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#73853 - 05/27/07 05:47 PM [SPOILER] Villagers keep starving
NameLips Offline
Newbie

Registered: 05/27/07
Posts: 3
Help!

I don't know how to keep my villagers alive long enough to reach Farming Tech 3. It's frustrating because I've googled and searched forums and nobody seems to be having the same problem. I've tried several times now and I keep running into the same obstacle.

I try to build the dam and the scarecrow as soon as possible, because I know that as soon as the seas get algeafied and the coconuts are gone... it's only a matter of time.

The problem I'm running into is that every time crops come up from the field, I have to wait increasingly more time before more crops come in. Eventually, I'll turn on the game and there will be 2 or 3 hours before I get new crops, but I'll have zero food. My villagers just can't survive that way! If I babysit the game and get as many mushrooms as possible, I might be able to squeak through to the next batch of crops... but it's only postponing the inevitable.

I know I need to research Farming Tech 3 and get rid of the algae (I've read most of the game spoilers trying to survive) but I haven't been able to amass more than 27000 tech points (3 or 4 Master Scientists and Science Tech 2) before it becomes hopeless.


HOW ON EARTH are you all managing to get 90,000 tech points without starving to death?


Edited by LadyCFII (05/27/07 06:04 PM)

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#73854 - 05/27/07 05:51 PM Re: Villagers keep starving [Re: NameLips]
Kasey323.ink Offline
Plant Tycoon Millionaire

Registered: 10/28/06
Posts: 1331
A way to get tech points is to keep an eye out for collectables you've allready got, then have a kid pick them up. And don't worry, quite a few people get stuck on that part of the game. \:D

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#73856 - 05/27/07 06:05 PM Re: Villagers keep starving [Re: Kasey323.ink]
NameLips Offline
Newbie

Registered: 05/27/07
Posts: 3
Well it's gratifying that other people are stuck there... but I still don't see how to get past it.

The first time I played I was fanatical about collecting items, and that's the time I managed to research the second level of all the techs. I built all I could, I looked at spoilers and solved all the puzzles I could... My population grew to about 20, and things seemed to be going great. Sure, they'd have to wait 10 minutes or so without food before the next crop came in... but that time increased. Then they waited 20 minutes without food, then 40, then two hours... it just seemed insurmountable.

Then I decided maybe my population was too large, so when I played again I limited them to 10 people. Still no luck - in fact, I entered the "death spiral" even earlier than before. I only managed Tech 2 in Farming and Science, but it was all downhill from there...

I just honestly don't see what I could do differently. I'm sick of spending hours of my own real time scouring the map for more collectibles or mushrooms, and even that didn't help. \:\( I'm really at a loss.

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#73860 - 05/27/07 06:44 PM Re: Villagers keep starving [Re: NameLips]
LadyCFII Administrator Offline
Unicorn

Registered: 10/07/04
Posts: 17515
Loc: Colorado
The crops are on a fixed cycle, which varies with the game speed setting. On normal speed, the crops arrive every 4 hours, regardless of how quickly your villagers harvest the crops. If your villagers harvest them in 3 hours, the farm will be empty for an hour; if they harvest them in one hour, you will be waiting 3 more hours for crops. One thing that can disrupt that cycle, however, is adjusting your computer's system clock (deliberately or inadvertently).

You will find the saga of another person here who was in a similar situation and the forum community offered a lot of help to get a successful game going.
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#73864 - 05/27/07 07:46 PM Re: Villagers keep starving [Re: LadyCFII]
NameLips Offline
Newbie

Registered: 05/27/07
Posts: 3
Thanks, that link was very helpful. I was stuck in a false strategy - I put more and more people on farming in hopes that the more people I had farming, the sooner the crops would get harvested and the quicker I could start on the next round. I also thought that the more people who were watering the field, the shorter the next wait time would be. Looks like I was wrong.

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#73934 - 05/29/07 12:08 AM Re: Villagers keep starving [Re: NameLips]
arnie Offline
Master of Meditation

Registered: 09/13/06
Posts: 4896
Loc: London, UK
Nope. Watering the field and planting crops helps by adding skill to your farmers, but nothing else. If the field is empty and you have no other food source it's best to take your farmers off and put them on research. That way you'll get tech points faster.

Remember to put them back on farming once the crops grow again, though!
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#73965 - 05/29/07 04:58 PM Re: Villagers keep starving [Re: arnie]
Terina Offline
Master

Registered: 01/05/07
Posts: 488
Loc: BC Canada
on easy level you only want one person on farming, one person on building and the rest on research, mushies and items are assets. and its easier to take things one at a time, ive never lost a village from starvation because i dont jump the gun b4 i need to. get all the fish out, as soon as the algea turns up, get level 2. Dont get level 2 just cause you have the points there. wait be patient. you need the algea for a puzzle anyways so just get it done. then by the time the coconuts are almost depleted, your dam is done and the farm is ready. and again only one farmer, and make sure you get the scarecrow. then its just a matter of waiting till you get 90,000 to get level 3. If your spending alot of time on it, if while your waiting for new crops, put your farmer on research and then back on farming when the crops come in, but if your not there dont do it.

Ohh and dont let your population go over 15, thats all the farm can sustain.

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#73968 - 05/29/07 06:19 PM Re: [SPOILER] Villagers keep starving [Re: NameLips]
Rand Offline
Expert

Registered: 08/23/06
Posts: 192
Loc: Somewhere in the Alpha Quadran...
I got 8 villagers, close to 2000 food, and all techs (except Farming and Medicine) are at Level 2.
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http://dragcave.net/user/lawman247

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#73980 - 05/29/07 09:11 PM Re: [SPOILER] Villagers keep starving [Re: NameLips]
sfrose Offline
Senior Uber-Member

Registered: 12/31/05
Posts: 2188
You don't say what speed you are running. That not only makes a difference with how long the crop cycle is, but how much is collected (fish, coconuts or crops) each time.

I find that playing on "normal" speed is about right for keeping the early village well fed.

I'll also only put 2-3 villagers on the farm when the crops come in. They will keep busy, and not have too much time left in the "growing" season. As you discovered, if you harvest everything too soon, then it'll be a long wait to the next cycle.

Except for the dam and the briar thorns (so that more collectibles will appear) I also don't worry about building huts early in the game. Better to keep the villagers at the research table to earn the points.
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#73982 - 05/29/07 10:16 PM Re: [SPOILER] Villagers keep starving [Re: sfrose]
Rand Offline
Expert

Registered: 08/23/06
Posts: 192
Loc: Somewhere in the Alpha Quadran...
I now have 9 villagers, over 2100 food, and all Techs are at Level 2, except Farming. I will wait to get Level 2 Farming when I can afford to get Level 3 Farming at the same time. My dam got started as soon as I got Engineering 2. I don't have to worry about starvation in this village.
_________________________
If at first you don't succeed, you're in good company.

http://dragcave.net/user/lawman247

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