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?