Efficient food for villagers

[Fragtzack]

Each villager consumes 30 food per day.
Stew provides exactly 30 food per day.

This exact match would appear to make stew one the most efficient if not the most efficient method of feeding villages. If each item provides more then 30, is that not calories being wasted?

Stew = 1 wooden bowl, 2 meat, 2 carrots.

As carrots are able to be planted twice a year, this seems to be logical for all year round feeding.

Thoughts?

[Philtre]

I'm pretty sure the food calculations allow "overfilling" if they consume an item in excess of their needs. So the "most efficient food" would be whatever provides the most calories for the least work, regardless of the calorie value of the individual item - at least unless/until the devs decide to add food-derived buffs for villagers, or something like that.

[Mr Chill Chill]

With the Oxbow map, the villagers require a little over 30 food, and various dishes have been buffed, including pottage. There is no waste, and each bowl of pottage is enough for about one and a half villager, IIRC, with water output decreasing the demand for buckets of water. When it comes to efficiency, porridge looks to be an enticing option now.

[brown29knight]

I go hunting in winter, and bring back over a thousand meat which my cook roasts throughout the year.

Not having to grow crops or make bowls/plates makes it pretty efficient.

[Maehlice]

With any processed food, you need to factor in the total labor. Someone had to fertilise/plough/plant/harvest the Beetroots. Someone else had to hunt the meat ... chop the log ... make the bowl ... cook the soup.

Prepared foods don't increase the nutrition value of the raw ingredients enough to be considered "efficient" -- certainly not more efficient than just eating raw foods.

You also then have to consider that food is only half of the nutrition villagers need. Somebody needs to be collecting water to cover the fact Soup only provides water 2:1.
They might even "drink" the Soup specifically for its water value and waste food points.

I believe the most efficient food source is fruit trees. I haven't tested the v2 yields, but Apples and Pears were (and probably still are) clear winners for me before. Plant a tree, let it mature, and then harvest it. No ploughing, no replanting, just harvest it and enjoy. Set the Apples as a food source and Pears as a water source.

[Fragtzack]

Originally posted by Maehlice:

I believe the most efficient food source is fruit trees. I haven't tested the v2 yields, but Apples and Pears were (and probably still are) clear winners for me before. Plant a tree, let it mature, and then harvest it. No ploughing, no replanting, just harvest it and enjoy. Set the Apples as a food source and Pears as a water source.

This is interesting idea. Will try this fruity idea.

[Judaspriester]

For the pure Calories, I agree with you that processed, and especially high processed, food drop in efficiency (even if I can't play on oxbow until now, so I don't know the new numbers in detail). But a thing where Processed food really shines is calories per kg.

While cooked meat may be more than enough for your villagers, you most likely want something better for yourself, at least if you plan a longer journey (or have other reasons to optimize your personal weight).

Fruit trees are fine, because they doesn't require much work, but at least with 1.5 this was compensated by a somewhat high initial price, as well as the fact that you need to wait at least 10 seasons until the first harvest. Therefore relying on fruit trees is a mid/long term thing.

[Maehlice]

Originally posted by Judaspriester:

Fruit trees are fine, because they doesn't require much work, but at least with 1.5 this was compensated by a somewhat high initial price, as well as the fact that you need to wait at least 10 seasons until the first harvest. Therefore relying on fruit trees is a mid/long term thing.

In v2, seedling prices were slashed 10-fold. An Apple Tree Seedling is only base cost of 13 now.

You can easily buy a few dozen saplings and plant them in the first season now.

[brown29knight]

Fruit is a god-tier food in MD. Even moreso now that apples heal you, pears give temperature resist, and plums increase damage you do. (cherries also have an ability, but I do not remember what it is)

They can feed a whole village easily, with the only downside being the weight per food value.

When you get a tavern, the juices and pies are even better, and the buffs they give for the fruit last a lot longer. Fruit wine also sells well, so you can also make a lot of money that way.

[Neme]

Originally posted by brown29knight:

Fruit is a god-tier food in MD. Even moreso now that apples heal you, pears give temperature resist, and plums increase damage you do. (cherries also have an ability, but I do not remember what it is)

They can feed a whole village easily, with the only downside being the weight per food value.

When you get a tavern, the juices and pies are even better, and the buffs they give for the fruit last a lot longer. Fruit wine also sells well, so you can also make a lot of money that way.

Apples, Pears, Plums & Cherries ... Cheers.

Been meaning to start growing fruit of some sort, Just need to decide on how many of each..

[Judaspriester]

Originally posted by Maehlice:

In v2, seedling prices were slashed 10-fold. An Apple Tree Seedling is only base cost of 13 now.

You can easily buy a few dozen saplings and plant them in the first season now.

Allright, with that numbers sounds really easy to buy a brunch early on and make it the main source of food starting at year 3-4.

[brown29knight]

Originally posted by Neme:

Apples, Pears, Plums & Cherries ... Cheers.

Been meaning to start growing fruit of some sort, Just need to decide on how many of each..

I'm running one full-sized orchard of each (64 trees each) Gives nothing for the first 2 years, 700~ pears and apples 1200~ plums and cherries for years 3-4, and more thereafter. (The trees get bigger and make even more fruit then)

[Neme]

Originally posted by brown29knight:

Originally posted by Neme:

Apples, Pears, Plums & Cherries ... Cheers.

Been meaning to start growing fruit of some sort, Just need to decide on how many of each..

I'm running one full-sized orchard of each (64 trees each) Gives nothing for the first 2 years, 700~ pears and apples 1200~ plums and cherries for years 3-4, and more thereafter. (The trees get bigger and make even more fruit then)

HOLY SMOKES .... That puts my tiny orchard to shame with only 10 apples, 10 pears, 10 plums and 10 cherry trees planted so far

welp.. Guess I cant expect that much with only those 40 planted haha

[은재]

I mean does nobody do this work themselves? your children must have absolute trash stats even after 100% affection and growing up :x

[Foxglovez]

If you have the harvesting perk for orchards the first few years when harvests are not so good then be sure you do the work. After it is all set up, fairly mature, then toss that chore off to one of your minions. Of course now that this information is in the forums there will be a nerf... Just kidding, kind of.

[Morri]

Originally posted by Foxglovez:

IOf course now that this information is in the forums there will be a nerf... Just kidding, kind of.

Cynicism isn't a good look on you Fox ;-)