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This is a community-written '''Starting Guide''' for [[One Hour One Life]].
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This is a community-written '''Starting Guide''' for [[One Hour One Life]]. A more detailed guide on how to survive and thrive in an early settlements is available on the [[Eve]] page.
   
 
==Introduction==
 
==Introduction==
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A good base location tends to be at the intersection between multiple different [[biomes]], with plenty of resources. Choosing a good location will make your babies more likely to stay, and will improve the overall likelihood that your bloodline will survive many generations. Don't take it personally if your babies run away (often they may just be trying to return to a past life). Focus on learning and practicing what you can in each life. If you mess up, you can always start afresh in the next life.
 
A good base location tends to be at the intersection between multiple different [[biomes]], with plenty of resources. Choosing a good location will make your babies more likely to stay, and will improve the overall likelihood that your bloodline will survive many generations. Don't take it personally if your babies run away (often they may just be trying to return to a past life). Focus on learning and practicing what you can in each life. If you mess up, you can always start afresh in the next life.
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For more detailed information on 'Eve-ing' see the [[Eve]] page.
   
 
== General rules for beginners ==
 
== General rules for beginners ==
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* As of update 75, [[Wild Carrot|wild carrots]] do not respawn their seeds so after seed removal it is safe to uproot them for eating. [[Burdock]] and [[Wild Onion|wild onions]] are early food sources that cannot be cultivated, provide no seeds, and do not respawn.
 
* As of update 75, [[Wild Carrot|wild carrots]] do not respawn their seeds so after seed removal it is safe to uproot them for eating. [[Burdock]] and [[Wild Onion|wild onions]] are early food sources that cannot be cultivated, provide no seeds, and do not respawn.
 
* [[Fertile Soil Pit]]s are also finite. However, it is possible to craft soil via [[compost]] later in the game.
 
* [[Fertile Soil Pit]]s are also finite. However, it is possible to craft soil via [[compost]] later in the game.
 
= Detailed Guide =
 
 
This step-by-step guide is geared towards players with little to no experience with [[tools|tool]]-making or basic [[crafting]]. Recent changes to [[Eve]] spawning have ensured that most Eves will spawn far from previously or currently occupied areas and must therefore build everything from scratch.
 
 
== The Pre-Fire Era ==
 
 
=== Food and Your First Tool ===
 
[[File:Sharp Stone.jpg|thumb|[[Sharp Stone]]|100px]]
 
You have spawned as a fresh [[Eve]] in the wilderness and must start from scratch -- a monumental task at first, but one which will become easier and more natural as you gain experience. Your first task is to pick a direction and start running with the goal of finding [[Wild Gooseberry Bush|berry bushes]]. Running in a relatively straight line makes it easy to backtrack to useful resources or objects of interest that you pass along the way. While you travel pick up the first [[Stone|round stone]] you find and then watch for a [[Big Hard Rock|big rock]] that you’ll use your stone on to create a [[Sharp Stone|sharp stone]], your first and one of your most important [[tools]]. As of update 75 there are many early sources of food to sustain you, including [[Wild Carrot|wild carrots]] which can be harvested with a sharp stone. Before doing so, it is strongly encouraged to click on [[Seeding Wild Carrot|seeding carrots]] with empty hands in order to remove their [[Carrot Seed Head|seeds]] lest these be destroyed forever along with the plant.
 
 
[[File:Basket.jpg|thumb|[[Basket]]|100px]]
 
A useful object to craft at this point is a [[basket]] made from [[Tule Reeds|swamp reeds]]. Harvest two reeds with a sharp stone, pick up one [[Reed Bundle|reed bundle]], and combine it with the other reed bundle into a basket. You can now carry up to three of certain items and [[tools]], including [[food]] items for long expeditions.
 
 
=== Setting Up Camp ===
 
[[File:Home Marker.jpg|thumb|[[Home Marker]]|100px]]
 
As soon as you locate a decent supply of [[Wild Gooseberry Bush|berries]] or other wild forage and starvation is no longer an imminent threat you can start looking for a place to settle. A decent location would be near the border between a [[Biomes#Grasslands|grass biome]] (with plentiful berries, [[Milkweed|milkweed]], and trees) and a [[Biomes#Swamps|swamp biome]] (with [[Canada Goose Pond|goose ponds]] -- the more the better, preferably on the same screen or at most 1 screen away -- and a good number of [[Tule Reeds|reeds]]). A great location would also be near a [[Biomes#Yellow Prairie|prairie biome]] with access to [[Rabbit Hole|rabbits]] and [[Wild Carrot|carrots]] and a perfect location boasts easy access to all these biomes as well as [[Biomes|others]], but be aware that time is not on your side and in a pinch, migration can be left to your descendants.
 
 
Special consideration can be given to settling near a [[Biomes#Jungle|jungle]] or [[Biomes#Desert|desert biome]], as certain tiles near the borders of deserts and other biomes can be just warm enough to perfectly balance a player's heat gauge. In addition, [[Barrel Cactus|barrel cacti]] or [[Banana Tree|banana tree]]s provide an excellent source of renewable food in the form of [[Cactus Fruit|cactus fruits]] and [[banana]]s that do not despawn once harvested. However, it is important to be especially wary of wandering [[Animals#Rattlesnake|rattlesnakes]] and [[Mosquito Swarm|mosquitos]] (particularly around trees).
 
 
A nearby [[Biomes#Badlands|badlands biome]] can also be vital in the long run as a source of [[Iron Ore]] and [[mouflon]], but must be balanced with the risk of [[Bear Cave]]s and [[Wolf|wolves]].
 
 
Once you’ve found something acceptable you’ll want to avoid getting lost. Look for a [[sapling]] and cut it with your sharp stone. Place the resulting [[skewer]] in the vicinity of your future base and then use a round [[stone]] on it to pound it into a [[Home Marker|home marker]].
 
 
=== The Road to Fire ===
 
In order to begin [[farming]] you'll need something to carry water which means you'll need at a minimum [[fire]]. Some or all of the following tool-making steps can be skipped should you happen upon human-made [[tools]], but it serves well to familiarize yourself with the details for future lives. Aim to gather all or most of the following ingredients while always keeping an eye on your hunger gauge and eating when necessary. The order in which you will gather your materials will depend on the locations of the resources around you. You may wish to gather some of these resources together as you pass them for maximum efficiency. Note that some of these resources require a [[Sharp Stone|sharp stone]] when gathered, so it may be a good idea for you to take one with you in your basket when hunting for these resources.
 
 
In addition, bringing along one or more [[Gooseberry|berries]] in your basket can make all the difference: one key mistake many players make is misjudging their [[food]] allowance, losing track of [[Wild Gooseberry Bush|berry bush]] locations and starving to death. It is your job to prioritize how you will gather them efficiently based on what you can see on your map and then place them in an order you can easily remember near where you want to build your [[Adobe Kiln|kiln]].
 
 
==== [[Adobe Kiln]] ====
 
[[File:Adobe Kiln.jpg|thumb|130x100px|[[Adobe Kiln]]]]
 
Find a [[Clay Pit|clay deposit]] and bring back at least three pieces of [[clay]] (ideally bring 4-6; clay can be stacked in a basket). To make a [[Adobe Kiln|kiln]] you'll need three pieces of [[adobe]], made by combining one piece of [[clay]] with one [[Reed Bundle]] or, if it cannot be avoided, [[straw]] from [[Ripe Wheat|wild wheat]]. Processing wheat involves an additional step after cutting it with your [[Sharp Stone|sharp stone]]: you will need to find a [[Maple Tree|maple tree]] or [[Poplar Tree]], click it to take a [[Straight Branch|branch]], then click the branch to the wheat to thresh it. The grain is useless to you right now, but the straw can be used like reeds for making baskets or adobe. Place your first piece of adobe where you want your kiln to be, use a round [[stone]] to make a base then add the remaining [[adobe]] to the base.
 
 
==== [[Fire Bow Drill|Bow-Drill]] ====
 
[[File:Fire Bow Drill.jpg|thumb|100px|Fire Bow Drill]]
 
 
Use a sharp stone on a [[Small Curved Branch|poplar branch]] once (to produce a [[Small Curved Shaft|small curved shaft]]) and on the maple branch twice (to produce a [[Short Shaft|short shaft]]). Use one rope on the small curved shaft, then use the short shaft on the tied branch.
 
 
==== [[Long Straight Shaft]] and [[Wooden Tongs]] ====
 
The following steps are done before crafting a [[Stone Hatchet|stone hatchet]] should you have only one sharp stone available. Use the sharp stone on 2 maple straight branches to create 2 long shafts. Find a [[Flint|flint outcropping]] and use your sharp stone on it to form [[Flint Chip|flint chips]]. Take one and use it on one of the long shafts to create [[Wooden Tongs]], the other long shaft will be used for firestarting and brand.
 
 
==== [[Stone Hatchet]] and [[Kindling]] ====
 
Use the sharp stone on the straight branch twice. Use a rope on the resulting short shaft then use a sharp stone on the [[Tied Short Shaft]] to create a [[Stone Hatchet|hatchet]]. Use your hatchet on your scrap branches to create [[Kindling|kindling]]. Place one of the pieces of kindling in the kiln and one near your long straight shaft.
 
 
==== [[Wet Clay Bowl]](s)/[[Wet Clay Plate|Plate]](s) ====
 
Use the round stone on clay one to make a wet clay bowl. To make a plate, first make a wet clay bowl then use the round stone on it. Make as many bowls as you like (though 1 for now should be fine), but plates won't be used until later and possibly only after your death so making one now is entirely optional.
 
 
==== Finishing Touches ====
 
Finally, you will need two ingredients that are not listed above because they despawn relatively quickly and should be gathered last. They are [[Juniper Tinder|tinder]] from a [[Juniper Tree|juniper tree]] and a [[leaf]] from a branchless poplar or maple tree. You are now ready to make fire.
 
 
<gallery heights=75px widths=75px>
 
File:Long Straight Shaft.jpg|[[Long Straight Shaft]]
 
File:Wooden Tongs.jpg|[[Wooden Tongs]]
 
File:Stone Hatchet.jpg|[[Stone Hatchet]]
 
File:Kindling.jpg|[[Kindling]]
 
File:Wood-filled Adobe Kiln.jpg|Wood-filled Kiln
 
File:Wet Clay Bowl.jpg|[[Wet Clay Bowl]]
 
File:Wet Clay Plate.jpg|[[Wet Clay Plate]]
 
File:Juniper Tinder.jpg|[[Juniper Tinder]]
 
File:Leaf.jpg|[[Leaf]]
 
</gallery>
 
 
=== [[Fire]] and Firing ===
 
[[File:Fire.jpg|thumb|100px|[[Fire]]]]
 
 
The process of actually creating the [[fire]] involves four steps that are much less complicated than they first appear:
 
# use your [[Fire Bow Drill|bow drill]] on the [[Long Straight Shaft|long straight shaft]]
 
# use the [[Leaf|leaf]] on the [[Ember Shaft|smoking long shaft]]
 
# use the [[Ember Leaf|ember leaf]] on the [[Juniper Tinder|tinder]]
 
# discard the ember leaf, wait for a small flame, then use [[Kindling|kindling]] on the tinder fire
 
 
When you have a small fire, pick up the long shaft, use it on the fire then use the resulting [[Firebrand|brand]] on your [[Adobe Kiln|kiln]]. Pick up your [[Wooden Tongs|tongs]] and use them to grab a [[Wet Clay Bowl|wet bowl]] or [[Wet Clay Plate|plate]] and then click the kiln to produce a [[Clay Bowl|dry clay bowl]] or [[Clay Plate|plate]]. Repeat as necessary. Congratulations, you have just fired your first pottery, can now transport water and are ready to enter the next phase of survival: farming!
 
 
<gallery heights=75px widths=75px>
 
File:Ember Shaft.jpg|Ember Shaft
 
File:Ember Leaf.jpg|Ember Leaf
 
File:Smoldering Tinder.jpg|Smoldering Tinder
 
File:Burning Tinder.jpg|Burning Tinder
 
File:Fire.jpg|[[Fire]]
 
File:Firebrand.jpg|[[Firebrand]]
 
File:Firing Adobe Kiln.jpg|[[Firing Adobe Kiln]]
 
File:Wet Bowl in Wooden Tongs.jpg|Wet Bowl in Wooden Tongs
 
</gallery>
 
 
== Post-Fire Early Farming ==
 
[[File:Deep Tilled Row.jpg|thumb|100px|[[Deep Tilled Row]]]]
 
 
Now that you can transport water, there is one last hurdle before you begin growing your food supply: [[seeds]] and [[Fertile Soil Pit|soil]]. Always keeping in mind your hunger, empty your [[Basket|basket]] and locate a patch of fertile soil. Use the basket on it, bring it to a relatively open area (it is greatly advised that this be as near to a source of water as possible, and many players eventually aim to move their farms and town bases into [[Biomes#Swamps|swamp biomes]] to be as near to [[Canada Goose Pond|ponds]] as possible) and right click on empty ground to dump your [[Fertile Soil Pile|soil]]. Individual lots of soil can be moved by using your [[Clay Bowl|bowl]]. If you misclick, need to drop your basket to eat or simply wish to move your farm, you can always recollect soil using bowl or basket.
 
 
[[File:Stone Hoe.jpg|thumb|100px|[[Stone Hoe]]]]
 
To till the soil, you will need a [[skewer]] or a [[Stone Hoe|hoe]]. A skewer can only be used four times before breaking but has the advantage of being a quick early option that does not require vital [[Milkweed|milkweed]] to craft. Use your skewer or hoe on the fertile soil to till the soil. A single lot of fertile soil will require tilling twice to get [[Tilled Row|Deep Tilled Row]]. Whereas a double lot of soil on the same square will only need tilling once. A triple lot of soil is unnecessary and is a waste of the extra soil. Therefore, if soil is abundant, it is best to use two soil to save your hoe (which will eventually break).
 
 
There are two main direct food crops: [[Domestic Gooseberry Bush|domestic gooseberry bushes]] and [[Carrot|carrots]]. Each has considerations:
 
[[File:Domestic Gooseberry Bush.jpg|thumb|100px|[[Domestic Gooseberry Bush]]]]
 
 
* Domestic berry bushes require water and soil to regrow once all the berries have been picked. Berry bushes have important applications in [[Compost|compost-making]] as well as in [[Animals#Sheep|domestic sheep]] rearing, and can provide relatively easy food for early civilizations. However, it is unwise to rely too heavily upon them, so it is better to diversify into other food sources, and leave berries for the very young and very old.
 
 
[[File:Carrot Row.jpg|thumb|100px|[[Carrot Row]]]]
 
* Carrots, when harvested at edible maturity, will return the plot to a [[Hardened Row]] which only requires one soil to be reused. It is critical not to allow less than a full row of carrots to go to seed (which consumes the soil plot).
 
 
To farm carrots, locate some [[Wild Carrot|wild carrots]], click them, empty handed, to get a seeds, then bring it back and use one on your [[Deep Tilled Row|farm plot]]. Take one of your [[Clay Bowl|clay bowls]], fill it with water from a [[Canada Goose Pond|pond]] then water your plot. Take care not to drain a goose pond. You can also make a [[Water Pouch|water pouch]] after hunting one [[Animals#Rabbit|rabbit]], although clay bowls are more common and may be easier in the early game due to less milkweed needed and no needle required. Most crops need to be watered only once during their lives with the exception of domestic berry bushes (see above) and [[tree]] saplings. Once your first patch of carrots is in the ground some of the pressure eases, but you will not have achieved complete food security until you have a robust compost cycle which involves steady supply of berries, carrots, [[Ripe Wheat|wheat]] for [[Straw|straw]] and a [[sheep]] farm for [[Sheep Dung|dung]].
 
 
Since wild carrot seeds no longer respawn, at some point it will become necessary to begin designating "seed rows" of carrots that will remain untouched until they reach their flowering phase. '''Tip: Do not allow for less than a full plot of five carrots to go to seed. This will accelerate dirt consumption while yielding less than five seeds.'''
 
 
If your settlement has an experienced farmer do not interfere with their plots unless asked, (if you have nothing to do it can instead be helpful to assume the role of water carrier) and try to avoid eating the carrots if you can.
 
 
=== Other Farming ===
 
[[File:Ripe Wheat.jpg|thumb|[[Ripe Wheat]]|100px]]
 
 
Once your food supply is secure you can begin to explore other options and goals. You may wish to start a [[milkweed]] farm, as quite a lot of [[thread]] is needed for the mass production of [[Clothes|clothing]] and some [[tools]]. Collect [[Milkweed Seed|milkweed seeds]] by clicking on the debris pile formed after harvesting fruiting milkweed.
 
 
[[Wheat]]-farming is useful for making [[Basket|baskets]], some clothing, and for the [[baking]] of higher value [[Food|food]]. While a single wild wheat plant will produce enough [[Bowl of Dough|dough]] for four pies, wheat seeds despawn so take care not to entirely depopulate a [[Biomes#Yellow Prairie|prairie]]. Wheat-farming is most useful for later stages as part of a dedicated [[compost|composting]], [[baking]] set-up.
 
 
[[File:Domestic Sheep.jpg|thumb|[[Domestic Sheep]]|100px]]]
 
Some other available seeds can be seen on the [[Seeds]] page. Additionally, there are currently four domesticatable [[Animals|animals]] available to farm which are [[sheep]], [[cow]]s, [[pig]]s and [[dog]]s. A Sheep pen is essential for making [[compost]], and is additionally used for [[Clothes|clothing]], [[Saddle|horse-riding]], [[pies]] and [[Medical Treatment|medical supplies]]. Cows produce [[Bowl of Whole Milk|milk]] and [[Bowl of Butter|butter]]. Pigs are used to create [[Pork Taco|pork tacos]], and to feed [[Dog|puppies]]. Dogs currently have limited uses.
 
 
There are many other crops that can be cooked into [[food]], such as [[beans]], [[squash]], [[corn]], [[cabbage]], and [[potatoes]]. Beans, squash, and corn are usually grown together as they are the main ingredient's in Three Sister's Stew. Beans can also be made into tacos or burritos. Cabbage is made into [[Bowl of Sauerkraut|sauerkraut]] and potatoes are made into [[Baked Potato|baked potatoes]], but these two crops aren't farmed as much as the others.
 
 
== Rabbits and Clothesmaking ==
 
Clothing is essential to minimize a colony's food requirements. Note that if your settlement is located within a desert biome, rabbits are useful mainly for backpacks as wearing clothing in the heat of the desert is inefficient.
 
 
=== Snaring ===
 
[[File:Snare.jpg|thumb|100px|[[Snare]]]]
 
 
Snaring [[Animals|rabbits]] first requires a [[snare]], created by combining a rope with [[stakes]] (use a sharp stone on a straight branch three times). [[Rabbit Family Hole|Rabbit family holes]] will have visible babies. Soon after setting a snare you will be able to collect your bounty and move your snare (family holes will respawn eventually, but during your lifetime they will likely remain empty and you’ll need to find another family).
 
 
=== Preparing a Needle ===
 
[[File:Bone Needle.jpg|thumb|100px|[[Bone Needle]]]]
 
 
To start making clothing you will first need to cook your rabbit. Use a flint chip on the body to skin it, set aside the [[Rabbit Fur|fur]], cut down a [[sapling]] to make a [[skewer]] and [[Skewered Rabbit|skewer the meat]]. Now make another fire, but don't bother with extra kindling for the kiln. You must wait for the fire to burn down to coals before cooking or you will ruin the meat and lose the chance to get bones (and food). Deposit your cooked skewer on the ground, right-click it to remove the skewer, eat the meat, discard the larger of the two [[Rabbit Bone|bones]] somewhere convenient (it takes some time to despawn) and use a sharp stone on the smaller bone to create a [[Bone Needle|needle]].
 
 
=== Making Clothing ===
 
[[File:Needle and Thread.jpg|thumb|70px|[[Needle and Thread]]]]
 
 
Now you need a single [[thread]] to create a [[Needle and Thread]] that you can use on different kinds and amounts of fur or wool to craft different pieces of [[Clothes|clothing]]. Thread is consumed every time an object is crafted. [[Rabbit Fur]] stacks to four pieces of full fur and two pieces of cut fur per tile. Attaching a needle to a ball of thread makes it so that the needle can be used multiple times for sewing before it runs out.
 
 
== Advanced Hunting ==
 
[[File:Bow and Arrow.jpg|thumb|100px|[[Bow and Arrow]]]]
 
 
[[Canada Goose Pond|Geese]] and other [[animals]] must be hunted with [[Bow and Arrow]]. Geese can be used as food sources (take care to not eliminate an entire population as they do not respawn) and are needed much later on in [[Smithing|blacksmithing]].
 
 
= Conclusion =
 
[[File:Life Stages.jpg|thumb|<div style="text-align: center">[[Life Stages]]</div>]]
 
If you’ve lived long enough to accomplish all the above, congratulations: you are most likely old by now. You may have already noticed your total number of hunger pips has decreased and you are losing vitality. When your hunger pips reach 3 you will turn 60 years old and die from natural causes. This is the best death one can hope for -- even though you will likely not have left the stone age you will have built something viable for future generations (hopefully including your own children) to build on.
 
 
You'll notice there has been no mention of the babies that will no doubt have begun spawning almost as soon as you entered the world. The reason is that early on children are an exceptionally risky proposition and the choice of whether to keep or abandon them depends largely on your goals and how prosperous you find your surroundings. Since picking up a baby drains hunger, a mother is encouraged to continue holding her child -- trying to juggle multiple infants in the absence of a food source is a sure way to guarantee not only your own death but the deaths of your children as well. In addition, the pressure to secure a steady food source drives a new Eve to be constantly moving, carrying items, and potentially running long distances to forage additional food, all of which will place a strain on her if she is also pausing to feed one or more babies multiple times. With experience, you will learn to judge how many children you can support at a given time. For instance, should you have scouted a very generous berry-laden location ideal for a future camp, it can be worthwhile to sacrifice some of your early productivity by focusing on holding your baby and setting it down only to eat a number of berries at once. While your food requirements will effectively double with the addition of a child, you will gain potentially skilled assistance or, at the very least, an extra set of hands that can find and bring materials and berries to your camp and accelerate your settlement's development.
 
 
Regardless of starting luck, it is advised to be wary of raising too many children as population explosion -- and the food crisis that inevitably follows -- is the single greatest threat to even large and advanced settlements. Ultimately, while you remain a fertile Eve your highest priority is to ensure your own survival until can support at least one fertile daughter. This is a harsh and dangerous world.
 
   
 
= Next stage =
 
= Next stage =
 
Now that you've mastered the basics, here are some topics to consider pursuing:
 
Now that you've mastered the basics, here are some topics to consider pursuing:
* [[Farming]] • [[Compost]] • [[Cooking]] • [[Baking]] • [[Clothes]] • [[Smithing]] • [[Medical Treatment]] • [[Building]]
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*[[Fire]] • [[Farming]] • [[Animals]] • [[Compost]] • [[Cooking]] • [[Baking]] • [[Clothes]] • [[Smithing]] • [[Tools]] • [[Medical Treatment]] • [[Building]]
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For a more detailed guide on how to survive and thrive in an early settlements, see the [[Eve]] page.
   
 
[[Category:One Hour One Life Wiki]]
 
[[Category:One Hour One Life Wiki]]

Revision as of 11:25, 27 November 2018

This is a community-written Starting Guide for One Hour One Life. A more detailed guide on how to survive and thrive in an early settlements is available on the Eve page.

Introduction

You've finished downloading your copy of One Hour One Life. Excitedly, you load into a colourful world filled with promise as either a newborn baby or a young woman. You're completely naked, freezing, already hungry and have no idea what you're doing. You die. You reload and die again. You try asking for help but the answers, if there are any, are vague and non-specific. You're frustrated.

The purpose of this page is to smooth the learning curve of the early game. As such, it will, by necessity, contain spoilers and should be avoided by players wishing to learn by trial-and-error or within the social environments of the game world. There are two main sections to this guide: the first section features a basic introduction to the game world designed to ensure a player's immediate survival while the second section consists of an in-depth "complete guide" that covers everything up to and including your first farm.

If nothing else, all players should enter the world with the knowledge that the environment can be permanently altered by their actions. Certain resources are integral to the survival and advancement of player societies and it is imperative that guidelines are followed lest areas become stripped of their resources and rendered unsuitable for continued settlement.

Tutorial and Recipes

The tutorial is a basic introduction to the game, accessed on the login screen of the game (currently visible only at first login, and after death). It will instruct you on the basic mechanics of the game, and give you time to experiment in a closed environment. In order to finish the tutorial, you must light the "tutorial torch" near the end of the passageway. This requires knowledge of fire.

Much vital information is omitted from the tutorial, some of which can be accessed by using the inbuilt recipe index. Holding an item in game, will make a set of related recipes appear in the bottom right corner of the game interface. These can be scrolled through using tab, and shift+tab to go back. Ctrl+tab makes bigger page jumps. Furthermore, if you type "/" into the speech box, followed by an item name, e.g. "/Rope", it will only show recipes used to craft that item. Entering "/" will clear the search function again. The search function is limited, and can be difficult to use when lots is happening on screen, but can still come in handy.

The information that cannot be gleaned from the tutorial or the recipe index, can be discovered through gameplay, observing or asking other players, or (as a last resort) can be found in this wiki and at Onetech. Additionally, you can try asking for help on the forums. The wiki, tech-tree and forums can all be accessed via links at the top of the game's official website

Basic Concepts

Controls

One Hour One Life primarily uses the mouse buttons to control your character. Most actions are performed using a left-click, such as moving your character, picking up or interacting with objects, crafting, and eating. Right-click is used to drop items, remove objects from certain containers (like baskets) and to use weapons. Attempting to drop an item on an occupied space will swap the item in your hand for the one in that space. You can mouse-over an item or player to see its name at the bottom of your screen.

As a baby, you have limited interactions with the world and are entirely dependent on your mother until the age of 4 (when you reach 7-8 hunger boxes) and enter childhood. You will be able to do most things in childhood, except for some cases such as Hand Carts, Big Hard Rock, and knife which can only be picked up once you reach a certain age.

Pressing Enter will open a speech box into which messages can be typed. Pressing enter again will display the message above your character's head, or close an empty speech box. The length of messages you can type increases with your character's age, starting with only 1 symbol as a baby, up to around 60 symbols at the end of your character's life. The up and down arrows will cycle through previously spoken phrases. The speech box can also be used to type various commands such as the recipe index.

The space bar can be used to 'freeze' the camera, giving you finer control when you need to click something while moving. Release space to unfreeze the camera, which will move automatically while you navigate.

Eating

To eat, pick up a food object using left click (this could be anything from a simple wild berry to a cooked pie), then click on your character. Beware if you are wearing an apron or backpack as clicking on these clothing will store the held item. Clicking the food directly onto your character's face should avoid this problem.

Crafting

Most crafting steps involve combining 2 items. To do this, pick up one item using left-click, then click on the item to be combined with. In some recipes, it matters which way around the item is added.

Hunger Gauge

Hunger Gauge

On the bottom left of your screen you will see a line of small boxes representing your hunger. As you go without food the gauge empties from the right and boxes turn from black to white and if you run out of filled squares you will starve to death, though a warning chime will sound to alert you when your hunger reaches critical levels (this chime ceases to activate for very old characters who must pay particular attention to their hunger if they wish to survive to 60 years old). Babies begin their lives with 4 hunger boxes which gradually increases to a max of 20 for adults. As old age sets in, characters begin steadily losing hunger boxes until only 3 remain, at which point they will die from old age.

Food Bonus

Food Bonus

Once you eat a food item, your food bonus chain will begin. For every unique food you eat, you will get a +1 food bonus added which acts as extra food pips on top of your hunger bar. So if you eat three unique foods in a row, you will have a food bonus of +3 hunger pips. The food bonus reverts to 0 when you eat a non-unique food in your train. When you pick up a food, it will tell you if the food will add to your bonus (YUM) or a food you've already eaten (MEH).

Warmth

Heat Gauge

On the bottom right of the screen is a warmth indicator with an arrow indicating your current level of warmth and a midpoint representing an optimal temperature. Being too hot or too cold is not in itself dangerous, but warmth is directly tied to how quickly the hunger gauge drains. Aim to be as close to the midpoint as possible -- values above or below this point increase hunger drain, with characters at extreme temperatures requiring up to 4 times the amount of food to stave off starvation. Many factors contribute to heat, including clothing, fire, biome, buildings, and disease. If you are placed near a fire or on a desert tile as a baby, take note of your heat meter and do not move from an optimal spot. Pick up and wear any discarded clothing you find, and take care not to overheat if fully-clothed and standing near heat sources.

Inventory

Backpack

Backpack

There is no traditional inventory system in OHOL. Each character is able to carry just one item in their hands at a time including containers, the most basic of which is the basket. Later on, backpacks and carts provide additional carrying capacity. If you are holding something and wish to pick up a baby or harvest a berry, you must first empty your hands by right-clicking on an empty space on the ground. If you instead right-click on an occupied space you will swap the item in your hand for the one in that space. You can swap an item in your hand for one in a container if there is an empty space in the container. It is important to be mindful of these limitations should you find yourself in a location where few open ground spaces exist as it is possible to starve or neglect your children simply because you cannot find a place to drop the item you're holding.

Bloodlines

It is possible, and recommended, to choose a family name as an Eve. This can be accomplished by using one of a variety of phrases, such as "I am X", where X is the desired family name. You will then be styled as "Eve X". In addition, it is possible to give first names to your children by using phrases such as "You are NAME" while holding them. Your children will then be styled as "NAME X". You can name children and adults as well if they do not have a name. Just stand near them and say "You are NAME" but they will not receive your family name, only a first name. Should you have a daughter but fail to name her she will no longer be able to pass your family name onto her own children (though she will still be considered to be related to you along with her children, if any). Names are selected according to external lists (first and last) and should you select a name that is not on the list the game will automatically select a similar one.

A link to view Family Trees can be accessed on the game's main menu and at the top of the official OHOL website.

See also: NamesLineage Ban

Curses

Curse Token

If you see someone griefing, you can curse them by using phrases such as "Curse X" and their curse score will go up by 1 point. You cannot see your curse score nor anyone else's. For every hour you play, one curse point will be removed from your score. But the time will only count if you have lived for longer than 10 minutes. So if you live for five minutes, that will not go towards decreasing your curse score, but living for 15 minutes will decrease your time by 15 minutes. When you curse someone, you use up your curse token. It takes 2 hours of your playtime to regenerate a curse token so make sure to use it on someone that deserves it. Curse tokens are server based so if you curse someone on one server, you will still have a curse tokens on the others. Curse scores, however, are global. So if you are cursed once on three different servers your curse score will still be 3.

DONKEY TOWN

When a player reaches a curse score of 8 they will be born marked and their speech bubbles will be inverted (white text with black background) in their next life. Marked players will also be force-spawned into "Donkey Town", a far-away spawn location on all servers, where you can only spawn in if you are marked. Marked players will then have to play out a fixed amount of time, after which their score will be set to 7, and can be born back at the normal spawn locations. After that, you burn one curse point every hour that you play as usual. Donkey Town residents will be able to see a count of their excess curse score.

Biomes

Biomes are zones where only certain resources spawn. A basic understanding is useful in locating early-game food and materials to craft tools, as well to avoid dangerous animals. Note that this list is incomplete, focusing only on the resources you will be using early on, and that some of these items may be found in more than one biome.

- Grasslands have berries, milkweed, the early trees you'll need, and soil.

- Yellow prairies have rabbits, wheat, and wild carrots.

- Swamps have tule reeds, goose ponds, and clay.

- Badlands have rocks, flint, and sadness.

- Tundra biomes have seals and rocks. These areas are cold and will lower a player's temperature. It may be better to avoid tundra in early game if you can.

- Deserts have cacti, flint and rocks. These areas are hot and will raise a player's temperature.

- Jungles have bananas but also mosquitos. These areas are warm and will raise a player's temperature.

Other Dangers

Rattle Snake

Rattle Snake

More often than not, you will die of starvation, however there are other ways to die in OHOL. Certain animals, including some domesticated animals, are dangerous. Encountering a hostile animal (by occupying the same space as a resting hostile animal, or while running), will result in the player being wounded, and eventual death if not treated.

Wolves, snakes, and boars move erratically, usually away from the player, and are confined to their biome, but still present a danger (especially when hidden in thick forests). Unlike other wildlife, Bears actively pursue players in their vicinity, and will follow a player across biomes, presenting a risk to an entire village. Mosquitos will not directly kill a player, but the Yellow Fever they give will affect your temperature and food gauge, making it more likely that you will die of starvation.

Other players, too, can be dangerous when they are armed (sometimes entirely by accident).

Life as a Baby

Most of the time, you will spawn as a baby. You have few hunger pips and are completely helpless, totally reliant on your mother or other adult women. You should expect to die frequently, and be abandoned or otherwise neglected fairly often. This is normal and should not be taken personally. Settlements must carefully manage their populations or risk starvation and, in the case of new mothers, the burden of caring for babies is great.

To raise your chances of survival, stay close to your mother (unless she instructs otherwise), stay warm if you can, and tell her when you reach approximately 2 hunger pips (Most commonly communicated by typing 'F' for 'food'). Follow her, or remain still when appropriate so she can easily pick up you when required. Picking you up requires the mother to sacrifice 1 pip of her hunger bar, so avoid jumping out of her arms (by clicking or trying to move) while she carries you. In the first minute of life, you will be unable to jump from your mother's arms.

If your mother neglects you, you might be lucky enough to have an older sibling or another family member who is willing to feed you. Show your appreciation by following their directions. Note that only young women can breastfeed you. Old women or males cannot breastfeed. However, any player who can pick up objects can feed babies by clicking on them while holding a piece of food.

Above all, do not get discouraged by death -- just keep respawning until you are born to a mother who can care for you. Or spawn as an Eve.

Life as an Eve

Sometimes you will spawn as a 14-year-old woman, known as an Eve. You will be naked, most-likely in the middle of no-where, and soon other players will begin spawning as your babies (assuming you are not playing entirely by yourself). To feed your baby you must pick it up at a cost to your own hunger gauge. Holding a baby will keep its hunger gauge maxed out at no additional penalty to yourself, but you are unable to pick up or interact with anything else. There is an internal cooldown that attempts to space out births, but, since it is random, you may have many children in quick succession or no children for minutes at a time.

Your goal is to find a food source before you starve, then ultimately to find a good base location to build a future for yourself and any children you have. Most early-game food sources can be found in the grasslands. Your best bet is to search for berry bushes. These can be supplemented with various other non-renewable wild food until you get a farm going. Beware, food doesn't last forever!

A good base location tends to be at the intersection between multiple different biomes, with plenty of resources. Choosing a good location will make your babies more likely to stay, and will improve the overall likelihood that your bloodline will survive many generations. Don't take it personally if your babies run away (often they may just be trying to return to a past life). Focus on learning and practicing what you can in each life. If you mess up, you can always start afresh in the next life.

For more detailed information on 'Eve-ing' see the Eve page.

General rules for beginners

1. Hunt and snare animals only when they are in families

Rabbit Holes

Rabbit Hole vs Rabbit Family Hole

Rabbit holes snared without babies will take an hour longer to regenerate. Additionally, killing Mouflon, Boars and Bison in their family form will allow domestication of the baby. In general therefore, it is better to kill wild animals in their family form.

2. Harvest milkweed when fruiting for seeds

Milkweed Growth

Milkweed stages

Harvest milkweed when it is fruiting (fruiting milkweed will have yellow pods, not purple flowers) in order to collect seeds from the debris. Fruiting debris lasts for 10 minutes while young and flowering debris only last for 1 minute but give no seeds.

3. Leave at least one wheat for seeds
Wheat seeds can only be pulled from ripe wheat, if you harvest all the wheat before you collect the seeds, you will have no more wheat to plant. Wheat seeds will disappear after 2 minutes. A common practice is to harvest all but one wheat crop until you have planted more rows.

4. Use clay wisely
Unlike most resources, clay is non-renewable. You can only collect them from clay pits and one extra by digging up a clay pit with a shovel. Once you have used up all the clay in the area, you will need to travel further and further in order to collect more.

5. Straight Branches
Straight branches are vital for a town's survival, especially in the beginning of a family in Eve camps. You must try to preserve the straight branches and not use them in cases where there are other alternatives, such as kindling. Even if you walk past a straight branch on a tree, it is always a good thing to pick it and set it down, resetting the respawn timer and hopefully leaving the next person who discovers that tree with an extra straight branch.

6. Canada Goose Pond
Geese lay eggs, give feathers for arrows, and can be killed for meat when present at the pond. But geese will permanently be removed from ponds if the goose is shot, or the pond is completely emptied or overfilled. It shouldn't discourage you from emptying ponds for wells but it is always a good strategy to keep at least one goose pond intact.

7. Gooseberries
A wild gooseberry bush regenerates 1 berry every 10 minutes. It is common practice to leave the last berry on a wild bush as a courtesy for the next player who may be in desperate need of food. However, the opposite is true for domestic berries which take 8 minutes to respawn all at once- and only after adding soil and water to an empty bush, in which case it is better to take the last berry in order to replace the berries sooner.

8. Pay attention to carrot crops

Seeding Carrots

Seeding carrots

After you water carrots, it will take 4 minutes to become mature carrots. But if you do not pick them, after 5 minutes the carrots that remain in the soil plot will go to seed and when harvested will give you more carrot seeds instead of carrots. After a further 10 minutes, the seeding carrots will disappear. If you need carrots, then make sure to watch them and pick them before they turn.

9. Leave one woolly sheep
When tending your sheep pen, it is important to leave at least one sheep, or Domestic Mouflon, or fed lamb alive, in order to produce lambs. Shorn sheep will not produce lambs and must be fed to re-grow their wool. So it is better to designate shorn sheep for mutton, and produce more wool by feeding lambs instead, which will also produce Sheep Dung. Note: Sheep dung is ONLY produced by feeding a lamb.

10. Shave sheep before skinning
When you kill a woolly sheep, it will keep its wool. You can still shave the dead sheep with shears to get fleece that can be used to make thread. Skinning it with a knife will give you a sheep skin which has comparatively limited uses.

Resource Respawns

Fruiting Barrel Cactus

Fruiting Barrel Cactus

  • Water, wildlife, the harvesting of wild berry bushes, cactus fruits, and tree branches does not require the same special consideration, as these resources will always eventually respawn, although may be finite in the short-term (objects can take between 15 to 60 minutes, to regenerate).
  • As of update 75, wild carrots do not respawn their seeds so after seed removal it is safe to uproot them for eating. Burdock and wild onions are early food sources that cannot be cultivated, provide no seeds, and do not respawn.
  • Fertile Soil Pits are also finite. However, it is possible to craft soil via compost later in the game.

Next stage

Now that you've mastered the basics, here are some topics to consider pursuing:

For a more detailed guide on how to survive and thrive in an early settlements, see the Eve page.