Binary Farming

[blash365]

The current state of farming feels a bit odd.

If i encounter a mealwood in its natural habitat, then it grows happily and can be harvested. As soon as i change the underlying tile to a _farm_ tile, it does no longer grow at all without proper fertilization.

I would like to suggest that the status quo of the plant does not change if it is repotted, but that the natural growth rate is maintained. Only when the dupes start fertilizing the tile, the plant will grow faster gradually increasing in growth rate until the maximum farm tile rate is achieved.

It also feels the same way about temperature, pressure and irrigation. Only when the growing conditions are completely met, the plant will grow with maximum speed, if only one condition is not met, the plant will not grow at all.

Again i would like to suggest that the growth rate of the plant does slowly ramp up in a grace-area around the absolute essential living conditions of a plant.

 

Example:

Mealwood (current):

• pressure over 150g (and below 10kg)
• proper atomosphere
• temperature between 5° and 35°
• 10 kg/c dirt

If all conditions are met: 3 cycles mature time

If one condition is not met: does not grow at all

Mealwood (suggestion):

• pressure over 100g (and below 10kg)
• proper atomosphere
• temperature between 0° and 40°

If all conditions are met: 12 cycles mature time (same as under natural conditions)

If one condition is not met: does not grow at all

Additional conditions:

• pressure over 150g
• temperature between 5° and 35°
• 10 kg/c dirt

If each of these conditions is partially met, the grow will increase by thee propotion of met condition:

• pressure over 125g increases growth rate to 10,5 cycles mature time
• presusre over 150g increases growth rate to 9 cycles mature time
• 2,5° temperature increases growth rate to 7,5 cycles mature time
• 5° temperature increases growth rate to 6 cycles mature time
• 5kg/c dirt increases growth rate to 4,5 cycles mature time
• 10kg/c dirt increases growth rate to 3 cycles mature time (same as current farm conditions)

 

The numbers are of course up for debate, but in my opinion a system like this would make farming a bit more dynamic than the current stop-and-go.

It would allow players to make concious trade between fertilization/irrigation and growthrate. It would allow conditions under which farming-warnings can be displayed ("slowed growth due to ..."). And it would also allow more heterogenic plant farms, if one would see any benefit in it.

[AileTheAlien]

Another way to do it, would be having the plants growth based on how many conditions are met. e.g. 3/4 conditions met: 75% of maximum speed bonus.

[blash365]

Well, there needs to be an absolute minimum of living conditions for a plant. My suggestion is just that at the moment there are only the minimum living conditions and nothing in between.

[vovik]

Wait, i thought klei fixed this binary behavior... God dammit, its not so hard to change, goddamit. And it was the most frustrating thing in the whole game  for me..