What is best strategy for start?

[PawelK198604]

What is absolute must have?

[iru]

I usually start with a stockpile and tell everyone to chop down my closest surroundings.
I build 1 gatherers hut, 1 hunters cabin and a storage barn a little bit out in the woods. (3 Gatherers and 1 Hunter assigned)
I build 1 house next to the gatherers hut and the rest of the houses where I plan to have my village. (I build until no one is without a roof above their heads)
I build 1 wood cutter where I plan to have my village.

Next I pause the game and plan for where to put a market, a town hall, a smith, a tailor, a church, a cemetary and a trade post. (I set out the buildings and then I click on them and put pause in the lower right corner)

I build a road far out in the forest and plan for another group of 1 gatherers hut, 1 hunting cabin, 1 storage barn and 1 house.

I try to find a suitable place to put down 2 mines (1 iron, 1 coal) and 1 quarry (for stone). This will be a mini-village in itself with a market to keep them supplied with firewood and food.

edit: This is for a hard start with fair climate. Even with a normal start I usually begin the same. Farms feel less effective / worker than Gatherers huts.

[Jambie Lionheart]

Depends on a lot of things to be honest. I'd do most of what the above guy said, but if I start close enough to a river then the first thing I build for food gathering in a fishermans hut. Then I might build a gathering hut.

I always try and get the housing up before summer, and the wood cutters up before Autumn. That way there's enough firewood to go around.
and if I'm not near a river I'll often build up an area similar to how Iru does it. As soon as all the houses are done it's a Gatherers hut and hunting cabin and I'll either build another of the same type o' area or I'll build towards the closest river and set up a fishing industry. Fisheries and Gathering huts seem to be increadibly efficiant when used together to supply food for a town. Oh, and try to build fisheries on a V shaped bend if you can. The more water surface area they cover the more efficient they seem to be.

Other factors play into it as well, but a good fishery should be bringing in anything between 1,800-2,100 per year. (it says per season but it's really only per year).

[mbutton15]

The plan that iru has detailed is more a lifetime plan as things like mines and quarries are best left until your town is well established. Iru's first paragraph is your start point and I'd add a forester next to the Gatherer and Hunter building. I would then go for the smith and tailor by the end of year 2. Anythng else is luxuray.

Remember, Rome wasn't built in a day and I find the best approach is get your food reserves up as most towns that fail early are due to starvation issues.

It's also worth a look in the guides section as there are a couple that cover the early years. Experiment and have fun.

[iru]

Originally posted by mbutton15:

The plan that iru has detailed is more a lifetime plan as things like mines and quarries are best left until your town is well established. Iru's first paragraph is your start point and I'd add a forester next to the Gatherer and Hunter building. I would then go for the smith and tailor by the end of year 2. Anythng else is luxuray.

Remember, Rome wasn't built in a day and I find the best approach is get your food reserves up as most towns that fail early are due to starvation issues.

It's also worth a look in the guides section as there are a couple that cover the early years. Experiment and have fun.

I guess I should've added that I pause those buildings as well. I find it much, much easier to grow a nice town when you have those future basic needs put down on the map and paused. Having a plan for mines/quarry down and ready is gold worth when the natural resources on the map grows scarcer.

[mbutton15]

Originally posted by iru:

I guess I should've added that I pause those buildings as well. I find it much, much easier to grow a nice town when you have those future basic needs put down on the map and paused. Having a plan for mines/quarry down and ready is gold worth when the natural resources on the map grows scarcer.

I have to admit, on my current town I planned a mine/quarry area (on pause) before I'd even got my essentials mapped out. They are still on pause 45 years in !!

It was not my intention to be critical, I just didn't want PawelK198604 to feel overwhelmed as it's easy to overstretch resources when you are a newbie still trying to find their way in this excellent game.

[Blackadar]

Generally, I try to get the "Woodland Combo" built ASAP. That means a gathering hut, forester, hunter and barn all together deep in the middle of a dense forest. The production from such a setup is excellent and that gets the ball rolling on collecting the biggest needs - food and wood. This is almost mandatory to get a good colony up and running effectively.

Then I tend to build houses, a woodcutter and a fishing dock. After that comes a school (uneducated citizens are simply not efficient enough) and a blacksmith (just as my tools start to run really low). In the meanwhile I'll gather stone, wood and iorn as needed to finish out these buildings.

From there the world is your oyster.

[iru]

Originally posted by mbutton15:

Originally posted by iru:

It was not my intention to be critical, I just didn't want PawelK198604 to feel overwhelmed as it's easy to overstretch resources when you are a newbie still trying to find their way in this excellent game.

Oh, criticism is welcome - I'm sorry if it came out in a way that made you think otherwise.

All in all I think this thread has become filled with great info on how to start a village out!

Get a "Woodland combo", Wood Cutter, Housing, Blacksmith, Tailor and a good Fishing Hut location early. Plan ahead and map out where you want your future mines and important mid to late game buildings.

[mbutton15]

Originally posted by iru:

Originally posted by mbutton15:

Oh, criticism is welcome - I'm sorry if it came out in a way that made you think otherwise.

Not at all. I would never intentionally criticize, and suspect we are both trying to do the some thing... offer our thoughts in the hope that they help !!

As you say, some good info in this thread.

[ebrumby]

I start by picking a good map. As soon as it comes up, I put the game on pause. Bring up the mini map and make sure you are close enough to areas you can put a good forest/gatherer node, a trader and mines. Check to see which seeds/orchards you have and whether you like the type of livestock. I open all of the info boxes and set all but 2 adults as builders. I reset reasonable limits.

Place all of your year 1 builds while the game's on pause. I usually play on Easy so there are already 6 houses and a barn. I lay a road out to the gatherer node to line everything up and place the gatherer/hunter/forester, small stock pile (and because I use mods, a storage shed). I put a couple of houses out there too that I won't build until I get more adults. I put 2 10x12 crop fields near my houses/barn, in a spot with few items to be cleared (that size only needs 1 farmer). I put a pasture for no more than 10 animals. I put the woodcutter near the stockpile. (No fishing docks.) Put each on hold. I prioritize the gatherer then the 2 crops (which makes crops #1 priority) and take those items off pause. I delete all of the roads so my people don't waste time on them - I add them back later.

Then I take the game off pause. Play at 1x or 2x so you can make adjustments & prioritize as needed. May need another stockpile or need to gather more stone/iron/logs. When builders are done with the crops or forester, take the woodcutter, hunter, pasture and forester off hold in that order. Build one of the homes if a child now an adult.

During the 1st winter, start to build the taylor and blacksmith (can assign one person and move them back & forth). Maybe a school and another barn in year 2. Orchards get started year 2 or 3 if I can use for wine or ale.)

[K ONE]

food everything else will fall in line

[ebrumby]

Originally posted by K ONE:

food everything else will fall in line

Not always that easy. Avoiding running out of tools is also good advice. As is "don't have tornadoes."

[Jambie Lionheart]

Also, try not to go too long without clothes :D Bannions get awefully depressed if they're running around nude for too long.

[Fatbill]

Meh.

Everything can be handled, unless you don't have enough flat land on your map.

Need land to expand into later, and to support the fields/corrals you need for food.

Too many hills/rivers breaking up your land, and you are toast.

[Ben]

For those starting on hard, id suggest the following.

1st - Clear enough wood and stone to construct a boarding house.
Its quicker to build than 5 houses, everyone gets access to all the food types, and firewood consumption is the same as a single house. This gives you plenty of time to make everything else.

2nd - Get more wood and stone and build a gatherers hut, followed by a barn. Gatherers provide 4 types of food keeping your people healthier for longer.

3rd - Hunters cabin and woodcutter are next. Meat is important for health ( and trade ) and the leather will be needed. Fire wood is an excellent trading resource.

4th - Build a tailor and blacksmith. Tools and cloths start to run out soon and you dont want to be without either. That said i believe tools are more important. You wont need them working full time to start with.

5th - Now is a good time to build 6 - 7 houses. If you have access to a lot of stone locally, make them stone houses. The firewood saving is important for trading later.

6th - If possible try to build a school before too many children turn into adults. Its possible to keep nearly everyone educated if you act swiftly enough. ( on the same note, much later on try to have a cemetary in place before anyone dies of old age )

After this point what you build isnt important as long as everyone has the minimum. Try to have a chapel and a herbalist. Unhappy citizens work slower, as do unhealthy ones.
I usually aim at building trading posts when the river is close by. The more of them you have the more boats you will see arriving. i usually assign only a single trader, and have him collect the excess venison and firewood. 1000 venison, and at least 625 firewood ( enough for seeds ). Trading posts can be used to keep an emergency stash of tools and cloths if you accidentally neglect to top them up.
If you can survive on surface stone and iron for long enough, you can use trading posts as your main source for these materials. They will bring you more than you can use over time, and removes the requirement for mines and quarries. Be sure to have plenty of foresters and woodcutters to keep everyone warm AS WELL AS keeping a surplus for trade. Firewood is accepted by every trader.
Until you have all the seeds for your farms and orchards, you can swap excess meat for fruits and veg you dont have. Keeps people healthier for longer.

Hope this is useful information.

[MrZepter]

it's VERY useful, Ben. Thank you