Can weeds (loose) be cultivated?

[tneK]

As far as I can tell, the only way to produce the level 2+ foods is with the addition of weeds (loose). And the only way to get more weeds is to explore and find them growing naturally. This is a frustrating bottleneck, and seems like a limiting factor on the final growth of a colony, once a map has been fully explored. (And exploring the map for weeds doesn't exactly strike me as fun.) Thus:

1. Can weeds (loose) be cultivated somehow?
2. Are there any level 2+ foods I missed that don't require the weeds somewhere in the production chain?

[Geothermal1159]

You can plant weeds (loose) directly in soil then once gown shovel it out which will give 1 or more weed (loose).

Automate the process and have another bot to dump it into a box and you have yourself an automated legal weed farm.

[Keramane]

I made a bot to pick up any free weeds (until hands full) then plant (until hands empty or can't) and then set it to dump any excess into a box. That way, you can save a bot and ensure your field is always full. I had to recently set a grass-cutter bot for all my fields, I had grass sprouting sometimes if a tile was dirt, really messed up my wheat farm.

[dorianmode]

This recipe is in the Autonautopedia - viewable by pressing TAB. Both the recipe for loose weeds, and for planted weeds showing the terrain type needed.

Originally posted by tneK:

2. Are there any level 2+ foods I missed that don't require the weeds somewhere in the production chain?

If you do bread baking, you don't need any weeds.

[tneK]

Ah. Thanks all.

I got that you can plant it and then harvest it again (from checking the built in recipe guide), but I didn't give it time to "grow" I guess. Was getting a plant one, harvest one scenario, which felt pointless.

But I think I'll focus on the breads. Seems easier overall. Maybe.

[Genba Kantoku 現場監督]

Originally posted by tneK:

But I think I'll focus on the breads. Seems easier overall. Maybe.

I don't recommend depending on bread only. Try it and you will see. Just for a hint, use only Mk2 leg parts + good motion upgrade bots for carrying breads.
I maintain the maximum number of food types. It makes me feel like I'm maximizing the game experience.

[dorianmode]

Originally posted by Genba Kantoku 現場監督:

I don't recommend depending on bread only. Try it and you will see. Just for a hint, use only Mk2 leg parts + good motion upgrade bots for carrying breads.

Can certainly be slower carrying a small number at once - a Mk2 body will also allow carrying two, just like logs.
Bread now also requires an additional tech over other foods - you need Lvl4 Clothing Technology, as well as Lvl4 Metal Technology. As opposed to the Cauldron only needing Metal.

Originally posted by Genba Kantoku 現場監督:

I maintain the maximum number of food types. It makes me feel like I'm maximizing the game experience.

I kinda feel this way, but there's absolutely no gameplay reason for it, and it's sigificantly less efficient than specialising.

Edit: the rebalance in beta makes Cauldrons not even require metalworking. Breadmaking is now easily the worst food specialism given the tech requirements - it needs two Level 4 techs to make it work.

[Genba Kantoku 現場監督]

Oh, by the way, you will have to set up the weed farm anyway, if you want strings later in the game. It's 5 weeds per one block of string, so you will need quite many.

[dorianmode]

Originally posted by Genba Kantoku 現場監督:

Oh, by the way, you will have to set up the weed farm anyway, if you want strings later in the game. It's 5 weeds per one block of string, so you will need quite many.

Even using good bread and dolls (which don't require weeds) you need them to make string for level 4 clothing, so you'll need a weeds farm by that point.

[Kruel]

From my experiences weed grows very fast, so you dont need much from beginning.