Monument Building and Xi Wang Mu
Xi Wang Mu speeds up monument construction. Below I have tried to detail how the Guilds and Laborers’ Camps that construct the monuments operate and the effect that Xi Wang being in the city has on them. She only has to be in the city for the effect to be felt, no blessing is needed. She has no effect on the materials required to build monuments.
CARPENTER GUILDS
Without Xi Wang Mu in the city.
Each guild spawns 1 worker at a time. Up to 3 carpenters is the maximum number that can be working on a monument at one time. When a carpenter finishes his work and starts his return trip a new carpenter can be spawned from a guild that doesn’t currently have a carpenter spawned. His own guild is not able to spawn a new carpenter until he has returned to the guild.
Each carpenter can do 5 sections of work, ie if a monument says it needs 20 carpenters then really it will only need 4 carpenters to be spawned. Each carpenter will need to hammer each section 4 times to complete it before moving on to the next section.
With Xi Wang Mu in the city
Each guild still spawns 1 carpenter at a time but up to 6 carpenters are able to work on the monument at one time.
Each carpenter can do 10 sections of work, ie a monument that says it needs 20 carpenters will only require 2 to be spawned. Each carpenter will need to hammer each section only 2 times to complete it
STONEMASON GUILDS
These work in a similar fashion to Carpenter guilds, ie 3 stonemasons can work at one time without Xi Wang Mu, 6 with her. Each stonemason does 3 sections of work, increasing to 6 sections if Xi Wang Mu is in the city, and hammering is decreased in the same way as with carpenters.
CERAMIST GUILD
I haven’t done much in the way of testing on Ceramists as no monument I built ever required more than 1 at a time. Hammering time seems to be reduced the same way it is with the other guilds when Xi Wang Mu is in the city.
LABORERS’ CAMP
Without Xi Wang Mu in the city
Each Laborers’ Camp can spawn up to 3 laborers to deliver, excavate or tamp down dirt but only 8 maximum can be working at a time. When a laborer finishes working and starts his trip back to his camp another laborer can be spawned if there are camps that haven’t yet spawned all 3 labourers. His own camp cannot spawn a new laborer to replace him until he returns to his camp. Each laborer can deliver 1 load of dirt, excavate 1 load of dirt or tamp down 7 loads of dirt. They tamp each load of dirt 4 times before moving on.
With Xi Wang Mu in the city
Each Laborers’ Camp still spawns up to 3 laborers but up to 16 laborers can be working at one time. Each labourer still delivers or excavates 1 load of dirt but can tamp down 14 sections. They tamp each load of dirt only twice before moving on.
MONUMENT BUILDING TIMES
While doing these tests I built a number of monuments both with and without Xi Wang Mu and got some approximations of how much time she can save when building different monuments.
Note that I tested both with and without her under the same conditions, ie the same number of guilds/camps and the same placement. This was often not the optimum placement as I wanted all guilds/camps in the same area for ease of watching/testing. Its very probable that further savings of time could be made both with and without Xi Wang Mu.
Temple Complex
4 Laborers’ Camps, 4 Carpenter Guilds, 3 Stonemason Guilds and 1 Ceramist Guild
Without Xi Wang Mu – 31 months.
With Xi Wang Mu – 21 months.
Grand Canal (132 stone long)
4 Laborers’ Camps, 4 Stonemason Guilds.
Without Xi Wang Mu – 19 months.
With Xi Wang Mu – 15 months.
Great Earthen Wall (270 wood total required size)
6 Carpenter Guilds, 6 Laborers’ Camps.
Only built the bottom section to the end of the tamping, ie 90 wood and 45 loads of dirt.
Without Xi Wang Mu – 24 months
With Xi Wang Mu – 18 months.