Suggestion: Fallback uses for Orchards

Orchards massively overproduce at the moment, a single one can basically supply the whole galaxy’s technicians and that’s only if no one tries to compete with you. So inevitably they’re an extremely expensive building to build and maintain that you’ll have to tear down sooner or later because you can’t sell everything it’s making. And that everything is pretty much tech+ luxury resources, very low demand.

One or two alternative recipes that supply low tier goods would help keep orchards running even when their primary goods are not in demand. Similar to how hydroponics farms are only economically viable to make coffee, but can do other things when the coffee market is saturated.

A couple ideas I stated out:
ORC: 2 DDT + 240 H2O → 480 HCP (48 hours)
ORC: 1 DDT + 150 H2O → 200 VEG (22.6 hours)

These maintain the same water to crop ratios as the farmsteads and produce more crop per unit of area than the hydroponics farms for HCP and a little less for VEG.

3 Likes

Some NUTs grow on trees?
A fair point: I’ve said before I think more recipes should be possible in more than one building like PP1s and PP2s. For example, OVE and PWO in a CLF, PE in a POL…
It ensures the buildings are more viable. You can also adjust the efficiency to account for tier, area, and which building you intend to be the mainly used one for that product.
APF/AAF is another that springs to mind. By having the AAF able to produce APF goods, adjusted for higher tier costs, the AAF has a shot at being fully utilised.

2 Likes

That’s fair. Since hydroponics farms already have a fruits recipe, we could give the orchard a nuts one instead. Here’s an example of what that might look like:

ORC: 3 DDT + 35 H2O → 420 NUT (60 hours)