I have noticed that the work rate is varying a lot between different production sites. The game lets you know you can influence the work rate by making sure the (1) people are happy, (2) that there are starage close by and (3) raw materials stored in the storage. Lets look at some examples.
Happiness is the same for all so lets ignore that as a differentiator for the moment.
In the first case we have a soap factory. Work rate is 95% and the raw materials are available at sites marked with X. There is no housing imediately close by. So far so good
Then across the road we have a foundery with a work rate of 19%. It isn’t imediately obvious where the rawmaterials are stored as they are not stored in any of the storage facilities close by. With that said, there are only two storage facilities not close by and they are not there either. So at the mines or in transit (there are four wagoon shops in the village)? But there is no way to activly make the game use the storage facilities close by. You can only do that indirectly by closing others off. But all stage are close to a foundry so it is not a good idea to close any of the storage facilities off for the raw materials. There are housing available adjesent to the founderies. There are 2 iron ore mines and 2 coal mines supplying the founderies. There are no more coal mines in the area. So
What else can you do to increase the production rate from 19% in the foundery?
Next up we have a gold mine that has a constant workrate of 0%. It is located on a mountain close to the cillage, which you can make out in the top right corner (I marked a corner of a wall). There are temporary houses next door to the mines which no one lives in at no point in time. There are roads to the mines from two directions, one fo which is cobbled all the way.
What can be done to improve the work rate in this case? Why are there resources available on sites where they are not posbile to harvest?
Then we have a wood chopping buisness with a work rate of 82% located sort of between the 0% mine and the foundery(19%)/soap factory.(95%) It has its raw materials stored at the warehouse marked with an X. This site has the raw materials relatively far away, yet it has a high work rate.
This site has its raw materials pretty far away, yet has the second highest work rate. It is not very far away from the 0% mine, yet it has 82% work rate. How can two sites so relatively close to each other have so different work rates?
The final example are the other two founderies on the other side of the village with a work rate of 8%. Again they have storage and housing close by and again there is nothing I can do to make the game use these.
One observation is that the spread between 8% and 95% just seems to big. All sites are in broad terms within or in close proximity to the city, except the mine, and all have storeage and housing fairly close by.
Another observation is that there doesn’t seem to be much to do to improve the situation? Is this it? Or what am I missing?
A final observation is that the work rate, even though I guess it isn’t, seems to be a bit arbitrary. The wood chopping shop which is second furthest away should have the second lowest work rate as it looks, but has the second highest. A mine has 0% even thought it is within viewing distance from the village, has a full workload of staff and temporary housing.
Anyone else recognice themselves in this situation? Anyone that has clearly better production rates that has an example of things to do differently? Or is the work rate simply too low and too arbitrary?