So I need to decide whether to keep saving up for l3 farming or save up for l3 medicine? I am playing on hard difficulty and I would like to see my oldest villagers live longer than their sixties, but on the other hand, I don't feel comfortable with making more babies when they are so low in food. My village is up to 11 villagers, one of them is elderly and one is close to elderly. We have only one kid who is 9 years old. We have l2 in everything. So should I allow my older villagers to live longer, or should I keep working to get them unlimited fishing? Please help me decide!

I know it's hard to see the villagers becoming elderly but I think in hard mode I'll try to get unlimited fishing!

Well, this is a dillema. On the one hand, level 3 in everything takes an enoumous amount of points, and the only way to get them is to have more scientists, and the only way to get THEM is to have a larger population, and the only way to get that is to have more food.
hmmm....guess I'd have to go for the farming!
(note: this fits within the spcv guidelines since lack of medicine will cause some to die younger, but starvation could be perceived as unnecessary cruelty)

I second that RM ... Good points you had. Also, 3rd level med. means that population increases with the addition of the possibility of twins and triplets ... which, if you are low on food, you don't really need right now. Just keep plenty of villagers on doctor detail, to be on the safe side, make healing stews (hey, might that help keep the elderly around for longer)?

Thanks guys. Yeah, I'm going to go for farming. At least I do have l2 in medicine, so they shan't die in their 50s, which in my opinion is too young to die.

Although, it may mess up this plan I had for this one lady to have children with this one guy, because that one guy is elderly and I don't want any more kids till I get l3 of farming.

I must be weird and/or especially cruel, but in both VV1 and VV2 I avoid upgrading my medicine as long as possible, because I don't want my villagers to live long while my population is still small. I prefer to have younger workers. So if they don't live into their useless 70's, I don't mind very much.

But without medinine level your villagers will become elderly very early! the most they live longer the most they are young longer. When I have a runner, with level 3 of medicine, he runs until he's 66 years old! with the level 2 he stops running around 55 y/o! (I think)

58, actually.

I'll generally go all out for L3 farming. Next is L3 medicine. As already mentioned, you might get twins or triplets which could be difficult if food is tight. BTW, I don't bother with L2 Culture until after L3 medicine. The only thing it adds is the sewing hut and I figure that the villagers can go without a change of clothes a lttle longer. I probably won't be able to afford the 5000 points for each change when it's built at first, anyway.

I always did the 3 farming first too. But the new tribe, I said no and opted for the 3 med and I had 17 people in the tribe (thanks to the event of old friends) Surprisingly, they muddled through very well, never getting below 100 food before the new crops came in. HOWEVER, I didn't leave them alone very long because once the food drops below 300 they start worrying about food and are unproductive.

Also since I kept a semi eye on them that allowed me to collect mushrooms with the kids. By the last 30,000 points needed for farming I had 13 Master scientists at the table and 2 adept. Didn't take long from there on out!:)

Add on-But it was on normal not hard! (reread original post)

Thanks!!

That's true, I buy L2 Culture only when I need the L3 of... Culture! and I don't build the hut in this moment but at the last because this hut interupt the villagers' exercises!!

i tried limiting my population on my second village wanting to keep the population at about 40 to 50, it took longer to complete the challenges but the first bang of the gong granted fertility and every female between 18 and 50 became pregnant so that put paid to limiting the population lol.