The 'Food Should Be Worth More' Rant

[Devari]

Personally, I'd suggest net value stay at this higher level, and food sell for $5 or $6. $7 is too much, $2 far too little.

[Devari]

"Food selling wasn't overpowered. Those who had massive quantities of food gained little net from it. People were going mole only because it was a decent indy (and offense) bonus, and the food was just a side benefit in lieu of the upkeep bonus of vole. They weren't an example of overpowering food."

Triple posting, but I disagree on one point you make in particular. In your absence, people have gone Mole for a different reason. One can make lots of food and sell it for tons of cash. Then, one buys troops. This strategy is very easy, and troops can be stored so one can continue this way indefinatly. I can't think of anyone who indied with a Mole in recent times, other than a few Indy-FoodSell people like me.

[Zephyrus]

7 and little food net like before worked.
Or I guess 6 could work.
Those moles were mostly indy, and picked mole to get the extra boost to food.
Since vole had -atk, shrew had upkeep issues, they picked mole as the next indy race.
I guess selling food at 6 or 7, and convincing some hawkers to buy modest amounts at 15 from you, could work.

[Devari]

Recent times, Mole has been foodsell-troopbuy almost completely.

[Zephyrus]

From black market?

[Devari]

Yep, sell food for tons of cash on the black market and then buy troops on the black market.

[Zephyrus]

Indy should have beaten that into the ground so far.
Now, not counting for troop upkeep, I expect that making mice would be far more mice than making and selling grains for mice.

[Devari]

Perhaps, perhaps not. But Agro-Sell is very easy, and requires almost no effort.

In addition, you have to account for the ability to take tons of land with one troop, store your troops, and then forage for 300-400 turns. Tons of food with very little upkeep costs. Indies can't do that, of course.

Plus, of course, you may get more Mice with Indy, but you can keep 'em easily with Agro-Sell. Upkeep is a nightmare for an indy. Maybe if food buy prices were lower, it wouldn't be so bad. But, then, I think we'd see hawkers left in the dust.

[Zephyrus]

Indies can do that for money making, just sell every few turns of making troops.

[The Beatles]

I can vouch that food-selling is more effective -- especially as you can sell it without limit on the BM, unlike troops.

[Zephyrus]

For money, yes.
But for troops? The sell then buy rates should kill all its advantage.
Indies get troops directly.

[Devari]

Buying troops doesn't cost overmuch.

Indy has more potential, but Agro-Sell is much easier and allows you to maximise land efficiency. With $7 sell, it ended up being rather overpowered.

[Zephyrus]

Which I find hard to believe. Private market selling is like halving something's value, and so is private market buying, so you're only getting around 1/4 of the grain's value. Which is saying a troop masser could fare better.

[Devari]

Empirical evidence contradicts you.

But I don't quite see how your argument means that a troop masser could far better. In the end, it simply relies on the skill of the player in a particular strategy.

The maximum potential of an indy strategy is higher, I suppose. But, the average potential of an Agro-Sell player is much higher than the average of an Indy. Thus, the argument that the strategy is too easy compared to the others, and therefore unbalanced.

[Zephyrus]

Too easy? Selling troops is approximately as difficult. The same number of clicks, more yield. And unless someone onlines you, you won't lose much.