Uneducated workers

[rkelly17]

I will normally try to get a school built in time for the oldest child to become a student. I will accept the delay in getting additional laborers; I'd rather have that than any uneducated workers dragging things down. Seems like if I have even one uneducated worker, that person winds up becoming my blacksmith! 

On Hard and Medium starts my goal is usually the first child born in the settlement goes to school. At the beginning I don't find that an uneducated blacksmith is a killer because the need for tools is low. My early blacksmith and tailor only work part time anyway to keep up with demand. The trick I use to get an educated blacksmith/tailor is that I don't build a house near the workplace until after people start graduating from school. Then the game takes care of assignments. The generation of uneducated (3-10 people, depending on seed) usually ends up living in the forest village or on farms. It does slow things down at the beginning, but by the time it gets crucial to maximize production things have evened out. I do sometimes get a 10 or 12 year-old uneducated teacher, though, in the beginning.

[irrelevant]

Interesting that with all the penalties for uneducated workers, two professions for which there is no difference between educated and uneducated are "teacher" and "doctor!"

The way I look at the delay a school causes in getting new workers, you're going to get the delay no matter when you build your first school, so it's better to get it out of the way early. I don't mind starting off slow, but getting the delay in year 4-5 might be irksome.

[Nilla]

I agree with @irrelevant. I look at the age of the children and try to have the school ready in time for all. Oft is it the first building. Sometimes one or two 9 years old escape school. In such a case I try to build a house for that uneducated directly at the school (teacher) or in the forest, where the harm is less than elsewhere. I also find the delay, getting no new labourers until the first student graduate, is less disturbing at the beginning.

[Paeng]

My early game is similar, but very different LOL...
I do not plan on a grid, so I don't really like to commit locations early on - usually my hamlets are slightly drawn out early on and grow together slowly to become one town, terrain permitting.

First, I scout the (larger) area and blueprint
* perfect fishing spots (radius!)
* viable trade port spots (not conflicting with fishing radii)
* other waterbound locations (e.g. saw- and grain-mills)


Before really starting, I count my kids - that gives me a number when to build the school (if I'm lucky, I can wait 2 or 3 years). In any case school must be up before 1st kid is ready to enroll.

Build 1 stone house, which is good for the first, maybe into the second winter.

Then 2 foresters (clean out radius for rock and iron), 1 woodcutter, 1 fishing hut, plus 1 gatherer/hunter (w/o seeds) or 2 fields (w/ seeds).

Slowly add houses to start the baby boom.

Blacksmith must be up before initial tools supply is running out.

Add 1 herbalist.

Slowly starting to pile in materials for the first trade post (committing location) and setting aside some basic trade goods (food, tools, fuel).

Set a market location to encompass all current buildings, start construction (should be about finished by the time the first trader shows up)...

Workers still get shifted around a lot, depending on season and/or demand. A tailor comes much later, as well as roads (I don't build pre-emptive 'gridded' roads, I rather connect the hamlets later and on demand...


That is (roughly) my plan during the first 3 to 5 years...

[rkelly17]

I've posted a blog on how I start out: http://worldofbanished.com/index.php?topic=808.0

All critique graciously ignored. 

[A Nonny Moose]

"No one has ever built a monument to a critic"
                   Jan Sebelius

[Chon Waen]

@rkelly17 nice outline for year 1!  Definitely a good guide for those less experienced.  I'll probably stick with my personal methods because its what I'm most familiar with and it works for me. And yeah, I get what you mean, similar but different.

[rkelly17]

@rkelly17 nice outline for year 1!  Definitely a good guide for those less experienced.  I'll probably stick with my personal methods because its what I'm most familiar with and it works for me. And yeah, I get what you mean, similar but different.

My philosophy is to do what works. Each of us has a unique play-style that we have perfected (well, sort of perfected) and which works for us. What could be better than that?

[Paeng]

My philosophy is to do what works.

Indeed... If there was only one formula to "success" - what a horrible thought. 

[A Nonny Moose]

My philosophy is to do what works.

Indeed... If there was only one formula to "success" - what a horrible thought. 

Right on.  We've been there before, or at least those of us who've played SimCity 4 Deluxe for a while.  Millions of players but not one same style.