Challenging Gamemode: Some Tips to get You Started (Part 2)

 ...Continued from Part 1

Mining

You should already have stone tools  and weapons  at this point. You now need to start gathering iron, saltpeter, and diamonds.
While mining with your stone pickaxe, pick up ONLY iron ore. Once you have enough, make an iron pickaxe and continue. An iron pickaxe is needed to acquire many of the ores you will encounter (ex: diamond ore). You can still use a stone pickaxe to break cobblestone if you wish.
The biggest issue when mining is getting lost. Make sure you leave torches as markers. Don't just place the torches randomly. They can serve as a sort of "path" for you to follow. This is especially important when mining in a cave, as the cave may have many tunnels to explore. 
Once you have the supplies to do so, craft a magnet and compass so you will never lose your home. 
Be sure to have a magnet and compass before going any further, OR just continue exploring a smaller amount of terrain until you get there. Way-point markers can be used.
Now you're ready to move on to farming and obtaining riding animals!!

Obtaining Horses

Horses, Camels, or donkeys will be needed as you progress. They allow you to travel longer distances in a shorter amount of time, and help you escape from predators faster. Horses are found in hot forest areas, donkeys and camels in the desert. To mount them, you will need a saddle, which is crafted from leather (comes from wolves and coyotes) and sticks. You will also need a whistle, which is crafted from iron ingots.
When searching for horses, you can take home more than one at a time! (Given you have more than 1 saddle, that is). Here's how (Please note you MUST have a compass and magnet for this method):

1. Find a herd of horses. They are usually found in groups of 2-5.
2. Place a saddle on each horse.
3. Using your whistle, lead the horses back home. You can ride one while leading the others if you wish. The reason you need to have a compass is because you will have to lead your horses around obstacles such as cliffs, large hills, etc. so they do not get hurt. Chances are, you will not be able to use a straight path as you would with way-point markers. 
4. When you get home, have a fence surrounded by cheap blocks (dirt, sand, etc.) waiting. This is so your horses can easily get in the fence, but not out. (Fences need to be 2 blocks high, as donkeys and camels can jump a single fence.)

When only taking one horse at a time, simply ride your horse home. Have a whistle handy in case you fall off. Way-point markers can be used here. You will not have to avoid so many obstacles. 

Farming Crops and Animals

To farm crops, you will need to collect seeds (you should already have cotton seeds) and a water supply (do this by gathering water in a bucket, or making a well to retrieve water from.). Fence an area in with wooden fences so animals cannot ruin your soil. Till dirt with a rake to make soil. Put saltpeter on the moisturized soil to fertilize, and place your cotton seeds on the soil. They will grow into cotton plants, which cotton wads can be obtained from. You then make canvas from the wads, and you are ready to craft some clothing!

Animal farming is also an important aspect of survival. For this, you will need to lay out a large fence (this is why we chose a flat area to live) 1 or 2 blocks tall (2 blocks tall will keep predators out) and put cheap blocks such as sand or leaves around your fence. If your fence is 2 blocks tall, make stairs. Throw tall grass into the fence. If there are cows around, they will go right into your fence!! Other undesired animals may get into your fence as well, such as gnus, but you can kill them later. If no cows are around, they can be obtained later with a whistle (they run from the sound).

 Next Time - Part 3: Clothing
Note: All of this info +more can be found on the SC Wiki at this link: http://survivalcraftgame.wikia.com/wiki/Beginner%27s_Guide

To see Part 1: http://survivalcraftchartreusenarwhal.blogspot.com/2015/04/challenging-gamemode-some-tips-to-get.html

Challenging Gamemode: Some Tips to get You Started (Part 1)

 I'm not seeing many people play Challenging Mode in SC simply because it can be hard for beginning players. But these tips may help you out a bit!

Starting Your Adventure

As you start your gameplay, collect everything you can. Do you see any cotton, pumpkins, or eggs? If so, gather them - quickly. They will offer a source of clothing and food that will be vital later.

Finding a place to reside can be challenging. You need to stay in a desert your first few nights so you don't freeze to death. Just make sure you are near a forest so gathering wood isn't too risky. 
You will  need to start to gather leaves or dirt to make a small shelter to begin with. This will keep you safe from predators for your first few nights while you gather supplies to make a better shelter later. Grab a few wood blocks too. This way you can make a crafting table and some wooden tools and weapons to get you started. It will make the next few days of gathering supplies a lot easier!

During the next few days, gather wood to craft planks. They can be used to make tools, weapons, and the beginnings of a better shelter. You can also start to gather cobblestone if you wish to make a better home that will not catch fire during a storm. 

Make sure you are not straying too far from your home - as you may get lost. You also need to continue to gather food. 

Larger Home at Last!

For your larger home, find the flattest spot you can and lay your foundation. Just place your planks/cobblestone on the grass in a rectangular shape the size  you want your future home to be. This will give you an idea of how many blocks you need to gather to continue. 

As you start to build your house higher and higher, make sure to leave room for windows. You can use leaves for a makeshift window until you have a furnace and glass. A door will also need to be crafted as you build your new home.

After finishing your home and crafting a furnace, you will need to make chests to place in your new home and move your crafting table to your new one. You can label your chests with signs so you know exactly is in each one. I, for example, have some labeled "Food", "Saltpeter", "Raw Meat", "Cooked Meat", etc. 

By now, you should also have some stone tools and weapons and a more adequate food supply. Start mining at this point as well. 



Next Time - Part 2: Obtaining Horses and Farming 
Note: All of this info +more can be found on the SC Wiki at this link: http://survivalcraftgame.wikia.com/wiki/Beginner%27s_Guide

Marsh Biomes

Hello again! I'm back today, as promised ;)

For the SC Wiki Biomes page, I have done a bit of research. Stanimus and I are deciding on "official" names for the page, and we have come across what we have loosely decided to be a marsh. 

What we mean by "marsh" is:

• Flat Land
• Lush Grass
• Vegetation (excluding trees)
• Piranhas are plentiful in shallow water
• Water is scattered, breaking up the land into smaller chunks

It seems that the marsh we have come across is fairly uncommon. In fact, I have only come across 1 large enough for me to even consider it of any use to me. It is right over the small sandstone mountain that surrounds the west side of my ranch (given the sun sets in the west in the SC world). It's a GREAT place for me to just walk around and not worry about predators on the land, as land animals aren't common in our marsh.

Stanimus has done a ton of work for this page, and here is what he has come up with:

"Taiga / Tundra - arctic biomes
Forest / Praire / Wasteland - temperate biomes
Jungle / Savanna - tropical biomes
Deepwater / Inland - water biomes
Desert, Beach - special biomes (I think beaches are actually a generated structure by the game.)
Well, that seems sufficient and not too burdensome. 11, including 2 for water..."

Kaalus doesn't officially define ALL biomes, so we have had to improvise ;) We will hopefully have the page complete soon, and I will leave a link as well as some pictures of each biome in a future post.

1 Year on Survival Craft Wiki!

I am proud to announce that I have been a member of the Survival Craft Wiki for 1 Year today! It's been a GREAT year, and I encourage all SC fans to join the Wiki.

http://survivalcraftgame.wikia.com/wiki/SurvivalCraft_Wiki

On this wiki, you will be welcomed to a warm community consisting of many other SC fans, get tips on gameplay, and even make a few friends ;) It's been a great experience for me, and I do hope all of you join! 

On another note, I am so sorry for only posting once a week, and I am extremely pressed for time today. I will, however, be posting sometime this week to make up for it ;)

Best wishes to you always, and have a great weekend!! 
 

SC for PC

If you keep up with Kaalus's blog, you may have read that SC will soon be playable on your PC!!

Kaalus says: "With the new engine, there is support for new platforms! Namely Windows Phone 8.1 and Windows Store. I will be submitting 1.27 there soon."

Now, in order to play SC with your keyboard and mouse, you have to have Windows 8.1. This is a big step for SC! If any of you have Windows 8.1, tell me what you think about playing with keyboard and mouse ;)