New luxury goods and their industries (sugar, edible oil, and salt)

Farthest Frontier Ideas and Feedback
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  1. Plant sugar beet(Beta vulgaris L.) and sugar cane(Saccharum officinarum L.) for sugar production.
    Sugar, as a food additive or seasoning, was not easily accessible in ancient times, making it a luxury good. We may plant sugar beets and sugar cane in farmland and build sugar refineries to produce sugar, which can serve as a substitute for honey to some extent. It can be traded at trading posts and also contribute to tax revenue for settlements as a luxury item. To my knowledge, sugar beets are cold-resistant and have average yields, while sugar cane has high yields, is heat-resistant but not drought-resistant, and requires fertile soil and ample water. Crop rotation can be implemented based on their respective characteristics to achieve complementary advantages.

  2. Can orchards only grow fruits?
    Compared to tall arbor nut trees, the yield of shrub nuts is very low. Perhaps we can plant some high-yield arbor nut trees in the orchard, such as walnut trees(Juglans regia L.), almond trees(Prunus dulcis (Mill.) D.A.Webb), and pistachio trees(Pistacia vera L.). They are all native to Eurasia, which is consistent with the game’s historical background. Nuts can also be processed into edible oil through oil mills, which can be used as a luxury item to increase tax revenue, or traded at trading posts.

  3. Salt deposit.
    Salt is crucial in our lives, and it was once a luxury item. It is recommended to increase salt deposits, allowing people to build mines to collect it, trade it at trading posts, and also use it as a luxury item to increase tax revenue for settlements.

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Alternatively, we can regard sugar and edible oil(Animal fat can be used as a substitute) as common ingredients and use them, along with eggs and flour, to create a new type of pastry. Treat it as a luxury item that can increase tax revenue.

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I love all of these ideas. Beets used for sugar would fit the game, as far as history and general geography are concerned. ( especially since honey is considered a medicine ingredient and not food ).

All the nuts mentioned are regionally correct as well, and historically accurate for the average persons diet. they do well in storage, although research shows they were often roasted to reduce moisture to prevent mold.

Salt could also be used to help hunters. The placement of a salt lick could draw wildlife to an area closer to hunters ( essentially relocating a remote herd ).

Also, just checking ( for a friend ) If I have a deer herd that is small and / or remote, I have been planting a tiny 5X5 farm with only clover on the edge of their area to draw them over and grow / maintain the herd. I do not know if that is actually a thing, or if I only think it has worked because I want it to. What do the Devs say ?

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Maybe Salt can be also used in production chains - for example for Smoked Meat/Fish, Cheese, Food Preservist, and Tannery.

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In real life, that’s actually the case. You can’t have cheese or smoked meats without salt. But does that really need to be included in the game? I don’t think so. At some point, it becomes too much.

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IRL, where salt came from had real impacts on settlement development. On the other hand, with the way this game works, it would probably just mean that you have salt mines along with the other mines, so I agree it likely wouldn’t add much.

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Don’t forget this is a fantasy world, it’s not earth. So may not even have those things.

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That’s why it is awesome that our game devs get to decide what is or isn’t here in this fantasy world they have imagined! Although, salt mines do create a problem with the already established parameters. The smokehouse comes with hunting and fishing as soon as the game opens. if you want to require salt for that, then what do you do about mining having to be unlocked later in the tech tree?

Now, to tag our salt discussion back into the addition of nuts and sugar - what about dried fruits and honey roasted nuts in the Smokehouse and Salted Soft Pretzels in the Bakery ( or the crunchy kind, I guess would travel better )

But … if we had a confectionary … now THAT is where you find the luxury treats. With milk, sugar, honey, nuts and fruit ( preserves ? ) the candy possibilities are endless. maybe even peanut brittle ? Research says peanuts came to Europe from South America in the late 1500 to Early 1600s. If the Devs do decide to allow new crop types to be unlocked later in the game through trade …

And, then we could import cocoa ? We may not be able to actually grow the cacao in our climate, but as an imported luxury item ? Cocoa powder + sugar + milk = CHOCOLATE! :partying_face:

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And, if we can grow peanuts, that would fit into Lime’s idea for edible oils (although almonds are more efficient in amount of oil per acre, but more expensive and time consuming to start). It would also give the crop rotation another soil boosting option. And the peanut plant itself and the nut husks could be eaten by the animals (like wheat stalks should be becoming fodder) or can contribute to compost.
Maybe we need some advanced compost / recycling tech that could give an extra collector for the compost yard that only picks up at farms AND BARNS to give the nightsoil crew a little support ? Or maybe worm bins to give a bait upgrade for the fishermen ?

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