The Argument for Corn

[imPyre]

I've recently discovered the wonders of corn! Almost 25% the sowing/harvesting work of rice for nearly the same output (and the same fertility sensitivity). I'm discovering that each crop has a niche that it really does best though. Potatoes work well in poor soil and only have moderate growth time. Rice + hydroponics can really add a lot of output from a small area. Corn is uniquely susceptible to blight due to its long growing time, if it happens at an inopportune time and you aren't strictly on top of it, blight can cripple your corn output in a worse way whereas shorter growth crops bounce back more easily. When it comes to rich soil outdoors though, always corn for me. Any other thoughts?

[Astasia]

Corn is definitely the best in terms of effort required, but downside of being the least effort means it also gives the least amount of growing exp. That means you could grow more of it and sell the extra or convert it to chemfuel, but that creates extra work in other areas like hauling and processing. So I find it's typically best for me to just stick with rice most of the time, and the other advantage there is it's easier to swap fields as needed because once food gets low it's very quick to get more rice coming back in, so there are periods where I'm not growing any food at all when I could be.

[M.K.]

Corn is the most work-efficient food crop, but the longer growth time makes it more susceptible to Blight, Fire, ColdSnaps, etc.

So I grow enough rice to *just* fulfill my food needs, and the rest are all cash crops.
The fertile soil I tend to keep for Psychoid, Smokeleaf and Devilstrand.
Very often walled-in and under a grow lamp.

I like keeping a variety of smaller fields, to stagger the labor needs over time, rather than have a big monolithic field that will ripen at the same time.

[Crimedog]

In rich soil Rice is the far superior crop. It benefits the most from the increased growth. (Tested by more people than just me.)
Potatoes should never be in rich soil as they gain no growth speed whatsoever.

[VayneVerso]

I think half and half rice and corn is a pretty good combination. In terms of nutrition per square, they're really not that different, even in fertile soil. If it's a long growing season, I prefer corn a bit more, just because it keeps forever in an unrefrigerated pantry (don't really have to worry about this if you have electricity of course). I think rice makes a lot of sense in the early game where you're trying to improve plant skills, and then kind of stops making sense for a while until maybe you've got an army of hauling pets that can save you the trouble of having to bring it all indoors.

[M.K.]

Originally posted by Crimedog:

In rich soil Rice is the far superior crop. It benefits the most from the increased growth. (Tested by more people than just me.)
Potatoes should never be in rich soil as they gain no growth speed whatsoever.

False-ish, and false.

Potatoes DO gain from rich soil, their gain is just disproportionately small. Equally, their loss from weak soil is very small, but they *do* lose.

As for your first point... Rice is not the "far superior" crop. It *does* edge out corn by a very slim margin, and even then real logistics tend to count against you.
They have the exact same soil fertility sensitivity.
They have the exact same nutrient gain per time growing.
Corn has a greater chance of crop loss due to time needed to grow. This is its biggest drawback.
Rice has a greater ratio of labor time to crop grow time, so more likely to lose due to unavailable farmer time.

[Jigain]

M.K. and Astasia summed it up pretty well. I tend to lean towards corn, personally, but I'm well aware that puts me more at the mercy of changing climates, blights, fires, and whatever else may come. It just really boils down to rice for safe but more labor-intensive, corn for slightly riskier but less work involved.

[Crimedog]

Originally posted by M.K.:

Originally posted by Crimedog:

In rich soil Rice is the far superior crop. It benefits the most from the increased growth. (Tested by more people than just me.)
Potatoes should never be in rich soil as they gain no growth speed whatsoever.

False-ish, and false.

Potatoes DO gain from rich soil, their gain is just disproportionately small. Equally, their loss from weak soil is very small, but they *do* lose.

As for your first point... Rice is not the "far superior" crop. It *does* edge out corn by a very slim margin, and even then real logistics tend to count against you.
They have the exact same soil fertility sensitivity.
They have the exact same nutrient gain per time growing.
Corn has a greater chance of crop loss due to time needed to grow. This is its biggest drawback.
Rice has a greater ratio of labor time to crop grow time, so more likely to lose due to unavailable farmer time.

Fair enough. I once accidentally crossed some rich soil with potatoes trying to stay in the normal soil and there was zero difference. That is only my anecdotal evidence, we'll go with yours ans say it's marginal.

I will say it's a waste of rich soil anyhow. Better for other crops.

[martindirt]

Originally posted by Crimedog:

I will say it's a waste of rich soil anyhow. Better for other crops.

True. Rich soil is better for devilstrand, healroot (if u need many meds), drug plants for fast trade.

[Tarshaid]

I see corn as "if it lives long enough, I'll slow down on my usual rice production and either do something else or plant more drugs". To me, growing xp is sort of irrelevant in the meaning that, if a task gives little growing xp, it took little time to achieve, and thus benefits less from said xp. Also I tend to have good growers and enough tasks to give them all the xp they could want.

[Lyrin]

I like growing rice over corn in the early game, more exp and helps you get off the packaged meals more reliably and quicker. I find I tend to transition more to corn after a pawn can plant healroot and devilstrand.

It's certainly a trade-off... I wouldn't say either's strictly better.

[imPyre]

I've never actually grown devilstrand. I've always just used some of my mountains of cloth and whatever leather/wool I happen to be trying to burn at the moment. I suppose you use it as a cash crop primarily? Of course if you have spare devilstrand lying around, why not dress your colonists for success right? I tend to focus more on crafting/art for export purposes. Granite furniture/sculptures.

[Tarshaid]

Originally posted by imPyre:

I've never actually grown devilstrand. I've always just used some of my mountains of cloth and whatever leather/wool I happen to be trying to burn at the moment. I suppose you use it as a cash crop primarily? Of course if you have spare devilstrand lying around, why not dress your colonists for success right? I tend to focus more on crafting/art for export purposes. Granite furniture/sculptures.

Actually, in terms of cash crops, it's better to just grow drugs; devilstrand grows too slowly for what it's worth (if my data is up to date, that is). But it does serves its purpose allowing for protective clothing, and everyone likes not dying.

[M.K.]

Originally posted by imPyre:

I've never actually grown devilstrand. ..

Devilstrand has two important uses.
Well, ok 3. It also looks really good!

1) It has (almost) the best damage resistance of all the non-armor fabrics. A Devilstrand pant+shirt+duster will completely stop a revolver or autopistol shot from penetrating, although it is rather useless against heavy SMG, snipers, and worse.
(thrumbofur is better, and hyperweave is about the same. But both are very hard to grow your own source!)

2) It has *the* *ultimate* *best* fireproofing of anything in the game. A fully Devilstrand-wearing pawn can take a molotov cocktail to the torso, just pat out the flames and saunter off with nothing worse than a sunburn.
Even later in the game, when you have your pawns running around in full Marine Combat Armor, you want them to be wearing a set Devilstrand under that armor, for the improved fire tolerance!

[Reyggor]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hvoagWSOw_Y

[Água]

I use the mod Tilled Soil, which releases a survey that allows to leave the soil with 200% fertility, I plant in it potato, devil's thread, cocoa tree and medicinal herb.