Is the Plow useless?

[Asmodan]

I'm playing the Northland Scenario and used Plows for the first time. A Plow blocks a Row and goes through it, but it took way longer than 5 People manually. I currently have manpower, but not Time. If i want to get the Job done before Spring ends i need to do it without Plows. Also Plows are not used during Harvest, so a Animal used for a Plow is absolutely useless 3/4 of the Year unless you manually detach it or something. To be Honest i can't imagine a Situation where i ever use Plows, i'm very disappointed how these are implemented.

[Maehlice]

A tooled-up animal consumes no food or housing but still delivers meat when killed. So, there is only benefit to having animals attached to carts and plows.

If you've organized yourself into a situation where individuals can fully harvest by hand, then it's simply an option.

One villager working a plow generates less un-happiness than if those fields had been harvested by sickle. Use of a plow does not accelerate its decay (such as with tool usage). Use of a plow does not require a tool in hand, so more villagers remain armed more frequently.

There're other little benefits, but those are the big ones. If none of that sounds good to you, then feel free to forego them.

[pdoan8]

One plow is a bit slower than five people, but it generates much less workload for each row. Free up people to perform other tasks, especially in Spring. Having more plow (like one per row) should be better than sowing all by stick because plow generate less happiness lost, so people usually can perform another task immediately.

Grouping farm land by season (Winter and Spring crops) and having transport posts only for plow near the field should also reduce the sowing time. If the fields are closer to each other, one plow should be able to finish 2 rows in a short season (60% of normal length).

As said above, animals that are attached to cart or plow does not need feeding and shelter. They also will not reproduce or produce milk. They can still be slaughtered for meat when they are old. You can unhitch all animals from cart/plow after planting so they can reproduce or produce milk. Hold down shift and select/deselect the animal type will perform the action for all existing cart/plow including the one that are under construction.

Plows will break down over time just like sledge and cart. It seems to be time related rather than usage.

[aramis1250]

I don't think they're useless at all, because they consume 80% less personnel power. It may take slightly longer to plow one row than to have five people manually plant, but with the plow going four of the people *not* planting can do something else instead. It's about workload efficiency, not necessarily explicitly time efficiency.

[Asmodan]

I can see now that Plows are usefull to reduce workload if you have enough of them. I also learned recently that Animals attached to Carts/Plows will still reproduce, so there is no problem to have Horses attached the whole year.

[threethreethree]

I seemed to notice that attached animals reproduced, but I was in the habit of unhitching cattle after the fields were planted so they could be milked. But I had to re-hitch them with enough time before winter or they'd get into the stables and eat up all my straw.

These are the kinds of things which are imperfections that we really use as cheats...attached animals in winter should somehow consume straw, and maybe shouldn't be able to reproduce while sitting there attached all winter.

Also...concerning the aforementioned benefits of plows and workload and happiness, anybody notice much effect from the fact that you have to build them in the first place, along with obtaining the materials to do so?