THIS POST HAS WHAT MANY MIGHT CONSIDER SPOILERS

**********************BE WARNED**********************

S.O.S. S.O.S. S.O.S. SOMEONE PLEASE HELP US

Okay I am having this problem too. I am desperate because I think everyone is going to starve to death. I have ONLY made a child when the current child is about to turn 14 and will no longer be able to pick mushrooms. I have been keeping my villagers alive on mushrooms for YEARS; pausing the game when I can NOT be here to actively hunt.

The berry bush was quickly depleted in the beginning before I realized that they were not getting anything else done (tech point wise). I made everyone a scientist and used the child to pick shrooms until we had enough points to improve farming. Did that until we could afford the farming upgrade thinking that would cover the food issue, but these guys are going through the food an phenomenal speed and I am NOT seeing tech points adding up hardly at all. After the farming upgrade I chose a science upgrade and medicine in hopes of keeping my little village people alive for as long as possible. We are now working towards the farming 3 but after several crops and close calls we are still NO WHERE NEAR the tech points to make this happen.

I have one child, one farmer (who became an apprentice at 5-I assume from all the mushroom picking in her youth) and six researchers (one who is a runner that I use as a farmer when the crops are in).

We run out of food LONG before the crops are due. Am I doing something wrong? Does it make a difference by what time you are in??? I have noticed that food depletes much quicker in 2X mode and of course the crops come in quicker as well, but the tech points earned seem the same no matter what mode I am in. They are just super slow at earning them (yes I have level 2 in science). Now that I have 8 villagers it is becoming increasingly difficult to find enough mushrooms to keep everyone from starving and we are no where near tech points for fishing.

Am I doing something wrong? I realize I have brought this on myself by choosing HARD but I have played extremely successfully a few villages on NORMAL mode and wanted a bit more of a challenge. But this is a HUGE difference and now I am sad because I do not want anyone to starve to death how awful would that be? Is there anything more I can do? Did I do something wrong in the very beginning that has made it impossible for me to catch up? Can anyone tell me if the villagers productivity changes with the time adjustments as the food depletion, crop regeneration, nursing mothers, and such do?

Any help or advice is GREATLY appreciated. My child would also appreciate not being flown around the island for days at a time being summarily dropped like a bomb from a fighter jet at every mushroom we see. I am sure the entire village is breaking some serious child labor laws.

Thanks much!