To set some context, I'll put down a few things regarding papyrus consumption on 'Very Hard' difficulty.
As we know, libraries use 60 papyrus per trip on 'Very Hard' difficulty.
I have managed to build a handful of large cities (Meidum, Baki, Hetepsenusret, Alexandria missions) with 'perfect' library coverage and kept the libraries working all the time (meaning they never run out of papyrus and stop generating walkers). But I only managed this because I used the forced walker technique and had the librarians take really long walks (5-7 months per trip).
That got me thinking if the consumption rate on 'Very Hard' difficulty is balanced for typical walker setups which are usually 1 to 1.5 months long.
At this typical rate, let's assume that each library generates a best case scenario of 9 walkers per year.
For a city like Baki (10,000 population required), we would need 13 libraries for 'perfect' coverage (800 people per library x 13 libraries = 10,400 people supported)
In addition, there would be schools as well. In my Baki playthrough, I needed 4 schools for 'perfect' coverage for my population demographics.
So, the total papyrus required per year would be:
13 libraries x 60 papyrus per trip x 9 walks per year = 7,020
4 schools x 40 papyrus per trip x 9 walks per year = 1,440
Total papyrus needed = 8,460
In Baki, you can import 5,000 papyrus in total (2,500 each from two cities) without Ra's blessing. With Ra's blessing, you can go upto 8,000.
(All this is assuming you can actually import this quantity given that you might also be importing other goods from these cities).
It's clear that you can never have all libraries working all the time with typical walker setups, and would require some creative setups such as the forced walker setup taking really long walks, thus reducing consumption per year.
On 'Hard', the requirement drops to 5,400 papyrus per year (just about possible) and on 'Normal' it is 2,700 papyrus per year (easily possible).
Just to be clear, I'm not complaining about it and absolutely loved playing on 'Very Hard' difficulty with these additional challenges.
Just wanted some thoughts and opinions from more seasoned players on whether you think this particular feature feels balanced on 'Very Hard' difficulty.
On a side note, I didn't find it particularly difficult to handle the increased consumption of Linen by Mortuaries, Beer by Senet Houses and Straw/Game meat by Zoos.
I think these are reasonably well balanced for most missions on 'Very Hard'.
As we know, libraries use 60 papyrus per trip on 'Very Hard' difficulty.
I have managed to build a handful of large cities (Meidum, Baki, Hetepsenusret, Alexandria missions) with 'perfect' library coverage and kept the libraries working all the time (meaning they never run out of papyrus and stop generating walkers). But I only managed this because I used the forced walker technique and had the librarians take really long walks (5-7 months per trip).
That got me thinking if the consumption rate on 'Very Hard' difficulty is balanced for typical walker setups which are usually 1 to 1.5 months long.
At this typical rate, let's assume that each library generates a best case scenario of 9 walkers per year.
For a city like Baki (10,000 population required), we would need 13 libraries for 'perfect' coverage (800 people per library x 13 libraries = 10,400 people supported)
In addition, there would be schools as well. In my Baki playthrough, I needed 4 schools for 'perfect' coverage for my population demographics.
So, the total papyrus required per year would be:
13 libraries x 60 papyrus per trip x 9 walks per year = 7,020
4 schools x 40 papyrus per trip x 9 walks per year = 1,440
Total papyrus needed = 8,460
In Baki, you can import 5,000 papyrus in total (2,500 each from two cities) without Ra's blessing. With Ra's blessing, you can go upto 8,000.
(All this is assuming you can actually import this quantity given that you might also be importing other goods from these cities).
It's clear that you can never have all libraries working all the time with typical walker setups, and would require some creative setups such as the forced walker setup taking really long walks, thus reducing consumption per year.
On 'Hard', the requirement drops to 5,400 papyrus per year (just about possible) and on 'Normal' it is 2,700 papyrus per year (easily possible).
Just to be clear, I'm not complaining about it and absolutely loved playing on 'Very Hard' difficulty with these additional challenges.
Just wanted some thoughts and opinions from more seasoned players on whether you think this particular feature feels balanced on 'Very Hard' difficulty.
On a side note, I didn't find it particularly difficult to handle the increased consumption of Linen by Mortuaries, Beer by Senet Houses and Straw/Game meat by Zoos.
I think these are reasonably well balanced for most missions on 'Very Hard'.