Quern-Stone Grain-Grinding Mod

[rudy]

This is a mod to implement the use of a Quern-Stone, which is a relatively simple grinding tool in use way, way, way back throughout human civilizations.  Once assembled, the quern-stone allows you to grind barley and rye flour roughly twice as fast, though more effortful. Other types of flour are more difficult to implement, because they do not have a base item type (this is because all other flours decompose slowly).

If I could figure out exactly their nutritional information, I could probably add them too, but it would be a non-decomposing variety.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5WbYu9XHQPw
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quern-stone

This is ideally used in conjunction with BAC mod, or another mod that adds tools, but can be pretty easily modified to work on its own.

Here it is in game:



And the text of the mod is as follows:

.Mine for Big Stone. "Stone"   *COMMON* [effort:3] [phys:stance,arms,hands]   /6h/ [noquality] [assist:1]
{[NEARBY_TILE:Big rock]} '+stand next to a big boulder'
{*hammer} 'Hammer'
[NAME:Big Stone]
[WEIGHT:30]

.Shape Quern-Stone Piece. "Stone"   *COMMON* [effort:1] [phys:arms,hands]   /6h/ [assist:1]
{Big Stone} (1) [remove] [noquality]
{*hammer} 'Hammer'
{Whetstone} '+grind smoothness of hitting areas'
[NAME:Quern-Stone Piece]
[WEIGHT:20]

.Assemble Quern-Stone. "Stone"   *COMMON* [effort:1] [phys:arms,hands]   /6h/ [assist:1]
{Quern-Stone Piece} (2) [remove]
{Wooden stake} (2) [remove] [noquality]
{Board} (2) [remove]
{*hammer} 'Hammer'
{Whetstone} '+grind smoothness of hitting areas'
[NAME:Quern-Stone]
[WEIGHT:45]
[TILEGFX:quern-stone]

.Grind Barley-Flour. "barley-flour" [effort:2] [noquality] [phys:arms,one-armed] [patch:10] *COMMON*  /20/
{Barley grains} #1# [remove] [patchwise]
{Quern-Stone} [ground]
[NAME:barley-flour]

.Grind Rye-Flour. "rye-flour" [effort:2] [noquality] [phys:arms,one-armed] [patch:10] *COMMON*  /20/
{Rye grains} #1# [remove] [patchwise]
{Quern-Stone} [ground]
[NAME:rye-flour]


If using BAC, I recommend putting these in the Mining and More menu, where there is room for them.

If not, then you can put them wherever, but will want to comment out the hammer and whetstone requirements.

Either way, the attached image goes in truetile.

If there is demand for a stand-alone version of this with files (as defined as one person specifically asking for it in this thread), then i will put something together.

[Ezezaguna]

Awesome 

[Brygun]

Got the time and brain power to look at this for BAC.

It certainly does fit the BAC idea of linking to real world practical projects. I don't know of Finnish Quern history but thats okay. BAC allows slightly off pure iron age Finland such as the birch-bark canoe. It should be teaching real possibilities which this Quern does.

No major and only two minor issue.


>>>>

The first minor is thoughts on the name for

"Mine for Big Stone" I'd prefer to mention something about the Quern to avoid confusion with other recipes.

However getting a big stone is also part of the stone anvil so maybe they should share a step? In which case the name "big stone" is okay though maybe the weight should be even higher? maybe? as a normal stone is what ~14 lbs. Maybe the big stone should be 28? as a double stone but that is about 30 anyway.

>>>>

This leads to the second minor about the weights vs the # recipe slots


Any references on the real world weights on the stones?

Does it need to be 28-30 lb stone?

Could the person mine two "big stone" then make a combined quern. Reduces the recipe count by 1. However lowers the detail on how the two stones work but only by a little. Still the idea you need two parts.

Could we reduce the recipe count allowing 14 lb stones?

>>>

edit:

The vanilla grinding is 2 of 14 lb stones at the default time.

[rudy]

Getting rid of the first recipe and just using two 14 pound stones should be fine. The size of them varies, and the smaller ones could certainly be from a pair of 14 pound stones.

I'm also planning on improving on that graphic to try and make it fit the rest of the tiles more.

[Brygun]

You could also include a wooden stake for the turning handle. That adds a slight complexity for the player to have axe/knife to make those.

I do like the idea in general. The two random stones unworked, the vanilla, certainly can break open grains. Working two stones to fit properly really improves the speed of work.

I've mixed thoughts on it being more tiring than the vanilla grinding though. Rubbing two random stones seems like it would be the harder one. The Querns I've seen in videos are easier to turn than that, in my opnion.

[rudy]

You could also include a wooden stake for the turning handle. That adds a slight complexity for the player to have axe/knife to make those.

I do like the idea in general. The two random stones unworked, the vanilla, certainly can break open grains. Working two stones to fit properly really improves the speed of work.

I've mixed thoughts on it being more tiring than the vanilla grinding though. Rubbing two random stones seems like it would be the harder one. The Querns I've seen in videos are easier to turn than that, in my opnion.

The recipe in the first post already does have a wooden stake in it. The .Assemble Quern-Stone. recipe.

I'd be fine with reducing the effort for grinding from 2 to 1. 0 would not make sense.  I'm not sure what the effort level for vanilla grinding is, as it's not defined in a recipe.

[Brygun]

Regarding using *WEATHERLORE*

1) we can't add skills to the game
2) COMMON will >never< improve
3) So anything where you could get better at it needs to be linked to an existing skill
4) Weatherlore is little used by most players so was as close to a "free" skill for the clay working
5) I believe that was the rational of the original modder and I find myself agreeing with it.

This is also why Carpentry shows up for metal working. We can't add a blacksmith skill and carpentry is complex tool use, on wood, so its fairly close to complex tool use on metal. "Just add fire."