Alternatives to mines

[Elirian]

I think the problem isn't that mines are rare, but that nothing else is.

A good solution would be to make mining speed be effected by strength and con, forcing miners to trade metal for high QL food and giving more people access to metal (miners trade it to cooks, cooks trade it to farmers, ect.)

This is well thought out.

I don't know anything about the state of the game with regards to mines and so forth, but if there is only one thing that is rare, it follows that someone who has that also has access to everything else, and thus little need to trade away the rare thing.

The solution provided here is a good draft of what the eventual solution to any such problem (if one exists) should be. Something highly desired by those with access, that is not also easily accessible to them. If somewhere along the line a choice between 'metal' and 'other rare high demand item' has to be made, trading and raiding become much more important and thus much more commonplace.

[Yoji]

Mining for metal ore wasn't what hermits or small groups of people done back in the history, mostly because it was very expensive, very hard and required much effort. Instead, mines were contained by cities or big settlements. The metal itself could be found in places where the veins reached the surface, in form of nuggets - such spots were rare but they existed, otherwise the Stone Age would have lasted much longer.

In H&H the picture is such, that almost anyone with the necessary skills is allowed to build a mine. On the other hand, ore deposits are too sparse and centralized. I say make this particular aspect of the game a bit closer to reality and everyone will win.

[Sarge]

Mining for metal ore wasn't what hermits or small groups of people done back in the history, mostly because it's was very expensive, very hard and required much effort. Instead, mines were contained by cities or big settlements. The metal itself could be found in places where the veins reached the surface, in form of nuggets - such spots were rare but they existed, otherwise the Stone Age would have lasted much longer.

In H&H the picture is such, that almost anyone with the necessary skills is allowed to build a mine. On the other hand, ore deposits are too sparse and centralized. I say make this particular aspect of the game a bit closer to reality and everyone will win.

I disagree. This will ensure the destruction of an already barely breathing trade market.

[Chubbajawa]

Actually, it's very hard to trade, especially for far away villages and civilizations and it lacks realism ; never would ever trade with rowboats, they'd get bigger boats to actually carry a lot more, a sailbot for instance or at least, something that a few individuals need to travel on, in order to make it move. Also, there seems to be way too many rivers to make it possible to makes roads that go from a city to another. Without the construction of bridges, trading is quite a hassle.

[FantasticFox]

I'd have to agree. I've attempted trade with nearby villages yet none of them seem interested in supplying metal. And when they are infact interested then it is usually for overly excessive amounts of another resource.
I think that making 'common' metals a heck of a lot more common would suffice, let the precious metals still be somewhat rare, however.

[Blxz]

Sarges idea of regionality is one of the best so far. Even to extend the idea and have soil become valuable enough to trade. I could import large amounts of wheat favourable soil and build a glass greenhouse to grow wheat.

Regionality coupled with easier travel either in the way of better roads with bridges and/or rivers that flow across supergrids. If the developers really wanted to they could institute canals as well. Canals have been used as far back as early roman times, even earlier to a smaller scale.

Also i wonder what anyone thinks about having a coast somewhere. Cities built along the coast with rivers that head inland and connect to other towns. This would allow distinct regions to take shape and hopefully nessicitate trade. Putting that idea even further you could have smaller islands in the ocean so that the entire world is not just forest punctuated by grassland and swamps. Imagine the Baltic Sea with germany etc. to the south and a sea with a few largish islands and more land on the further side. Rivers that connect through the entire area.

[Bl1tzX]

Make it 0.01% chance to find gold...
Then I'll like the idea.

[Iskar]

Given historical examples such as the Gold Rush, its ridiculous to say mining was monopolized by population centres. Couple guys head up into the mountains to pan or swing picks for a few days, completely plausible.

The problem is the weight of the value of the resource is all loaded onto the resource gathering. Emphasis should be given more on the PROCESSING side... as in, only villages etc can put together the resources to build smelting/smithing facilities and maintain them (as well as skill sets). Resource gathering should be left to the province of any joe... I know I'd be a happy camper if I could spend a couple days digging ore in the wilds, bring it in to a settlement, and say get half back as refined goods, with the other half as payment to the settlement.

Be interesting to see caravans set up for mass goods transport... still waiting for the banditos to come out though =P

[Avu]

And we always come back to the shitty inventory capacity and transport system that fucks trade over.

[Moracin]

And we always come back to the shitty inventory capacity and transport system that fucks trade over.

And we are back to the basic problem indeed.

GIVE US WAGONS AND FORDS / BRIDGES AAARGH!