How soon will you start collect rain water?

[Samseng Yik]

Collecting Rain Water take manpower, if you don't have the advance collector,
will you still start collect at year 1 or 2 ?
This is not about geyser, it is really about if there is no geyser at all

[arjensmit79]

If there is no geyser, 9 out of 10 i dont get rainwater at all.

[harken23]

If I have extra ppl (esp foxes) around with not much to do, I'll build rain collectors. They're even useful to stash your foxes in during storms or when their racial resolve is getting low (even if the tank is full) since they like working with water. I don't use a lot of rainwater, tho, and usually will wait until I either really need one or I find a geyser.

[el Darkness]

Depends when I find drizzle geyser. I like to pipe it to food production. Pump with automaton and 1 or 2 buildings piped. If I have mats to spare I tend to build pump of another water type and pipe it to. Usually I have 1 building piped the moment I have found drizzle geyser and built a pump.

[TripSin]

I'll often start collecting at the first storm to use for building material production boost.

[Spacesuit Spiff]

I'll sometimes do it year 1, but it probably doesn't make sense to build one at all tbh. Helps with certain timed orders, fuming machinery glade event, resolve in the storm if you got lizard fox and harpy together.

[el Darkness]

Oh yeah, I used to build Rain Collector Y1 just in case I get this pesky fuming machinery. Forgot about that one.

[Samseng Yik]

I am comparing the opportunity production cost of running worker inside water collection VS other job
Such as building material and other etc

[Olleus]

Unless I'm making porridge, probably never.

[Ventus]

For me it depends on circumstance. But, to give an actual answer probably year 2 or 3. Generally I only make the rain collector when I either see a need for rainwater, or have foxes.

I think if your trying to finish the game ASAP I'd aim to get it running sooner and start using it more actively with production. From a min-maxing perspective there's probably a lot you can do with it.

[I Throw Spears.]

I dont, unless I get an Advanced one. Geysers are just so much better, being automated and all.

[TripSin]

I've been making one most settlements and it's been fine for me so far. I'm now working my way up the prestige levels and just finished P2 in 5 years where I used it a fair amount.

I prioritize lots of villagers to start so having an extra person to build it and man it during the first storm in addition to manning two woodcutters and the two starting resource nodes is not really an issue. I use that first year storm water to get crits for building mats. Not only do crits save you production time, but you're getting more product for the same amount of input so it's like you're creating resources.

Obviously it's more value when you have foxes. And just because you build it doesn't mean you have to have people working it all the time.

Originally posted by I Throw Spears.:

Geysers are just so much better, being automated and all.

They're not mutually exclusive, though. You can have both. You can also use it until you find the geysers you want and then recycle the rain collector. Geysers cost pipes, which could be going towards installation on a production building, whereas rain collectors do not.

[el Darkness]

It is also possible to build Rain Collectors mostly as a water container, as opposed to pump, even basic collector can store 50 of each water.

[Olleus]

Originally posted by el Darkness:

It is also possible to build Rain Collectors mostly as a water container, as opposed to pump, even basic collector can store 50 of each water.

Yeah, that's helpful for orders that require 100 of some type of water. But they're so expensive in parts...

[el Darkness]

Originally posted by Olleus:

Yeah, that's helpful for orders that require 100 of some type of water. But they're so expensive in parts...

True, you better have good use for Rain Collector, or be swimming in Parts, but in this case I guess there are still better ways to use those Parts, like selling them i.e. :)

[Samseng Yik]

So the answer from majority is
- use rain collector to boost fox resolve
- if there are order demand it
- start stock pile some water in case later any item has production demand?