Getting started! Dobber's guide!

[Dobber]

Hello, there have been many requests for a game guide that is better than the manual and the ingame Annopedia. I am going to start work on a guide, doing things the way I see they need to be done. Please forgive the incompleteness of it at this time. I will work on the guide in segments and eventually I hope to have a more comprehensive guide to the game than we currently have. This thread will be a closed thread, so as to keep all the info together. I will open another thread for comments and suggestions and/or requests for info you may wish to be included! Discussion thread here! (http://forum.sunflowers.de/showthread.php?t=16077)

Game startup. Easy and Normal difficulty.
At the start of the game there are several things to consider. In this chapter we are looking at startup with a ship.
http://img505.imageshack.us/img505/2105/gamestartshipzx6.th.jpg (http://img505.imageshack.us/my.php?image=gamestartshipzx6.jpg)


First thing is to save the game! Very important to a successful start, especially if starting with a concealed map.

Concealed map-Sail your ship to all four corners of the map and all points in between to reveal the map and check resources available. You need to know what is important to you as far as resources are concerned and note which island holds the best configuration of these resources. I personally look for an island that will allow me to achieve Citizen status without having to settle another island. That means that I look for an island that is fertile for sugarcane and tobacco both. This island should also have a claypit and at least one iron outcropping.
http://img505.imageshack.us/img505/8413/selectedislandah3.th.jpg (http://img505.imageshack.us/my.php?image=selectedislandah3.jpg)
While exploring I make note of which islands offer the most potential for future expansion and target them for early expansion if they are extremely worthy, i.e. an island with whales, blossoms and honey is a very good prize to have, and if it should also happen to have marble, it is priceless! An island with cocoa, gold and gemstones is also very valuable, throw in grain and/or cane and/or tobacco and it is priceless.
After noting the location of the island you wish to start your empire upon, restart the game by loading your saved game and racing to the island you have picked out, settle it and get underway to establishing a strong presence in the island realm.

Revealed map-Take a look at each island and pick out the one that suits your needs the best, then load your savegame and sail directly to your pick and get your settlement up and going before an AI can come in and snatch it from under you.


You now have a warehouse and are pondering, what should I do next!
http://img382.imageshack.us/img382/1976/warehouseandshipdl9.th.jpg (http://img382.imageshack.us/my.php?image=warehouseandshipdl9.jpg)


First you need to build 2-3 woodcutters, build them as close to the warehouse as possible, so the cartmen do not have to travel as far to pick up the wood.
http://img505.imageshack.us/img505/2469/sharvestareaqk4.th.jpg (http://img505.imageshack.us/my.php?image=sharvestareaqk4.jpg)

Make sure your road touches the woodcutters hut and not just the outer edge of the woodlot.
http://img505.imageshack.us/img505/2412/sroadsyc8.th.jpg (http://img505.imageshack.us/my.php?image=sroadsyc8.jpg)

Next build a fisherman and connect a road from the warehouse.
http://img530.imageshack.us/img530/2137/shutei6.th.jpg (http://img530.imageshack.us/my.php?image=shutei6.jpg)

You can now build a towncenter at the far reach of the warehouse's area of influence or build a market building to expand the settlements area and then place the towncenter where there will be more room for housing.
http://img473.imageshack.us/img473/3864/addedmarketandtowncentewh7.th.jpg (http://img473.imageshack.us/my.php?image=addedmarketandtowncentewh7.jpg)


Next build 15 houses as the wood comes in.
http://img505.imageshack.us/img505/6923/fifteenhouses120pioneernu0.th.jpg (http://img505.imageshack.us/my.php?image=fifteenhouses120pioneernu0.jpg)

Click on the building material icon to withhold tools from the Pioneers for the moment.
http://img520.imageshack.us/img520/7250/pioneerhomeinfoboxoi9.th.jpg (http://img520.imageshack.us/my.php?image=pioneerhomeinfoboxoi9.jpg)

Hopefully with 120 Pioneers in place we will get a visit from the blacksmith and gain some much needed tools.
http://img505.imageshack.us/img505/5645/svisitma4.th.jpg (http://img505.imageshack.us/my.php?image=svisitma4.jpg)

Continued in next post, I had to split because of the number of images!

[Dobber]

If the smith does not visit then you will need to click on your warehouse and select the passive trade button and place an order for tools from the trader.
When there are enough Pioneers to build the cloth manufacturey, build 2 sheep farms and a weaver, I never build roads to the sheep farms, I will leave that up to you, your choice.
http://img519.imageshack.us/img519/743/clothcombineplacementjy2.th.jpg (http://img519.imageshack.us/my.php?image=clothcombineplacementjy2.jpg)


Next build a chapel in a place that will allow its area of influence to include as many of your 15 houses as possible.
http://img257.imageshack.us/img257/4021/chapelplacementqf1.th.jpg (http://img257.imageshack.us/my.php?image=chapelplacementqf1.jpg)


If you are fortunate enough to receive a visit from the smith, you can add housing and the chapel at any time after he arrives.

Diplomacy in the early stages-Try to enter trade agreements with all four of the foreign cultures.
http://img505.imageshack.us/img505/6294/culturetradeofferum3.th.jpg (http://img505.imageshack.us/my.php?image=culturetradeofferum3.jpg)

And while you are getting your settlement underway, send your ship to the Eastern Indian nation and buy tobacco and bricks from him,
http://img505.imageshack.us/img505/5773/indianfirststagetrademegi4.th.jpg (http://img505.imageshack.us/my.php?image=indianfirststagetrademegi4.jpg)

then sail up to the Iroquois Tetonka and sell him the tobacco and buy food and wool from him
http://img505.imageshack.us/img505/4664/iroquoisfirststagetradeac2.th.jpg (http://img505.imageshack.us/my.php?image=iroquoisfirststagetradeac2.jpg)

and return home to unload the food, wool and bricks. Repeat this process often and you can prolong adding additional food sources and possibly delay starting brick production. This will also build your reputation with the cultures.
http://img526.imageshack.us/img526/1976/tetonkarelationshipmetequ2.th.jpg (http://img526.imageshack.us/my.php?image=tetonkarelationshipmetequ2.jpg)

One of your goals is to fraternize with Tetonka, his lightning storm is invaluable!
http://img526.imageshack.us/img526/1296/culturealliancepactoffezj8.th.jpg (http://img526.imageshack.us/my.php?image=culturealliancepactoffezj8.jpg)

You might also wish to visit the Aztecs and Asians occasionally to purchase food, wood and cloth if your supplies on those are dwindling. Plan for settlement expansion in a way to make available a claypit and an iron ore outcropping.

Also be making plans to build a warehouse on that other island or two that is/are desirous to you, you don't want to lose them to the AI.

Trader quests are very profitable, try to complete as many as possible.
http://img526.imageshack.us/img526/3493/traderassignmentsr7.th.jpg (http://img526.imageshack.us/my.php?image=traderassignmentsr7.jpg)


This pretty much covers the things you need to do during startup and through the Pioneer stage of settlement.