Stone roads worth it ?

[ogreballerina]

I know it makes travel faster but it's so expensive.
If the people just used the roads, maybe it would be. But they will just cut across any opening.
You practically have to build / wall them in to use roads.
I planned on using stone / brick in the main downtown area just for appearence.
Just don't know about using stone roads everywhere, despite the speed increase.
Maybe for the long farmer / herdsmen roads.
I'll try those decorative walls in CC Forge to try and hem them in.Keep them on the roads.
It's like building a super highway only to find out everyone prefers four wheeling. gahh

[OwnGoal99]

I have seen a definitive effiency put my villagers who use stone roads over dirt ones.

My question is, what road type in MegaMod shows up in winter time!

[ebrumby]

The regular roads (dirt, stone, brick) show up in winter. DS Roads will be included in the next release and I understand thay show up under snow.

[smf5576]

They do and they look amazing!

[mbutton15]

I only ever build dirt roads. And then I only put them in built up areas and round farms, orchards and pastures. I don't build roads to get me from point A to point B and can't say it's ever stopped me creating a successful town.

In my view, stone roads (just like stone houses) are a waste of stone.

[Horoai]

Originally posted by mbutton15:

I only ever build dirt roads. And then I only put them in built up areas and round farms, orchards and pastures. I don't build roads to get me from point A to point B and can't say it's ever stopped me creating a successful town.

In my view, stone roads (just like stone houses) are a waste of stone.

But what else are you going to use that stone on?

Stone houses, while arguably ineffecient (it's not true actually - you can do the math and calculate how long it takes for them to break even), they help you reduce your overall footprint in late game because you need less wood production to supply them.

Stone roads help to max out your efficiency which gives all kinds of benefits (can be counted in reduced footprint too).

[mbutton15]

Originally posted by Yggdrasil:

Originally posted by mbutton15:

I only ever build dirt roads. And then I only put them in built up areas and round farms, orchards and pastures. I don't build roads to get me from point A to point B and can't say it's ever stopped me creating a successful town.

In my view, stone roads (just like stone houses) are a waste of stone.

But what else are you going to use that stone on?

Stone houses, while arguably ineffecient (it's not true actually - you can do the math and calculate how long it takes for them to break even), they help you reduce your overall footprint in late game because you need less wood production to supply them.

Stone roads help to max out your efficiency which gives all kinds of benefits (can be counted in reduced footprint too).

It's one of those things, while I accept stone roads and stone houses give you efficiency of walking quicker and needing less fuel, it's only in later game stages that I find I can spare (or import from Trade Post) the stone to use in that way. And by that stage my town is doing very well so I'm well on top of everything and I don't see the point. I also prefer the look of wooden houses to stone houses and don't like the look of paths connecting places up, so I don't bother with either.

Maybe if my PC could handle larger populations (1,400 is about my max) I would need the woodland space for houses, but I never get close to filling a large map so I can affort to have lots of Forester Huts.

[ogreballerina]

I'll start with long roads that people don't veer too much from. Farms etc.
And I'll build a quarry just for the roads later on.
I figured out I would need a couple thousand stone and I haven't even started my city. lol
As far as houses go..I just mix and match. I don't really have a preference ( firewood is easy and plentiful ) so I just build wood houses on the outskirts and as you move into the city center it becomes more stone.
Luckily I found a map that allowed me to get to 200 ( building multiple churches, a brewery, apiaray, hospital, schools, graveyards, markets etc not to mention a dozen stone houses ) before I even thought about building a quarry.
Lots of stone on this map.

[Horoai]

Originally posted by mbutton15:

It's one of those things, while I accept stone roads and stone houses give you efficiency of walking quicker and needing less fuel, it's only in later game stages that I find I can spare (or import from Trade Post) the stone to use in that way. And by that stage my town is doing very well so I'm well on top of everything and I don't see the point. I also prefer the look of wooden houses to stone houses and don't like the look of paths connecting places up, so I don't bother with either.

Maybe if my PC could handle larger populations (1,400 is about my max) I would need the woodland space for houses, but I never get close to filling a large map so I can affort to have lots of Forester Huts.

You know these things pay off nomatter the size of your town and I'd say 1400 is already way beyond the point where you'd want to upgrade to stone roads and houses - IF efficiency is your goal.
However, there is no* argueing with personal taste. If you prefer the look of barely any roads and wooden houses then go for it, I don't intend to stop you. I myself often build nothing but dock villages (no roads at all, no clothes and only crude tools for decades).

In anyway, just because you don't want to use stone roads and houses doesn't mean there is no point in building them.

[mbutton15]

Originally posted by Yggdrasil:

... just because you don't want to use stone roads and houses doesn't mean there is no point in building them.

Agreed. But the question of are they worth it I would still say 'No' as I can quite happily create a successful town without them, which is what I was trying to say.

[ogreballerina]

Meh..
I'm going to do it anyway.
This map has a ton of surface stone and I already built a lot of stuff needing stone and still have plenty.
And it looks good...can't wait to start doing brick and stone streets, squares etc.

[Illusori]

Stone roads give a speed boost, but the boost isn't as much of a time saving as cutting the corner on a right-angle junction: distance to travel by cutting the corner is only approx 70% of that staying on the road, so it's often faster to leave the road rather than travel "the long way around".

Basically, if villagers keep cutting corners it's not a sign that stone roads aren't worth it, but a sign that your roads don't go where your villagers want, or don't go there directly enough.

You can fix that either by building the roads more directly, or by moving the industries/houses that they're travelling between so that it aligns with your roads.

I find that stone roads are like stone houses: well worth the payoff of investing in them early, but you have to be careful to not overextend yourself.

[ogreballerina]

It's working better now.
I went through and fired everyone and rehired them, so they are in the appropiate housing now.
Cut way down on the field trips.
Only real wanderers I see now are those that do anyway. Children, gatherers, laborers etc.
The stone really helped on the farm / pasture paths.
I am going to cut back on stone housing for a couple of years until my city reaches a motherlode of stone. ( Right now it's a little too far to feasibly harvest )
Really trying to avoid quarries / mines.
Once I hit this upcoming old age die off and people resettle it should smooth out.
I'm also really trying to avoid the grid / lego / sim city layout.
Do that enough in Anno and Tropico.
Trying to make it look real as possible.
Grew up in Germany. I know what a medieval fuedal farm town should look like.
Peace

[ogreballerina]

Have to remember not to fire the teachers when I do that...lol.

[CWO]

You end up getting an influx of... less useful... adults? :-D