s tons of products that have been destroyed by bad publicity, so I would absolutely not call this a good idea for a game that currently markets itself as a “parenting” game.

RECIPE 13: WILD YAM

Tubers and yams were a major part of the human paleolithic/hunter-gatherer diet. Yams are vine plants and they can also get enormous. Very starchy and nutritious. Traditionally they were dug up with digging sticks, but shovels will work. As a side note, it should be possible to dig up potatoes with a digging stick too (they are part of the tuber family).

Formula:

   1. Wild Yam + Skewer = Wild Yam (dug out) + Skewer
   2. Wild Yam + Shovel = Wild Yam (dug out) + Shovel
   3. Wild Yam + Coals = Cooked Wild Yam (3/3 uses)
   4. Wild Yam + Hot Adobe Oven = Baked Wild Yam (3/3 uses)

I am interested too!

Music/art/ritual tech plays a big role in history, and they are strongly underreppresented in the current game. It would be cool if there were reasons or incentives to do these things. A few ideas have been tossed --

A) Fertility rituals (make an altar for a small fertility boost)

B) Songs can be used to transfer knowledge/teaching

C) Stone engravings/chisels are a more lasting form of recording something

RECIPE 9: OXEN

Oxen are some of the earliest animals domesticated by human beings -- and they were especially critical in agriculture for ploughing fields. In this recipe series, I propose a system for implementing oxen and animal ploughing.

For simplicity, let's say a fed Domestic Bison has a 50% chance of producing an ox (male) and 50% chance of producing a cow (female).

RECIPE 10: YOKE

A yoke is a generic attachment used to attach a pair of oxen to some tool extension. The tool extension can be variable, but is classically exemplified by something like a plough or cart.

Formula:

    1. Long Straight Shaft + Flint-tipped Bow Drill = Long Straight Shaft with Single Bore + Flint-tipped Bow Drill
    2. Long Straight Shaft with Single Bore + Flint-tipped Bow Drill = Long Straight Shaft with Double Bore + Flint-tipped Bow Drill
    3. Long Straight Shaft with Double Bore + Rope = Long Straight Shaft with Double Bore and Rope
    4. Long Straight Shaft with Double Bore and Rope + Rope = Yoke

RECIPE 11: Yoked Pair of Oxen

    1. Yoke + Domestic Ox = Yoke with Single Ox
    2. Yoke with Single Ox + Domestic Ox = Yoked Pair of Oxen

RECIPE 12: Wooden Ard

The wooden ard was the earliest form of plough, employed extensively by the Egyptians and Vikings. The ard can also be witnessed in many modern primitive/poor cultures -- for instance, in Ethiopia. Ploughs were critical for human agricultural revolution, and most major ancient civilizations/cultures/farmers employed them. Large-scale farming with digging sticks or hoes was not practical or economical in most circumstances.

Ploughs provided two benefits to human civilization. (A) Faster, easier ploughing. The original definition of an "acre" was the amount of land that a single man could plough in a day with an ox/horse. Compare this with the amount of land that could be ploughed using a stick or hoe -- there's no contest -- ploughing with animals was superior in every way. Consequently, even the poorest peasants in Europe ploughed with livestock rather than by hand. (B) Ability to cultivate tougher soil. Ploughs are able to penetrate harder soils than hoes/sticks. In Ancient Egypt, hoeing the ground was only viable in the softest loams/soils. The advent of the wooden ard allowed the ploughing of thicker soils. The later development of heavy plows (iron/steel) enabled the farming of tough soil like those in Northern Europe. In summary, ploughs allowed humans to extend their agricultural range beyond the softest soils.

Implementing these benefits are rather difficult in OHOL, especially since hoe-tilling is instantaneous and has no time cost. Rather, the main cost of farming is iron (when a hoe breaks) or rope (when a stone hoe breaks). If the goal is to make plough-farming superior than hoe-tilling, some artificial benefit most be created for ploughs.

Proposed benefits of ploughs:
    1. Using an oxen-driven plough would be like riding a horse-drawn cart.
    2. Everywhere the ox-team is driven, it ploughs the ground (provided soil is laid out already).
    3. A wooden plough should cost less rope (or last longer) than a stone hoe, and an iron/steel plough should cost less (or last longer) than a steel hoe.
    4. A plough "use" is only calculated when a player mounts/rides the ox team. Consequently, ploughing 10 adjacent tiles with an ox team without dismounting is equivalent to 1 use with a  steel hoe.
    5. When a plough breaks, only the attachment breaks (not the yoke).

Formula:
    1. Long Straight Shaft + Flint-tipped Bow Drill = Long Straight Shaft with Single Bore + Flint-tipped Bow Drill
    2. Small Curved Shaft + Fire = Hardened Small Curve Shaft
    3. Long Straight Shaft with Single Bore + Hardened Small Curve Shaft = Wooden Ard
    4. Wooden Ard + Yoked Pair of Oxen = Yoked Pair of Oxen with Ard
    5. Yoked Pair of Oxen with Ard + (Action) = (Ride/Plough/Drive)

RECIPE 6: FLAX

Flax is one the most famous ancient fiber plants, used to make rope, linen, and linseed oil. It was used by Ancient Egyptians, Sumerians, and was the most common textile in Europe for thousands of years (Linen!). It makes sense to have it, if you want anything linen (clothes, canvas, sails)!

Flax grows, flowers, seeds, should be harvested when it starts to turn yellow.

The procedure for harvesting flax has multiple steps (similar to wheat), but given the simplifications in OHOL, it seems that many steps could be skipped or switched to stay consistent with other plant products in OHOL.

I'll start with the realistic description: First, flax is pulled by hand to harvest (no need for sickle). It is laid out to dry (2-3 days), and then threshed to remove the seeds (similar to wheat). Next the straw is retted by soaking it in water (e.g. pond/river -- in theory you have to do this with milkweed too). After retting, the flax fibers are separated from the stalks by beating it and combing away the straw debris. This flax fiber can then be spun (on drop spindle or spinning wheel) into thread (also potentially into rope). Note that flax is 2-3x stronger than cotton and European did use flax as their bowstrings.

Formula (adjusted):

   1. Flax Plant (fully grown) + (action) = Flax Sheaf + Hardened Row
   2. Flax Sheaf + Curved Branch = Flax Straw + Flax Seeds + Curved Branch
   3. Flax Straw + Pond + (time) = Retted Flax Straw + Pond
   4. Retted Flax Straw + Round Stone = Flax Fibers + Round Stone

RECIPE 7: FLAX THREAD AND ROPE

   1. Flax Fibers + Drop Spindle = Flax Thread
   2. Flax Thread + Flax Thread = Rope
   3. (Linen making process)

RECIPE 8: LINSEED OIL

Linseed oil is most famous for its use as a paint binder (make oil paint using pigments). It is also used to varnish wood, preserving it and extending its shelf life. It is also edible. Traditionally, linseed oil is cold-pressed.

In OHOL, we lack a seed/oil press device (traditional ones use very large stones driven by animals -- not very feasible to do this by hand) (renaissance/pre-modern ones used a screw press). I'll leave out the design for an oil press for now, but it would be worthwhile to consider it at some point.