Discovery

The Discovery system is a game mechanic which complements the Learning Points/Curiosity System, as well as the Crafting System. Each item that can be crafted or collected in the game can be 'discovered'. There are many elements of the discovery system which must be taken into account

* Every discovered item gives you a small sum of LP, usually 50-100
	+ Every item has this discovery bonus (every type of berry, stone, foragable, pie, etc.)
* Discovering an item allows you to use that item or type of item in crafting.
	+ For example, before you can make a Fireplace, which requires any 10 stones, you must have first discovered any type of stone.
* Do note however, that you can only discover items which you create. You cannot discover an item from picking it up off the ground, grabbing it from a cupboard, or any method that does not involve you creating the item yourself.
	+ The only exception to this is the Material Account

Discoveries have two purposes:

* The first, primary purpose is to provide a small, steady stream of learning points for new characters. Without this stream of LP, a new player cannot gain the basic starting skills such as Foraging, Hunting, and Fishing without studying curiosities, which leaves the player with almost nothing to do for the first couple days of the game. With these points, players can dive right into the game and start discovering new things and trying to survive.
* The second purpose is to create a feeling of wonder in the world to new players. As players discover each item in the game world, new crafting recipes and buildings open up, allowing the player to do more and more with the materials they find when coupled with purchasable skills such as Metal Working or Pottery.

Before a player can craft anything with a character, the character MUST discover all the ingredients first. This is often the biggest problem for completely new players. Sometimes an item needs more than its ingredients to be able to craft it; for example, to craft a Pipe you need to have discovered clay AND Pipestuff. The first time discovering an item is always identified by an icon appearing over the character's head of a couple of spinning gears with an exclamation point in the middle. The player will look something up and see the recipe but not have it in game. They won't realize that they might be missing the discovery for something obvious. Bones seem to be the most common early item. Later it might be things like straw or plant fibers.

Often times players who have more than one character have neither the time nor the inclination to rediscover all items necessary to function. Fortunately, a character who has discovered an item can create a Material Account of an item, which can be taught to other characters in order to teach a discovery without all the footwork involved. The catch however is that no LP is awarded for using a material account to learn a discovery.

## Notes

* The following can't be emphasized enough: When trying to figure out why you can't craft an item, make sure you have discovered all the ingredients first. If one of the ingredients isn't easily obtained, try using the barter stand suggestion below.

* Most equipment items have LP granted upon discovery. If a player didn't already discover a piece of equipment their self, then equipping the item and removing it via shiftclick from equipment screen to the inventory triggers the discovery.

* Purchasing an item from a Barter Stand or Vending Stand counts as a first time discovery for a character. This is a very handy trick to have around. Barter Stands are suggested as you can set the price to something easily obtained like dirt.