Test of Life
| The Test of Life |
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| (Test - Natural Philosophy) |
| Prerequisites |
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Build a sprawling system of Aqueducts to bring life-giving water to the arid desert. Those that build the most useful aqueduct towers advance in Natural Philosophy
Test Description
Create a system of aqueducts, starting with a pumping station in deep water. Areas around some aqueduct towers will be hospitable to growing certain vegetables. Accumulate points based on which towers are most used for such agriculture, and which towers supply those with water.
Task
- Build an Aqueduct Tower (1 Talent Point)
? - Raise the height of any Aqueduct Tower (1 Talent Point)
? - Pump an Aqueduct (1 Talent Point)
✓ - Use an Aqueduct to fill Jugs
- Use an Aqueduct to grow Vegetables
- Assist in growing 1000 Vegetables (Updated Weekly) (1 Talent Point)
? - Pass the Test of Life
Additional Information
In the Test of Life, the seventh test in the Discipline of Natural Philosophy, you (and other participants) will build an aqueduct system. These aqueducts will assist everybody in growing vegetables, among other things. Each week, the owners of the towers that have assisted in growing the most vegetables will pass the test.
Aqueduct Overview
Aqueducts are large-scale projects consisting of a series of linked buildings. An Aqueduct Pump is constructed next to a source of deep water. Water is then manually pumped and raised to a specified altitude. Gravity then sends the water flowing through a chain of Aqueduct Towers, which stand 20 coords apart and are connected by pipes. At each tower, some of the water flows down to a ground-level basin where it is accessible to Egyptians and plants.
An aqueduct tower supplied with fresh, pure water offers a number of advantages to passers-by:
- Jugs can be filled there.
- Taking a drink straight from the basin provides a temporary +3 boost to a random attribute (the attribute boosted is randomly set when the tower is built).
- Growing vegetables nearby provides improved yields. Some towers boost the yield of certain vegetable types, randomly determined when the tower is built. This bonus is active for a radius of 3 coordinates from the dead center of a tower.
- Moss grows in the basin, which can be harvested for scientific and agricultural purposes.
- With Herbiculture tech, Herb Seeds can be cultivated at certain towers.
- Ecology-wise, Aqueducts dramatically increase the groundwater near towers, up to a groundwater of 200 or more.
Because gravity is used to pipe water from tower to tower, each tower must be at least 5 feet shorter than the one "upstream" that feeds it.
Scoring
When vegetables are grown at a tower, that tower and all towers upstream (toward the pump) accrue points. Points are per seed planting and harvested, not per deben of vegetables grown and the seed will count even if it fails to produce.
Here's another way of looking at it. Let's say you built a tower at the end of the line. Anyone growing veggies at your tower will help you and anyone down the line on "Assisting on harvesting 1k veggies". If someone builds a tower after yours and grows veggies, it will count towards the 1k for them and you (and everyone down the line). If people grow veggies at any tower down the line, it will only count on that aqueduct and those towards the beginning. So if you want to help the aqueduct line, try to always grow all your veggies on the end of the line (to help everyone down the line before yours) on the "Assist in growing 1k harvests". Let's say everyone grows veggies at every tower except yours (last on the line) and below. Then you would not get any credit towards the 1k veggies. Any credit you wanted, towards the 1k harvests, would need to be done by your tower. So that's why you should always find the last aqueduct on the line, and grow veggies there, if possible. (Cegaiel)
Passing the Test
The top 4 scores pass every week.
See Test Pass History - http://julianatdeltona.com/atitd/PassedTests.aspx
Aqueduct Pumping Stations
Map Legend
 Sand, no bonus
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 Dirt, no bonus
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 Grass, no bonus
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 Pumping Station
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 Sand and Dirt, no bonus
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 Sand and Grass, no bonus
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 Dirt and Grass, no bonus
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 Sand, Dirt, and Grass, no bonus
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 Cabbage
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 Carrot
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 Cucumber
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 Eggplant
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 Garlic
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 Leek
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 Onion
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 Pepper
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 Watermelon
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Building
An aqueduct consists of one Aqueduct Pump, and a chain of Aqueduct Towers leading away from the pump to useful growing locations.
Pumps and towers may only be built at fixed locations set out in a hexagonal pattern, with exactly 20 coordinates between possible locations. When placing an aqueduct construction site, a locator window will appear to help you identify suitable spots.
Aqueduct Pump
Pumps can only be built at the edge of deep fresh water, as indicated by the aqueduct construction locator window. While the construction site is on the riverbank, the completed pump will appear in deep water at one of the points on the hexagonal grid, too far away to directly access. To access and upgrade the pump, you must build a tower adjacent to the pump; it will have additional options to fill the pump's cistern or upgrade the pump.
The pump counts as a tower for the purposes of the Test, so the pump's owner will accumulate points for all vegetables grown at downstream towers.
Aqueduct Tower
Towers may only be built when there is an immediately adjacent tower or pump, with a top that is at least 5 feet higher than the ground elevation of the new tower. You should use a Barometer to check the heights of your planned route. If you attempt to build in a bad location, it will not allow you to load materials to build the tower.
The top of built towers may be individually raised (for additional materials) after they are constructed, subject to the 5-foot restriction above.
Dedicated Life Guilds
https://atitd.wiki/tale10/Bernike_Fresh_Water