Farms Farms Farms!

**Xy1on** · 11-20-2006, 07:46

Halfway into my first campaign and it seems to me that building farms as early, and as fast possible is very beneficial. Population booms, so you can tech fast, and rake in the taxes. Anyone else doing this?

**Amon_Zeth** · 11-20-2006, 07:55

Can't say I've tried it- however, if squalor is significantly lower than in RTW, it might be a good idea.

**Xy1on** · 11-20-2006, 08:01

Thie first thing I did with each city is tech up to communal farms. It worked so well that I think I may go straight to crop rotation next round. Crop rotation is 2400 florins a pop so It may not be so easy to tech to them so early. Communal farms are doable tho.

**Rothe** · 11-20-2006, 07:58

I have been building the two first farms in all of my settlements asap after dirt roads and ports. Seems to be working well, as the English I have a good income even as I command the largest armies and I have taken about half of France. Although the largest armies may be because I am always garrisoning the max amount of free units per city (AI does not do this).

**Kobal2fr** · 11-20-2006, 08:06

That's what I've been doing in all TW games since Shogun, or try to do, but with some factions you just can't.

For example, I've tried (and failed) many many times to play the HRE in MTW, and again failed in M2, because early on you just don't have the cash to upgrade all your provinces' farms, and since "farming up" is pretty much built into the way I play and I have a hard time dealing with the concept of building anything before my farms are at least level 2, I quickly get squished :)

I'm more of a "farm, trade, deal, who cares about soldiers if you can get the money some other way" type of player I guess, and this kind of strat (as it did for the Italians in MTW) still works a charm for the Venetians, which is the faction I play most of the time. Factions requiring aggressive play are still outside the realm of my competence :)

**ArT II** · 11-20-2006, 10:30

Actually I have found early you get admin bonuses building farms as well as improving population growth and taxes. adding to the mix is building churches as high as you can pay for as it improves the governor of the province. it was hard to get the idea that pius general is more inteligent but in game world is

**Wallas** · 11-20-2006, 10:37

I haven't build any farms yet in my game. The cities seem to grow fast enought. I have rarely had problems with money. I can build enought upgrades to cities before they are ready to upgrade. Squalor is not a problem yet. Playing with h/h.

**Spendius** · 11-20-2006, 11:31

That's my usual way of playing, but I just can't do it ! I started the Turks, h/vh, and I'm broke. I've always thought of farms as income from crops, but didn't thought about income through population growth + taxes ! On the other hand, this also means increased cost since I'll have to upgrade walls, while I need to buy more troops to fight these bloody byzantines. Horse archers are nice, but not when it's the only troops available...