CAM Stage Limit question

[Shroud]

I have a question about the CAM Stage Limit tables, specifically the ones listed for I-R. When the table says the following:

I-R 800 / stage1: 40% / stage2: 26% / stage3: 20% / stage4: 14%

Is this suggesting that the growth of I-R lots upon reaching 800 total jobs should be with these probabilities of a stage 1, 2 or 3 I-R lot growing?

[xxdita]

Upon reaching an Industrial Capacity of 800 jobs within your region, yes.

[Shroud]

Hmm I thought as much. Anyone have any ideas for why I seem to be getting almost entirely stage 1 farms everytime even when I have 800, 1500 or 2500 I-R jobs currently in my city? This is in a new city within a new region. By the time I have 800 jobs within my city, I should be growing stage 3 farms 20% of the time (let alone stage 4 farms despite me having everywhere covered with fire stations).

For example, I have the BMD Mediterraen Style Farms installed. When zoning new agriculture, I get Stage 1 farms 99+% of the time. Very, very very rarely will a stage 2 or 3 farm grow.

[xxdita]

Really, for stage 4 only water is required. But there are a few factors to consider with new farm growth. Demand, desirability, Regional Capacity, the size of the zones, and how much zoning you're doing at once. But a 20% chance does not mean that you will have 20% stage 3 farms, only that there is now a 20% chance that a stage 3 will grow, and 14% chance that a stage 4 will grow. But there is still a 40% likelyhood that a stage 1 will grow, based on the things I mentioned.

[Shroud]

Thx for the replies xxdita. I'm sure there is a bit more to it than simply getting 20% stage 3 farms once you get 800 regional I-R jobs. However, as it currently stands I seem unable to ever grow farms with larger footprints regardless of their stage.  With the BMD farms installed, the farms with 2x3 footprints appear to always grow while the ones with 4x3 growing maybe 1% of the time. Farms with footprints like the stage 3 BMD ones with 6x4 footprints will never grow (let alone ones like JMeyer's Fraser Tree Farm which are stage 2 with 10x8 footprints).

This isn't really an issue with the BMD farms either. Some of the other BSC farms install sets with stage 1 farms that are 2x1. When these are installed, they always grow and nothing else does. The problem gets worse too as I install more farms that are stage 1-3 with small footprints.

Without the CAM, I see larger stage 3 farms grow at a more reasonable pace. Are there any known issues with the CAM that would cause me to be unable to grow larger footprint farms?

[TheTeaCat]

Really, for stage 4 only water is required. But there are a few factors to consider with new farm growth. Demand, desirability, Regional Capacity, the size of the zones, and how much zoning you're doing at once. But a 20% chance does not mean that you will have 20% stage 3 farms, only that there is now a 20% chance that a stage 3 will grow, and 14% chance that a stage 4 will grow. But there is still a 40% likelyhood that a stage 1 will grow, based on the things I mentioned.

I understand all of the above but one thing you've said makes me wonder that is "how much zoning you do at once" . Do you mean that we should zone for each farm  at a time. I tend to zone agri in quite large chunks and trim it down to suit my needs once a farm has grown. Sometime demolishing parts of a zone to allow new growth.  Is it then better to zone just the amount of agri that you need at a time and then the next zone? etc


TTC

[xxdita]

There are limits within the game that only allow so much growth per month. These have been increased for CAM, but still, if you zone a large grid at once, the growth allowed is now spread out over that entire grid, which at least in my experience, limits the growth to the stage with the highest probability. Whereas zoning a smaller area, all of the demand can be focused and used to have a higher stage farm grow.
This works the same with all RCI types, the only difference is that farms cannot upgrade to a higher stage while the others can.

[TheTeaCat]

That makes sense. Thanks for enlightening me on that point. And for explaining it so clearly too 


TTC

[Shroud]

I accept that in theory. However, when the demand for I-R is sitting at 12K one would hope that there should be more than enough demand for the simulation to easily consider higher stage and larger footprint lots when it chooses which lot type to grow.

[TheTeaCat]

I find I have no trouble in growing farms when using "the No Maxis Mod"Linkie. Then again I am quite picky when doing rural.

just a suggestion  Have you tried removing the I-R stage 1 lots (leaving the model files in your plugins) when you have enough of them, leaving the higher stage ones in a way to force the simulator to select from them rather than the lower stages?


TTC

[Shroud]

That's the method I've found through experimentation actually Teacat.

If 2x1 lots are in the Plugins then forget about growing anything larger.
2x2 and 2x3 will grow with each other but you'll rarely see 3x3 or larger.
3x3 and 3x4 will tend to grow but forget about seeing any 6x4.

Honestly it seems like the stage of the farm (assuming they're stage 1-3 since I can't get Stage 4+ farms to ever grow) has nothing to do with which farm is chosen to grow. It seems like the dimensions of the lot is the major component of what is grown. A 2x1, even if it was Stage 3 would always grow even if a 3x3 Stage 1 farm was available.

[ramseyazad]

I'm having the exact same experience.  I cannot, however, find the 1x2 farms that are 99% of my vast agricultural experiments.  I think maybe simgoober's growable farms may be the culprit.