Ok I fundamentally do not understand what I'm doing

[caldermuyo]

I haven't played much but I'm simply not getting something. I keep getting a game over early in an attempt at an 'easy' summit.

Do I need workers of all types in every level? I have lowlanders and artisans on the bottom level and I can get that economy up fine, but as soon as I expand up a level to get copper to make pots I start to fail. I need to chain those courier sheds to get the copper down to the lower level, and if I start building monk housing I have to then create another food market and then get wheat/honey production going there as well... which seems impossible to do without quickly running out of money. How are the food production buildings working without lowlanders? How can I move either copper ore or finished copper wares down a level without having a monastery going to get the ox transport option?

Clearly, I'm just not realising something pretty important about how the worker requirements function between levels and how to move goods and/or raw materials between levels since upgraded roads only do so much and the game is telling me I need to have the monks on a higher level.

[frumple]

You're missing a couple of things:

One, you can build as many "cities" as you like. Houses need food, some utensils or pots and religious coverage, so place markets then surround them with houses.
Note that you can mix different type of housing. If you mix them, you get lowlanders and artisans supplied from the same market, and you get two separate workforces from the same "city".
Don't overdo it with houses because you will not have enough room for production buildings and farms.

And two, you're probably not aware that any shortage of workers is automatically covered with hired extras. These cost significant money! The game doesn't really tell you that your money is melting away paying for wages you would not have to pay IF you had enough workers of that type.

Not only that, you'd get the income from your people and stop paying out salaries at the same time.
And speaking of income, you are building donation collecting buildings?
Put it close to a market to cover all the houses.

And thirdly, you don't have to route all goods to a central location. It's better to build a market and houses near a resource.
For example when you have copper and a river nearby, you can support two different markets and "cities", one on each side of the river. Each with a bath and copper products.
Mix lowlanders and artisans and you will have workers coming out of your ears.

Play the tutorial a second time. Some of the tutotrial advice will make more sense the second time.

[WondrinOstrich]

Originally posted by frumple:

..you can build as many "cities" as you like..

Just starting today, sorry OP to crack in late in this non-post of mine, but I wonder:

Is every mountain level supposed to have at least one market? In the tutorial I need those beekeepers upstairs - they need their "providers" too on that level, I guess - or can they get their needs from below anyhow? with transporters of some kind? (maybe not unlocked yet?) Or do I even skip the houses upstairs and they live below and work above?

I played quite my share of different city builders, this one seems to be different in that direction, but I like what I see so far !! Could do with more classical 'native' music, though ;-)

Thanks in advance and xcuse me, if this was a stupid thing to ask.

edit:

Got it, no need for a market up there (yet) for those monks can live there without fulfilled needs for now (I guess, they will need some later, will see) and the workforce is overall per mountain, so it looks like no matter the mountain part they live on.

very beautiful game that is ;-)