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[RyanW]

I've been doing "bootstrap starts" lately, taking ore instead of tools, and doing the math it looks like bronze beats everything else for starting tools.  The unit cost in starting materials is (aside from "startup cost" of a single log for charcoal and the stones and anvil for building the workshops):

Bronze: 8.25
Bismuth Bronze: 8.63
Copper: 9
Iron: 27
Silver: 33
Steel: 34.5

Of course, if you have access to magma it's slightly cheaper:

Bismuth Bronze: 5.25
Bronze: 6
Copper: 6
Iron: 24
Silver: 30
Steel: 31.5

With magma, the choice of bronze or bismuth bronze comes down to time.  Bronze puts out product much faster than bismuth bronze.

[Spey]

im slightly lost here, what do the numbers mean?

im assuming that its the cost of the ores + fuel divided by the end product in bars

but if thats the case, how did you end up with 8.63 for bismuth bronze? numbers seem a bit screwy to me.

[RyanW]

quote:Originally posted by Spey:
<STRONG>but if thats the case, how did you end up with 8.63 for bismuth bronze? numbers seem a bit screwy to me.</STRONG>

Bismuth bronze requires 2 copper (12), 1 tin (6), and 1 bismuth (3), 9 coke (4.5 bituminous coal, 13.5) for 4 items.  That's 34.5 per 4 items, or 8.625 per item.  8.63 is just the rounded number copied from the spreadsheet I was working on.

Of course, you can't carry 1/2 a lump of bituminous coal on the embark screen, but the numbers are just a guide.

[ April 23, 2008: Message edited by: RyanW ]

[Earthquake Damage]

While I suppose I'm not terribly surprised, I did expect copper to be cheaper.

Then again, I think there are ores that count as both parts of a smelt alloy from ore reaction, meaning one stone yields two bars.  Actually, did you even look for that sort of thing?  You may be able to cut the cost substantially.

[RyanW]

quote:Originally posted by Earthquake Damage:
<STRONG>While I suppose I'm not terribly surprised, I did expect copper to be cheaper.</STRONG>

The savings come from the fact that bronze production from ores produces twice as much metal per smelting, and thus per bar of coke, as copper production.

quote:Originally posted by Earthquake Damage:
<STRONG>Then again, I think there are ores that count as both parts of a smelt alloy from ore reaction, meaning one stone yields two bars.  Actually, did you even look for that sort of thing?  You may be able to cut the cost substantially.</STRONG>

2 billon bars can be smelted from a single tetrahedrite stone, counting as a copper and a silver, but it isn't useful for the picks and axes needed in a bootstrap start.  Galena is the only other 2 metal ore, but there aren't any silver/lead alloys.

[ April 23, 2008: Message edited by: RyanW ]