production technology going up very slowly?

[Supreme Commander]

I'm at 2223 for production technology. It seems to be going up painfully slowly. 1 bronze knife adds 1 point. It will take me almost 3,000 knives to get to 5,000 to get iron tools. does that sound right? Is that normal?

[Morri]

Take into account that your villagers also contribute to technology going up, so yes, It's normal considering with a medium sized village how many more of your villagers will be doing cooking and crafting and helping to level up the production technology, compared to other technologies.

[Maehlice]

I'm not going to spoil it for you, but I will tell you there are other items worth a lot more production points which are much easier to make. Experiment with different types of items of different tiers. If your goal is to quickly raise up technology, it shouldn't take long to find a more "meta" item to make.

[kyew]

In addition to what everyone else has said, I'd add that the pace of the game is very slow (optimally) and rushing it will have consequences. I know this from personal experience with my first playthrough in the Valley. Acclimating to a slower pace is probably the hardest part of this game, but also the most rewarding.

[Supreme Commander]

Thanks for the replies. I would say I am not rushing. I've many seasons into the game already.

[Supreme Commander]

Originally posted by Maehlice:

I'm not going to spoil it for you, but I will tell you there are other items worth a lot more production points which are much easier to make. Experiment with different types of items of different tiers. If your goal is to quickly raise up technology, it shouldn't take long to find a more "meta" item to make.

I'd be happy if you shared some of the meta. I don't like guessing that much.

[Maehlice]

Originally posted by Supreme Commander:

I'd be happy if you shared some of the meta. I don't like guessing that much.

Most items in the game are worth about the same amount of XP per crafting time: ~10 XP per crafting minute.

So, in general, you're looking to craft items that require the fewest and most easily-obtainable raw materials or which serve dual-purpose -- such as tools you need in the village anyway or something you intend to sell for profit.

All things considered and without going into detail, you can't go wrong with Bronze tools & weapons -- especially Arrow/Hammer/Sickle. They qualify as "early game", are made from readily-available & easily-obtainable raw materials, and are among the most profitable craftable items.

(However, the smelting process isn't very XP efficient unless you use fast-crafting.)

Also made from few and easily-obtainable materials with good XP gain:

Clay Cup, Long Hood, Shoes, & Simple Pouch.


Major economic spoiler!!! (May ruin your view of the economy and your production-management experience.)

At Barter Skill Level 3, almost everything can be made for profit from raw materials purchased from a vendor.

Yes: Purchased! You don't even need a village to be profitable and productive. :'(

Simply purchase the raw materials you need in Piastovia, process them, then sell the finished goods right back for profit. Rinse. Repeat.

That's also why I recommend Bronze Arrow/Hammer/Sickle. Markuslaw sells Copper, Bronze, & Tin by the hundreds. Logs and sticks are a little more tedious to come by, but that's what 3 Lumberjack Huts are for, lol.

(Bronze Axe is more Coin-profitable, but less XP gain overall.)

EDIT: Bronze Hammer/Sickle/Axe are profitable from purchased materials starting at Barter Level 0, so this economic loophole can be started as early as the first Summer!