by Potjeh » Fri Dec 18, 2009 5:56 pm
On the old map I was getting up to 40 cast coins for cakes once the demand for metal died down. I don't think we're there yet, though. But basically, as long as what you're getting for your metal takes more work than making the metal, you're getting a good deal. Making a bar of cast takes 5 ore and 1/4 of a coal lump, which is about as much work as harvesting 3 tiles of wheat and 3 tiles of carrots, and making cakes out of them (1 butter is worth at least 1/4 coal). So anything over 3 cakes per bar is worth it, though I wouldn't take that deal right now if I were a miner. I think that currently 5-6 cakes per bar is the lower limit for metal producers.
Oh, and I'm assuming equal quality here. Quality can adjust the price considerably. I'd say that fair reward for quality would be multiplying the base value by sqrt(q/10), maybe a bit more.
And please, hunger is a *good* thing for any established player. I myself am having a hard time eating all my food, even though I don't make much food at all.

Bottleneck