Hematite Smasher

[A Neo Irony]

I just noticed the incredible amount of hematite gatherable with a drill and petrol. It takes 5 days to crush one days output on a drill, with a sledgehammer. I think there should be a machine that will help crush hematite faster so that operations with drills will actually be able to mass produce iron ore. Otherwise all those days spent making the drill and collecting the resources for it will be fairly pointless if the time you would've saved collecting hematite is wasted crushing it.

[ceselb]

It would simply be too good. If you can afford and need a hematite drill 8/20, you can afford a crew of five people crushing.

[Sicofonte]

[quote"A Neo Irony"]Otherwise all those days spent making the drill and collecting the resources for it will be fairly...[/quote]
...paid off in some days, just because you won't need to be so much time collecting hematite as without the hematite drill.

With the hematite drill, you need only one unequipped man for doing the work of two with pickaxes or four unequipped. With petrol, multiply by two.

In high populated areas, the hematite drill is a benefit anyways.



Of course, a "mineral crushing machine" (something similar to those described in http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crusher) would be a significant improvement in production, but that mass-production would be tooooo good really, and probably it would be wasted since one or two people don't need soooo much iron ore, and the cost of building the new (and expensive) machine would be again a waste if you don't need it.

But I would like to see it implemented, some day, as a really expensive machine, only fuel-powered, and chrushing the equivalent of 4 men with sledgehammer... but not before I see a cotton harvester

[Spiritus]

I think this type of thing should be implemented but for everything. As it stands right now the only economy that will ever exist in cantr is a system based on the daily gathering and assembling rates of materials. If there where 5 or six machines to do each job and each was better in its own way for example

Loom
you work on outputs some cloth a day

Gas powered loom
you work on outputs more cloth a day but requires fuel

Automated loom
Requires no worker uses more fuel outputs more cloth but is expensive to make

if everything iron, clothing, hematite, engines, tools, weapons ect... could be made this way items would no longer be based off what it takes to make them with the crappiest stuff people would undercut others prices when better machines become available to them currencies could exist that pay people less than a days resources for working a day because materials and manufactured goods are cheaper than what a normal person can gather them at.

Changing to a system like this could add alot of interesting rp in cantr also businesses could sprout up for the sole purpose of creating one thing because noone can afford the crazy hematite smasher or the crazy engine assembler cars could slowlyt become cheaper just like they have in real life clothing could be mass produced perhaps what machine it was made on could even show quality differences such as a hand tailored shirt is much better than a mass produced shirt there are just so many possibilities and changes for the good that could take place with the implementation of this type of thing.

I know most people will say this type of thing isnt fair to people who worked hard for their cars and such but think about it if you buy a computer in real life within two - three years its old you buy a car that same car is worth so much less in a few years because technology and mass production is constantly evolving and getting better why shouldnt it in cantr too? 1000 years ago im sure having alot of iron in your basement was awesome but today people would think it is junk with whats out there a new player should be able to think how long until I can get a job that I can make enough to get a loan for a car not how long do I have to sit here and gather this one resource so I can make 30 grams of iron a day and possibly die of boredom before I get to use it.

[ceselb]

how long until I can get a job that I can make enough to get a loan for a car

I might play such a game, but I would hate cantr turning into it. Maybe this is what you're looking for?

[Nosajimiki]

As for the main post, most people would rather purchase cheaper hemtite than refined ore, b/c most people can smash it themselves makeing more iron for the same cost of trade goods, so places that produce 4 times the hemetite they can smash ussally sell the other 3 parts for limestone and coal, and other needed resources.

Also, Spiritus is actually making a realiviely good point whether he/she is meaning too or not. Right now everything is traded on day rates, and the rich are rich b/c they can produce goods above and beyond the day rate. Silk is less valuable than wood, which is less valuble than potatoes, not because of how rare they are in game, or even demand persay, but because of how much faster a local in a town can gather it with the specialized tools and machines he has strived for than an unprepaired visitor.

When ever a mechant drills for hemitie at a rate of 3750/day and sells it at a rate of 750:300 for wood that was choped at a rate of 600/day, both persons make a profit by not needing both a drill and an axe. If we want to see more resources "on the market" then we need to tech-up more things such as clothing matterials, and other things that currently can't be accelerated.