Now, this is how a town would be converted into a ranch or a farm (depending on the player’s choice).
The original buildings that you get (the original $300 worth) would convert as follows:
Town Hall = a Mexican, ranch style house OR a farmhouse (both at lvl. 1)
Bank = cellar (a place to store money; however, possibly your stash could be stolen if your ranch/farm is raided by bandits) (lvl. 1)
Post Office = a cattle barn (ranch style) OR silos (for a farm) (both at lvl.1)
Saloon = a well (lvl. 1)
Random Buildings = out houses, etc.
If a town has upgraded buildings, these upgrades would convert into buildings on the ranch or farm as follows:
Town Hall (lvl. 2) = Every upgrade on the town hall would convert into an upgrade on the house.
Bank (lvl. 2) = Every upgrade on the bank would convert into an upgrade on the cellar (an upgraded cellar would be less likely to be raided on account of stronger locks, doors, etc.
General Store (lvl. 1) = The building of a general store would convert into a sheep barn (for a ranch) OR a wheat field (for a farm) (both at lvl. 1) (every subsequent upgrade on the general store would convert into an upgrade on the sheep barn or wheat field)
Gunsmith (lvl. 1, 2. 3. etc.) = (for a ranch) a donkey (lvl. 1), or a pony (lvl. 2), or a mustang (lvl.3), or a horse (lvl. etc) corral – in such a corral you would have to buy two animals and if you keep their health meter up the animals will reproduce OR (for a farm) a corn field (every subsequent upgrade on the gunsmith would convert into an upgrade for the corn field)
Tailor (lvl. 1) = every level of your tailor would convert into an upgrade for the cattle barn OR (for a farm) a cotton field (every subsequent upgrade on the tailor would convert into an upgrade for the cotton field)
Hotel (lvl. 1) = The building of a hotel (and every subsequent level) would convert into an upgrade on the well (e.g. the well would now have a windmill to pump water to the barns or fields). An upgraded well would increase the health of your herds or crops (depending on whether you have a ranch or a farm).
Morbituary = The building of a morbituary would convert into a slaughter house for a ranch OR a chicken coop (or possibly turkey) for a farm.
So, a ranch could have the following buildings:
Ranch House
Cellar
Well
Corral (donkey, mustang, or horse etc. depending on level)
Cattle Barn
Sheep Barn
Slaughter House
And, a farm would have the following buildings:
Farmhouse
Cellar
Silos
Well
Wheat Field
Corn Field
Cotton Field
Chicken Coop (or, possibly, Turkey)
Now let me explain the functions of the ranch/farm buildings:
The ranch house/ farmhouse would serve the same function as, and operate exactly like, a hotel.
The cellar would serve the same function as a bank; however, the money can’t be withdrawn to make purchases like as can be done with a bank. If your money is in the cellar and you want to make a purchase, you’re gonna haft to go “back to at ranch” to get it. (This gives the aspect of being a town member an edge in the game; but it also makes good sense – if your money is down in the cellar, there ain’t nobody who can withdraw it but you!)
The corral is the place were you can raise beasts of burden. At level one you can buy donkeys. At level two you can buy ponies. At level three you can buy mustangs. At level four . . . well, you get the point. What you will do is buy two or more of each animal (the more you buy the greater your “luck” at getting the animals to reproduce). This “luck” would be indicated by a “love” bar.
Each corral/ livestock barn/ chicken coop/ crop field would have a health bar. This health bar would serve the same function a “luck” bar does. If the health bar is high at the end of the growing season, your harvest will be large. If not, then you will get a small harvest. For the corral, good health means more colts and fillies. You can increase the health bars by upgrading the well or spending time working in the fields/ chicken coop/ barns/ corral.
The wheat/ corn/ cotton fields would all work in the same way. You would buy seed at the beginning of the growing season; work in the fields to keep up the plant health; and finally, at the end of the growing season the harvest would be placed in your silos. In the silos you could sell the wheat, corn, or cotton in the same way you do in your inventory – however, in the silos you would be dealing with much greater amounts of produce.
The chicken coop would work like the corral. However, when you work in the chicken coop you would leave with eggs. The quantity of eggs would be determined by the health meter of the chicken coop. The chickens would also reproduce, and when there are too many chickens you could sell some.
All of the barns/ chicken coops/ corrals would function like a store in the game. All animals would be listed, and you would have the option of buying more or selling some.
The well would give a permanent health increase to all livestock and fields, and each subsequent upgrade would increase the health a little more.
In the sheep barn there would be the special job of shearing sheep, the product of which, obviously, would be wool. Sheep, like cattle, could also be slaughtered in the slaughter house and sold as steaks. Cattle would produce a large amount of steaks and sheep a smaller amount.
