upgrade/downgrade cycle solution

[Doc_Hotpants]

So as many others, I've had to endure the painful cycle of villagers constantly upgrading and downgrading houses in several playthroughs absolutely wrecking resource production and as a consequence also food production.

I now seem to have found a solution that works very well:

- identify the part of town you want to wall in and use to upgrade your people later
- centralize all third-stage production around that area (close enough for all workers in those production units (bakers, butchers, etc.) to live within the city walls)
- don't bother with wooden walls, wait until you can directly build stone walls
- Once they are built, add watchtowers within the city walls. One tower gets enough watchguards to raise the level to "elevated". All other towers get one patrol only.
- Once ALL of the watchtowers are staffed sufficiently, add a patrol area within the city walls
- The serfs will have started upgrading their buildings to high density at that point
- Do NOT upgrade any serfs to commoner or higher just yet. If you need more third-stage production, add more production buildings for now.
- In order to do that, build centralized granaries and storage facilities that pull all of the necessary second-stage resources toward your central village. End products can then be sent toward your serf areas further away. You'll have plenty.
- Add a city market and pub etc. within your city walls. Make sure they work (did you remember to install a chimney for the berry wine production?)!
- Add the belfry; 25% happiness bonus!
- Once the serf buildings are high density, identify a building where a number of potential commoners live and upgrade those only. (At this point, decorate just around these few houses in your town center so that you can control where the commoners will settle).
- Rinse and repeat.

I have seen absolutely no upgrading and downgrading by doing this. Everything is stable and under control, no loss or waste of resources. 97% happiness all around.

It does take patience if your city walls cover more than just a few houses, but it's worth the wait.

[Doc_Hotpants]

To clarify what I mean:

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3425938830

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3425939668

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3425940149

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3425942335

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3425943142

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3425948778

(edited to add more screenshots and this disclaimer: I'm currently working on easier settings with regard to the areas available, but even so it shows that the principle works, I think)

[QbeX]

this system is trash and your solution is a band aid at best

[Doc_Hotpants]

Originally posted by QbeX:

this system is trash and your solution is a band aid at best

It works... quite well, to be honest. But thanks for opinion...

[Doc_Hotpants]

For the record, here's the "trash band aid at best" solution progression...

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3426060979