Every game is just Simple Tools

[Usage Critic Bilge]

The only way to win consistently is build Simple Tools. I'm vaguely aware there are other ways to win, but every time I try them I just end up clutching it with Simple Tools to avoid the loss I would encounter by trying something as stupid as not building Simple Tools.

Simple Tools are consistent because Rain Collector is always available and provides infinite resources, so you only need to roll something to convert it into Crystallized Dew and from there into Simple Tools, which is usually doable. With the tools in hand, spam-opening caches and picking the queen's reward just automatically wins the game every time.

There is no such thing as a dangerous glade if you have Simple Tools. Like money solves all problems in real life, Simple Tools solve all problems in this game. You will never be caught off-guard if you have Simple Tools at your disposal.

If you don't build Simple Tools, you're asking to lose, especially on higher difficulties. The sad part about this is it's not very fun or varied.

[Daliena]

Well hey now..

You could also get a Grove which just allows you to skip the rain collector and stone/clay + dew into crystallized dew process by growing bricks of the stuff on farm fields instead.

Tools also sell for silly huge amounts of amber which means that if you want to pick anything up from traders and have a means like that to make near-infinite tools, then you've got all the cash you could need. It's a bit powerful alright.

[Impos!]

I just buy the tools from merchants.

[BeautifulRnr]

u can win without the tools i do most the time... why always some loser taking a dump on a good game. i just dont get it .every time there is one guy that has to take a dump on the game. look at this pathetic fail with 1.9 hrs......

[HeathenSW]

In ~60 hours I maybe won 6 games with tools? Maybe 8, not that much more. It's "one" way to win, not "the only one". Usually for me it's through resolve and orders. And I play on prestige 10 usually, sometimes prestige 1 when I grow tired of the difficulty.

[clyneymeister]

30 hours and i've yet to win a game with tools, I always seem to be missing one of the buildings in the chain right till i've basically won already. It'd be nice to see how OP they are if i manage to get it early :p

[frank327]

I would say there are 2 "general" strategies.

1. Tools - preferably with a grove but copper smelting or fabricating crystal dew works fine as well. You gotta open lots of dangerous glades and pick reputation rewards.

2. Farming into complex economy - Get your biscuits, get your coats and your ale. High reputation all day long and trade for tools when necessary. You don't need to open too many glades and you can easily buy enough tools to open everything in those. Producing flour and turning it into trade goods is an OP way to make money before a certain prestige level.

Obviously some mix of the two will always apply. In general I prefer to lean more into strategy 1 with lizards or no harpies and into strategy 2 with harpies/humans.

I'm surprised you like producing crystal dew. To me it feels like a ridiculously demanding recipe compared to getting a grove or copper mine/smelter.

[madzai]

Well, the thing is that real complex economy is usually harder to do that Simple Tools production, Also Simple Tools, as long as you can actually produce them, are a gurenteed way to victory - every Dangerous galde have 1+ cache with minimum of 0.75 point. Also, said tools can be used to solve Glade events, so you can rush those too.

[frank327]

Complex economies aren't that hard to set up but I think a lot of people focus too much on the building resources (planks/cloth/bricks) and then don't have enough blueprints to finish biscuits production chain. You really only need 2 buildings for it to get started (flour production and biscuit production) and with some roots nodes it's fine. Coats only require 1 building, as do skewers or jerky.

I usually have one or two production resources that I keep producing at the crude workshop. When in need, those building resources aren't too expensive to buy at the trader anyways and you really don't need bricks for anything other than buildings.

Before prestige and with some nodes unlocked in the smoldering city, the complex economy should be doable early.

[madzai]

Originally posted by frank327:

Complex economies aren't that hard to set up but I think a lot of people focus too much on the building resources (planks/cloth/bricks) and then don't have enough blueprints to finish biscuits production chain.

I agree to an extent. While i used to overvalue those 3, now i think cloth isn't that important unless you have both Humans and Beavers in numbers (or have a hasty negative modifier). And, my own RNG really likes to give me orders for Coats. Bricks are even less relevant aside from taking clay from some other production chains (Tools included, btw) you can usually substitute.

On the other hand planks are kind of important. Bad things could happen - no coal, mass skewers production. too many sub-products from trees, need to burn wood and can't have a lot of woodcutters. Planks can be used in a lot of recipes and in Glade event. Especially in early game a good plank production makes life easier a lot.

[schnappkatze]

Originally posted by Usage Critic Bilge:

The only way to win consistently is build Simple Tools.

I disagree with you because of your word "only". I have won many, many games without the excessive need of simple tools and while they are a good way to finish up quickly if you are running out of steam with your settlement, I get most of my points from dangerous glades and orders.
I actually almost never used the Rain Collector -> Crystallized Dew -> tools method and rely on copper (no real reason why - I often forget about that method because I find it simply unintuitive). I am only on prestige 5 though, maybe it changes on the higher difficulties and then it is needed.

[if u look like dis hmu]

I just won prestige 8 selling packs of crops n im having a blast who needs tools

[WinterCreation]

Tools take some time to setup usually.
And at higher difficulty this time is precious early on.
And if I`m past the early curve already, any strategy will work.

[Ghostlight]

I kind of agree with OP. Caches should perhaps not offer Reputation alternatives. Maybe just Amber and a reduction of Impatience? Or even just less Rep as a reward?

It's very thematic to be able to send back to the the palace and get Rep in return though, would be a shame to lose it. Plus it is often a necessary tool to win if RNG has been unkind.

[Usage Critic Bilge]

Originally posted by frank327:

I'm surprised you like producing crystal dew. To me it feels like a ridiculously demanding recipe compared to getting a grove or copper mine/smelter.

I wouldn't say I like it, but I had dismissed the Grove as useless because I usually want arable land for other purposes. Perhaps I'll try it.

Copper isn't available on all maps and it's seldom available in the starting area.

[Ket]

perhaps the issue is that the 'good' rewards is always amber + reputation.
if they switched it to reputation + population, the extra population could serve as a deterrent to always spamming tools to win the game due to the extra resource drain on your colony