Corn Farms, Marketplaces, and You

[El_Camino]

I have read several places that a typical farm should feed 30-40 Tropicans based upon normal conditions, yet when I check my Almanac, I find that I am producing WAY more corn that I need to feed my people.  It seems that 1 farm in fertile soil will produce enough food for 80-100 people.

Also, it seems that my marketplaces are almost useless.  I typically place them away from my population centers, near tourism and mining.  They are fully stocked, staffed, and next door to apartment housing that is full.  Yet they only recieve 2 or 3 patrons per year.

[Brian]

I typically place them away from my population centers, near tourism and mining.

I think that's your problem.  You should place marketplaces in a strategic location between where people work and where they live, so they can stop off at the marketplace on their way to work or on their way home.  If they work closer to a farm than a marketplace, they'll go to the farm for food (at least, this is what I've witnessed).

As for one farm producing enough food for 80-100 Tropicans... do you also have a fishing wharf?  This may be why the corn is lasting as long as it does.  

[El_Camino]

No fishing wharf.  For instance, last night I had a medium sized island with approx. 200 tropicans and 5 corn farms.  I checked my Almanac and it said that I was producing a LOT more food than I needed.  I was raking in over $1500/yr in corn export!  Also, I placed a marketplace right next door to an apartment that was full of miners and hotel workers.  All of this was located 9 or 10 blocks from the nearest farm.  Yet they only consumed an average of 3 or 4 meals a year from the marketplace.

[skot]

i think we need a dissertation that really explains the marketplace.  i see these people that are "off to get groceries", and i dont see the logic in what they do.  and i know my people arent starving, but the market doesnt issue very many meals a year.

unless, of course, it's all some esoteric marketing strategy by the Tropico Randalls, and they dont want us knowing how it works, or we may do better ...




-skot

[El_Camino]

Is everyone else seeing low usage on their marketplaces too?  Or is it that Skot and I are just pathetically inefficient as a dictators?  Or maybe I'm just pathetic in general.

[Bone]

nah, my marketplaces are serving up to 300 meals a year or more.  I only put them where farms are not available, and I always put them right ouside the door of a group of appartments, so when the peeps exit the building, they're at the market.

The funniest thing for me is when a corn farmer will walk for a month to a market, when they could just east on their own dadgumed farm... grrrrrr.

Bone

[Coconut Kid]

I think we need a dissertation that really explains the marketplace.  I see these people that are "off to get groceries", and I don't see the logic in what they do.  ...

Such a dissertation would have had to come from the developers and since it would have had to explain the whole game - it was never in the cards. The Marketplace is just a single cog in a complex set of wheels within wheels - it doesn't do its thing independently. How it works depends on its location in relation to where the people spend most of their time.

It took years for someone to crack the game's scheme. The game people\units do not order their "days" as we do in the real world. For example, they eat only a few meals per year. The people rotate among six modes - one each for the five needs plus one for work.

I placed a marketplace right next door to an apartment that was full of miners and hotel workers.  All of this was located 9 or 10 blocks from the nearest farm.  Yet they only consumed an average of 3 or 4 meals a year from the marketplace.

Only six to 12 adults as potential users (no one else is going to walk there), yet islolated from three of the five needs satisfaction buildings. It is more likely that the people were off walking to or from a church, clinic, or pub when they went into the hunger mode. Upon going into the hunger mode, they go to the closest meal pickup - not necessarilly one close to their sleeping place (home).