Food exploit

[megabrainz]

So, I'm guessing that other people have already spotted this, but just in case. It seems to be a well-known bug that you can fast-track to independence by stockpiling weapons and then reducing pop in all cities at the last minute. But you can also stockpile food in caravans - then once independence is declared you heap all the food back into your settlements, causing them to grow every turn from that point on. Combined with stockpiled guns, it's an army in a can.

 

[MonRiverMonarch]

I don't really consider it an exploit, since there were stockpiles of guns, ammo & food hidden around the countryside before the actual War of Independence started. I like to make a stockpile of guns & put them in wagons before hostilities break out, then roll them to a colony running low during WoI, if needed, (since I convert all my colonists to soldiers to battle the REF there is no one left to make guns). I never tried stockpiling food during a game.

 

[megabrainz]

It enables you to circumvent the restrictions on storage space, and in the case of the food storage it enables you to circumvent the need to produce liberty bells in proportion to the population. Whether you consider it an exploit or not, it fairly clearly isn't the way the game was intended to be played.

 

[MonRiverMonarch]

After thinking about this, you're right...stockpiling at the last minute then piling everything back into your settlement after pop drops is an exploit. I won't be stockpiling food or weapons, however I may keep a wagon or two of guns if I run out of warehouse space. Your point is well taken.