Productive Enterprises

[Anthropoid]

I'm back to playing the game after a long hiatus. I pretty much only play Brytenwalda, the only mod I've found that is sufficiently challenging and detailed that it keeps my atention; appreciate if anyone could recommend another one, as it is difficult at this point to sort through the myriad forum threads in mods section and know which ones are really high quality . . . I've also Dled Native Expanded and will probably give that one a try sooner or later. I used to love Hundred Years War but don't like the fonts and landscapes in the Warband ported version of it.

Anyway, my question:

In Brytenwalda, one can after gaining enough standing with a Town (via Guild Master quests) invest in property in a Town and create a 'Productive Enterprise,' for example Brewery, Bakery, Tannery, etc. I think I used to understand this system quite well but it has gone foggy. I cannot even recall for certain if this feature was part of Vanilla Warband or something in a mod that has become part of lots of other mods like Brytenwalda. Based on the wiki I'm guessing it was not part of Vanilla

http://strategywiki.org/wiki/Mount%26Blade/Towns#Improvements

Basically, I'd just like to find the thread(s) that deal with the original mod so I can brush up on how it all works, how to pick the best town for a productive enterprise, etc. To expand on this query I quote myself from a recent thread in the Brytenwalda section

http://forums.taleworlds.com/index.php/topic,230967.0.html

What do those numbers in the "We have shortages in: Wool (1215), Grain (1346), Iron (1187) . . . etc., actually mean?

Based on the above poster's recommendation, I'm going to build breweries first, under the premise that they are the only truly profitable enterprise.

I'm using the "Assess Trade" results from Aegelsburh as a guide to where to set up a brewery (where the proft margin is highest are candidates).

I then go to the candidate town and check out what they say they produce and what the Guildmaster says they have shortages of.

Problem with both Londonwic and Cantwaraburh is, the villagers say that Beer is among their items produced (though granted not ale or mead, does the brewery make all three?), and I'm not sure if it says anything about shortages of beer, ale or mead.

Are these info screens actually meaningful and helpful in deciding where to setup an enterprise? Assuming the information in the various screens IS meaningful, I'd assume that the best place to setup a brewery (for example) would be:
1. a place that recurrently offers the best profit margin for a beer caravan from Aegelsburh
2. a place that has abundant grain (villagers list it as one of the first 3 items they produce?)
3. Guildmaster says there is a shortage of beer and/or mead/ale?

 

[original]

In Brytenwalda, one can after gaining enough standing with a Town (via Guild Master quests) invest in property in a Town and create a 'Productive Enterprise,' for example Brewery, Bakery, Tannery, etc. I think I used to understand this system quite well but it has gone foggy. I cannot even recall for certain if this feature was part of Vanilla Warband or something in a mod that has become part of lots of other mods like Brytenwalda. Based on the wiki I'm guessing it was not part of Vanilla

http://strategywiki.org/wiki/Mount%26Blade/Towns#Improvements

Actually it is part of vanilla.

What do those numbers in the "We have shortages in: Wool (1215), Grain (1346), Iron (1187) . . . etc., actually mean?

The numbers are the hardship index. Higher numbers mean there are shortages of those items, thus driving up the price. It will also affect other things like overall prosperity, lower production of goods that need them as raw materials, etc.

Based on the above poster's recommendation, I'm going to build breweries first, under the premise that they are the only truly profitable enterprise.

I'm using the "Assess Trade" results from Aegelsburh as a guide to where to set up a brewery (where the proft margin is highest are candidates).

I then go to the candidate town and check out what they say they produce and what the Guildmaster says they have shortages of.

Problem with both Londonwic and Cantwaraburh is, the villagers say that Beer is among their items produced (though granted not ale or mead, does the brewery make all three?), and I'm not sure if it says anything about shortages of beer, ale or mead.

Vanilla doesn't have stuff like beer, ale or mead, so I assume the mod added those things in. Whether beer, ale and mead are made by the same factory or different factories you have to ask the mod creator.

Not every place has the same amount of production. Some places have more oil production, some places have more silk production. This number is initialized at the start and is fixed.

Are these info screens actually meaningful and helpful in deciding where to setup an enterprise? Assuming the information in the various screens IS meaningful, I'd assume that the best place to setup a brewery (for example) would be:
1. a place that recurrently offers the best profit margin for a beer caravan from Aegelsburh
2. a place that has abundant grain (villagers list it as one of the first 3 items they produce?)
3. Guildmaster says there is a shortage of beer and/or mead/ale?

[/quote]

The info screens are useful, the problem is the price fluctuates and isn't constant.
1. No I do not think assessing the market helps. Any enterprises that you have in the town will sell your produced goods to the town itself.
How it determines how much to sell is based on the hardship index.
2. It is a criteria, but not the only one. Obviously low grain prices and high prices for brewery products are the best.
3. This is probably the best indicator of where to make stuff.

The best enterprise for profit in vanilla are those silks. The price rarely flunctuates, unless you are in Jelkala where they have factories that make those things.