[Anonymous Player]

I have conducted a follow-up analysis on the advantages of Deer vs.

Berries in terms of food production.

The consensus is that the first patch of deer can be a valuable source of food, either by pushing with a scout, taking them long distance or milling them.

This can provide a good amount of food without farms in a moment of the game when resources are limited.

The second patch of deer in Arabia, however, is largely ignored and rarely taken.

My previous analysis showed that taking the second patch with four villagers and a mill is 7% less efficient than berries.

To further explore this, I simulated an in-game situation to compare the efficiency of taking the second patch of deer to four farms.

I set up a custom scenario with zero resources in the bank, two villagers in a lumbercamp with double-bit-axe and four villagers starting in the town center.

I tested two scenarios six times and recorded the food and wood in the bank at each point.

In the first scenario, I sent the four villagers to the second patch of deer.

It took some time to get there, so the two lumberjacks gathered wood.

When the food in the first deer was almost gone, I was able to build a mill.

The villagers then killed the other deer and returned to the town center.

In the second scenario, I sent the four villagers to a straggler tree, while the two villagers in the lumbercamp continued to gather wood.

As soon as I got 60 wood, I built four farms.

The results of the two scenarios showed that the deer provided more food in the bank than the farms until the third deer was killed.

However, the farms still had about half of their food left, so if more food was needed after 6:10, the farms’ scenario was favored.

I also noted that taking the second patch of deer could be dangerous, and is more beneficial for certain civilizations with bonuses for mills or hunting.

It could also be helpful in tight/aggressive build orders that advance to feudal with few villagers.

[Umdeuter]

good job, thx

One thing to consider on top of that is that farms are always an investment.

In the second scenario you have done the investment already, in the first you need to do it now.

Or to put it differently: first you end up with 4 vils on wood, second you end up with 4 vils on food which is more value and practically a difference of additional 240 wood.

Which the first scenario has to gather now before going back to food.

So I think going to farms is usually much better, except with Mongols or when you go for heavy wood/gold unit production and you don’t even want so many vils on food.

[StRodeNL]

I think there is normally no reason to go the 2nd deer ever for the simple reason that it cannot be walled, and the enemy can see you are on them, so it’s 95% of games 4 free vill kills for the enemy.

[Azot-Spike]

Very good analysis, agree with it.

The 2nd patch of Deer being hunted is fully dependent on the safetiness of its location.

If you’re sure no rushing troops are going by, even a long distance gathering can be much better than depending earlier on wood for Farms.

Even after having started to farm, it is worth getting them.

If the location is safe, you can mill it and build Farms after deer are depleted

[supervoegli]

i wasnt even aware a second patch exists

[Author]

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