Making paper cartridges from nature?

HunterAlpha1 · 2014-02-07T22:12:59.000Z

i’m wondering if it’s possible to make everything you need to produce paper cartridges from nature, in other words not having to go into town or explore a lab to get everything you need. i know one thing you need is a source of metal, and i don’t know if you can find one in nature; can you mine ore from the mines?

FunsizeNinja123 · 2014-02-07T22:15:21.000Z

HunterAlpha1:

can you mine ore from the mines?

No. Well, if you can find a heli crash site you can have all the metal you need. What I think most about is, where are you going to get paper out in the wilderness?

Unless the recipe changed or something.

HunterAlpha1 · 2014-02-07T22:37:07.000Z

paper wrappers, and i think plastic bags, of which you can find plenty on corpses. i forget what else you can use.

Ferodaktyl · 2014-02-07T23:27:02.000Z

you can mine cars on the roads, if there are any, and you can get paper from books, if there are any.

HunterAlpha1 · 2014-02-08T00:22:02.000Z

true. now what about the gunpowder? can i make that from nature?

FunsizeNinja123 · 2014-02-08T00:24:33.000Z

Probs not. You need a chem set first of all, and to even begin making gunpowder you are gonna need oxidizer powder or a lot of match books.

HunterAlpha1 · 2014-02-08T00:26:07.000Z

darn. and i’m guessing that making a chemset is a no-go without a ton of luck as well.

FunsizeNinja123 · 2014-02-08T00:27:40.000Z

You could find them on science drops or in labs, but the key words are:

Ferodaktyl:

if there are any

Ferodaktyl · 2014-02-08T00:56:35.000Z

Rivet · 2014-02-08T03:54:26.000Z

With a really nicely outfitted chemistry set and the right recipes/skills, you can make gunpowder from water and wood (and maybe some scrap, I can’t recall at the moment). Granted, you’ll have to run it through a bunch of processes and turn it into a whole lab’s worth of chemicals along the way by combining and re-combining various things together, but it’s possible.

But the requirement for a chemistry set and all the batteries it will need to accomplish that sort of thing precludes it from a pure-wilderness play-style.

Sirbab · 2014-02-08T07:11:42.000Z

Is paper not craftable via woodpulp, or reprocessing books/magazines? If not, that seems like a prudent thing to add.
Given of course, the description on flintlocks presenting ammo as being easy to manufacture.

Rivet · 2014-02-08T07:15:50.000Z

You can disassemble books to get paper.

HunterAlpha1 · 2014-02-08T11:07:48.000Z

kk so i guess my fantasy of playing a self sufficient mountain man with blackpowder guns in the game is out the window.

Labtop_215 · 2014-02-08T18:30:22.000Z

If you find some salt water, you can make bleach, which you can refine into oxidizing powder. Lye powder can be acquired from charcoal and water. And charcoal can be acquired from logs or two by fours. Paper can be made from disassembling books, and lead can be acquired by refining metal scraps.

The batteries can be acquired by smithing canisters and combining those canisters with concentrated acid.

Rivet · 2014-02-08T20:12:37.000Z

[quote=“Labtop_215, post:14, topic:4999”]If you find some salt water, you can make bleach, which you can refine into oxidizing powder. Lye powder can be acquired from charcoal and water. And charcoal can be acquired from logs or two by fours. Paper can be made from disassembling books, and lead can be acquired by refining metal scraps.

The batteries can be acquired by smithing canisters and combining those canisters with concentrated acid.[/quote]

That’s the system!

I’m glad that folks have caught on to it.

Remember that you can produce salt from lye and water using your chemistry set as well.

John_Candlebury · 2014-02-08T20:16:25.000Z

Still not something you can easily pull of in mass quantities. (could be easier if you get a charging stations and rechargeable batteries for your chemistry set however)

Its better to just carry 5 pistol crossbows and go all Van helsing-pirate on the zombies

Rivet · 2014-02-08T20:45:35.000Z

John Candlebury:

could be easier if you get a charging stations and rechargeable batteries for your chemistry set however

Or use a vehicle-mounted chemistry kit, which runs off the vehicle’s batteries.

Blaze · 2014-02-08T22:02:07.000Z

For the bullet, lead is the easiest to obtain. However, you’ll need a charcoal forge in order to make it, and that takes tools.

AFAIK, the only way to obtain paper outside of buildings is MREs and chocolate. So that makes the “military remains” random event the only way to procure it. They may also have Necco Wafers which can be used as well.

Honestly, the only way I see you pulling this off is if you already have the tools (Or an Integrated Toolset) and are willing to scavenge from a few buildings.

HunterAlpha1 · 2014-02-08T23:20:34.000Z

well i’m mostly just wanting to stay away from science labs, as they get repetitive and boring quickly, plus they feel too dungeony which is what i dislike about most roguelikes, and the open world feel being what i like so much about CDDA.

Blaze · 2014-02-09T04:16:35.000Z

I feel you there, science labs are really boring. Well, that and instakill turrets (Are those fixed yet?)

Staying away from science labs and towns still leaves plenty of options. Breaking down the requirements for paper cartidges:

Gunpowder.
The biggest hurdle here is obtaining the batteries you’ll need to power the chemistry set.
Charcoal -> Lye Powder(25) -> Salt(75) -> Salt water -> Bleach (50) -> Oxidizing Powder (25) -> Gunpowder (50). So that’s 225 batteries per 25 bullets you make.
The Chemistry set itself is fairly simple to make.
A hotplate can be found in some homes or on scientist corpses (Or be made by taking apart soldering irons and a flashlight and putting the items together),
Rubber hoses can be found by smashing or deconstructing fridges in gas stations.
backpack/leather backpack can be made from rags or leather.
Glass bottles are fairly tricky to find, scientists corpses may carry a few.
Safety glasses can be made from a long string and a plastic bottle.
Bullet (Primarily lead)
The Charcoal forge is your primary concern here.
Pilot lights you can obtain from disassembling lighters, which are common everywhere.
Pipes you can get from smashing/disassembling furniture.
Metal you can salvage from smashed furniture or debris or disassembling vehicles (You also can get the metal tank from a vehicle).
The largest issue here are the tools. A charcoal forge (and kiln) requires a screwdriver, wrench, or hacksaw (A toolset can substitute all 3). Farms, Hazardous Waste Sarcophagi, Mines, and Sewage treatment plants are your best bet.
And then there’s soldering irons… They’re fairly common, but batteries may become an issue.
Wadding
Plastic bags, paper wrappers, and books are fairly common in gas stations. You get 25 bullets per unit of these so I doubt this portion is going to be an issue.

If you can find a kinetic bullet puller, you can disassemble most types of ammo and skip the first two steps.