zippyriver
23-03-2007, 18:01
There were enough changes from the first version, I decided to start a new thread to reduce possible confusions.
There are of course, many ways to get to financial independence. These steps, for me anyway, get me "there" with the least amount of hassle. Some concessions have to be made, like your not going to be able to support a large fleet of ships, but that comes later (right) after the senate jump. Some things can be changed out if you want to try other things, like more ships in lieu of extra producers, but that will also inhibit active trading to a large extent. The trade-offs you end up picking are due largely to independent situations.
This assumes you saved the game as soon as it started. This also assumes you road and optimize as necessary. I submit the *eXploration factor to your own personal prefrences. Once I decide on my initial warehouse site, I follow the following steps.
Step One:
(16 wood, 19 tools)
A: If exposed map, open diplomacy and get your native trade agreements out of the way.
B: Set ship to hot key "0" (using ctrl+0).
(I actually do the first two before I settle the first island.)
C: Load ship with 11 wood and 10 tools and send it off * for your second island.
D: Set passive trading to buy 40 tools and sell up to 40 food (none sold).
E: Shut off access to building materials.
F: Build 1 fisherman hut.
G: Build 2 lumberjack huts.
Step Two:
(11 wood, 10 tools)
(can be post-poned)
A: Colonise your second island.
B: Build 1 fisherman hut (or, expand coverage with a market 1).
C: Build 1 lumberjack hut.
D: Set passive trading to sell up to 20 wood and buy 40 tools.
Step Three:
(70 wood, 22 tools)
A: Build 3 market places so as to give maximun island coverage (giving consideration to resources and red tiles).
B: Build village center and place initial out-road (town center radius edge).
C: Build 15 houses.
D: Build 1 sheep combo.
E: Build chapel so that it covers your housing plan. Adjust taxes.
Step Four:
(97 wood, 4 bricks, 47 tools)
A: When you have 31 wood and 22 tools, upgrade your houses.
B: Build one clay pit and two brick makers. {see note 1}
If clay is comming from your second island, take 16 wood and 7 tools from "B" and build it there and set a trade route.
If you have two limited clay pits, build a second clay pit and split up the brick makers (requires extra 6 wood and 3 tools).
C: Deliver any extra food, wood and tools from the second island.
D: Build school so as to cover the houses. Start research for fire house.
E: Build 20 houses in chapel/school radius and upgrade (35 total).
F: (Lock supplies and) adjust taxes.
G: Build 2nd sheep combo.
Step Five:
(11 wood, 10 tools)
(can be postponed)
A: Colonise your third island.
B: Build 1 fisherman hut. (or expand with a market 1)
C: Build 1 lumberjack hut.
D: Set passive trading to sell up to 20 wood and 20 food (if you built the fisher).
Step Six:
(48 wood, 52 bricks, 32 tools)
(plus supplies for D, E and H)
A: Build firehouse so as to just cover the houses.
B: Build iron mine, smelter and one tool maker. {see notes 2, 3}
C: Stop passive tool purchaces.
D: Deliver bricks and tools to upgrade warehouses and pick up any food. Also adjust passive trading settings (all warehouses).
E: Build enough markets on your islands to claim the beachheads.
F: Build one butcher combo. Or supplement food as needed with fisherman huts until grain is unlocked.
G: Upgrade any heavy load markets.
H: Build shipyard and trade ships for your islands.
Send trade ships with enough supplies for that island's industry. Deduct from step seven.
Step Seven:
(59 wood, 63 bricks, 52 tools)
A: Build two alcohol combos. (28w,26b,24t)
B: Build one tobacco combo. (15w,14b,12t)
A second tobacco combo is not a bad idea, as it gives a great active trade item.
C: Set up any necessary trade route(s).
D: Build lodge (can be placed on any island). Do this right before you run out of options to research in the first school branch.
E: ).
F: Build second butcher. Alternatively, add food to your trade route from your production islands instead of selling it. Or supplement food as needed with fisherman huts until grain is unlocked.
G: Tend to the needs of my people so as to advance +(35w, 105b,35t).
Step Eight:
(64 wood, 69 bricks, 60 tools)
A: Build surgery in location to cover all houses.
B: Build second (or third) tobacco combo.
C: Build one whaler and two lamp oil manufactory. (one lamp oil will support until "F" if you need to skimp).
D: Build one chocolate combo (2 cocoa, 2 honey; 1 confectionary once supplies are built up a bit).
A second chocolate combo is not a bad idea, as it gives a great active trade item.
E: Build theater so as to cover the houses.
F: Tend to needs of my people so as to advance. +(35w,105b,35t).
Step Nine:
(112 wood, 98 bricks, 86 tools, 5 marble)
A: Build third butcher combo. *
B: Build third alcohol combo.
C: Build third weaver combo.
D: Build marble combo (1 mine, 1 mason)
D: Build one perfume combo (1 whaler, 2 ambergis, 2 greenhouse, 1 perfumery) {see note 4}
E: Build one jewelry combo. (1 gold, 1 gem, 1 goldsmith)
Step Ten:
(when your ready to build the senate)
A: Build and upgrade 12 more houses (total 47). +(60w,72b,36t).
B: Build fourth butcher combo. (*One bakery combo replaces two butcher combos)
C: Build third tobacco combo.
D: Build second chocolate combo.
E: Build second perfume combo. {see note 4}
F: Build second goldsmith.
G: (18 more houses unlocks the castle)
Notes:
1: With running only one brick maker, I found myself waiting on bricks too often.
2: With running only one tool maker, I was able to meet needs fairly readily. This also gave large stores of raw iron (for use with cannon and weapon foundries), and large stores of iron ore (when the smelter is shut down due to overstock). Later on, the one smelter also was able to support a weapon and cannon foundry. This is with regular iron ore mines (no unlimited iron ore on this particular island, but had 4 limited resources).
3: IF you prefer to buy your tools instead of making them, delay steps 6:B and C until your ready to add weapon/cannon buildings. But you won't have the material reserves for them (unless you buy raw iron too).
Since raw iron can be used by more than one chain, including the entire ore mine and smelter costs to tools, weapons AND cannons does not make sence to me. Unless tools, weapons and cannons EACH have dedicated 1-1-2 chains. But I have yet to run 3 deep iron ore mines at the same time, and have not found a need for dedicated ore mine/smelters. Weapons and cannons are not something I try to over produce, as I don't like selling those to the AI (hello...).
4: I suggested the buildings for the perfumery chain based on the numbers & statistics thread, however I am finding it not necessarily accurate. With master craftsman certificate* I am currently running the following:
1 whaler, 2 lamp oil*, 1 ambergis, 4 greenhouse, 2 perfumery*. After running the game for 5 minutes(in game clock) the stores of whale oil, ambergis and blossoms remained steady and had increases in lamp oil and perfume (supporting 1650 merchants). All buildings running at 100% (110% for lamp oil and perfume).
Tips:
1. I like to save at the end of each step, so I can take my time choosing where building and road placement in the next step will happen. I helps to be able to keep pace a little bit early on without worrying about a mis-click.
2. When placing material buildings (IE: sheep farms, smelter) I like to give the first two road access. This way the market can support each step of the production chain to the extent of the stores, in case you decide to save coin shutting down part of it. Excess stores can also be sold, of course.
3. When claiming space with markets, determine which ones will be high load and which will be low load markets. I try to limit my cart runs to +2. So a level 1 market will support 3 producers. You don't want to set up your cloth chains on a market that is going to have to haul bricks and iron et al, when those options become available.
4. I hot key each initial trade routes 1-4, active traders 5-6, and combat ships (descending order) 0-7, to make sending for repairs easier.
5. It never hurts to check if a building can be optimized, but do it after you place the road on tiles in the area of effect.
6. I find it much faster and easier to manualy upgrade my houses. It allows for more control, esp when you have more than one level of housing needing upgrade.
Population needs for 35 houses
(based on annopedia thread)
Pioneers (280 ppl, 8 ea)
1 butcher, 1 weaver
Settlers (455 ppl, 13 ea)
1 butcher + 1 fisher or hunter, 2 weavers, 2 alcohol, 1 tobacco.
Citizens (700 ppl, 20 ea)
2 butchers or 1 grain combo, 2 weavers, 2 alcohol, 2 tobacco, 1 chocolate combo, 1 lamp oil
Merchants (1050 ppl, 30 ea)
3 butchers or 1 bakery + 1 butcher/3 fisher-hunter, 3 weavers, 3 alcohol, 2 tobacco;
1 chocolate, 1 lamp oil, 1 perfume (slight shortages).
Trade Routes:
A: Select desired ship and open trade route screen and immediately close it (making no selections).
B: Turn off the automatic route.
C: Re-open the trade route screen and complete the necessary details.
Now you can start it when your ready, after initial priming at any spot. (Would be a lot easier if trade routes started "de-activated").
D: If you have a 3 island route, excess product can be emergency stored at the third island. IE:
IslandA load full item, IslandB unload all (this is the island that needs it), IslandC Unload all (store it, sell it, whatever). This puts the transport fully empty at the end of the route so it gets to point A the fastest. (obviously not needed if your not delivering more that can be used/stored in IslandB)
Screen Shot:
http://img161.imageshack.us/img161/4772/47houseswq3.th.jpg (http://img161.imageshack.us/my.php?image=47houseswq3.jpg)
1. The school and chapel need not be replaced later on. Both will suffice without "upgrade". Leaving the school keeps the school tech branch available in the university window. There is enough room around the school/theater you could replace one or the other with the advanced building.
2. Obviously, there is a lot of room for expansion, once you decide to come up off of the basement floor of 35 houses.
3. The outside edge of the houses mirrors the town center and support buildings radius edge (for the most part).
4. The first 15 house are the citizens (Step 3:C).
5. The second 20 houses are settlers (Step 4:E)
6. The final 12 houses are pioneers (Step 10:A).
Thank you for taking the time to read this long post. Any comments are of course welcome.
I hope I didn't miss anything :biggrin:
There are of course, many ways to get to financial independence. These steps, for me anyway, get me "there" with the least amount of hassle. Some concessions have to be made, like your not going to be able to support a large fleet of ships, but that comes later (right) after the senate jump. Some things can be changed out if you want to try other things, like more ships in lieu of extra producers, but that will also inhibit active trading to a large extent. The trade-offs you end up picking are due largely to independent situations.
This assumes you saved the game as soon as it started. This also assumes you road and optimize as necessary. I submit the *eXploration factor to your own personal prefrences. Once I decide on my initial warehouse site, I follow the following steps.
Step One:
(16 wood, 19 tools)
A: If exposed map, open diplomacy and get your native trade agreements out of the way.
B: Set ship to hot key "0" (using ctrl+0).
(I actually do the first two before I settle the first island.)
C: Load ship with 11 wood and 10 tools and send it off * for your second island.
D: Set passive trading to buy 40 tools and sell up to 40 food (none sold).
E: Shut off access to building materials.
F: Build 1 fisherman hut.
G: Build 2 lumberjack huts.
Step Two:
(11 wood, 10 tools)
(can be post-poned)
A: Colonise your second island.
B: Build 1 fisherman hut (or, expand coverage with a market 1).
C: Build 1 lumberjack hut.
D: Set passive trading to sell up to 20 wood and buy 40 tools.
Step Three:
(70 wood, 22 tools)
A: Build 3 market places so as to give maximun island coverage (giving consideration to resources and red tiles).
B: Build village center and place initial out-road (town center radius edge).
C: Build 15 houses.
D: Build 1 sheep combo.
E: Build chapel so that it covers your housing plan. Adjust taxes.
Step Four:
(97 wood, 4 bricks, 47 tools)
A: When you have 31 wood and 22 tools, upgrade your houses.
B: Build one clay pit and two brick makers. {see note 1}
If clay is comming from your second island, take 16 wood and 7 tools from "B" and build it there and set a trade route.
If you have two limited clay pits, build a second clay pit and split up the brick makers (requires extra 6 wood and 3 tools).
C: Deliver any extra food, wood and tools from the second island.
D: Build school so as to cover the houses. Start research for fire house.
E: Build 20 houses in chapel/school radius and upgrade (35 total).
F: (Lock supplies and) adjust taxes.
G: Build 2nd sheep combo.
Step Five:
(11 wood, 10 tools)
(can be postponed)
A: Colonise your third island.
B: Build 1 fisherman hut. (or expand with a market 1)
C: Build 1 lumberjack hut.
D: Set passive trading to sell up to 20 wood and 20 food (if you built the fisher).
Step Six:
(48 wood, 52 bricks, 32 tools)
(plus supplies for D, E and H)
A: Build firehouse so as to just cover the houses.
B: Build iron mine, smelter and one tool maker. {see notes 2, 3}
C: Stop passive tool purchaces.
D: Deliver bricks and tools to upgrade warehouses and pick up any food. Also adjust passive trading settings (all warehouses).
E: Build enough markets on your islands to claim the beachheads.
F: Build one butcher combo. Or supplement food as needed with fisherman huts until grain is unlocked.
G: Upgrade any heavy load markets.
H: Build shipyard and trade ships for your islands.
Send trade ships with enough supplies for that island's industry. Deduct from step seven.
Step Seven:
(59 wood, 63 bricks, 52 tools)
A: Build two alcohol combos. (28w,26b,24t)
B: Build one tobacco combo. (15w,14b,12t)
A second tobacco combo is not a bad idea, as it gives a great active trade item.
C: Set up any necessary trade route(s).
D: Build lodge (can be placed on any island). Do this right before you run out of options to research in the first school branch.
E: ).
F: Build second butcher. Alternatively, add food to your trade route from your production islands instead of selling it. Or supplement food as needed with fisherman huts until grain is unlocked.
G: Tend to the needs of my people so as to advance +(35w, 105b,35t).
Step Eight:
(64 wood, 69 bricks, 60 tools)
A: Build surgery in location to cover all houses.
B: Build second (or third) tobacco combo.
C: Build one whaler and two lamp oil manufactory. (one lamp oil will support until "F" if you need to skimp).
D: Build one chocolate combo (2 cocoa, 2 honey; 1 confectionary once supplies are built up a bit).
A second chocolate combo is not a bad idea, as it gives a great active trade item.
E: Build theater so as to cover the houses.
F: Tend to needs of my people so as to advance. +(35w,105b,35t).
Step Nine:
(112 wood, 98 bricks, 86 tools, 5 marble)
A: Build third butcher combo. *
B: Build third alcohol combo.
C: Build third weaver combo.
D: Build marble combo (1 mine, 1 mason)
D: Build one perfume combo (1 whaler, 2 ambergis, 2 greenhouse, 1 perfumery) {see note 4}
E: Build one jewelry combo. (1 gold, 1 gem, 1 goldsmith)
Step Ten:
(when your ready to build the senate)
A: Build and upgrade 12 more houses (total 47). +(60w,72b,36t).
B: Build fourth butcher combo. (*One bakery combo replaces two butcher combos)
C: Build third tobacco combo.
D: Build second chocolate combo.
E: Build second perfume combo. {see note 4}
F: Build second goldsmith.
G: (18 more houses unlocks the castle)
Notes:
1: With running only one brick maker, I found myself waiting on bricks too often.
2: With running only one tool maker, I was able to meet needs fairly readily. This also gave large stores of raw iron (for use with cannon and weapon foundries), and large stores of iron ore (when the smelter is shut down due to overstock). Later on, the one smelter also was able to support a weapon and cannon foundry. This is with regular iron ore mines (no unlimited iron ore on this particular island, but had 4 limited resources).
3: IF you prefer to buy your tools instead of making them, delay steps 6:B and C until your ready to add weapon/cannon buildings. But you won't have the material reserves for them (unless you buy raw iron too).
Since raw iron can be used by more than one chain, including the entire ore mine and smelter costs to tools, weapons AND cannons does not make sence to me. Unless tools, weapons and cannons EACH have dedicated 1-1-2 chains. But I have yet to run 3 deep iron ore mines at the same time, and have not found a need for dedicated ore mine/smelters. Weapons and cannons are not something I try to over produce, as I don't like selling those to the AI (hello...).
4: I suggested the buildings for the perfumery chain based on the numbers & statistics thread, however I am finding it not necessarily accurate. With master craftsman certificate* I am currently running the following:
1 whaler, 2 lamp oil*, 1 ambergis, 4 greenhouse, 2 perfumery*. After running the game for 5 minutes(in game clock) the stores of whale oil, ambergis and blossoms remained steady and had increases in lamp oil and perfume (supporting 1650 merchants). All buildings running at 100% (110% for lamp oil and perfume).
Tips:
1. I like to save at the end of each step, so I can take my time choosing where building and road placement in the next step will happen. I helps to be able to keep pace a little bit early on without worrying about a mis-click.
2. When placing material buildings (IE: sheep farms, smelter) I like to give the first two road access. This way the market can support each step of the production chain to the extent of the stores, in case you decide to save coin shutting down part of it. Excess stores can also be sold, of course.
3. When claiming space with markets, determine which ones will be high load and which will be low load markets. I try to limit my cart runs to +2. So a level 1 market will support 3 producers. You don't want to set up your cloth chains on a market that is going to have to haul bricks and iron et al, when those options become available.
4. I hot key each initial trade routes 1-4, active traders 5-6, and combat ships (descending order) 0-7, to make sending for repairs easier.
5. It never hurts to check if a building can be optimized, but do it after you place the road on tiles in the area of effect.
6. I find it much faster and easier to manualy upgrade my houses. It allows for more control, esp when you have more than one level of housing needing upgrade.
Population needs for 35 houses
(based on annopedia thread)
Pioneers (280 ppl, 8 ea)
1 butcher, 1 weaver
Settlers (455 ppl, 13 ea)
1 butcher + 1 fisher or hunter, 2 weavers, 2 alcohol, 1 tobacco.
Citizens (700 ppl, 20 ea)
2 butchers or 1 grain combo, 2 weavers, 2 alcohol, 2 tobacco, 1 chocolate combo, 1 lamp oil
Merchants (1050 ppl, 30 ea)
3 butchers or 1 bakery + 1 butcher/3 fisher-hunter, 3 weavers, 3 alcohol, 2 tobacco;
1 chocolate, 1 lamp oil, 1 perfume (slight shortages).
Trade Routes:
A: Select desired ship and open trade route screen and immediately close it (making no selections).
B: Turn off the automatic route.
C: Re-open the trade route screen and complete the necessary details.
Now you can start it when your ready, after initial priming at any spot. (Would be a lot easier if trade routes started "de-activated").
D: If you have a 3 island route, excess product can be emergency stored at the third island. IE:
IslandA load full item, IslandB unload all (this is the island that needs it), IslandC Unload all (store it, sell it, whatever). This puts the transport fully empty at the end of the route so it gets to point A the fastest. (obviously not needed if your not delivering more that can be used/stored in IslandB)
Screen Shot:
http://img161.imageshack.us/img161/4772/47houseswq3.th.jpg (http://img161.imageshack.us/my.php?image=47houseswq3.jpg)
1. The school and chapel need not be replaced later on. Both will suffice without "upgrade". Leaving the school keeps the school tech branch available in the university window. There is enough room around the school/theater you could replace one or the other with the advanced building.
2. Obviously, there is a lot of room for expansion, once you decide to come up off of the basement floor of 35 houses.
3. The outside edge of the houses mirrors the town center and support buildings radius edge (for the most part).
4. The first 15 house are the citizens (Step 3:C).
5. The second 20 houses are settlers (Step 4:E)
6. The final 12 houses are pioneers (Step 10:A).
Thank you for taking the time to read this long post. Any comments are of course welcome.
I hope I didn't miss anything :biggrin: