Refineries
Refineries is an Industrial Age Coin technology researched at an Estate or Hacienda after Homesteading. It improves Villager Coin gathering from Estates, Coin-producing Rice Paddies, Fields and Haciendas by 30%; Hacienda automatic Coin production also rises by 30%. Ordinary Coin Mines are not among the listed sources.
Research profile
- Civilization
- Europeans; Federal Americans
- Prerequisite
- Homesteading
- Research time
- 30 seconds
- Food cost
- 600
- Wood cost
- 600
Effect
The research costs 600 Food and 600 Wood and takes 30 seconds. Its value depends on how much of the economy uses the named buildings: workers on Estates or a Coin-producing Rice Paddy, Field or Hacienda gather Coin faster, and the Hacienda’s automatic Coin setting receives the same percentage increase. Available buildings can vary by civilization.
Research condition
Available in the Industrial Age at Estate, Hacienda; requires Homesteading. Research time: 30 seconds. Cost: 600 food, 600 wood. Civilization-specific building access can vary.
Research decision
Research it when those buildings already supply a meaningful share of Coin and will stay active long enough to repay the investment. It has little immediate effect on an economy that still relies mainly on Coin Mines, so use the resources for army production or another bottleneck if workers have not transitioned to eligible sources.
Coin buildings covered by the upgrade
Refineries applies to Coin gathering from Estates, Coin-producing Rice Paddies, Fields and Haciendas, plus the Hacienda’s automatic Coin production. It is not a general mining-speed improvement and does not list standard Coin Mines as an eligible source. Check the active resource setting on buildings that can switch between Food and Coin.
Timing the investment
The 600 Food and 600 Wood cost is substantial. Homesteading must already be researched, and the technology takes 30 seconds at an Estate or Hacienda. Build the upgrade into a transition toward estate or Hacienda income rather than researching it before workers have access to an eligible Coin source.