by J Flower Sun Jul 02, 2017 10:28 am
On Manufacturing. I think I am right in saying that when you make a trade investment you can make a note to say it is in a "factory" I have always taken that to mean a concentration of the work force rather that the cottage industry that in period was widespread. If you then link the factory to a product as well, .i.e.. Textile, Iron goods etc. then you start to build an industrial base. These are according to the rules more efficient than normal trade investments. However they are not as flexible if someone targets that area/commodity with cheaper goods.
That maybe the best way to getting your feet on the bottom rung of the industrial revolutionary ladder.
Also improved farming methods/investments play a part as well, if people are working in cities then they are not producing food in enough quantity/ quality to feed themselves all year round, so don't forget you probably need to study the agricultural revolution & master that before you move onto the industrial nouveau.
One step at a time. As Deacon has pointed out the building blocks are there, it is just the implementation that is the hard part, also the individual interpretation of the rules & the desired result, there are many advances that help improve EH & Grain production. Infrastructure is important, after all improved roads & canals help with the movement of materials & finished goods, improved water & windmills also push along the industrialisation, maybe having a wealthy middle(merchant) class could also help as entrepreneurs look for ways to make more money & therefore improved production techniques (not sure if this is present in game or how indeed it could be duplicated.) Would an Absolutist monarchy be able to create the conditions required for such a fundamental change to take place, you probably need to abolish serfdom to allow people to move to the cities, which may upset the Nobility as their cheap labour force moves from the soil to toil in the big cities, when they discover the streets are not paved with gold then said cheap labour force is automatically transformed into an angry mob.
So there are probably ways of getting an agricultural revolution , an industrial revolution , & a revolution to overthrow the lawfully established government.