The Beginning
So, you've just landed on Icarus, and you've figured some things out, but you'd like some advice. Or maybe, you're a veteran who's looking for some tips and tricks to make your setup a bit easier?
Well, here's some bits and pieces of advice I've picked up that just might help you out. Or not. It's a rough world, Icarus is.
Where's The Door?
I'll admit it. I've made the mistake of losing track of where in my long gate line I left the door. Make it easier on yourself, and put a couple of posts to mark your gate. It's not exactly vital that you do so, but it may make it easier on yourself, especially if your wall is extremely long.
Carcass Storage
If you're like me, you've been skinning every animal you come across in the field. Or maybe, you built the skinning bench, but you just use it immediately. Turns out, you can store a carcass (one you can carry, at least) in the skinning bench indefinitely without attracting attention or having it decay.
It's a fairly reliable way to store meat instead of trying to freeze it, or good for storing them for taming various animals.
Take Advantage Of The Simpl Missions
So you've built a Contact device, and you're ready to take on some missions, right? Good. They're a great way to get some simple supplies, along with some money for workshop purchases. But they offer additional benefits aside from just that. Some, more important than others, but still useful.
Simpl Missions: Cold Storage
If you're like me, you might have way more foodstuff than you can store, and you're constantly building up spoiled meat/plants in your inventory, or whatever box you stuffed it into. An ice box/fridge/freezer offers a nice solution, but there could be a better way to store your meals. Why not take advantage of the free orbital freezer?
Simpl missions that require you to supply resources, such as farming, mining, and prospector tools missions, will deliver a capsule for you to store your ill gotten gains in to be delivered back upstairs. But happily, they'll take whatever you stuff in them, and only consume whatever supply they demand. Meaning, if they want, say, Coal, then as long as you don't deliver coal to it, then you can use this sizable capsule with free Deep Freeze augment to store your foodstuff indefinitely.
Just be aware that, since you can't take more than one mission, you're stuck with this one until you deliver the goods, and cancelling the mission immediately retrieves the capsule, so don't forget your stuff is in there.
Simpl Missions: Beacons
So apparently, we prospectors have lost the ability to make marks on a map, since we can't make permanent marks anywhere we go unless we have one of these things.
And if you're strapped for copper like I constantly seem to be, they're not cheap either. Especially if you want to mark useful locations like caves with deep deposits.
Fortunately, our people upstairs are happy to supply us with free beacons. Just don't tell them.
There is a Simpl mission for locating an abandoned prospector base. This base usually takes the form of the most basic thatch hut you've ever seen. It is in fact, so offensive, that you will encounter numerous local wildlife trying to destroy it while you're trying to patch it up.
Part of the mission is that they give you a portable beacon at the start of the mission, and once you've patched the hut up enough, you place the beacon to complete the mission. Of course, once the reward capsule is on the ground, nothing is stopping you from grabbing that beacon and using it yourself.
Just be aware that if you already have this particular quest beacon in your inventory, the capsule carrying a new one at the start of the mission will see that you already have it and bail with the new one, so don't forget to store it elsewhere or put it down before you start the mission.
You can do the same with the beacons they give you for the watchtower missions, but those ones don't have customizeable icons, and depending on where they are, they may offer some utility, so the choice to use them for purposes other than intended is up to you. Just be aware it might void the warranty, and you know how Section 15 is about that.
Build That Wall, Build That Wall
So you're having issues with the drone recovery missions, or the local wildlife is taking offence to your radar shenanigans. No worries. Just put a few walls around it.
Depending on where you are, it should be fairly easy to cobble together some wood/thatch walls and better protect your devices. Or at least, give you time to punch out whatever critter is trying to eat them.
(Pro tip: Don't build like I did. This setup didn't work. Make the walls connecting, or the jaguars will sneak in the holes. You know how they are.)
(Pro tip #2: The drone missions seem to spawn lots of cave worms, and they sometimes pop up right next to the drone, inside your walls. So be sure to keep an eye out for that as well.)
Given the option of patching up your failing radar, or killing the ones attacking it, anything that buys you some time to make better decisions is a godsend on this god-forsaken planet.
Is it god-forsaken? I dunno, but every time I pray not to run into something on my way home over-encumbered, He always sends a bear at me. Maybe I just smell like honey or something.
Eat Well, And Prosper
If you're like me, you probably just keep a stack of whatever cooked meat you could get your hands on and call it a day.
I believe we've already established that you shouldn't try to be like me.
This one is more for newbies than veterans, but it's still good information to know. Every food type gives you different benefits, and well cooked meals offer the best ones. And you can have up to 3 (with upgrades, 4) different food effects running at the same time. Are you running everywhere? Get the foods that give you stamina buffs. Running into a lot of bears, like me? Get health buffs. You'll need some level of cooking station to really cook this stuff though, so be sure to research what foods offer the benefits you like, and stock up.
Of course, you'll need to be sure you have these foods. And while your carcass pile may supply you with meat, you'll probably want some veggies in your diet. Which leads us to the next section.
Stones And Glass Houses
You've probably already experimented with planting plants and harvesting what shoots up. Of course, you might be using a shovel to dig a hole, or you might have made planter boxes. But which ones work best for what weather? Then again, some plants work better in different climates, so you might struggle to find an ideal balance.
Or, you can just build a greenhouse.
Once you get further up in the tech tiers, you'll come across glass structure pieces, and later reinforced glass structure pieces. Both can be used to build a greenhouse, but since the basic glass is as fragile as, well, glass, you might want to hold out for the stronger ones.
Once you do, you don't need to shell out for the high tier planter boxes, since even the most basic wooden one will not have to contend with severe weather in a greenhouse. And all your plants will grow just fine in one regardless of what climate they usually prefer.
Of course, if you're in one of the extreme biomes like the desert or arctic, you might need some climate control. I have yet to test this. Mostly since my last visit to the desert saw me get eaten by like a hundred crocodiles. F*** that place.
Speaking of plant rearing...
Evergreen Buff
If you're like me, you probably spend lots of time away from your base exploring or mining. And there's nothing worse than coming back only to see your plants spoiled. Fortunately, there's a mod for that.
The Evergreen augment can be found in your talents tree. It has the same benefit as some other high-end stuff like the workshop shovel, which prevents your planted plants from withering no matter how long you leave them alone.
Fair warning; it's a bit far down, so if you're not using the 0-level trick to get more skill points, you might have to pick and choose to get your hands on this augment. I find it worthwhile, but you may disagree. The choice is yours.
Sapping
Once you get further along, you'll discover that you never have enough Tree Sap. Annoyingly, it seems you can only get it from wood or sticks. But don't just field one or the other. You can turn wood into stick at any of the woodworking tables if you have the appropriate skill.
This is quite useful, as you get more sap from sticks than you do from the equivalent amount of wood. So if you're in the market for lots of Biofuel, or you're making parts for concrete, be sure to grind that wood up before you squeeze it.
Water Me This
So, remember that reinforced glass I mentioned earlier? Well, turns out you need water to make it.
Whoops. Sorry.
Anyway, for most of the devices that ask for a water connection, turns out you just need to supply water. A water container, such as a waterskin or canteen, would work just fine, as will a bucket if you have one. Or, you can just fill it with all the sponges you get from your waterwheels.
Curiously, these must be powerful sponges, as none of them lost water while I was making glass myself. Too bad this didn't work in my Biofuel composter.
Fancy, Schmancy
So, you've probably noticed throughout this guide that my house doesn't look particularly inspired, does it?
You know, aside from being a concrete box.
Well, that's fine. I'm still on the lookout for a copper deposit so I can actually make all the electronics I want. Once I do, I'll probably neaten the place up a bit.
And that's the point of this section. Don't feel pressured to make your house as beautiful as possible. Not when you're still struggling to survive.
Get everything you need. Make it effective. Make sure you're settling there before you pretty it up. Maybe you decide to move to a better location. Or you decide to expand, and that throws your entire design out the window.
Make that place yours, but only once you're ready to do so.
The End, Finally
And that's about it. Hopefully you learned something useful in this guide.
I'm still learning things here and there, so I may add to this later. We'll see.
Source: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3381216747
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