Mastering the Berry Bush in Diplomacy is Not an Option
In Diplomacy is Not an Option, managing resources efficiently is the name of the game, and food is one of the most critical resources.
One often-overlooked, yet vital, source of sustenance is the humble berry bush. In the early stages of the game, these berry bushes are lifelines, providing a steady food supply that can sustain your population while you work toward building farms and other more advanced food production methods.
Understanding the berry bush and how to maximize its benefits can give you a much-needed edge in the early game.
What is the Berry Bush?
In the opening stages of Diplomacy is Not an Option, your primary concern is survival. With limited resources, you need to quickly establish a food source, and berry bushes offer an immediate solution.
Scattered around the map, berry bushes are natural food sources that require no initial investment to harvest, making them an efficient choice in the early game.
Berry bushes are finite, meaning once you’ve harvested all the berries, they won’t regenerate.
However, in those first few days of gameplay, they serve as an excellent temporary solution while you establish more permanent food production options.
The Importance of Early Food Production
Food is a non-negotiable resource. Without enough food, your population won't grow, leading to a shortage of workers, which in turn affects your resource gathering and military capacity.
This creates a snowball effect where you’re unable to gather resources fast enough, leaving you vulnerable to enemy waves.
Therefore, ensuring a steady food supply is crucial, and the berry bush helps bridge the gap before more reliable options like farms are available.
While berry bushes are easy to overlook in favor of other buildings or units, ignoring them can lead to an early-game collapse if you run out of food before your farms are operational.
Having your villagers harvest from these bushes allows you to save up resources for buildings like the Fisherman’s Hut or the Farm while ensuring that no one starves.
Harvesting the Berry Bush
To start gathering food from a berry bush, you'll need to assign your peasants to harvest them.
It's important to allocate enough workers early on to ensure a steady food supply, but not too many, as you’ll need villagers gathering other essential resources like wood and stone.
Here’s where micro-managing comes into play. Efficiently assigning and reassigning villagers to gather from different sources helps you avoid waste and ensures your economy runs smoothly.
As the berry bushes get depleted, you can shift your workforce to more sustainable food sources such as farms or fishing huts.
The Transition to Farms and Sustainable Food Sources
Berry bushes won’t sustain your population forever. As your village grows, the demand for food increases, and relying on berry bushes alone will eventually lead to a famine. That’s why transitioning from berry bushes to more permanent food sources should be a priority.
A good mid-game strategy is to have your villagers harvest the berry bushes while you build farms and fishing huts. Farms require wood and stone, so you’ll need to ensure you’re also gathering these resources.
It’s all about timing—berry bushes should be seen as a temporary food supply while you invest in more long-term solutions.
It’s worth noting that farms take time to become productive. There’s a delay between building the farm and when it starts producing food, so make sure you begin constructing them before your berry bushes are depleted.
If you misjudge this transition, you might find yourself with an empty food supply and starving villagers.
The Role of the Berry Bush in the Grand Strategy
In Diplomacy is Not an Option, where survival and strategic planning are paramount, berry bushes represent an important but temporary food source. Like many aspects of the game, timing is key.
Using berry bushes effectively in the early game buys you the time you need to develop a sustainable food infrastructure without exhausting your initial resource pool.
Ignoring berry bushes and relying too heavily on resource-consuming structures can leave you vulnerable to early-game famine and population stagnation. On the other hand, over-reliance on them without planning your transition to farms or other food sources can also backfire once the berries run out.
Balancing the use of berry bushes with the construction of farms, fishing huts, and other food production facilities is vital to maintaining a strong economy and a growing village.
Tips for Using Berry Bushes Effectively
Start Early: The first thing you should do in the game is assign villagers to harvest berry bushes. You’ll need that food to sustain your village while you gather resources for more advanced food production buildings.
Don’t Overcommit: While it’s tempting to assign all your villagers to gather from berry bushes, remember that you still need wood and stone. Strike a balance to ensure your village remains productive on all fronts.
Plan for the Future: Start building farms as soon as possible. Berry bushes won’t last forever, and once they’re depleted, you’ll need a steady food supply to keep your villagers happy and productive.
Use for Short-Term Gains: Berry bushes are ideal for the early game but shouldn’t be relied on long-term. Prioritize transitioning to farms or fishing huts for more reliable food sources.
Conclusion: Making the Most of the Berry Bush
In Diplomacy is Not an Option, mastering early-game resource management can make the difference between victory and defeat.
While berry bushes are a finite and temporary food source, they play a crucial role in helping you bridge the gap until you can establish more permanent food production.
By balancing your resource gathering and food supply, you can ensure that your village grows, your defenses are strong, and your people remain well-fed.
So, while the berry bush may seem like a small aspect of the game, it’s a critical component of your early survival strategy.
Use it wisely, and you’ll be well on your way to building a thriving settlement capable of withstanding anything the enemy throws at you.
