Lychee's Beginner Mega-Walkthrough to OHOL

lychee · 2019-06-09 06:22:09

INTRODUCTION:

One Hour One Life (OHOL) has a very steep learning curve, and many players struggle when beginning the game. With over 2000 possible craftable objects currently in the game, where do we even start??? It's common for beginners to feel overwhelmed, lost, confused, or plain useless. Sometimes, new players worry that they're a burden to everyone else.

But don't be discouraged! This guide is structured as a series of lessons to teach the skills so you can be the hero(ine) for your town! It often only takes one person to save a town from starvation, drought, bear attack, yellow fever, and more! All it takes is a little eagerness to learn.

Never be afraid to ask for help, even inside the game! Most players on OHOL are very friendly and willing to help teach if you ask. In fact, "parenting" and "teaching" are some of the main themes of the game.

Important note: OHOL is still under active development with weekly updates. Be careful of information you find online, because some older videos and even the official wiki can contain outdated information. Always check the date when a guide was last posted, and remain skeptical of older content.

Last Updated: 2019-Jun-10

LESSON 01: ONETECH IS YOUR BEST FRIEND
LESSON 02: BREAK OUT OF THE TUTORIAL!
LESSON 03: SURVIVING IN THE WILD ON A LOW POPULATION SERVER
LESSON 04: LEARN TO FARM AND COMPOST
LESSON 05: WHAT SHOULD I EAT? THIS IS YUMMY
LESSON 06: DON'T BE A NAKED KIDDIE
LESSON 07: HELP! A BABY POPPED OUT!!!
LESSON 08: GRANDMA'S GUIDE TO BAKING AND COOKING
LESSON 09: HOW DO YOU USE THIS COMPLICATED WELL THING?
LESSON 10: THERE'S NO IRON... LET'S GO MINING
This guide is a work in progress...

Last edited by lychee (2019-06-10 04:51:42)

lychee · 2019-06-09 06:23:11

LESSON 01: ONETECH.INFO IS YOUR BEST FRIEND

"How do you make {XXXXX} again???"

Even with hundreds of hours in the game, even experienced players struggle to remember recipes.

Thankfully, https://onetech.info is the community solution to everything related to crafting. Pretty much everybody uses it.

OneTech automatically updates every time a change is made to OHOL's code, so this website is the best place to find accurate up-to-date information about recipes. OneTech was created by the forum member Kazetsukai.

This walkthrough assumes that players are familiar with looking up recipes on OneTech. This guide will not cover step-by-step crafting instructions (this guide is focused on big picture concepts), so players should be prepared to pull up OneTech as needed.

The Tech Tree and Crafting Recipe buttons are especially helpful for learning how to craft something.

Last edited by lychee (2019-06-09 15:16:30)

lychee · 2019-06-09 06:25:26

LESSON 02: BREAK OUT OF THE TUTORIAL!

If you're reading this post on the forums, you've probably already completed OHOL's tutorial at least once.

However, if you've never "broken out" of the tutorial map (or have no idea what I'm talking about), I recommend that newer players try this at least once. As of June 2019, the information taught in the standard tutorial is a bare minimum, and many players still feel overwhelmed upon entering their first multiplayer games.

If you're struggling with OHOL, self-guided learning in the "extended secret tutorial" is the easiest place to start.

The unofficial objective of the extended tutorial is to "escape" or "break out" of the tutorial map. The skills necessary to accomplish this are all important in the multiplayer game, and the tutorial is a great learning environment where you don't need to worry about food, babies, or other players.

After lighting the tutorial torch, continue south past the torch and rattlesnake room to reach the "secret tutorial area".

LESSON OBJECTIVES:

Cut down the Yew Tree with a steel axe
Dig out the tree Stump with a shovel
Escape from the tutorial and say hi to a friend

You can find the instructions for how to craft these tools on https://onetech.info. However, since this is the first real lesson, we'll cover the general steps needed. Don't stress if this seems like a lot — you're not expected to memorize anything! We will cover many of these topics in greater detail in the future. For today, this is just an exercise on using https://onetech.info to look up crafting recipes.

Just relax, explore, experiment, try stuff, and have fun!

If you are having trouble, there are several video guides on Youtube (search: "One Hour One Life Tutorial Escape"). We also encourage you to skip ahead to future lessons if you like. Don't feel forced to read everything in order!

LESSON OVERVIEW:

The steel axe and shovel are steel tools. The crafting process for all steel tools are very similar, although it is a hefty multi-step process. In this guide, we'll divide this long process into small bite-sized topics so it isn't as intimidating.

The big picture in a nut-shell:

Steel tools are smithed in a Forge using Steel Ingots
Steel Ingots are refined in a Forge from a Crucible filled with Wrought Iron and Charcoal
A Forge is upgraded from an Adobe Kiln by adding Bellows
Crucibles are made from Clay Bowls and Clay Plates
Clay items and Charcoal can be fired in an Adobe Kiln

Don't forget to eat food. Wild Gooseberry Bushes are common in the tutorial area, and they automatically regrow one berry every 10 minutes (FYI: Domestic Gooseberry Bushes do not automatically regrow berrries). As of June 2019, each Gooseberry restores a total 5 pips of food. While playing in tutorial, practice paying attention to your food meter and try not to overeat.

PART ONE: MAKING A FIRE

In the standard tutorial, you learned how to make a Stone Hatchet, Kindling, and a Firebrand in order to light the Tutorial Torch. But how do you make a Fire totally from scratch?

These are all the materials you need to obtain to start a fire:

1 Fire Bow Drill
1 Long Straight Shaft
1+ Kindling
1 Juniper Tinder from Juniper Tree
1 Leaf from Maple Tree or Lombardy Poplar Tree

After gathering all the materials, use the Fire Bow Drill on the Long Straight Shaft. Then use the Leaf on the smoldering shaft and transfer the ember to Juniper Tinder. When the tinder starts burning, add Kindling to create a small Fire.

A small fire will burn for 1 minute before turning into Hot Coals. It takes Hot Coals 2 minutes to disappear into ashes. To prevent the fire from going out, you can add Kindling to stoke the coals. Kindling gets used quickly, and you'll need lots of it, so beware of using up all the kindling in the tutorial!

Tip: Juniper Tinder and Leaf decays quickly in 2 minutes, so it's a good idea to gather these items last.

PART TWO: ADOBE KILN AND CLAY ITEMS

Clay items are used everywhere in OHOL, and they are a basic essential item. Multiplayer settlements can experience Clay Bowl and Clay Plate shortages, so it is important for all players to know how to make clay utensils.

For this part of lesson, research and make:

Use a Firebrand to light an Adobe Kiln that is filled with Kindling. You have 30 seconds to fire all your clay utensils using Wooden Tongs. If you get confused about which mouse button to use, remember that left-click is used for everything when handling tongs. Left-click to pick up a wet clay item, left-click to fire it in a kiln, and left-click on an empty spot on the ground to drop the finished item.

PART THREE: RABBIT TRAPPING, SEWING, AND BELLOWS

Items made out of Rabbit Fur are very common in multiplayer OHOL. Consequently, all players should aim to learn how to (A) Snare rabbits, (B) make Needle and Thread, and (C) sew rabbit fur. For the purposes of this tutorial, the player must sew a Water Pouch in order to make Bellows.

For this part of lesson, figure out how to obtain:

1 Snare
1 Dead Rabbit
1 Bellows
- 1 Empty Water Pouch
  - 1 Rabbit Fur
  - 1 Needle and Thread
    - 1 Bone Needle
      - 1 Cooked Rabbit
    - 1 Thread
- 1 Wooden Tongs
- 1 Clay Nozzle

Use a Snare on a Rabbit Family Hole to trap a rabbit. In multiplayer OHOL, snaring rabbit family holes is preferred over snaring single rabbit holes. Family holes re-spawn rabbits 1 hour after being snared, whereas single holes re-spawn rabbits 2 hours after being snared.

Making a Bone Needle can be tricky the first time. First, a Skewered Rabbit must be cooked on Hot Coals, not a fire. Attempting to cook rabbit on a fire will result in a Burnt Rabbit. Second, right-click (not left-click) on Rabbit Bones to produce a small Rabbit Bone for making a Bone Needle.

PART FOUR: CHARCOAL

Charcoal is an important resource used in many mid-tier recipes, particularly for smithing. On the multiplayer server, players commonly spawn in towns already at an intermediate technology level. These mid-tier towns often utilize charcoal-powered Newcomen Pumps as their primary water source, especially since other low-tier water sources will often be exhausted. It is a good idea to learn charcoal so you know how to operate advanced wells and oil pumps in the future.

For this part of lesson, research how to obtain:

5+ Charcoal Pile
- 1-2 Adobe Kilns
- 1-2 Adobe
- 5+ Kindling

To make a Charcoal Pile, place Kindling in an Adobe Kiln, light it with a Firebrand, and then cover it with Adobe. Use a Basket to take charcoal out of the kiln. In this lesson, we recommend that you start with making ~5 baskets of charcoal, although you may need more depending on how fast you can smith.

Tip: in multiplayer OHOL, it is standard convention to keep adobe in the tile right behind the kiln/forge. It is common to have multiple kilns or forges so you can do something else while waiting for charcoal to cook.

PART FIVE: WROUGHT IRON AND STEEL

Steel Ingots are essential for making tools. Steel Ingots are manufactured in a process that starts from Iron Ore.

A detailed smithing guide will be covered later, so don't stress about learning this process if it seems complicated. Many players don't learn smithing for weeks or months after starting OHOL, and it's entirely possible to be a valuable player without ever knowing how to smith. Remember: the objective of this lesson is to practice using https://onetech.info to make something you're unfamiliar with. Just try your best and see how it turns out!

For this part of lesson, the objective is to obtain these materials:

3+ Charcoal Pile
3 Wrought Iron
- 1 Forge
- 1 Wooden Tongs
- 3 Iron Ore
- 3 Flat Rock
- 1 Round Stone
3 Forged Steel Crucible
- 3 Clay Bowl
- 3 Wrought Iron
- 3 Charcoal (Small)
- 3 Clay Plate
- 1 Forge
- 1 Wooden Tongs
3 Steel Ingot

Make a Forge by adding Bellows to an Adobe Kiln, and fill it with a Basket of Charcoal. Set up the smithing area by laying out at least 3 Flat Rocks, and ensure you have a Round Stone, Wooden Tongs, and Iron Ore nearby.

When everything has been prepared, light the Forge with a Firebrand. You have 30 seconds to heat all your Iron Ore with Wooden Tongs. Place the heated Hot Iron Bloom on a Flat Rock. You have 10 seconds to hit each Hot Iron Bloom with a Round Stone to produce Wrought Iron.

If you are too slow, you will end up with Cold Iron Bloom. Don’t worry if this happens — restart the forge and heat them again.

To make Steel Ingots, place one Wrought Iron and one small Charcoal in a Clay Bowl. Then cover it with a Clay Plate to make a Crucible. Finally, heat the Crucible in a Forge with Wooden Tongs. Once the Crucible has cooled down, you can open it and take out a Steel Ingot.

Tip: Heat multiple crucibles or iron ore at once to save on charcoal. In multiplayer OHOL, it is common practice to leave at least 3 bowls, 3 plates, 3 flat rocks, 1 adobe for each kiln, 1 round stone, and 1 firebrand near the Smithy. If you borrow any of these items from the Smithy, please put them back.

PART FIVE: SMITHING TOOLS TO ESCAPE THE TUTORIAL

We almost have all the materials necessary to forge a Steel Axe and Steel Shovel. First, in order to forge any steel tools, we need a Smithing Hammer.

Here are the crafting objectives:

3 Steel Ingot
1 Smithing Hammer
- 1 Smithing Hammer Head
- 1 Short Staff
- 1 Round Stone
1 Steel Axe
- 1 Steel Axe Head
- 1 Long Straight Staff
1 Shovel
- 1 Steel Shovel Head
- 1 Long Straight Staff

To craft a Smithing Hammer, use a Firebrand to light a Forge loaded with Charcoal. Heat a Steel Ingot with Wooden Tongs and place it on a Flat Rock. You have 10 seconds to hit it with a Round Stone before it cools down. This results in a Steel Hammer Head that can be attached to a Short Staff.

Smithing Hammers are used to forge steel tools. By hitting a hot Steel Ingot on a Flat Rock, each hit will produce a different product. Be sure to count the hits carefully, because smithing hammers cannot go in reverse. You have 10 seconds to hit the hot steel tool at each stage before it cools down. Here are the transitions:

1 Hits: Steel Axe Head
2 Hits: Steel Hoe Blade
3 Hits: Steel Chisel
4 Hits: Steel Adze Head
5 Hits: Steel Froe Blade
6 Hits: Steel File Blank
7 Hits: Steel Blade Blank
8 Hits: Steel Shovel Head
9 Hits: Steel Mining Pick Head

CONCLUSION

Now that you've made a Steel Axe and Shovel, you can break out of the tutorial by cutting down the Yew Tree, moving the Firewood and Butt Log out of the way, and digging out the tree Stump. Congratulations! You've officially escaped from the tutorial!

What should you do with your newfound freedom?

SPOILER: If you travel north or south, you may find other players playing in their own tutorials. Make sure to say hi! It turns you were never alone to begin with. In fact, the "tutorial area" exists on the same big multiplayer server as everyone else!!! It's just hundreds of thousands of tiles away from the center of the world.

Last edited by lychee (2019-06-10 04:06:28)

lychee · 2019-06-09 06:27:14

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testo · 2019-06-09 07:25:15

Can I make a few corrections?
- Berry restores 3 food, the server has a bonus of +2 for every food.
https://onetech.info/31-Gooseberry

- Tutorial breakout has a Yew tree at the end not a Lombardy poplar tree.
https://onetech.info/406-Yew-Tree
https://onetech.info/45-Lombardy-Poplar-Tree

- Single Rabbit holes when snared turn into abandoned holes. They come back as growing holes in 1 hour, thus doubling the time to regrow compared to a family hole. It is not that bad if you hunt a single rabbit in a big prairie.
https://onetech.info/195-Abandoned-Rabbit-Hole

InSpace · 2019-06-09 09:34:58

reserved

Sukallinen · 2019-06-09 10:30:02

I suggest that you add near beginning of this BIG guide: if forgot some part of process (and cannot check onetech while playing) many people help when they see you're trying, just ask nicely (learned part of 3 sis stew myself that way). I've been helped many a time that way. Asking for help (in as short sentence as possibly) in ohol doesn't hurt like in most games. Worst is you may be ignored for a minute, nobody hurt.

This from experience, when hanging around "janitoring" I see someone not doing much of anything I sometimes go ask if I (as newb) can help on some simple recipes - during high-population hours especially I've had two-three students teaching basics. Learn by doing what I do this way I've had several times 3 ppl doing and 1-2 watching me teaching something up to smithing (I do not show except smithing, other basic stuff I teach by both/all of us doing). New population is needed and welcomed.

Also, shorten, I'm known for wall of text.

Last edited by Sukallinen (2019-06-09 10:31:49)

futurebird · 2019-06-09 12:39:46

This is really great work. This would also make a great script for a YouTube video. Writing a good script is kind of the hard part of making a video... pondering using this to make one would you mind?

Starknight_One · 2019-06-09 14:57:43

One quick note: Light the torch before progressing to the not-so-secret room, unless you really, really intend to do tutorial chaining.

EDIT: Or maybe, wait until you need a firebrand and run it down from the torch? Eh, that's more of a meta-level discussion. There's plenty of resources there to be wasteful - BigBoi knows I'm certainly not a great smith, but I still manage to break out.

Last edited by Starknight_One (2019-06-09 15:01:38)

lychee · 2019-06-09 15:04:00

testo wrote:

Can I make a few corrections?
- Berry restores 3 food, the server has a bonus of +2 for every food.
https://onetech.info/31-Gooseberry

- Tutorial breakout has a Yew tree at the end not a Lombardy poplar tree.
https://onetech.info/406-Yew-Tree
https://onetech.info/45-Lombardy-Poplar-Tree
- Single Rabbit holes when snared turn into abandoned holes. They come back as growing holes in 1 hour, thus doubling the time to regrow compared to a family hole. It is not that bad if you hunt a single rabbit in a big prairie.
https://onetech.info/195-Abandoned-Rabbit-Hole

Thanks for the corrections! I totally missed the Yew tree, haha. XD

I didn't know about the rabbit holes! Thank you! That's really cool, and I guess there's a lot of urban legend out there that I learned when starting out too!

As for the berries restoring 3 food, I chose to represent this as 5 food because I think it is easier for new players to understand (and also I don't want to explain the server bonus at this point in the guide). When I was first starting out, I was actually confused about what the (3+2 bonus) meant, and I wasn't sure if the +2 bonus referred to the Yum Food Bonus that gets tacked onto end of the Food Meter. To avoid this confusion, I think it's easier to just say berries are worth 5 food and change the guide if the server bonus ever changes.

Sukallinen wrote:

I suggest that you add near beginning of this BIG guide: if forgot some part of process (and cannot check onetech while playing) many people help when they see you're trying, just ask nicely (learned part of 3 sis stew myself that way). I've been helped many a time that way. Asking for help (in as short sentence as possibly) in ohol doesn't hurt like in most games. Worst is you may be ignored for a minute, nobody hurt.
This from experience, when hanging around "janitoring" I see someone not doing much of anything I sometimes go ask if I (as newb) can help on some simple recipes - during high-population hours especially I've had two-three students teaching basics. Learn by doing what I do this way I've had several times 3 ppl doing and 1-2 watching me teaching something up to smithing (I do not show except smithing, other basic stuff I teach by both/all of us doing). New population is needed and welcomed.
Also, shorten, I'm known for wall of text.

Thanks for the feedback! I added a short sentence to the first post, and I'll probably write more when I get to the Town living lessons.

futurebird wrote:

This is really great work. This would also make a great script for a YouTube video. Writing a good script is kind of the hard part of making a video... pondering using this to make one would you mind?

Of course! Go right ahead!

FYI for anyone else: please consider this guide to be in the public domain. Feel free to repost it anywhere, re-use it for anything, copy/edit/change it, with or without attribution!

We could always use more guides for new players!

testo · 2019-06-09 17:08:33

Yeah I knew you were going to be surprised about rabbits lol, I just found it in game accidentally, urban myth is pretty strong XD. Nice guide!

Spoonwood · 2019-06-09 19:45:13

This looks like a good project Lychee and it looks like you're off to a great start. I wish that the tutorial actually had more areas like the smithing area, so players could get more comfortable with farming and cooking, but I can imagine that it might get argued that such would weaken the 'parenting' aspect of the game. Anyways, this guide shows a lot of promise and seems good for what it is so far. And I don't doubt it will take you a good bit of time also.

A while back I made a list of a series of challenges that people could do in the tutorial area (later I thought up more like making a newcomen atmospheric core and trying to make as many buckets as one can... people have made a horsecart also, and I don't doubt other ideas exist or can exist). Here's that list: https://www.reddit.com/r/onehouronelife … iring_and/ and I hope that adds something to your post.

testo · 2019-06-09 22:22:00

Spoonwood wrote:

This looks like a good project Lychee and it looks like you're off to a great start. I wish that the tutorial actually had more areas like the smithing area, so players could get more comfortable with farming and cooking, but I can imagine that it might get argued that such would weaken the 'parenting' aspect of the game. Anyways, this guide shows a lot of promise and seems good for what it is so far. And I don't doubt it will take you a good bit of time also.
A while back I made a list of a series of challenges that people could do in the tutorial area (later I thought up more like making a newcomen atmospheric core and trying to make as many buckets as one can... people have made a horsecart also, and I don't doubt other ideas exist or can exist). Here's that list: https://www.reddit.com/r/onehouronelife … iring_and/ and I hope that adds something to your post.

My personal favorite after breaking out was making backpack, two waterpouchs and a steel mining pick. Then you go around liberating everyone in cool fashion while they are in the torch area or end area. Good times....

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#1 2019-06-09 06:22:09