List of commandments for new players?

denriguez · 2018-11-13 17:30:04

Those who've been playing for a long time will remember that in the early days there were a few lists of universal "laws" or commandments that players developed to be easily teachable in-game. Things like "never drain a pond," "only snare rabbits with babies," "only pick fruiting milkweed," etc. Those were pretty crucial to ensuring the survival of early towns, but eventually these became less relevant as different mechanics changed. An empty pond will now refill over time, for example, which wasn't the case early on. But it wasn't uncommon for a town to have a dedicated nursing mom who cared for all of the babies and shared those epithets with them between feedings.

Now that we have an influx of new players seemingly desperate for teachers, what are some new "laws" that match the current mechanics? How would you simplify them to ensure a mom can say them in one line of speech? How would you prioritize them?

To me, the most crucial things are, in this order:

1) Stay warm. Wastes less food.
2) Eat small foods when young.
3) Eat different foods when grown up.
4) Soil and water on languishing berries.
5) Tools break. Don't overuse them. (Especially important now with the iron nerf)
6) Name your babies.

What are yours?

AriaEverhart · 2018-11-13 17:50:07

Not in any particular order but here are things I've noticed that new players always do:

1) Don't take bowls/flat rocks/plates from forge
2) Never cut all wheat. Leave at least one.
3) Leave at least one unshorn sheep.
4) Don't put kindling on small fire.
5) Don't cover last fire with flat rock.
6) Don't light up kiln if there's no adobe to cover it with.

gabal · 2018-11-13 17:56:43

First one could be: Don't take ANYTHING from the forge.

Tea · 2018-11-13 18:48:45

gabal wrote:

First one could be: Don't take ANYTHING from the forge.

Damn right !

Also don't you dare dirty those pads just because you need one bowl.

Elsayal · 2018-11-13 18:51:42

I will be a biatch in this post. please forgive me if I hurt your feelings :'(

Educate them, dont tell them non-sense.

1) Don't take bowls/flat rocks/plates from forge
=> "Look, The forge use flat rocks, plates and bowls."
Forging something, using bowl, plates, flat rocks.
"So you should keep them near forge."

2) Never cut all wheat. Leave at least one.

=> Making pies then poop soil.
Planting new wheat.
"Imagine if we cut all wheat, how can we make seeds ? They are not like carrot : we cannot store them !
So if the last wheat is cut : you have to go take new seeds somewhere."

and so on.

3) Leave at least one unshorn sheep.
=>
4) Don't put kindling on small fire.
=>
5) Don't cover last fire with flat rock.
=>
6) Don't light up kiln if there's no adobe to cover it with.
=>

Potjeh · 2018-11-13 19:02:29

Dont eat corn.

PeaGirl · 2018-11-13 19:39:41

In very dire cases, you sometimes have to put the last fire with flat rock, and it is more understandable if you are near temperature spot and there is no one doing any pottery or forging right now, since in dire times, you sometimes have to make omelettes to help town survive while working through stages.
It doesn't kill to make new fire, ofc it is little tedious than putting another kindling on fire.
also,
1) new fire? long shaft plus fire, then fire on kindling.

Nopik · 2018-11-13 19:47:57

Don’t water all the carrot rows unless you will stick around to harvest.
->”Carrots grow fast, but if not harvested quick, they change to seed, which wastes the soil, unless we need seeds.”

denriguez · 2018-11-13 20:52:00

I agree with others in that I don't think it's very helpful to give blanket prohibitions on things like eating corn or putting a flat rock on the last fire. There will *always* be times when it makes sense to break those rules. I was just in a town that had a ton of fresh corn and not a single squash seed for miles. There's no chance that corn was going to turn into stew anytime soon, so you bet I ate some of it to up my food bonus (and, in one case, to survive). In the past, direct prohibitions made sense. If you drained a pond, that pond would never come back. I don't mean to pick on this example, but saying things like "never eat corn" just isn't at the same level. You can plant more corn. If you need to find more teosinte, you can find some.

Maybe a better way to ask the question of "commandments" is "What are the basic principles one should live by to ensure the survival of the bloodline?" I realize that not all of my suggestions rise to this level, either.

Last edited by denriguez (2018-11-13 20:53:06)

Tea · 2018-11-13 20:58:52

I would like to add that having one pie in the Backpack is enough. Don't be too greedy and store three pies in it. There are other people who need to eat as well and with one pie, you will have enough for a while.

If you are hording three pies in your backpack and there is a famine, be so kind and put them on the ground, so others can survive as well.

CrazyEddie · 2018-11-13 22:11:27

I agree with others in that I don't think it's very helpful to give blanket prohibitions on things like eating corn or putting a flat rock on the last fire.

I disagree with the others, strongly. Commandments such as yours are very badly needed, even those that might have exceptions like corn and flat rocks. And contra Elsayal's suggestions, phrasing them in short, strongly worded absolutes without elaboration or explanation is important.

If you're lucky, the average interaction with a new player will consist of ONE utterance from you, which they may OR MAY NOT even notice, let alone pay attention to. Regardless, this kind of information HAS to get out. It has to propagate. It will not propagate if you spend more than ONE sentence trying to explain why the "commandment" is important or what all the odd edge cases are where it makes sense to break it.

Be prepared to go into details the moment anyone expresses even the slightest bit of interest about what the rule means or why it's there. That expression of interest could be as simple as "WHY" or "YNOT". Now you have someone who wants to listen; go ahead and explain it to your receptive audience. Teach them. Help them learn.

But in the meantime, start spreading one-utterance simple rules as often as you can.

Here's one I think is badly needed right now: "Don't overfeed, wait for F". Every time I spawn in a town I'm surrounded by moms who pick me up every three seconds, wasting their own food bars (and thus the town's food) like crazy. I'm starting to partially run away from them now to keep them from overfeeding me. But I can't tell them to stop because I only get two letters at a time. So if you start nursing and see other moms nursing as well, be sure to spread this commandment:

Don't overfeed, wait for F

Last edited by CrazyEddie (2018-11-13 22:15:57)

Potjeh · 2018-11-14 00:22:30

denriguez wrote:

I agree with others in that I don't think it's very helpful to give blanket prohibitions on things like eating corn or putting a flat rock on the last fire. There will *always* be times when it makes sense to break those rules. I was just in a town that had a ton of fresh corn and not a single squash seed for miles. There's no chance that corn was going to turn into stew anytime soon, so you bet I ate some of it to up my food bonus (and, in one case, to survive). In the past, direct prohibitions made sense. If you drained a pond, that pond would never come back. I don't mean to pick on this example, but saying things like "never eat corn" just isn't at the same level. You can plant more corn. If you need to find more teosinte, you can find some.
Maybe a better way to ask the question of "commandments" is "What are the basic principles one should live by to ensure the survival of the bloodline?" I realize that not all of my suggestions rise to this level, either.

Corn is 5 bars, popcorn is 12. Eating shucked corn other than for yum chain is a huge waste, and new players aren't really utilizing yum chaining.

Randomname · 2018-11-14 18:12:14

If there are skewers at a farm, please do not make home markers out of them. We need the skewers to farm, we do not need six separate home markers. Look first for a home marker that is already made and use a sharp stone then the round stone to share it with others.

arkajalka · 2018-11-14 18:29:38

gabal wrote:

First one could be: Don't take ANYTHING from the forge.

This! Forging is enough of a job when everything is arranged. Also the forge fire ain't the place to grow up all your litlle babyes.

Tramax · 2018-11-15 00:29:29

CrazyEddie wrote:

Here's one I think is badly needed right now: "Don't overfeed, wait for F". Every time I spawn in a town I'm surrounded by moms who pick me up every three seconds, wasting their own food bars (and thus the town's food) like crazy. I'm starting to partially run away from them now to keep them from overfeeding me. But I can't tell them to stop because I only get two letters at a time. So if you start nursing and see other moms nursing as well, be sure to spread this commandment:
Don't overfeed, wait for F

I have been fighting that battle for a long time.
I've whittled it down to seeing the mum come towards me and moving away in anticipation while saying IM OK
followed by NO T HU NG RY if necessary (the first few times you may have to say that in their arms)

karltown_veteran · 2018-11-15 02:35:10

1) Thou shalt not divide by zero

2) Real men catch fish, not bunnies

3) If you want to be a hitman, you gotta get a pitbull

4) A burnt rabbit is a burnt manhood

5) Gingers deserve above average names. Fox is overused. Merida and Ginny are timeless classics.

6) You haven't lived until you've worn nothing but a straw hat, a loincloth and cowboy boots. YEEHAW! Bonus points if you carry a lasso

7) OHOL is like tinder, except roses and jewelry are less expensive. To all my waifus, hubbies and grandducks: I LOVE YOU ALL AND I WILL MARRY YOU WHETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT

8) If someone says REE to you, you say REE back.

9) Don't snort milkweed. Trust me, I've tried. Do, however, eat mushrooms. As many as you can get. They give you a yum bonus of plus 10, I swear. Don't listen to what anyone else tells you.

10) If you're going to wear a blue wool hat, you'd better pair it with a blue wool sweater. Fashion faux pas are a big no-no in OHOL. And I will probably kill you if I see you wearing blue with red. However, do try blue and white mixed shoes, blue sweater and white hat. It works wonders and really achieves the "dutch milk jug" look

Monolith_Rans · 2018-11-15 03:14:24

Don't make a goddamned lasso
If you're an Eve, name yourself first, then your kids
don't plant rows in the tiles around the forge or oven
Only catch family rabbits
know the recipe for making a bellows and go out and get the stuff
if you don't know what your job is, its to gather branches and firewood
don't bother berrying anyone

Tramax · 2018-11-15 03:20:57

I make a point of not naming myself until my first kid can see me name myself.
That way there's a chance they come to understand how last names work, as a lot of new players don't seem to know that they can say, "I am..."

One Hour One Life Forums

#1 2018-11-13 17:30:04

List of commandments for new players?

#2 2018-11-13 17:50:07

Re: List of commandments for new players?

#3 2018-11-13 17:56:43

Re: List of commandments for new players?

#4 2018-11-13 18:48:45

Re: List of commandments for new players?

#5 2018-11-13 18:51:42

Re: List of commandments for new players?

#6 2018-11-13 19:02:29

Re: List of commandments for new players?

#7 2018-11-13 19:39:41

Re: List of commandments for new players?

#8 2018-11-13 19:47:57

Re: List of commandments for new players?

#9 2018-11-13 20:52:00

Re: List of commandments for new players?

#10 2018-11-13 20:58:52

Re: List of commandments for new players?

#11 2018-11-13 22:11:27

Re: List of commandments for new players?

#12 2018-11-14 00:22:30

Re: List of commandments for new players?

#13 2018-11-14 18:12:14

Re: List of commandments for new players?

#14 2018-11-14 18:29:38

Re: List of commandments for new players?

#15 2018-11-15 00:29:29

Re: List of commandments for new players?

#16 2018-11-15 02:35:10

Re: List of commandments for new players?

#17 2018-11-15 03:14:24

Re: List of commandments for new players?

#18 2018-11-15 03:20:57

Re: List of commandments for new players?

Board footer