Build 42.19 · Life and Living TV (channel 203) · media XP stops at Maximum Media XP Level (default 3)
Media XP stops early by default
Television, VHS, and other media only award skill XP while that skill is below the sandbox Maximum Media XP Level. Apocalypse / Outbreak default is 3. Once Carpentry (or any other skill) reaches level 3, further Life and Living shows give no XP for it. This is not a path to level 10 from the couch.
What this page is for
A day-by-day watch list for the first nine in-game days, with XP tick counts for each skill show, plus the rules you need so the table does not over-promise gains.
Life and Living TV (frequency 203) is the early-game free skill channel. Shows cluster around 06:00, 12:00, and 18:00 on the default July 1993 calendar. For a broader first-day plan, see the first day survival roadmap. For a shorter alarm-focused overview of the same schedule, see the B42 TV schedule guide.
Life and Living TV — early survival and craft programming on channel 203.
How media XP works (Build 42.19)
Each skill “tick” on a broadcast queues about 50 XP for the matching skill—if you are awake, in range of a powered TV on Life and Living, and have not already consumed that media line.
Character multipliers then apply: skill-level multiplier (based on levels above your starting value for that skill), traits such as Fast Learner / Slow Learner, skill-book multipliers, and sandbox XP multipliers.
If the skill is already at or above the sandbox Maximum Media XP Level (default 3), the grant is skipped.
Skill books still matter for any XP that does get through: higher volumes give larger multipliers, and each volume is only usable in its level band (roughly two skill levels per book).
Starting with +1 Carpentry (occupation or trait) does not permanently add “+75% TV XP.” It raises your starting level so early free levels are already banked; media still stops at the media cutoff for that skill, and the level-based XP multiplier still depends on how many levels you have gained past your start.
Reading the XP columns below
Column
Meaning
XP ticks
How many skill XP grants that broadcast contains (e.g. six Carpentry ticks → 6).
Raw grant
Ticks × 50 before character multipliers. This is what media requests, not what always appears in the XP popup.
Example @ start level
Illustrative only: raw grant × 0.25 (typical multiplier while the skill is still at its starting level), with no skill book and no sandbox XP mult. Slow Learner ≈ ×0.7 and Fast Learner ≈ ×1.3 on top of that example.
If you have already leveled the skill, finished a skill book, changed sandbox multipliers, or raised the Maximum Media XP Level, your actual numbers will differ. Treat the example columns as a common early-game baseline—not a guarantee.
Day 1 00:00 Fishing has already finished under that default. You only catch it live with an earlier custom start (e.g. 12 AM / 2 AM / 5 AM) or via recorded media if available.
Day 1 06:00 Cooking is also before a 9 AM spawn—plan on missing it unless you start earlier.
You still have Day 1 12:00 Carpentry and 18:00 Fishing on a standard 9 AM start if you can reach a working TV in time.
Life and Living skill schedule
Dates below use the default July 1993 calendar (Day 1 = 07/09). Carpentry rows are highlighted. Times are local world clock on that day.
Day 1 (07/09)
12-H
24-H
Skill
XP ticks
Raw grant
Example @ start
+ Slow Learner
+ Fast Learner
Notes
12:00 AM
00:00
Fishing
6
300
75
52.5
97.5
Missed on default 9 AM start
6:00 AM
06:00
Cooking
9
450
112.5
78.75
146.25
Missed on default 9 AM start
12:00 PM
12:00
Carpentry
6
300
75
52.5
97.5
First default-start Carpentry show
6:00 PM
18:00
Fishing
5
250
62.5
43.75
81.25
Day 2 (07/10)
12-H
24-H
Skill
XP ticks
Raw grant
Example @ start
+ Slow Learner
+ Fast Learner
6:00 AM
06:00
Cooking
6
300
75
52.5
97.5
12:00 PM
12:00
Carpentry
6
300
75
52.5
97.5
6:00 PM
18:00
Farming
6
300
75
52.5
97.5
Day 3 (07/11)
12-H
24-H
Skill
XP ticks
Raw grant
Example @ start
+ Slow Learner
+ Fast Learner
6:00 AM
06:00
Cooking
5
250
62.5
43.75
81.25
12:00 PM
12:00
Carpentry
8
400
100
70
130
6:00 PM
18:00
Fishing
6
300
75
52.5
97.5
Day 4 (07/12)
12-H
24-H
Skill
XP ticks
Raw grant
Example @ start
+ Slow Learner
+ Fast Learner
6:00 AM
06:00
Cooking
7
350
87.5
61.25
113.75
12:00 PM
12:00
Carpentry
6
300
75
52.5
97.5
Day 5 (07/13)
12-H
24-H
Skill
XP ticks
Raw grant
Example @ start
+ Slow Learner
+ Fast Learner
6:00 AM
06:00
Cooking
6
300
75
52.5
97.5
12:00 PM
12:00
Carpentry
9
450
112.5
78.75
146.25
6:00 PM
18:00
Foraging
4
200
50
35
65
Day 6 (07/14)
12-H
24-H
Skill
XP ticks
Raw grant
Example @ start
+ Slow Learner
+ Fast Learner
6:00 AM
06:00
Cooking
5
250
62.5
43.75
81.25
12:00 PM
12:00
Carpentry
6
300
75
52.5
97.5
6:00 PM
18:00
Trapping
8
400
100
70
130
Day 7 (07/15)
12-H
24-H
Skill
XP ticks
Raw grant
Example @ start
+ Slow Learner
+ Fast Learner
6:00 AM
06:00
Cooking
7
350
87.5
61.25
113.75
12:00 PM
12:00
Carpentry
9
450
112.5
78.75
146.25
6:00 PM
18:00
Foraging
8
400
100
70
130
Day 8 (07/16)
12-H
24-H
Skill
XP ticks
Raw grant
Example @ start
+ Slow Learner
+ Fast Learner
6:00 AM
06:00
Cooking
10
500
125
87.5
162.5
6:00 PM
18:00
Carpentry
3
150
37.5
26.25
48.75
Day 9 (07/17)
12-H
24-H
Skill
XP ticks
Raw grant
Example @ start
+ Slow Learner
+ Fast Learner
6:00 AM
06:00
Cooking
6
300
75
52.5
97.5
Skill totals across the nine days
Skill
Total XP ticks
Raw grant total
Shows
Cooking
61
3050
Most mornings 06:00 through Day 9
Carpentry
53
2650
Usually 12:00; Day 8 moves to 18:00
Fishing
17
850
Day 1 00:00 / 18:00, Day 3 18:00
Foraging
12
600
Day 5 and Day 7 evenings
Trapping
8
400
Day 6 18:00 only
Farming
6
300
Day 2 18:00 only
Those raw totals only matter while each skill remains under the media XP cutoff. With the default cutoff of 3, television is a strong push into the early levels—not a full career.
Practical tips
Secure a working TV (or portable TV + power) before noon on Day 1 if you want the first Carpentry show on a standard start.
Pair shows with the right skill book when you can. Books multiply whatever media XP still applies under the cutoff.
Fast Learner helps; starting with +1 in a skill helps by giving free early levels—not by inventing a permanent TV bonus. See the occupations and traits guide for build trade-offs.
After media stops helping a skill, switch to real actions. For building after the TV window, use the carpentry guide.
Sandbox hosts can raise the Maximum Media XP Level if they want longer media leveling; the schedule times stay the same.
FAQ
Can I reach Carpentry 10 from Life and Living alone?
Not under default sandbox settings. Media XP stops when the skill reaches the Maximum Media XP Level (default 3). Level 10 still needs real carpentry work (and usually books).
Why did a show give no XP?
Common causes: you were asleep, too far from the TV or not on the same inside/outside state as the set, the skill was already at or above the Maximum Media XP Level, or that media line was already marked known on the character.
Do VHS tapes use the same cutoff?
Yes. The same Maximum Media XP Level check applies to television, VHS, and other media XP paths.
Why are some Day 1 shows grayed as missed?
Default Apocalypse/Outbreak starts at 9 AM on July 9. The midnight Fishing and 6 AM Cooking broadcasts are already over unless you change the start hour.
