Steam-Powered Factory is a building in Napoleon: Total War.
Description[]
Harnessing the power of steam to machinery increases the industrial wealth in a region and makes the recruitment of artillery units a great deal cheaper.
Steam power allows factories to be built away from rivers, because water wheels are no longer a limit on where they can be built. This opens up large areas of countryside that had previously been unsuitable for mills and factories. However, such industrialisation makes the lower classes miserable, due to their harsh working and living conditions.
Historically, the introduction of steam power to industry in the 19th century did change the way that mills and factories worked. It was no longer necessary to build them in valleys, where rivers could be diverted for power. A central boiler house and engine shed provide all the power, and this was fed into the rest of the factory through drive shafts and belts. It became increasingly dangerous to work in factories, as the machinery itself could now be operated at a much higher speed. Accidents were nearly always blamed on the workers, who received no compensation for any injuries or deaths. Some factory owners stopped wages for everyone when there was an accident, because they made no profits while machinery was being cleared of blood and body parts.
General Information[]
Steam-powered factories are the final tier of the economic line of industrial buildings. While they are very expensive, they maximize the wealth of the building slots they take up. Assuming the standard tax rate, building generates 300-550 gold per turn. Upgrading a factory to a steam-powered factory means paying 9,000 gold for an extra 500 region wealth, therefore generating an extra 150-275 gold per turn. This means that upgrading a factory into a steam-powered factory pays for itself in 43-70 turns depending on the level of administrative building in the region. Even if the game is likely to end before the building can pay for itself, building at least one steam-powered factory is beneficial as it opens up the industrial technology tree, unlocking the final tier of industrial technologies.
Steam-Powered Factories may only be converted to Small Arms Factories if Modern Rifles is researched.
The Peninsular Campaign[]
In The Peninsular Campaign, steam-powered factories require 4,500 gold and 6 turns to build.