Why is this game worse every time I come back to it? Does anyone have a working version?

[Cereto]

Last time I came back to this game I was very sad to find that everything was always frozen, even in spring, and the game was basically unplayable, since you died of hunger and thirst in a few days. The only way to eat anything was to heat the frozen food using crafted advanced cooking tools. I really can not comprehend why someone would add that to the game, and why is that feature not optional. Of course I gave up, hoping that it would be a bug and that further down the line this would be removed or fixed, since it’s most likely a bug.

I just came back and fond that everything is still frozen, more than a year later. I downloaded version 8802. My start was solid, but as soon as I tried to craft clean water I noticed that it’s not possible anymore. Crafting clean water while holding anything will drop an item to the ground called “clean water in progress (0%)” or something like that. If you are not holding anything it just tells you it’s complete, but the clean water is nowhere to be found. I did many different tests to try and get my character to survive. Every inventory state results in the same bug. I’ve tried wielding the water source, wielding the boiling tool, wielding the destination, it just doesn’t ask where I want to put it anymore, it just vanishes every time.

Aren’t those supposed to be stable builds? I realize this is an open source game, but how can new versions be considered “Stable” if you can’t even survive the first week before finding a game breaking bug?

Anyway, my true question is, can anyone point me to a working version of this game? Even better if it’s a version from before food freezing was a thing, but it’s okay if it’s just a version where you can craft clean water.

[crazykiddeath]

I’m currently using 8741, it’s been stable for me and it predates a lot of the currently WIP stuff that is being added like the new craft system and the stomach contents system.

edit: You’ll still need to defrost water, but you’ll only need a pot or something a heat source and something to put it in.

[Randonx]

This whole post strikes me as very silly.

I just started playing this game recently. I don’t play ASCII games normally, I just picked this and Dwarf Fortress up at the same time. The problems you’re having are not with bugs. It’s just not knowing the game mechanics.

If you jump on YouTube, check out a series of videos called Cataclysm University.

The reason everything is frozen is because you’re in New England in the beginning of Spring. All you have to do is look up the temperatures there and you’ll see exactly why things are freezing. You don’t necessarily have to cook things to defrost them, that’s just one method. If you heat the room that you have your food stored in, the items will defrost on their own.

As for items being dropped when you craft them, that has everything to do with your Weight and Volume limits. If you’re crafting something you don’t have the space for, it drops to the ground. All you have to do is pick the item back up (wield it), and then Activate the item. (a) (item letter) This will resume the crafting process as your hands don’t have a volume limit. And then if the resulting item wont fit in your personal storage, it will drop to the ground. Then you can wield it or wear it straight from the ground if you try to pick it up.

[mlangsdorf]

The experimental versions of the game are experimental. They are not stable and they may have game breaking bugs in them.

If you want a stable version, please use version 0.D, which is stable.
https://github.com/CleverRaven/Cataclysm-DDA/releases/tag/0.D

[dpwb]

I can only assume by “worse” you mean
a) " I accidentally downloaded the experimental version instead of the stable version" and
b) " I don’t understand how the game mechanics work yet" and
c) " I don’t understand how temperature works".

[kevin.granade]

Aren’t those supposed to be stable builds?

A quick search http://lmgtfy.com/?q=cataclysm+dark+days+ahead+stable+build will tell you otherwise. No, these aren’t stable builds, they’re experimental builds.

[Krisu]

To defrost, get a frying pan/pot next to a fire and activate the pan/pot and select the food you want to defrost.

To craft BIG VOLUME things now, you must pick up the “in progress x” and "a"ctivate it. Don’t worry about weight, as long as you don’t move while holding something heavy nothing bad will happen(other than falling to the floor, doesn’t hurt).

Honestly, food freezing is a curse earlygame but a blessing lategame, so you don’t have to constantly hunt for fresh food.

[Cynicus26]

Depending on whether you consider food freezing a bigger problem than the “in progress X” feature, you might consider playing a recent experimental build. The ability to start the game later in the year has been implemented WITHOUT advancing food rot or monster evolution. Not sure exactly when it was added but I only recently noticed it. If you start at, say, Spring Day 45, I imagine there will be less freezing.

[Sanehatter]

I wouldn’t say food freezing is a curse earlygame. Its the one thing that stops my small pile of perishables from rotting. Later in game it becomes mostly unnecessary though.

[Hof1993]

Perhaps you can break a chair and toss the wood in any oven in any house and start fire in said oven heat you’re food that way. Nice glasses.