cows vs goats: I assume all they do is milk?

[Frost1977]

seems there is no point to cows if so since i can keep enough sheep & goats in 1 fold and save the building slot? they don't breed fast enough to be useful for meat. I would think cows would be good for both milk & fertilizer...

[Fel]

Well, sheep are probably better when it comes to the fold, filling it with them gets you a pretty decent amount of wool and the sheep themselves sell for a higher price than the goats.
On the other hand, cows sell for an even higher price.

As for milk, outside of a drink for yourself or selling it, there isn't really much point in it since there are not recipes using it.

By the point you get the cows, you usually produce way too much manure and either recude the production of it or even get rid of pigs entirely and rely on rot.
That means that cows producing manure would not really make them any better.

[Dracon]

Originally posted by Fel:

Well, sheep are probably better when it comes to the fold, filling it with them gets you a pretty decent amount of wool and the sheep themselves sell for a higher price than the goats.
On the other hand, cows sell for an even higher price.

As for milk, outside of a drink for yourself or selling it, there isn't really much point in it since there are not recipes using it.

By the point you get the cows, you usually produce way too much manure and either recude the production of it or even get rid of pigs entirely and rely on rot.
That means that cows producing manure would not really make them any better.

Unless something significantly changed, cows don't produce manure atm.
And yes, it would make them better as cows produce TONS of manure, even compared to pigs.

[invivo4u]

I removed the pigsty breeder long ago since manure production was overwhelming and I found that rot is a reasonable alternative ... rot happens ... ;))

[Roast Beef]

Originally posted by Dracon:

Originally posted by Fel:

Well, sheep are probably better when it comes to the fold, filling it with them gets you a pretty decent amount of wool and the sheep themselves sell for a higher price than the goats.
On the other hand, cows sell for an even higher price.

As for milk, outside of a drink for yourself or selling it, there isn't really much point in it since there are not recipes using it.

By the point you get the cows, you usually produce way too much manure and either recude the production of it or even get rid of pigs entirely and rely on rot.
That means that cows producing manure would not really make them any better.

Unless something significantly changed, cows don't produce manure atm.
And yes, it would make them better as cows produce TONS of manure, even compared to pigs.

i dont think one animal should be made superior to another. it would be cool if balance changes were aimed at making all of them useful, with pros and cons for each, instead of making one animal totally superior to another.

[Tony Liberatto]

The whole game food economy is weird.
My grandparents were poor farms from a 3rd world country.
They had pork every day, beef was sporadic, but they had chicken every Sunday.
I am talking about poor people. People that did not have plumbed water or electricity. So, not so different from Medieval Times.
The game puts too much emphasis on hunting. By medieval times in Europe, hunting was complementary to animal husbandry.

[Fel]

Hunting is really only needed until you get your farm settled.
It's helpful for the first tier tavern recipes as well I guess but once you start making staple food (bread) from grain then your meat becomes a bit useless.

It's similar to what would happen in that case too, creating a new village means that you need vto rely on hunting and foraging while working on a more stable and reliable source of food.

[abonamente]

Some animals and buildings, although not very useful economically, can be great as decorations.

I, for instance, have a well hidden and protected strategic Tavern III for the vital stuff (alcoholic beverages) in my newest city, but I've built a decorative Tavern I too (the optional things, like food, go there), surrounded by streets, market stalls and tables. And I don't need another tools stall there, but I built it anyway, for colour. With all the lights and stuff, it'll be a cool downtown, metres away from the fold's circular log fence (I couldn't help it, the idea of skyscrapers and sheep was irresistible, although for the skyscrapers part I'll have to use my imagination).
---------------
I might illustrate with a picture or video of the first citizen's (=my) deluxe square once it's finished. Haven't decided yet where exactly to put the ruined daub and straw house and the goats, but these will be a great addition to an already quite colourful neighbourhood. I mean, deluxe is nothing without cows and goats roaming the streets.

[Dracon]

Originally posted by Roast Beef:

Originally posted by Dracon:

Unless something significantly changed, cows don't produce manure atm.
And yes, it would make them better as cows produce TONS of manure, even compared to pigs.

i dont think one animal should be made superior to another. it would be cool if balance changes were aimed at making all of them useful, with pros and cons for each, instead of making one animal totally superior to another.

Cows are totally useless and only cost money atm, so the pig currently is superior.

[Fel]

I'm not sure about the "cost money" for cows since they are among the best animals to breed for money.
Horses have a higher price but with only 4 slots in the building they can't be bread reliably so cows and sheep end up being much better for that purpose.
And since you get exp towards diplomacy when selling, they are also a very good source of that.

[Dracon]

Originally posted by Fel:

I'm not sure about the "cost money" for cows since they are among the best animals to breed for money.
Horses have a higher price but with only 4 slots in the building they can't be bread reliably so cows and sheep end up being much better for that purpose.
And since you get exp towards diplomacy when selling, they are also a very good source of that.

I still have my very first game, there for example, I sold all cows and instead bread more sheep, they are all in all far profitable ;). Milk being easier to sell is also relatively new.

[Frost1977]

you would think that milk at the very least could be turned into cheese.