Physical Goods

Table of Contents

1 Current goods
2 Potential new goods:
- 2.1 Production Chains (including new goods)
3 Idea
- 3.1 Some historical idea about our goods
4 Prices
- 4.1 Highest Value
- 4.2 High Value
- 4.3 Moderate Value
- 4.4 Lower Value
- 4.5 Lowest Value

These are the physical goods. We also have Virtual Goods

Current goods

Food: Basic need, every colonist and most units require 2 food per Production Cycle
Sugar: Cash crop, can be made into rum
Tobacco: Cash crop, can be made into cigars
Cotton: Cash crop, can be made into cloths
Furs: Cash crop, can be made into coats
Wood: Construction good, all buildings need it, also every colonist needs 1 wood per Production Cycle
Ore: Raw good that can be made into tools
Silver: Very high priced good in Europe
Horses: Needs redo, currently only used by scouts and dragoons
Rum: Expensive trade and luxury good
Cigars: Expensive trade and luxury good
Cloths: Expensive trade and luxury good, needed by ships
Coats: Expensive trade and luxury good
Trade Goods: Needs a bit rethinking, is in the game but pretty much unused
Tools: Very useful, important for construction and pioneering
Guns: Used by colonists in a colony to defend themselves, equip soldiers

Potential new goods:

rename trade goods -> beads (good idea)
stone (for high prestige buildings, church, fortress) (good idea)
coffee (cash crop) (good idea, introduce later with an event)
livestock (could be an alternative food source) (good idea, more thoughts needed)
tea, porcelain (import only goods) (why not)
sulfur (tools + sulfur -> guns) (not high priority for me)
dye (made from trees in Brazil) (probably not necessary)
salt (for meat and fish conservation, probably not necessary)
glassware
furniture
paper

Production Chains (including new goods)

Directly harvestable

tobacco leaves
wood
clay
stone
ore
sugarcane
cotton
silver
corn
wheat
fruits

Production Chains

stone -> bricks
clay + wood -> bricks
ore + wood -> iron -> tools / nails / weapons
tools -> glassware
wood + tools -> furniture
tobacco leaves -> tobacco -> cigars
sugarcane + wood -> sugar (+ molasse -> liquor)
fruits / wheat -> liquor
wool / cotton -> fabric -> cloths
leather / furs + cloths -> coats
livestock -> wool
livestock -> meat (+ leather)
fabric + wood -> paper
corn -> flour -> staple food
wheat -> flour -> staple food
meat -> staple food
fish -> staple food
wheat -> staple food
fruit -> staple food

Goods have different levels:

Raw
Durable
Transportable
Raw goods can only be used locally and will be spilled if not used immediately
Durable goods can be stored locally, but are too fragile for transport
Transportable goods are the most versatile.

Raw goods are:

tobacco leaves
sugarcane
wheat
corn
fruits
meat
fish

Durable goods are:

clay
ore
stone

Transportable goods are

wood
cotton
wool
silver
bricks (historically very challenging transport)
iron
tools
nails
weapons
flour
staple food
glassware
paper
furniture
wool
cotton
fabric
cloths
leather
coats
molasse
sugar
liquor

We want to tell the story, that tools, guns and horses (or animals in general) make a huge technological difference for the settlers. early settlements rely on their availability and often fail when they run out of stock.

tools will increase the efficiency of farming, mining, fishing, woodcutting
guns will increase the efficiency of hunting
horses/livestock will increase the efficiency of farming, mining, hunting and woodcutting
guns will arm the colonies militia, giving a significant edge in fights against natives
The usage of tools, guns and horses in normal production should not be high, but constant. They will remind the dependency on the motherland and the home market before an industry for tools and guns has been built in the new world. Once, a colony is out of these goods, the production bonuses they yield will vanish, hurting the economy severely.

At this point it is not clear how we would make this into a concrete concept.

Some historical idea about our goods

Furs

Were not available in great numbers and considered a luxury item, often used for hat-making. While they would be worth more than tobacco or sugar, they are significantly harder to produce in numbers, and were mostly acquired by trade with natives and trapping. As a fashion item, furs prices would fluctuate more than other goods.

Sugar

Is very labor intensive to harvest. On top, quite expensive infrastructure like sugar mills are needed to produce. On top of that, when it gets too cold, the harvest is ruined. By 1700 sugar is part of the European diet and has a huge demand in Europe.

Tobacco

Tobacco is a bit easier to harvest compared to sugar and does not need as much processing. It is very addictive and has high demand in Europe, although prices are a bit lower than sugar. Can be sold in bulk.

Cotton

Is not so much in high demand before the cotton gin is invented in 1793. This kicks of the textile production revolution and greatly increases demand quickly.

Silver

Would be about as 10x more valuable than tobacco.

Rum

The prices for rum in Europe were not overwhelming due to the available competition of brandy, gin, whiskey, etc. Can be sold at bulk at stable prices.
A misconception told by the old Colonization I is, that rum is not produced from sugar, but from a relatively worthless byproduct, therefore not consuming any sugar, but highly linked to sugar production.

Coats

Where made from furs and cloths and used by colonists, especially in the colder regions in the north. The processing of furs into coats needs a skilled coat maker, otherwise furs may be ruined. Additionally, it could be risky to manufacture furs into coats from afar and not hitting the current fashion in Europe.

Cigars

Cigars are a luxury item, that differentiate the enthusiast from the commoner. It needs skilled experts to select the right leaves and cannot be as easily sold as a bulk good like tobacco. Prices would be plummeting if the market is flooded by cigars, because it would lose its status as a luxury item.

Silver: Only topped by gold, can be minted into money.
Tea: Highly prized, especially as demand in Europe grows. Cannot be grown in the Americas.
Cigars: Luxury tobacco product, high value per unit, price may vary, cannot mass sell.
Guns: High value per measurement ton. Look at the dimensions: a caravel can easily load arms for 5k soldiers.

High Value

Coffee: Appears later in the game, highly valued commodity in Europe.
Furs: High-quality furs were in demand for luxury clothing and accessories. They are hard to get so the demand can never be met
Coats: Coats are being produced from cloth and furs, having great value especially in America, but may not meet the special fashion taste of the European high class.
Cloths (regular): Essential for clothing and household goods, cumbersome to make, widely traded but less valuable per unit than coats and furs. This will change at 1793.

Moderate Value

Rum: Popular especially in the Americas and with the British navy, not a luxury item.
Sugar: A key commodity in the colonial trade, with substantial demand. Worth more than tobacco but harder to produce.
Tobacco: A major cash crop, valuable for its wide consumption, though less than processed cigars.
Tools: Essential for construction, agriculture, and daily life, representing significant value.

Lower Value

Cotton: Pre-industrialization, its value was less due to the labor-intensive process of cleaning and preparation. This will change at 1793 with a steep increase in demand.
Iron Ore: Essential for making iron and steel.
Wood: Crucial for construction and as fuel, but its value per ton is lower due to its abundance and bulk.
Stone: Similar to wood, essential for construction but widely available and bulky.

Lowest Value

Horses: While individually valuable, their need for space, care, and the inefficiency in transportation lowers their value per freight ton.
Livestock: Essential for agriculture and food, but like horses, the space and care requirements reduce value per freight ton.
Regular Food: Staple necessity, but perishable and low value per ton.

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