More soil types for different crops, to avoid monoculture

Christoffer · 2018-06-07 12:34:16

The way OHOL is coded makes it difficult to make crops biome dependent. But it would be easy to create several different soil types instead of just one, and then have different crops grow only on the right kind of soil. Most biomes could provide at least one soil type, while some could provide several types with varying rarity. There could also be new compost recipes added, to yield different soil types.

From what I can tell there are six soil types (https://learn.eartheasy.com/articles/kn … -soil-type):

Clay: Summer crop vegetables can be high yielding vigorous plants. Fruit trees, ornamental trees and shrubs thrive on clay soils.

Sandy: Carrots, parsnips and potatoes favour sandy soils. Lettuce, strawberries, peppers, corn, squash, zucchini, collard greens and tomatoes are grown commercially in sandy soils.

Silty: Most vegetable and fruit crops thrive in silty soils which have adequate drainage.

Peaty: Vegetable crops such as Brassicas, legumes, root crops and salad crops do well in well-drained peaty soils.

Chalky: Vegetables such as spinach, beets, sweet corn, and cabbage do well in chalky soils.

Loamy: Most vegetable crops and berry crops will do well since loamy soil can be the most productive of soil types.

Lotus · 2018-06-07 15:47:26

It’s a good idea, especially for large villages.

But it would really screw over the starting Eves.

jasonrohrer · 2018-06-07 16:04:03

This is an interesting idea for sure.

I guess over time it would force the crops you grow to change as various natural soils run out.

Compost produces pure humus, which is a component in some other soil types. Not sure how you can "make" different soil types by composting in different ways.

aowen · 2018-06-07 16:40:42

Flintstone wrote:

Most biomes could provide at least one soil type, while some could provide several types with varying rarity.

Given the current size of biomes, I'm not convinced that each biome having different soil types would matter too much. It's still too easy to migrate as an Eve.

Flintstone wrote:

There could also be new compost recipes added, to yield different soil types.

If all soil types are renewable, wouldn't player's still be able to mono-farm? I'm imagining starting Eve's might focus on growing what's available, but as villages get along, growing whatever they want becomes easy, and they're likely to pick the current meta-favorite. At which point, most villages are growing the same thing, and we're in the same spot.

What if you added this?
- in order to renew soil-type-A, you need some soil-type-A available
Hm, but still, the biomes are too small. You only need a couple gatherers to get around this.

What if you combined this with Jason's taste idea?
Then you have starting villages growing at least 2 different crops, maybe 3 given the initial soil constraints. As villages get further along, they must continue to grow 2.
But does this encourage people to make different recipes (foods requiring multiple steps)? The berry-pie example..

What would be my motivation to use 15 steps to make a burrito?
It still seems unresolved, but this might be a step in the right direction.

Christoffer · 2018-06-07 18:36:04

jasonrohrer wrote:

This is an interesting idea for sure.
I guess over time it would force the crops you grow to change as various natural soils run out.

Yes, plus it could also lead to some variation in which crops early settlements choose to go after.

jasonrohrer wrote:

Compost produces pure humus, which is a component in some other soil types. Not sure how you can "make" different soil types by composting in different ways.

True, compost is pure organic material and soil is not. But the game already has composting generating soil, so it wouldn’t be more wrong than it already is. But let’s add some non-organic ingredients that are indigenous to the different biomes, if that makes sense: sand, clay, etc. I’m not an expert on soil, but this seems “accurate enough” to fit in the game, don’t you think?

jasonrohrer · 2018-06-07 18:36:49

Biomes are small-ish because you currently need things from all of them over time in a village (except for arctic and desert).

Some people have floated the idea that you should be able to survive in every biome, and have a "way" of progressing there that's unique. If that was the case, then the biomes could be huge.

I'm not sure that I'm going to take the game in that direction, though, because it's a lot more work (effectively a separate tech tree in each biome), and also hard for me to balance. I'm more using the Minecraft or Rust model where you travel to different biomes to get what you need, and bring it together into one spot to build your village.

YAHG · 2018-06-07 18:53:40

jasonrohrer wrote:

If that was the case, then the biomes could be huge.

I think this could be a good way to introduce natural trade, if villages have different strengths then
there is a reason to specialize. Atm all towns are the same so there isn't any point.

Spockulon · 2018-06-07 19:25:54

YAHG wrote:

jasonrohrer wrote:
If that was the case, then the biomes could be huge.
I think this could be a good way to introduce natural trade, if villages have different strengths then
there is a reason to specialize. Atm all towns are the same so there isn't any point.

I was thinking about this as well!

Trade relies on scarcity in one place and demand in another. Biomes are an intuitive way to introduce those dynamics.

TrustyWay · 2018-06-07 23:56:28

Spockulon wrote:

YAHG wrote:
jasonrohrer wrote:
If that was the case, then the biomes could be huge.
I think this could be a good way to introduce natural trade, if villages have different strengths then
there is a reason to specialize. Atm all towns are the same so there isn't any point.
I was thinking about this as well!
Trade relies on scarcity in one place and demand in another. Biomes are an intuitive way to introduce those dynamics.

Finally we listen to me, feels great

pein · 2018-06-08 08:01:00

for example compost could be made two different ways, hot and cold water, allow simmering water to be taken with tongs? then it would be different

or just until compost
until people use natural resources, adding variety with soil types could work out

i still think some corn or carrot is good near berry, just for fast and bit more nutritious food
cooking them could also increase their food value

it reminds me of Tropico and strongholds Crusader
food variety mattered more than food amount
but for that some happiness meter would be required, also some good and bad things
pollution and decor things
the effect would matter too, like depression,sickness or euphoria allowing to do different things, interactions

the other could be a general happiness meter in city(which comes back to defining what is the city) which would allow monuments to be built, or food used as currency to pay off upgrades, meanwhile sometimes eaten

YAHG · 2018-06-08 08:04:07

pein wrote:

for example compost could be made two different ways, hot and cold water, allow simmering water to be taken with tongs? then it would be different

Multiple ways to make the same thing could be pretty cool, especially
if you don't always have all the options like we do now.

pein · 2018-06-08 10:57:35

YAHG wrote:

pein wrote:
for example compost could be made two different ways, hot and cold water, allow simmering water to be taken with tongs? then it would be different
Multiple ways to make the same thing could be pretty cool, especially
if you don't always have all the options like we do now.

maybe random compost?
"berry soil " would be rare and peopel would try composting then might as well use the common " corn compost"

the meta could change as weather, if a lot of people eat carrot, "carrot compost" would became rare, etc.

Rebel · 2018-06-09 01:50:25

Looks guys, forcing players to grow different crops is not the solution, you might as well just have one crop.

(I kinda go off topic here about soil sorry)
The current system nearly works. you are have few problems:
1. Soil takes wayyyyy to long to get back from worms, anything over that crops growth time is just silly. this is one of the main reasons we don't carrot farm, its ugly leaving harden rows, and you cant live on a 5x5 carrot farm for a whole hour..
2. bushes don't die, they should have a similar growth as the other crops where they die, after that you have to replant. They have no value, thus people eat them even if there is a cart full of mutton pies next to them.
The fact that bushes never die and use soil, makes them a god to other foods.
3. Fuck all recipes for food-related products, have more tech related food, that is slightly easier and better, it works with pies, we eat rabbit pies until we get mutton then we eat mutton, and if we don't have rabbits (rarely) we eat berry pies.

More recipes higher the tech tree would change the mono-crop IF the crops had similar growth attributes. EG, Oh we can make carrot stews now stop planting berries, Oh we can make corn and lamb chops grow corn instead. While this just moves the mono crops depending on tech level you have infinite recipes that can be added that reinsert a crop, You just have to make it easier, and better once that tech level is increased. bare in mind, there are No real tech levels just item progression, thus if it took longer to get to certain items like bowls and popcorn was better then berries and grew the same then we make popcorn.

To conclude,
I think all crops should cost the same and have similar growth time and yield, the tech level should determine what food is currently the meta as food recipes will be better then what was mono before and tech should be slower to get, having a clear "upgrade" point, "YAY we have clay bowls and plates now, we can cook popcorn!"

This kinda goes off Jasons "you must evolve or you die", atm you don't need to evolve because berries live forever and there is no need to get compost fast or tools or anything.

Last edited by Rebel (2018-06-09 01:54:37)

One Hour One Life Forums

#1 2018-06-07 12:34:16

More soil types for different crops, to avoid monoculture

#2 2018-06-07 15:47:26

Re: More soil types for different crops, to avoid monoculture

#3 2018-06-07 16:04:03

Re: More soil types for different crops, to avoid monoculture

#4 2018-06-07 16:40:42

Re: More soil types for different crops, to avoid monoculture

#5 2018-06-07 18:36:04

Re: More soil types for different crops, to avoid monoculture

#6 2018-06-07 18:36:49

Re: More soil types for different crops, to avoid monoculture

#7 2018-06-07 18:53:40

Re: More soil types for different crops, to avoid monoculture

#8 2018-06-07 19:25:54

Re: More soil types for different crops, to avoid monoculture

#9 2018-06-07 23:56:28

Re: More soil types for different crops, to avoid monoculture

#10 2018-06-08 08:01:00

Re: More soil types for different crops, to avoid monoculture

#11 2018-06-08 08:04:07

Re: More soil types for different crops, to avoid monoculture

#12 2018-06-08 10:57:35

Re: More soil types for different crops, to avoid monoculture

#13 2018-06-09 01:50:25

Re: More soil types for different crops, to avoid monoculture

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