How fast is a Farmer?

[Maehlice]

I've already learned Skill and Morale have zero effect on Field work out of the Farm Shed.

And, it appears all actions (grub, fertilise, plough, seed, & harvest) occur at the same rate.

What I'm trying to determine now is exactly what is that rate. It seems to be 12 actions per hour.

Has anybody else done any kind of testing like this to find an exact number?

(Does anybody else even care?)

[Lailantie]

I don't care. :-)

[UglyBird]

Your skill levels do not affect your workers, only you.
Your workers will increase their skills at their own pace.
Work speed on fields is always the same, only farm workers in barn affect the production as their skill increase.

[UglyBird]

I don't think that knowing the rate at which workers do a job is relevant to the game play.

[Maehlice]

Originally posted by UglyBird:

I don't think that knowing the rate at which workers do a job is relevant to the game play.

Important? Not particularly (at least not to most players). But relevant? Yes.

I want to run Farmers with little-to-no downtime. Knowing exactly how much work they can get through in a season takes all the guesswork out of their assignments and projected tool usage.

[hubbemattsson]

Depends on to many things to be possible to answer.
I did watch same four farmers for 10 years. Same fields. Same tools. Diffrent results.

For them it even comes down to if them crash into each other, or someone else on their way.

Best tip I can give, try it and ad field plots if them have time over .

[The REAL chris]

It also depends on ho far they have to walk from the shed to the field. Unlike other workers they do not start until they reach the field. eg Miners 'start work' even if they are miles from the mine.

[Shadelin]

I am trying to find a break down myself of something like this...

So if you have a 10x10 field, 100 squares... one farmer can do the harvesting, then the next day hoeing... the next day fertilize, then next day grub, the next day sow??? 1 farmer can take care of 1 field that is 10x10 about 5 days if they can process 100 blocks (with now delays for seeds, bags, fertilizer, or tools)...
I read once it is only 33 blocks a day but I just made a village just to test this. so 1 farmer on a 10x10 field...

The farmer was at the farm shed at ~ 9:00, walked about 30 m to the corner of the field. The farmer then grubbed 100 and fertilized 26 (126 blocks total). I will probably assume 2/3 of best day so I think I will go with 100 blocks a day... thus, one 10x10 field 1 farmer in a close proximity of the field can process the full field in 4 days, or... 2 farmers in 2 days (with no delays).

I know... over analyzing... just trying to figure out how many farmers are needed to produce strictly vegetables for a year if I harvest only cabbage 2 times a season...

[Maehlice]

Originally posted by The REAL chris:

It also depends on ho far they have to walk from the shed to the field. Unlike other workers they do not start until they reach the field. eg Miners 'start work' even if they are miles from the mine.

To be more specific, I'm really talking about while they're on task: Once within the field, how quickly do they process each chunk?

Originally posted by hubbemattsson:

Best tip I can give, try it and ad field plots if them have time over .

That's precisely what I have to do now and am trying to eliminate, lol.

Originally posted by Shadelin:

I know... over analyzing... just trying to figure out how many farmers are needed to produce strictly vegetables for a year if I harvest only cabbage 2 times a season...

Exactly! (Glad I'm not alone.) To me, it's not over-analyzing. To the average player and for what's actually needed to play the game, yeah it is.

But I find this type of thing fun, so it's how I choose to play, ya know.

--------

Some observations so far:

* Farmers prioritize the Field currently needing work which is closest to the Farm Shed. Period. There is no priority given to Harvesting or Seeding.

* Once in a Field, a Farmer will continue working that Field until they have completed all possible tasks there in preparation for the next Seeding -- regardless of which season Seeding occurs..

* Every Chunk requires at least three actions during Harvest season: Harvest, Fertilise, & Plough. (With Cabbage, Seeding will also occur during Summer Harvest by default.)

NOTED: Given those behaviours, additional time must be considered & allowed for the Fertilising and Ploughing of every Field up to the farthest Field in need of Harvest each season -- especially Fall Harvest.

NOTED: Through micromanagement, "Priority" can be given to Harvesting by clearing the assignment of all Fields not currently in a "growth" state (green) until all Fields have been harvested.

NOTED: Using multiple Fields with different Seasonal Seeding and Harvesting schedules or through micromanagement of crop rotation, a player can normalize an average of 4 actions per Chunk every season.

* Farmers always begin at the most NW chunk of a Field and "zig zag" from North to South and West to East through the Chunks within that Field.

NOTED: That process means multiple 2x16 Fields running long on their N-S axis and arranged side-by side from W-E away from the Farm Shed is the most effective layout to minimize walking. (Looks like something like this: FS | | | | | | | | )

* If a Farmer exhausts a tool while working, they will return to the Farm Shed once another is made available to retrieve it (i.e., it doesn't just teleport into their inventory).

EDIT: What I mean is if they exhaust all tools of that type and have none available -- such that you get a notification icon.

* Farmers do NOT complete each type of task at the same rate. Harvesting is the quickest at around 15 Chunks per minute, and seeding is slowest at around 12 Chunks per minute. (I presume this is to ensure Farmers never encroach upon the one ahead of them while working within the same Field.)

NOTED: If we assume a Farmer's actual productive workday to be nine hours and calculte their productivity on the slowest task, we can figure a single Farmer capable of completing at least 324 tasks during each 3-day season -- or a Field size of 81 Chunks with a full rotation schedule.

[hubbemattsson]

Then a tip. Have them live closer to the shed, and them will start earlier.

[Getty]

Originally posted by Maehlice:

Originally posted by The REAL chris:

It also depends on ho far they have to walk from the shed to the field. Unlike other workers they do not start until they reach the field. eg Miners 'start work' even if they are miles from the mine.

To be more specific, I'm really talking about while they're on task: Once within the field, how quickly do they process each chunk?

Originally posted by hubbemattsson:

Best tip I can give, try it and ad field plots if them have time over .

That's precisely what I have to do now and am trying to eliminate, lol.

Originally posted by Shadelin:

I know... over analyzing... just trying to figure out how many farmers are needed to produce strictly vegetables for a year if I harvest only cabbage 2 times a season...

Exactly! (Glad I'm not alone.) To me, it's not over-analyzing. To the average player and for what's actually needed to play the game, yeah it is.

But I find this type of thing fun, so it's how I choose to play, ya know.

--------

Some observations so far:

* Farmers prioritize the Field currently needing work which is closest to the Farm Shed. Period. There is no priority given to Harvesting or Seeding.

* Once in a Field, a Farmer will continue working that Field until they have completed all possible tasks there in preparation for the next Seeding -- regardless of which season Seeding occurs..

* Every Chunk requires at least three actions during Harvest season: Harvest, Fertilise, & Plough. (With Cabbage, Seeding will also occur during Summer Harvest by default.)

NOTED: Given those behaviours, additional time must be considered & allowed for the Fertilising and Ploughing of every Field up to the farthest Field in need of Harvest each season -- especially Fall Harvest.

NOTED: Through micromanagement, "Priority" can be given to Harvesting by clearing the assignment of all Fields not currently in a "growth" state (green) until all Fields have been harvested.

NOTED: Using multiple Fields with different Seasonal Seeding and Harvesting schedules or through micromanagement of crop rotation, a player can normalize an average of 4 actions per Chunk every season.

* Farmers always begin at the most NW chunk of a Field and "zig zag" from North to South and West to East through the Chunks within that Field.

NOTED: That process means multiple 2x16 Fields running long on their N-S axis and arranged side-by side from W-E away from the Farm Shed is the most effective layout to minimize walking. (Looks like something like this: FS | | | | | | | | )

* If a Farmer exhausts a tool while working, they will return to the Farm Shed once another is made available to retrieve it (i.e., it doesn't just teleport into their inventory).

* Farmers do NOT complete each type of task at the same rate. Harvesting is the quickest at around 15 Chunks per minute, and seeding is slowest at around 12 Chunks per minute. (I presume this is to ensure Farmers never encroach upon the one ahead of them while working within the same Field.)

NOTED: If we assume a Farmer's actual productive workday to be nine hours and calculte their productivity on the slowest task, we can figure a single Farmer capable of completing at least 324 tasks during each 3-day season -- or a Field size of 81 Chunks with a full rotation schedule.

Awesome info! Since they have to go back to get another tool once theirs breaks, iron tools would definitely increase efficiency.

[Maehlice]

Originally posted by Getty:

Awesome info! Since they have to go back to get another tool once theirs breaks, iron tools would definitely increase efficiency.

Oh. What I meant is if they exhaust all tools of that type and have none available -- such that you get a notification icon. I think(?) they can move between Wood <> Stone <> Iron <> whatever tools as long as they're in the proper storage and available. I know for certain they can break a Wooden Hoe and then immediately start using a new Wooden Hoe without missing a beat. (Same with Stone <> Stone, Copper <> Copper, etc.)

Originally posted by hubbemattsson:

Then a tip. Have them live closer to the shed, and them will start earlier.

That's actually something on my "to do list" -- to observe how meeting places like stools, benches, Taverns, etc. affect their morning routine.

I've noticed before they'll sometimes sweep their house or hang out around a distant campfire until well past 0800 and then show up to the Field late. So, I'll eventually try to figure out the optimal placement/distance in hopes of having them start right next to the Field every morning.