Category: Day One Diary Entries

Choo Choo Charles – Day One Diary: Eugene, Eggs, and Accidental Manslaughter

My Choo Choo Charles day one diary includes a monster-hunting job, a sprinting NPC, and Eugene’s untimely (and possibly avoidable) demise.

The Job Offer That Should’ve Been a Red Flag

I got a call from Eugene. Said he had a job that would help “my museum.” Didn’t specify how, didn’t ask if I had museum experience, just told me it was time to go monster hunting. I should’ve asked questions. Like “what kind of monster?” or “why me?” or “have you ever heard of hazard pay?”

Instead, I said yes.

Meet Charles: Part Locomotive, Part Arachnid, All Nightmare Fuel

I found myself rowing to a misty, ominous island with Eugene casually explaining that we’re up against a half-train, half-gigaspider named Charles.
Cool. Totally normal Saturday

Upon docking, Eugene says there’s a train up the hill we can use — but also notes Charles isn’t the only thing to worry about. Then he bolts. Full sprint. No hesitation. Just gone. I’m used to NPCs dragging their feet, not outpacing me like they’ve got somewhere better to be.

Learning the Ropes (and the Rail Controls)

Eugene points me to a nearby shack with the key to access the train. This is where I learn how to use the map and set waypoints. Handy, and slightly more intuitive than most in-game maps.

I return with the key, unlock the garage, and meet my new metal ride. It’s already equipped with a mounted machine gun and has three levers: forward, reverse, and stop. That’s it. No cup holder. No horn. No emotional support buttons.

First Encounter: Train vs. Terror

I hit the forward lever and the train lurches ahead — straight into my first encounter with Charles.

Cue panic.

The gun works, technically. But it does about as much damage as a water pistol might do to a tank. Charles shrugs it off, mauls Eugene mid-sentence, and disappears into the fog.

I’m left alone. On a moving train. Slightly traumatised.

About That Stopping Distance…

After the chaos, I check the map to reorient myself and decide to go back to Eugene — assuming he’s maybe clinging to life. I reverse the train and, thinking I’ve lined it up just right, I slam the stop lever.

I do not stop in time.

I run over Eugene.

It’s unclear whether Charles killed him or if I finished the job by turning him into railkill. Either way, his final words croak out — something about finding the eggs and stopping Charles once and for all.

No pressure.

If you enjoyed this one, please check out my other Day One Diaries | Survival Game Playthroughs & First-Day Survival Challenges

0

🏝️ Day One Diary: Stranded Deep Tutorial – Sunburnt & Sinking (Warm-Up Edition)

A practice run before the chaos begins: I tackle the Stranded Deep tutorial on Nintendo Switch, battle a crab, get lost on a tiny island, and somehow manage to build shelter. The real journey starts next time—with a brand new seed and no hand-holding.

🛩️ “The plane crash was just the beginning. My real enemy? Inventory management.”

I load up Stranded Deep, hoping to ease myself back in with the tutorial. Instead, I’m treated to a cutscene straight out of Final Destination—a plane going down, debris flying, and my character waking up underwater inside the wreck. No time for panic. I dive out, kick my way through the wreckage, and find my trusty inflatable raft.

Then comes my first real survival challenge: how to unequip the oar. After some determined button-mashing and a healthy amount of muttering, I figure it out. I drag the raft ashore—because I’ve seen enough YouTube fails to know that leaving your raft in the water is how you end up stranded before the game even starts.

The tutorial gently nudges me along, but even then, the menus are… a bit of a puzzle. I gather supplies, make a campfire (conveniently close to the raft), and promptly get ambushed by a crab. It’s small, angry, and determined to remind me I’m not in charge here.

Navigation proves tricky. Despite the island being roughly the size of a football pitch, I still manage to get lost several times. I also hoard everything I see, which turns my inventory into a mess of sticks, rocks, and plant bits.

As darkness falls, I realize I need to craft shelter. Fibrous leaves are required, but I’ve used most of them, and a torch sounds great—except I have no idea where to get cloth. I spend several minutes wandering aimlessly in the dark, wondering if this is how it ends. Eventually, I find what I need, cobble together a basic shelter, and finally—finally—save the game.

🔚 End of Day Summary:

Survived tutorial ✔️

Beat up by a crab ✔️

Got lost on a tiny island ✔️ – Yes, that actually happened

Built shelter and saved ✔️

Confidence level for real run: …debatable

🧭 What’s Next?

Next time, the real run begins. New seed, no hand-holding, and full permadeath rules. I have no idea what’s waiting for me, but if it’s another crab, we are going to have words.

If you enjoyed this one, please check out my other day one diaries here

0

ARK: Aberration – Day One Diary: Punching Trees, Hallucinating Plants, and a Cliff Dive of Doom

My first day in ARK: Aberration on Nintendo Switch. From punching trees to cliff diving for water, join me for a chaotic survival tale featuring hallucinations, heat, and questionable choices.

Not sure where I am? Please check out the  ARK: Survival Evolved Maps

Welcome to Aberration

I decide to spawn at the Portal—the game assures me this is the easiest spot to start, so naturally, I trust it. I materialize in my underwear (as you do) and am immediately told I’m too hot. How? I’m practically naked!

Undeterred, I begin my search for trees to punch and rocks to grab. It sounds simple, but this is ARK. The landscape is full of creatures, including a Tek Stegosaurus!

I want it. I want it badly. But I’m level one, with zero taming ability. So I sigh, and return to foraging.

Tools, Berries, and the Great Stone Hunt

Before long, I’ve got a healthy stash of berries, thatch, and wood. I cobble together some primitive clothing—so long, underwear! Now for stones. The game clearly enjoys messing with me. Stones are everywhere, yet my button presses achieve nothing. After several failed attempts, I finally manage to pick some up. Tools: crafted.

Next problem: water. I’m parched, and the nearest source is… at the bottom of a cliff. What’s a survivor to do? I jump. If I die, hey—at least the Graveyard page gets a funny new entry. Miraculously, I survive.

The Hallucination Plant

Feeling triumphant, I approach a strange plant. Surely nothing bad could happen. The plant proves me wrong. I’m instantly hallucinating, defecating like it’s a competitive sport, and generally regretting my life choices. After about 30 seconds, it stops. Do I consider touching the plant again? Absolutely. Do I? Thankfully, no.

Night Falls, Chaos Rises

Darkness sets in. I light a torch—instant overheating. My options are: see where I’m going and melt, or stumble blindly in comfort.

And then, I become overencumbered. I offload a ton, even dip below my carry limit. Still can’t move. Can crouch, can look around, but walk or jump? Nope. At this point, I call it a day.

Final Thoughts

Not how I imagined my first day in Aberration ending, but I had a blast. Stay tuned—surely it can only get weirder from here.

If you enjoyed this one, please check out my other Day One Diaries | Survival Game Playthroughs & First-Day Survival Challenges

0

Survivor Incognito: Zombie Army Trilogy – Day One Diary

The dead walk as Operation Z begins. My first steps into Zombie Army Trilogy involve headshots, missed shots, occult seals, suicidal zombies, and plenty of shotgun diplomacy. A new Day One Diary begins.

Welcome to Berlin. It’s… worse than usual.

Character: Hermann Wolf
Difficulty: Marksman
Enemy Setup: Suitable for solo play
Chapter: The Berlin Horror — Village of the Dead

I load in and am immediately greeted with a very angry Hitler standing in front of a map. His mood is about as good as you’d expect from someone losing a war. After shooting one of his own soldiers in cold blood, he calmly orders the others to initiate Plan Z.

Spoiler: Plan Z involves zombies. Lots of zombies.

With the undead now walking the earth, I stick with the default loadout for the mission and head out. The early zombies are pretty easy to deal with — basic headshots handle most of them — but the game is very quick to teach me a lesson: shoot for the head or they get back up. One particular zombie helpfully demonstrates this right in front of me. Noted.

My Aim Needs Some Work

I reach the village where an occult seal blocks my path forward. Naturally, the only way to break it is to wipe out every zombie in the area. Easy enough in theory — if I could actually hit all my headshots. Apparently, Marksman difficulty still expects me to be able to aim. This might be a problem.

Shotgun Solutions

Once I break through the seal, I spot what I assume is the safe room — only to find that zombies have already moved in. The housewarming party is very much still in progress.

Plan B: Shotgun. I head upstairs, camp at the top of the staircase, and turn the whole thing into a makeshift meat grinder. Zombies may be many things, but smart isn’t one of them. They obligingly walk straight into a wall of buckshot.

Of course, this strategy does have a minor flaw: limited shotgun ammo. Once I’m reasonably confident the room has stopped moving, I make a run for the actual safe room.

Just One More Room…

With some momentum, I decide to press on to the next safe room.

Early on, I manage to score a satisfying two-for-one kill with my sniper rifle — a brief moment where I start to feel almost competent. Naturally, that confidence doesn’t last: a zombie manages to sneak up behind me and reminds me why I shouldn’t get cocky.

I soon find another occult seal and am told to investigate a mysterious skull. Since nothing good ever comes from mysterious occult skulls, I lay down some trip wires before interacting with it. My instincts prove correct: I’m immediately thrown into a siege.

Suicidal Tendencies

Midway through the siege, I meet a new type of zombie: suicidal ones, complete with grenades strapped to them as they charge at me screaming. Lovely.

Fortunately, I have grenades of my own. No matter how many I take out, more keep arriving. Eventually, the wave dies down and I make a break for the second safe room — but not before one last zombie manages to slip past my shot, forcing a bit of panicked dodging. More suicidal zombies show up as well. I get the feeling this won’t be the last time I see them.

With the coast finally clear, I dive into the second safe room and slam the door shut. That’s enough zombie nonsense for one day.

Day One Summary

✅ Two safe rooms reached

✅ First siege survived

✅ New enemy type met (suicidal zombies)

✅ Sniper skills: mixed

✅ Shotgun skills: heavily relied upon

If you enjoyed this, please check out my other Day One Diaries | Survival Game Playthroughs & First-Day Survival Challenges

2

Nice Day For Fishing – Day One Diary: Baelin’s Adventure Begins

I begin my cozy adventure in Nice Day For Fishing, following Baelin’s journey from humble fisherman to unlikely hero. Rogue chests, Dark Lords, and plenty of fishing await.

Welcome to Azerim — And Honeywood is Already a Mess

The game opens with a cutscene introducing the world of Azerim and our unlikely hero, Baelin — fisherman, man of few words, and now the star of this adventure.

Immediately, I’m greeted by a soundtrack that brings a big smile to my face — the same tune that plays in VLDL’s Epic NPC Man series. (If you know, you know.) Many laughs have been had thanks to those videos, so hearing the music here is a nice little bonus.

The story wastes no time introducing the town of Honeywood and its familiar faces: Greg the Garlic Farmer, Bodger the Blacksmith, and Baradun the Sorcerer. Baradun, by the way, has a chest that should absolutely never be opened.

Naturally, Charles and Bernard — being Charles and Bernard — decide to mug him and open said chest. The result? All the adventurers vanish. All except Baelin. And just like that, the fisherman is now the last adventurer standing.


—

Garlic, Hammers, and Fishy Business

I begin my quests the same way any good adventure starts: running errands. I collect 3 garlic for Greg and fish Bodger’s Grandfather’s Hammer out of the well (which, I strongly suspect, will not be the last time that hammer finds its way back down there).

After some more questing, Baradun tasks me with fishing up something from the bottom of Lake Honeywood. Naturally, that something turns out to be… a Dark Lord.

With no proper adventurers left in Azerim — and one very low-level Baelin — the Dark Lord promptly destroys Honeywood. The screen fades to black.

You Missed The Fight

Greg wakes me up after the chaos to inform me that I somehow slept through an epic showdown between Baradun and the Dark Lord. Convenient.

Undeterred, I continue helping the remaining townsfolk, once again retrieving Bodger’s hammer (seriously, secure that thing). After gathering 5 pieces of wood, I’m rewarded with my very own fishing boat, which lets me cross the lake to meet up with Baradun.

—

What Awaits?

At this point, I’ve no idea what lies ahead. More fishing? More chaos? Probably both.

But for now, one thing is certain:
It’s a nice day for fishing.

—

If you enjoyed this one, please check out my other: Day One Diaries

And why not stay a while at: The Survivor’s Camp

1

Day 1 Diary – The Long Dark Customloper – Cold Coast, Hard Start

Day 1 of a Customloper survival test in The Long Dark. Spawned in Coastal Highway. Made gloves out of scraps, got hit with a blizzard, and somehow didn’t freeze to death.

I put in the Customloper settings, picked my character, set the spawn to random, and named the file Day One. I spawn in Coastal Highway – specifically right next to the path leading to The Ravine.

Map of Coastal Highway

I think about going that way for all of five seconds, I choose life instead and head toward the Train Unloading Trailer I know is nearby

Spawned in cold, sprinting for shelter. Train Unloading it is

—

Inside I grab what I can, including a second pair of socks. Then hit the tunnel corpse – and score a hatchet.

My loadout after looting the trailer. No gloves, great.

—

From there, I billy goat my way down a nearby cliff, grabbing sticks while the temperature plummets.

Alternative route, gravity assisted travel

—

I find another trailer. It’s warmer, but still not warm enough. And I didn’t spawn with gloves, so my hands are freezing.

I cut across the road, stop at a car, then head toward the Fishing Camp.

Note: I had to double-check the name using my own Map Hub — I knew where I was, just couldn’t remember what it was called. Proof the hub’s not just for readers.

I loot what I can — some food, but not enough to carry me far. In the first house, I grab cloth and craft handwraps. It helps, barely. In the second, third and fourth houses, I scrape together enough to make a makeshift hat.

Then I step outside.

I step outside. Weather steps on me

—

I retreat and sleep for three hours to warm up. When I wake, the blizzard has cleared. I push toward Jackrabbit Island and manage to snag three rabbits — finally, a win.

Inside the house, I raid the fridge and score water. I harvest the rabbits for meat as the sun drops.

Then I head outside, light a fire on the first try, and cook everything. I even remember I have herbal tea, brew it, and drink it to recover some condition — which was down to about 50%.

Back inside, I scavenge the place and find a pair of wool mittens, climbing socks, and a pair of boots.

I go to bed warm, full, and genuinely surprised I made it through Day One.

—

Next week, I start my actual Customloper run. I start in a new area, and will attempt to explore the whole island before I succumb to The Long Dark.

—

If you want to know more about Customloper, why not check out The Long Dark Customloper Settings: Easier Interloper Survival Mode

If you enjoyed this entry, why not check out my other Day One Diaries

1

Day 1 Diary – No Man’s Sky – A Freezing Planet, Angry Plants & A Forgotten Ship

Because apparently, space is just as chaotic as survival on Earth.
—

I wake up to the cold void of Zuwan 58/E6

It’s -54.8°C and my thermal protection is already falling apart. I’m standing on an unfamiliar world, surrounded by snow, rocks, and the kind of silence that suggests no one’s coming to help. The scanner is offline, and the only way to fix it is by gathering ferrite dust.

Cue 30 seconds of frantic mining laser use. It feels like hours. Rocks explode. The scanner gets patched up. Victory—briefly.


—

Sodium, sabotage, and a slap from nature

With the scanner online, I locate some sodium-rich plants glowing yellow in the distance. I sprint over like they’re the last snacks at the end of the world. Just as I reach one, a hostile plant lashes out and takes a bite out of me. Rude.

I grab the sodium anyway, recharge my thermal protection, and make a mental note: not everything green is friendly.

Then a new signal appears—500 units away.


—

The Radiant Pillar and the repair list from hell

The signal leads to a crashed starship: the Radiant Pillar BC1. The ship’s still mostly intact, but running a diagnostic reveals both the launch thrusters and pulse engine are out of commission. Typical.

Luckily, I already have enough ferrite dust to patch together some metal plating and get started. Then the distress beacon hands me a planetary chart that points toward a hermetic seal—only 900 units away. I head off to get it.

Halfway there, the planet unleashes a blizzard. The temperature drops to -97.3°C. I barely make it to the building in time, where I warm up, collect the hermetic seal, and take a much-needed moment to question my life choices.


—

Navigation error: user

With the seal in hand, I’m ready to head back… if only I remembered where I left the ship.

The scanner’s broken again. This time it needs carbon. So I laser some nearby plants—none of which try to bite me, thankfully—and repair the scanner. The ship’s marker reappears and I make my way back, scanning every rock and shrub along the way like a distracted tourist with a scanner addiction.


—

The great resource hunt and escape

Back at the ship, I finish the pulse engine repair. The thrusters need pure ferrite, which means crafting a portable refiner. That requires dihydrogen and oxygen—time for another impromptu gathering mission.

Once the refiner is placed, I process the ferrite dust into pure ferrite, patch up the launch thrusters, and climb into the cockpit.

Moments later, I leave Zuwan 58/E6 behind. I don’t know where I’m going, but I’m not freezing anymore. Probably.


—

Day 1 complete

Status: Launched
Planet: Hostile
Ship: Mostly duct tape
Next Goal: Figure out how not to die in space


—

If you enjoyed this one, why not check out my other Day One Diaries

1

Day 1 Diary – Green Hell – Poisoned by Nature, Humbled by Bananas

Day 1 of my Green Hell playthrough on Nintendo Switch. I punch trees, fail at harvesting, make a rock axe, eat a banana, and die of mystery poison. Jungle survival rating: tragic but educational.

Welcome to the Jungle (And Immediate Regret)

I started my first Green Hell run on “Welcome to the Jungle” difficulty—just enough challenge to remind you this game isn’t here to offer a tutorial, just consequences.

My first instinct? Punch a tree. That didn’t work. Punch a bush? Still nothing. Turns out Green Hell does not share crafting logic with Minecraft. Nature ignored me. Not a single leaf fell. A humbling start.

Then I found some mushrooms. I picked them but didn’t eat them. I may be new, but I’ve played enough survival games to know that “mysterious glowing fungi” are rarely friendly.

—

Shelter and a Crash Course in Crafting

Eventually I stumbled into a cave with a bed and some supplies. Clearly someone had been here before me, which made me feel slightly safer and slightly more worried about what happened to them. No blood, no bones. I called it home.

With a brief window of calm, I opened my notebook and realized I could craft tools—if I had rope. Problem: I had no rope.

Before I could even get to that, I spent a solid chunk of time trying to gather sticks. I tried punching trees again. Still nothing. It wasn’t until I started actually looking at the ground that I realized: sticks just lie around. You don’t harvest them. You notice them. Like a fool, I’d been missing the forest and the trees.

—

Rope: My Greatest Enemy

Most of the rest of the day was spent looking for vines. According to my notebook, I could harvest them from trees, but not just any trees. Only certain ones. And only if I looked at the exact right spot, with just the right angle. Jungle logic.

Finding those vines ate up more time than anything else. But eventually, victory. I made rope. Combined it with a stick and a stone, and I finally had a crude axe. I immediately used it to chop down a bamboo tree, because it was there. Did I need bamboo? Not even slightly. But I’d earned the right to murder a plant.

—

Small Wins & Sudden Defeat

A few minutes later, I found bananas. Actual food. Safe to eat. I had one. No hallucinations. No stomach cramps. I felt like a genius.

Then I saw a massive leaf and figured it looked important. I picked it up. That’s when I got poisoned.

I didn’t see what did it. No snake. No dart frog. Just instant toxins. Jungle: 1. Me: 0.

—

Diagnosis: Terminal Curiosity

I sprinted back to the cave and tore through my notebook looking for cures. Everything required materials I didn’t have. Plants I hadn’t seen. Tools I couldn’t craft yet.

I accepted my fate, laid down in the cave, and reflected on my accomplishments. I’d made an axe. Found a banana. Died invisible-death-style. And crucially, I now knew where rope—and sticks—actually came from.

A solid first day, all things considered.

—

If you enjoyed this one, why not check out my other Day One Diaries

1

Day 1 Diary – ARK: Scorched Earth – Heat, Hubris & A Doedicurus

Spawn Location: Midlands 4
Difficulty Setting: Easy (allegedly)
Death Count: 1
Notable Quotes: “That doedicurus looks manageable.”


—

Wake Up, Punch a Bush

I came to in the middle of the desert wearing absolutely nothing except a sense of misplaced confidence. Sun blazing, heat rising, and the HUD silently judging me. First instinct? Punch a bush. Gathered some fiber, thatch, and self-respect.

Leveled up once from raw enthusiasm alone. Put that point into Health, because even I could tell I was about five bad decisions away from dying.


—

The Accidental Shirt Empire

Decided to craft some clothes before the sun roasted me alive. Opened the crafting menu, tried to make one shirt—accidentally made five.

Now accepting names for my pop-up desert boutique. Eventually got it together and added some pants. No shoes though. Those required hide. Hide required confrontation.


—

Tooling Up & Feeling Bold

Made a pickaxe and found a water vein. Hydration status: temporarily acceptable.

Crafted a hatchet. Then a spear. Then a sun hat, because I like my survivalism with a side of flair. I had gear, water, and the kind of reckless optimism that leads straight to the respawn screen.

—

The Enemy of My Confidence

I needed hide. So I looked around:

Ankylosaurus: Too many spikes. Hard pass.

NOPE!

Doedicurus: Round, slow-looking, vaguely adorable. I could take it.


I could not.

The second it noticed me, it went full Beyblade and chased me halfway across the dunes. I survived, barely, and took that as a sign to regroup. Obviously, I didn’t listen.


—

The Fatal Spear Throw

Bandaged my pride, gathered more supplies, and returned to the scene of my failure with renewed stupidity.

Lined up the doedicurus in my sights. Threw the spear.

Missed completely.

It charged. I died.


—

Summary of Bad Decisions

Crafted 5 shirts by accident: Unplanned fashion mogul
Picked a fight with a doedicurus: Lost. Twice.
Made tools and a spear: Forgot to aim before throwing
Died as tradition dictates

—

Final Thoughts

ARK on Easy Mode is still full of bad decisions if you’re making them fast enough.

Doedicurus: not food, not friendly, not forgettable.

Respawning is a learning experience. Eventually.


Next time, I’ll pick a different animal to harass. Probably regret that too.


—

Read my other Day One Diaries here

0

Day 1 Diary – Ark: Survival Evolved – Dodos, Dilophosaurs & Disasters

It began, as all great survival stories do, with a half-naked stranger waking up on a beach and immediately punching a tree. This is how we build civilizations in ARK: Survival Evolved. Or at least, how we bruise our knuckles trying.

—

Welcome To The Island

I picked:

Single Player

Easy Mode

The Island

Easy spawn zone

Randomized survivor (so I could blame poor decisions on someone else)


Did I know what I was doing? No. But I was armed with determination and the ability to mash buttons on a Nintendo Switch. That’s basically survival.


—

Early Progress: Punch > Pickaxe > Panic

I picked berries, harvested rocks, and punched trees until my fists cried. I crafted tools and learned a vital truth:

> If you don’t know how to unequip something, you’re just a caveman with commitment issues.



Eventually, I figured out how to stash my pickaxe, crafted a thatch shack, and proudly stared at my beachfront real estate. It was ugly. But it was mine.


—

Enter The Dodo

I spotted my first dodo and made a moral decision: tame it, not kill it. A few club swings and some berries later, Doddie was born.

Then came a second tame. I was unstoppable. Until I wasn’t.


—

Dilophosaur: Agent of Chaos

Like a raptor’s sloppy cousin, the Dilo charged in, spat venom, and chaos erupted.

I panicked. Swung wildly. Hit everything.

> “Doddie was killed by Survivor Incognito.”



Yes. I clubbed my own tame to death. Twice. The Dilo died in the end, but at what cost? (Spoiler: Hide. Enough for shoes.)


—

The Taming Spiral

I swore vengeance. Then I swore allegiance. I tamed a Dilophosaur. If you can’t beat ’em, feed ’em narcoberries until they like you.

I tamed another Dodo. Named it Dodder. It died too.

By nightfall, I had a new tribe of misfit companions: a Dilophosaur named Dilo, another Dodo named Dodder to replace original Dodder, something else called Lyon, a torch, and a pile of regrets.

—

Lost & Afraid

Then it got dark.

Really dark.

And I realized I’d forgotten one critical step: marking my shelter. Turns out the map doesn’t help much when every jungle tree looks the same.

I wandered in circles, torch in hand, until I miraculously stumbled on my sad little shack. Home. Sweet. Hut.

I built a bed, collapsed, and promised myself I’d do better tomorrow.


—

Lessons Learned

Easy Mode isn’t shameful. It’s life-saving.

Dodos are loyal, fragile, and easily betrayed by friendly fire.

Dilophosaurs are chaotic evil with spit mechanics.

Beds are not optional.

Torch = godsend. Build one early.



—

Read More Day One Diaries Here

0

Blog at WordPress.com.

Up ↑