I had an idea regarding wine as a crop/resource etc. I am working in the wine industry so it stuck me how cool it could be to have wine making in this game.
Grape vines as a “tree” from the arborist.
The older the vine the better quality the grape.
Wine grows better in higher altitudes, clay soil and better if the weather has been hot in the summer
Months and wetter in the winter. Also requires harvesting in the autumn so if not enough workers available, it might mean the grapes are left too long on the vines.
Building: vintner to make wine. Requires grapes and barrels.
A vintage of wine comes in different quality/price. If you overload the vintner with workers you can get more wine quantity but quality could suffer if the grapes are not grown in good conditions (altitude, weather and clay soil).
Maximising the best quality wines will get very high prices at market and availability increases the happiness of the settlement a lot. It has long shelf life and doesn’t spoil in barrels but vintages differ in price/quality.
Drinking wine at the pub requires glass as a resource and doesn’t get the villagers as drunk as beer - so more able to work.
Just a few ideas. Maybe useful, maybe not.
Love the game and can’t wait for the full version next week!
Some wines like clay soil because it retains the water better for the vines with shorter roots. I don’t think we need maximum realism, just a representation of the process. And for grape vines to grow to maturity it takes many years. Clay soil would allow younger vines to have a better yield whereas a mixed moving to Sandy soil is better for vines which are older with longer roots. Seems a lot of complexity - maybe it’s possible to add this level of detail?
Regardless, I added this because a lot of crops in the game favour sandy soil (at least when I play I am constantly adding sand to fields to maximise fertility). Would give a contrast to this element at least. And give you a strategic choice for choosing clay soil or sand soil for your fields
I suspect the easier way to add the clay/sand soil complexity would be to require Clay added to the soil for the first 1 - 2 years and after that Sand, and make them Requirements rather than merely add-ons to fertility.
My problem with wine-making is that it was very limited geographically. Not only did it require the right soils, but also the right alignment of ground for proper amounts of sunshine, water runoff, etc. Germany and France, for instance, are both major wine producers, but the production is only in certain well-defined areas of each country. Having wine-making be universally available seems a bit too easy compared to the Medievalish reality.
On the other hand, Apple Cider from the apples already in the game would be a relatively easy addition, and hard cider was a near-universal drink in northern Europe during the relevant period. Another possibility for ‘additional’ goods, production and luxuries would be Dye Plants like Madder or Woad to add value to the clothing being produced - and with the addition of sheep that they’ve promised, colored woolen cloth would be a major trade item, attracting merchants/traders from far away as it did to the Fairs in Champagne and Flanders all the way from Italy IRL.
Depending on how much they want to add to the game, I could see a DLC on Specialized Luxuries in which you could get a section on certain maps that is ‘Great Wine Country’ for an extra lucrative Trade Good and Luxury, but not on all maps, all the time. That same DLC might also include a mechanism for getting the occasional Special Immigrant: a Master Mason or Blacksmith or Artisan who can make jewelry or cast/carve special artistic statues or architectural elements to beautify and/or personify your town. This might be how they could add the Town Clock in the central square with dancing puppets and bells announcing the hours, a centerpiece in every sense of the word!
I think you hit a cool note for more complexity. More biome/climate specific crops/foods. We see this a little bit as not all maps have medicinal roots but I like the idea of expanding on that with cider/wine and maybe other types as well
