Trading port 'stealing' water from fishery?

[Pangaea]

In the little orchard experiment I eventually set up a fishing dock in a good spot. It got very good yields most of the 10 years it was run. Average was 2736 per year, with a max of 3060. What appears to be very important is not just access to much water, but having houses and a barn nearby (and preferably a stockpile for firewood), with vendors who make sure the barn isn't full. I noticed that in the poorer years (lowest was 2220), they had to walk farther to deliver fish. It's also easier to keep fishermen in the nearest houses if there is nothing else going on in the area. Add in a market or just about anything really, and suddenly the fishermen may be living far away, particularly during building sprees.

[rkelly17]

In the little orchard experiment I eventually set up a fishing dock in a good spot. It got very good yields most of the 10 years it was run. Average was 2736 per year, with a max of 3060. What appears to be very important is not just access to much water, but having houses and a barn nearby (and preferably a stockpile for firewood), with vendors who make sure the barn isn't full. I noticed that in the poorer years (lowest was 2220), they had to walk farther to deliver fish. It's also easier to keep fishermen in the nearest houses if there is nothing else going on in the area. Add in a market or just about anything really, and suddenly the fishermen may be living far away, particularly during building sprees.

Absolutely! I did some experiments some months ago and the existence of houses and a barn very close made a huge difference in output. In another map I had a dock that theoretically had an almost ideal location on the water but a hill prevented placing the houses and barns closer than about 10-15 squares away. That dock never produced as much as one in a lesser location with houses and barn across the road.

[A Nonny Moose]

Interesting that collocation counts.  Some of the villages I've built have been better when things are very crowded together.  I sometimes wonder of the inhabitants have sheep genes.

[Pangaea]

Oh my... if only it could be properly supported by infrastructure.

It's actually possible to place one house out there, but a barn can't be done.

[RedKetchup]

need also some space for the bridges

[Pangaea]

Could actually fit in a bridge to the left bank, but it will still lose some production due to having to cross it each time they catch a fish.

I keep trying out maps and testing mods instead of actually playing. What is wrong with me?!

[rkelly17]

Could actually fit in a bridge to the left bank, but it will still lose some production due to having to cross it each time they catch a fish.

I keep trying out maps and testing mods instead of actually playing. What is wrong with me?!

I'd say you are normal for this group. 

[Pangaea]

Could actually fit in a bridge to the left bank, but it will still lose some production due to having to cross it each time they catch a fish.

I keep trying out maps and testing mods instead of actually playing. What is wrong with me?!

I'd say you are normal for this group. 

Haha, good to know. I'm feeling enough of an outsider as it is

[Pangaea]

Interesting. I copied an old save from my main town over to the banishedkit version of the game, and after a few false tries managed to get the bug mod working. It does indeed look like trading posts and even bridges 'steal' water from the fishing dock. I actually suspected bridges did, so put them up a little distance away from the later fishing docks in that save. Now there is proof.

[Bobbi]

Very interesting. Exactly what we suspected.

[rkelly17]

Interesting. I copied an old save from my main town over to the banishedkit version of the game, and after a few false tries managed to get the bug mod working. It does indeed look like trading posts and even bridges 'steal' water from the fishing dock. I actually suspected bridges did, so put them up a little distance away from the later fishing docks in that save. Now there is proof.

Thanks, @Pangaea. Lately I've been building a bridge just on the outside of the fishing circle to remind me not to build too close. With your screenshot it looks like this may actually be a good idea. Of course, sometimes one has to fudge a bit to get the layout to work, but with this info we can weigh the advantages and disadvantages.

The picture also confirms that there are some issues with "water." The structures blocking the "water" probably arises from the same base issue that gives us underwater walking deer, sheep, cows and chickens. In reality, of course, bridges and docks are often especially good places to fish since they are structures that give shelter and attract food. I remember one fishing trip where we were trolling under a railroad bridge and got multiple hook-ups every time a train went over.

[Pangaea]

Instead of starting a new thread, I'll post here as it's at least loosely related.

In the first map I tried, the 1008 seed, there was an excellent fishing spot nearby. I noticed that each time fish was caught, it led to 11 fish. "That's a lot" I thought, but figured I didn't remember what it was the last time I played. On the current map, I placed a fishing spot at a lake nearby the starting place. Lakes are rarely great spots. This time they got 7 fish each time. Further south there was a fine spot in a 180 degree turn in the river. Here they got 10 fish each time.

This must be why you get more fish the more water the fishing dock has. It's not that they get fish more often, but simply that they get more fish each time they catch some.

Doesn't really matter much in terms of what you do in-game -- fishing docks are still best the more water they have access to -- but I found it interesting nonetheless.

Do keep in mind the earlier findings, though, and don't place bridges or trade posts near the fishing dock, impacting on their catchment area (yellow circle).

[A Nonny Moose]

Well, that certainly explains why my fishing docks are such flops.  One of my foibles has been to put a bridge hard against them and put a trading post nearby.  I was trying to shorten the land paths, but I see I'll have to rethink thinks.

Thanks.

[assobanana76]

In the map I just posted there was an enticing fishing location...

Not going to play the map, at least not now, but I wonder what that would fetch.

e: Oi! I found another one, which is probably even better

@Pangaea
what beautiful views in this map !!
how many ideas come to my mind !!
number seed? dimension? type?
thanks!

[Pangaea]

In the map I just posted there was an enticing fishing location...

Not going to play the map, at least not now, but I wonder what that would fetch.

e: Oi! I found another one, which is probably even better

@Pangaea
what beautiful views in this map !!
how many ideas come to my mind !!
number seed? dimension? type?
thanks!

No idea unfortunately, because that post is from about a year ago when I last played the game, and it wasn't mentioned in the post, nor do I have the saves any more. Some cracking places for fishing huts though, and after seeing some spots like that, it's easier to locate others.

If you just want to test out a great spot, there is one in the 1008 seed (large valleys, if that matters), just to the right of the start location. You need a bridge to get to it, which impacts on the catch a little bit, but it's still very good with 11 fish per catch.