How do you even get started with this game?

[Scow2]

I've read a few "First Year" guides, but I can't figure out how to even get that far.

When I start, I hit several problems right off the start. Only 5 families, no homes, and not enough supplies to build homes. Also - need a granary, woodcutter, supply storehouse, and hunter or gatherer, which leaves one builder, which takes forever to get anything built assuming I put only one person in each of the above.

How do I not get house and supply blocked at the very start?

[MerchantMan]

Originally posted by Scow2:

I've read a few "First Year" guides, but I can't figure out how to even get that far.

When I start, I hit several problems right off the start. Only 5 families, no homes, and not enough supplies to build homes. Also - need a granary, woodcutter, supply storehouse, and hunter or gatherer, which leaves one builder, which takes forever to get anything built assuming I put only one person in each of the above.

How do I not get house and supply blocked at the very start?

Personally, I don't worry about housing them immediately. My build order is logging camp (logs for building pretty much everything), another hitching post and ox, then hunting camp and forging hut. This will give you building materials, 2 families for construction and food. Next I build 1 home, with enough space in the back for an addition and use it for chickens or vegetables (vegetables will require work where chickens don't but you can afford 2 vegetable farms vs 1 chicken farm if you buy a 2nd ox). This gives me 3 food types and still 2 families available for building. Next you build 5 more homes, this gives you space for another family to move in. Place a marketplace near the homes and with 3 food types and no homeless you should be able to get another family in a month or so. If approval won't stay high enough (unlucky rain or something damages too much food in the open stockpile) then build a sawpit and man it with the 4th family. This will leave 1 open for construction and provide the 20 planks needed for a church, once you have the 20 planks you can remove the family from the saw pit and build a church, which will definitely get you over the approval needed for more families. Then you just build more houses and continue.

Tip: You don't immediately need the granary or storehouse, you may lose some supply to weather but it's not worth wasting one of the early families manning it because new materials (ones you don't start with) will be dropped there by the families working the other buildings. For example, the foragers will drop off their berry in the granary without anyone working it but the bread you start with will not be moved there without someone working the granary.

[tmoore4261]

I watched YouTube videos and followed along with it to start.

[Quackers]

I am playing on relaxed mode, so it may be different with other game modes. A lot if trial and error.

Start with a logging camp, max out the families working it until you have ~10/15 or so collected, then place your out buildings: granary, store house. Remove three families so you have multiple helping to build. Once the out buildings are done, add two families to each until everything is out of the rain.

Rinse and repeat for building / gathering / harvesting.

Keep things close together at the beginning so the Ox and families don't have to go too far. If your stone is super far, you don't need it right away -- build your other resources first.

I always build houses after I get a logging camp and out buildings up so I can start harvesting eggs and vegetables. If you make the plot size large enough, you can add an extension that allows +1 family to move into the lot. It helps a LOT.

Don't spread yourself too thin at first. You don't need someone working something at all times. If you use the 2-family-minimum rule, you'll gather faster between building.

[pckirk]

Build Logging Camp first, increase speed highest,
Build Hunters Camp

get those built and dump 2 families into Logging camp, 1 family into Hunting Camp.

Move the Hitching post close to the logging camp

Set the logging camp coverage to cover Forrest area that does not also cover berries or wild animal areas.

Build a Wood Cutter to make firewood

Build a well over underground water area near to your planned home plot area.

Build your first 3 - 5 Burgage plots

Set your Market area

Build a Storehouse and Grainery --- Keep 1 family in the storehouse at all times. put a family in the Grainery as needed to pick up food and meat.

Take 1 family out of the logging Camp

Build a Saw Pit to make planks

Build another Hitching post

Order another OXEN

Build a Tannery

Build a Trading Post

Build your next batch of Burgage Plots

Build a church

Upgrade your Storehouse


You will have to move your families around as needed for the various production buildings.

but always keep 1 family free to build, construct, and to lead the ox to move wood, timber.

this should get you started.

take your time and plan.

[Mr.Swan]

start in like 6 months. I honestly don't understand how anyone makes it past the third year without getting overwhelmed by the AI.

[Odium]

I cant figure it out. Even the family part of the simulation seems broken. I have 12 families but only seem to be able to use 8 to work. which means I have 4 families just soaking resources and not working anywhere. im sitting at 75% and havnt got a new family in 4 months so far.

There are huge armies roaming around but I can only gather a group of 20 men at this stage and I was upgrading to berg 2 in the first winter. It doesnt make sense

Oh also burgage plots refusing to see firewood, food and clothes that are sitting right there in a stall at the market.

[Sythalin]

Originally posted by Scow2:

I've read a few "First Year" guides, but I can't figure out how to even get that far.

When I start, I hit several problems right off the start. Only 5 families, no homes, and not enough supplies to build homes. Also - need a granary, woodcutter, supply storehouse, and hunter or gatherer, which leaves one builder, which takes forever to get anything built assuming I put only one person in each of the above.

How do I not get house and supply blocked at the very start?

So let me get this straight - you read a guide and still couldn't accomplish the literal basics of starting a game?

Be honest, which is it - skill issue or lack of reading comprehension?

[Malkuth]

Originally posted by Sythalin:

Originally posted by Scow2:

I've read a few "First Year" guides, but I can't figure out how to even get that far.

When I start, I hit several problems right off the start. Only 5 families, no homes, and not enough supplies to build homes. Also - need a granary, woodcutter, supply storehouse, and hunter or gatherer, which leaves one builder, which takes forever to get anything built assuming I put only one person in each of the above.

How do I not get house and supply blocked at the very start?

So let me get this straight - you read a guide and still couldn't accomplish the literal basics of starting a game?

Be honest, which is it - skill issue or lack of reading comprehension?

Not a really helpful answer for the guy, the forum is for people to come to help, he or she is looking for help, not an angry person that should not be contributing to his thread if you don't wanna actually help.

[solarism]

forget the 1 family = 1 task idea. you can switch familes between tasks in the beginning. I let 1 family operate granery and stock, 1 family woodcuttimng and firewood. depending on what is needed at the time