Willow shrubs are often absent in some maps (alpine for example) due to dry topography which is cool, but in reality, willows are one of the most planted shrubs because they can take root so easily in moist soils. Yes, they do need wet (or at least moist) soils. It would be great to have the ability to plant willow shrubs in moist areas (say, water bonus areas of 45% or greater) as it would allow us to not have to continually buy them at the trading post when they are (rarely) available. Kablam! Baskets for everyone!
7 Likes
Iād also like to see all of the food shrubs (hawthorn, willow, herbs, etc) able to be replanted. Iāve never understood why games donāt allow that as it is well within reason.
2 Likes
A lot of willows donāt necessarily need wet/moist soils, they just prefer it. I have Red Osier Dogwood, Yellow Willow, and Weeping Willow on high, dry spots on my property and they do fine. But I have Dogwood and Willow on lower parts (full sun) that grow more vigorously. Many willow species are very adaptable and can be planted in a lot of different conditions.
Fair enough. In my 25 years of field experience as a biologist conducting ecological surveys in boreal and prairie ecozones, most willow thickets are found in moist (at least seasonally) drainages and swamp areas along with paper birch (shrubs and trees) and green alder shrubs. Itās a keen way to recognize a drainage from a distance. Iāve been involved in restoration projects monitoring the success of planted willows, and the ones that are not planted close enough to the water table end up dead 90% of the time. Yes, red osier dogwoods can tolerate drier conditions but generally occur in moist areas or north-facing slopes. I have never seen a weeping willow in the wild, but they often occur in cities and are generally along wet banks or in parks that are very low to the water table. My point being, if you give the willow planting category a restriction, it would allow for more challenging gameplay instead of blindly surrounding your gathering hut with willows when itās on the top of a hill.
2 Likes
Because itās a game and in a game you need constraints otherwise itās too easy: I settle anywhere, I plant everything I need and thatās it!
Fair enough
My background is in ecosystem restoration and native plant propagation, so weāre on the same page. Iāve done a fair bit of restoration projects along stream and river corridors with willow staking and practice coppicing on my own property for willow/buckthorn fencing. I agree with your restrictive approach, as it makes sense that basket weaving would draw from the most healthy and vigorous growing willows. It would be really cool to incorporate moving them like blueberry, where they can be placed in higher saturation areas and coppiced for sustainable craft sourcing. Iāve not lived in an alpine environment, so I canāt speak to the viability of having them in depressions, but I do know they are cultivated with swales, low-grade weirs, or check dams for slope stability, filtration, flood control, etc. Speaking of which, it would be really cool to be able to dig drainage ditches and build weirs to manage water resources.
There could be penalties to relocating things like that where if itās not suitable (too much clay, too sandy, too much sun, etc.) the plant will die after a year or two and you wonāt be able to relocate it. That would address the ātoo easyā aspect of it and be in line with species preference. I do think itās kind of strange that you can relocate blueberries and only blueberries. Theyāre quite a finicky shrub and prefer acidic soils, relocating them does not have a very high success rate.
2 Likes
I know for blueberries. But itās a game and doesnāt have to stick to reality.
Yes, with penalty that could be a good thing moving every plant.
One of the things that interested me in the game was how the farming mechanics were more ārealisticā than others. That aspect has been promoted hard. At least in the videos Iāve seen and some of the posts Iāve read.
People have been digging up plants and replanting them throughout history. Iāve done it myself quite a few times over the years.
There seems to be a double standard in this discussion. The crop rotation is great because itās realistic, but when it comes to other resources (willow, blueberry, etc) itās oh, no, itās a game, it doesnāt have to be realistic and that it would make the game too easy.
Although itās not a bad idea, introducing penalties to the replanting of other resource plants would overcomplicate a simple process, as far as the devs having to write said penalties into the game programming.
Unless said plants respawn/regrow (and I have not seen that happen, though Iām still new to the game)
You are not gaining seeds, so you wonāt have any more plants than you had to start with.
You are not getting more produce from each harvest.
You canāt put them in a field and have your farmers deal with them.
You canāt increase their production by fertilization.
So what have you actually gained from moving said plants? A small convenience? Sure. But what exactly makes things too easy?
One final thought on this: Just because itās allowed, it doesnāt mean you have to replant anything if you donāt want to. Itās your game. Play it as you wish. Kind of like how the devs give you the ability to tweak the difficulties of your game to fit your playing style.
1 Like
I donāt see why to have a little herb garden could be considered bad, maybe someone buys herbs with gold, itās that better?
So traders can sell seeds of herbs or even for trees like hazels, why not? Just another layer of farming, like having chickens for eggs, after all we have cows for meat, and other stuff we get from deers at the start
And, unless youāre already swimming in gold which invalidate the point, as you already can buy anything you need, itāll not be free, itāll require land, laborers, and management
3 Likes
Great thoughts - I like the soil penalty idea.
1 Like
Heyā¦ if someone puts chocolate in your face, youāre gonna eat it! (referring to the ability to move blueberry bushes to my forager shackā¦ Iām gonna do it).
2 Likes
A great advantage!
Because instead of having to put several foragers far from the city to collect plants not found in the starting area, only one can harvest herbs, willow, green vegetables, blueberries, hazelnuts and walnuts.
I think moving the blueberries serves to ensure the survival of the colony for the first few years.
1 Like
I do not have any idea of what the harvest potential of the various plants give. If youāve a ballpark or average number, Iād like to know what it is. I havenāt paid a lot of attention to the harvest rate on them, so itās hard for me to imagine that theyād give that much of a boost.
This is probably going to sound snarky, but it really isnātā¦ IRL walnuts come from trees, and hazel nuts can be either a bush or a tree. Are both considered bushes in game?
Arenāt those cornus, not actual willows? I donāt think theyād offer the same medicinal uses as actual salix.
I believe willow is used to make baskets rather than healing.
Baskets are a bonus, not a necessity. Making their absence on some maps provides some challenge, I like the way it is. Herbs on the other handā¦
They are used for both.
1 Like
This topic was automatically closed 90 days after the last reply. New replies are no longer allowed.