Food always seems to be a problem. I'm still on Level One, so is the bush the only food source?

no you have to generate your tech skills in order to earn points to buy the 2nd level harvesting...then you can plant crops, at level 3 you can fish...etc. you have to purchase the full version in order to enjoy it to the fullest.

When I play the game I always lose because before i even get to level 2 in building it doesnt work and when i get to the 2 level my food runs out and i lose. I GET SOOOO MAD!

You really should choose Level 2 of Harvesting before any other Village Techs. Another food source is essential to the villagers' survival. Higher levels of Building technologies are related more to the puzzles than they are to helping the villagers stay alive.

Something I've always wanted to know, but can never seem to test myself...Is there a real advantage to saving up tech points to buy the highest level of the Science tech before all the others? (After, of course, purchasing at least Level 2 of Harvesting, so they don't starve in the process)

I try to save up for the highest level of Science, so that the tech points multiply faster, so that I can get the others more easily, but I can never do it! As soon as I get enough points that would purchase other [lesser] Village Tech, I spend it on those! lol!

In other words, how much do the points increase with each level of Science?

It's not quite that simple, since the skill level of each researcher affects how many points they will generate - as they gain skill, they will produce more and more points with each attempt. But you are correct that a researcher of a given skill level will produce significantly more points once you have attained Level 3 of Science!

I think I've tried what Brenda said, at least once, in my early days of playing VS. But I could only get up to Level 2 and I was struggling with famine by then, so it's hard to go for Level 3 in Science before going for Level 3 in Harvesting.

One has to consider the tech points required for each levels. Levels in Harvesting demand much less tech points than say respective levels in Science or Medicine. So naturally it's logical to prioritise & secure the food source first.

However, I could only come to this realisation after playing the games many times over. It's not apparent to me in the initial games I played. So may be I am not as logical & rational as I thought I'm.

Thanks gang... So it sounds like it's worth reaching all 3 levels in Science, ONLY if you can survive that long, lol! By the time you can benefit from those substantial increases in points from level 3 Science to spend on the other tech levels, then you almost don't need them, because you've already had to make the other purchases, as needed, to keep your village moving along happily. And level 3 Science in itself is painfully slow to acquire anyway, so I guess it's a toss-up for necessity’s sake.

I've gotten up to all 3 Science levels and level 2 Harvesting, simultaneously, and can hold everything together with that, but then I have to proceed methodically with population control and pacing out the building tasks, so that when the need arises, I'll always have a Master builder on hand (and not near death, lol!). But that gets difficult too, as some of the building projects can only be done with certain other tech levels reached. I would try leaving the Medicine tech for last, as the villagers seem to be able to heal each other, regardless, but then they don't live as long either, without higher Medicine tech levels too. Sooo...So it's a dizzy circle... but definitely a fun one! Probably why the game is so addicting, over and over... and over and over.