My fire keeps going out, how do I manage it so I can make biscuits? [Help a noob]

[RogerWilco]

I’m new to the game and using a build from last week (c7fe5fe ??).

I’ve now survived long enough to try and do some cooking.

I have several jugs of milk about to go bad and a box of flour.
I also have found a fireplace and have some heavy sticks and a lighter.
I’ve started my character with 2 cooking skill, which seems plenty for the biscuits.
I have pot.

I can put a stick in the fireplace and then activate the lighter to make a fire.
So far so good.

I select & crafting, go to food and select to make 5 biscuits in a batch using b.

It then fails because I don’t have enough light because my fire goes out.

1. I have found many sources, tips and guides on the internet saying that you should always craft in batch when possible as it’s faster and the game only checks at the start of the batch for conditions like light and fire. Has this changed? It seems not to be true.

2. I’ve also found vague references that it’s possible to keep a fire going by designating a stack of firewood or something like that, but I can’t find that in the interface.

3. I can’t seem to find out how long a fire will burn on a single piece of wood. I need to craft for 1 hour and 30 minutes.

4. If I throw all my wood on the fire, will it burn for longer, on the internet it just seems to say it will burn hotter. Will it burn all my wood at once?

5. If a fire goes out, and I’m making a batch, I would expect at least some of them to be finished, but I still have all the milk and flour in my inventory, no unbaked biscuits or dough.

How do I actually make the biscuits?

[Trigon]

You’re going to need light for the entire duration of the cooking action. My assumption is that you’re trying to batch craft it all at once. Try doing it in smaller batches and adding more firewood as you go. There is a new system to automatically refill fires but I haven’t messed with it yet.

Alternatively you could use some other light source even if it seems redundant. A candle is a cheap, reliable, early game light source for example.

[sfsworms]

The game only check the fire in the beginning of the craft, but check light during the entire crafting period.

There is a “mark firewood source” in the construction menu (default key is ‘*’ I think? Not sure if I changed it or not). I think if you put your wood there and stand next to it (and next to the fire) during crafting, you’ll maintain the fire automatically, but I have never used it.

Do note that you can restart an interrupted craft by pressing the “re-craft” butten (default, ‘-’). So you can always just re-start the fire then re-start crafting.

For 5., the game doesn’t simulate dough or other itnermediate craft. It make sense that you don’t get anything until the batch is finished, after all that’s why a batch is faster, you make more dough and then cook it all at once.

[Vormithrax]

Cataclysm Quick Tip #35 - Mark Firewood Source

[RogerWilco]

Thank you. That cleared it up.

[Mantar]

I can’t seem to find out how long a fire will burn on a single piece of wood. I need to craft for 1 hour and 30 minutes.

I don’t know the exact number, but I’d put a log down instead of a stick. It’ll burn for a few hours, and you can pull it out of the fire to put it out and save it for later.

Adding multiple sticks will work too, but be careful if your fire’s not contained, it will burn hotter (and shorter) and may spread, potentially burning you. Set up a brazier or one of the constructions that holds a fire if you can.