I have 16 villagers, two hours before the next crop, a depleted berry bush, and children going like crazy looking for mushrooms. There is 94 food in the bin.

First of all, after the food runs out, how long will the villagers survive without food?

Second, what can I do to help them through the crunch with minimal damage?

Thanks! By the way, 16 was an accident--I meant to keep it at 14, but ended up with two accidental pregnancies. I'm still learning!

You didn't say what speed you are running the game at.

Is the two hours until the next crop at 1/2 speed, normal, or 2x speed?

The food will run out faster at 2x speed than at 1/2 speed, but the crops will also come in faster, so it is a balancing act. (I haven't worked out how often the villagers eat without walking over to the food bin.)

First thing is to keep looking for those mushrooms! You may get lucky and find some red ones, they are worth more. Also, do you know about putting the game on pause and then piling on all the kids on top of one mushroom? When you do that, all the kids that successfully bring his/her mushroom to the foodbin will get credit.

If you are running at 1/2 speed, you may want to (for a short while) switch to 2x speed. The two hours will reduce to ~1/2 hour and while the villagers will eat more, it'll ease your nerves once those crops come in.

If the bin gets really low, then you may want to set the game on pause, and search for mushrooms that will still popup. That will take longer for your crops, but it'll be some extra food for your villagers.

I agree with sfrose. I started another game that is struggling with the same issues. I forgot to stop time and lost 3 children, very sad, but the others were hanging on in a weakened condition. I just keep screaming for more mushrooms.

I've just gone through a similar crisis with my new game. I had eleven villagers, 91 food points, the bush totally depleted, and over three quarters of an hour to go before the next crop (on 2X speed). I started mushroom hunting and was lucky enough to find two red ones pop up in quick succession. I piled all five kids on the mushrooms using the method described by sfrose and got over five hundred food just from them, which easily lasted the villagers through the fallow time.

To answer your questions without digressions:

1) After food runs out, the villagers start to suffer from starvation damage. I think it's 1 point every feeding time or so, but I forget exactly--you can look it up in the log if it happens. A fully healthy villager has 100 health, so under optimal conditions it'll take 100 feeding times for them to pass away (if I'm correct about 1 point per), but of course they also can take damage by researching, building, or from sickness.

2) As everyone above has suggested, start mushroom hunting in earnest. There are about 8 spawn points where a mushroom might appear. Just keep looking around the edges of town and you'll be able to notice most of the mushrooms when they appear.

Thanks so much everyone! Well, they're all hanging on, but most in a less-than-optimal condition (only one actually listed as "weakened" though, and she's also elderly). The two hours was at regular speed. And they made it through that crisis, but they're simply over-populated at present and I think the ordeal won't truly be over until I get fishing--I'm about 10k away from that goal, and when they're not foraging or harvesting, nearly everyone is on research.

About the mushrooms, I had read that elsewhere. So I keep trying it, but it keeps backfiring. Almost inevitably, either the mushroom disappears while I'm gathering the children, or I drop a child on top of another, causing the first to drop hers--and I end up with *no* mushrooms instead of one.

Still, I didn't know they'd continue to appear even in pause, so I may do that if they continue to weaken faster than I can get enough research done.

Thanks so much for all the feedback!!

Heather

when the mushroom disapears, if you unpause the game the children who got on the mushroom before it dissapears will still 'pick' the mushroom.

make sure the game is paused before you try to pile the kids on! it took me a bit to figure that out!

i've had up to 30 kids pick the same mushie and some people say they have gotten 40+

If you are really quick, 3-4 kids can be placed on a mushroom even when the game isn't paused, but that takes practice, patients and shouldn't be done when there is a desperate need for food, since it can cause the kid who already picked one to drop it.

To know when to stop placing kids (in pause mode): I watch the status as I place each kid on the mushroom, once a kid is put down and it doesn't say "picking a mushroom" that is the end and I unpause the game and hope that they all make it to the food bin.

I have a few favorite spots to find mushrooms. One of the best is up near the cactus. I can "focus" the window where it is likely for three different spots and keep an eye on new mushrooms.

But try running in 1/2 speed. They will eat less often and you'll be able to get more researching done!

Wow, thanks, everyone! I must be doing something wrong, because even paused, my kids will drop the mushroom if someone is set on top of them. Or maybe I'm accidentally clicking on them and picking them up--my computer's mouse (it's a laptop pad, actually) is a bit erratic, and might be causing me to do something like that.

30-40 mushrooms at once! Whoa!! Thanks for the tip on their picking the mushroom even if it has technically "disappeared."

The food shortage is ended, I think--they have crops, and they are less than 5k short of Farming 3. They're ALL on research and as soon as they hit 50k, I'm buying Farming 3. Then I guess I have to do something to get them fishing, but I think I can figure it out fairly quick (I cheated a bit, tee hee) and soon they'll have plenty of food, right?

Thanks again SO much. It's so nice to have all the help. The mushrooms really make a big difference!

Heather