Cities and Functions--Tips and Advice on building an efficient city

Gaining Profits off of a City
There are 3 main concepts on gaining profits: Economy, Population, and Jobs. If you've got 300 peasants but no market, you've got Population, but you haven't got Economy. If you've got 3 markets but only 4 peasants, you've got Economy, but you haven't got Population. If you've got 4 markets and 200 Peasants, you've got Population, Economy, but no Jobs. No jobs=no currency flow. If you've got one market, 100 peasants, and jobs for everyone, you're city is the best of all than the others previously stated.

Economy:

Economic structures are anything that can be taxed. For example, a farm, while indirectly a factor of economy, cannot be taxed, therefor, is not economically helpful. Taxed things are what get you the money. Markets, Shops, and trading are economic. You might not need markets too much, but they're the simplest way of economy. As helpful as it may sound, it is the lowest way of gaining money and flowing the currency in a new city.

Population:

It is logical to say that one nation with 600 people will gain more than one with 5. However, as productive as this can be, no one can paint a majestic portrait without a brush. Markets can be slightly beneficial, won't get money flowing. Shops are easiest for some, but these people need jobs. Besides that, Population is where everything starts. You have to have population to do anything-everything. The more, the better. However, it does come with maintenance, housing, and food costs.

Jobs:

Jobs are the best way to flow money. You become more successful when the people have money in their pockets. Extra money. Then they can buy things, and the adding up of the small taxes get you huge profits. While finding jobs is difficult, it pays off the long run. For example: if you built a school, the population/job ratio will certainly impress. However, schools are a cost to build, maintain, and keep educated with hiring professional teachers. If you pay shop owners to teach apprentices, these pupils have a skill of trade to get jobs. While this is cheapest and easiest for the people, it is more focused on one area, thus the least efficient.

Furthermore, while it is helpful to have markets for foreign trade, it is very useless in a new city because no one has anything, nor the money to trade. You need to get them jobs, and the money will slowly flow.

After you've done all you need to get money flowing, its time to get the people happy. Building a market is the easiest way--for it introduces foreign items that can impress the people. It also creates a sudden demand for these merchandise, creating more profit for you.

Markets are most helpful when you've got a lot of people in your city. 12 people can trade a few things once in a while, but 75 can do some real deals. This can help with cash-so if you are going to build a market, make some houses and start inhabiting people. Don't forget to get them jobs, or they cant even spend at the market.

Jobs are hard, and getting everyone one of these isn't likely. Job rates are dependent on how many stores, people, and economic structures you have. If you've got 20 people, 4 stores, a couple farms, a warehouse, and a market, jobs will be good. Food will feed the people, money will flow to you, and the city will flourish.

=== Buildings ===

 City Buildings  : These are the actually required buildings for cities. They include farms, houses, and markets.

The House:

The house is the most crucial part of city. In order to keep people alive and able for work, they will require houses. House costs and types can be found inBentley's Construction Services. Making houses is always the first thing to do. It is easiest to build several houses that hold low amounts of people rather than one big house.

The Market: Markets aren't helpful until you've got some currency flow and foreign trade routes. Then it is efficient and brings in new goods that you can stock--which have more demand for more tax. Building a market in the beginning is only helpful for happiness. Have only one market until you've got some good city going on. More than one market on land smaller than 18 is pretty useless.

Stores and Shops: This is probably the third thing you'll be building--after houses and farms. This helps people get money and distribute goods. Taxes will heavily rely on these until a market is highly efficient. Unlike the self-sufficient markets, these will require hiring/management for simplicity. You could just sell it to a peasant and still tax--though the profits will be less in the long run. This is probably a good idea, for it spreads the currency flow around.

Farms and Warehouses: After you've got your house, the next thing you'll be wanting to build is the farm. Your people need food--it is cheaper to make a farm, but if you haven't the money, you could buy them food until you've got a farm going. Farmers are self-sufficient and grow surpluses for everyone else. Food is kept in the warehouse, and you can tax for food consumption. Farmers gain their own pay--as do their families--from farming. Building a warehouse is a must to store extra food so it can help later on. Upgrading your warehouse may be the first thing to upgrade--it can be protected against raids and nature.

 Milit a  ry Buildings  : Building defenses is going to help a good deal after you're city is flourishing. When you're city is a bit rich, people will tend to attack you. For the beginning, you can defend it--plus with some civilians become militias. However, the raids will strengthen and your people are not fighters. Building walls and towers can help defend your city--garrisons increase the defense even more(plus, it provides jobs to the people inside). Making a barracks is one of the first army structures you'll need.

Walls: Walls are important. You'll need it to protect against animals or small-time vandals. Later on it can aid in wars, prevent robbery and damage- and make yourself safe from pillages and raids.

Towers : If you're expecting an attack, you should build a tower and garrison it. This is the best defense you can get that has the least maintenance. Just pay soldiers and cheap ammo and you're good.

Military Structures : If you need to train some men, instead of hiring, these structures are what you would build. Train from skirmishing javelin throwers to elite, metallic knights.

Barracks : Trains some civilians into fighters. This is necessary after a while of managing a city. Also a stock place for weapons. Practically vital to any growing city to have this.

Stable : Here your horses are kept. Required to make cavalry units--which are actually trained at the Barracks. Horses--while strong--are mainly used on the offensive.

Archery Range : Archers don't train here--but practice here to increase power. Literal archers are trained at the Barracks--but are weak until they practice here. Required for any archery units. Making archery units is great for defense.

Workshop : Here your brilliant citizens play with mechanics and construct varieties of traps, levers, and siege units. Probably only helpful when you're trying to prep up some artillery.

Here are different ways to build your city:

Military-Wise
Or along those lines. Maybe more farms/warehouse/etc but yeah. Rough estimate of a military city.
 * 1) House
 * 2) Farm
 * 3) Warehouse
 * 4) Upgrade Warehouse\
 * 5) House
 * 6) House
 * 7) Upgrade Farm
 * 8) Upgrade Warehouse
 * 9) Barracks
 * 10) House
 * 11) House
 * 12) New Farm
 * 13) House
 * 14) Archery Range
 * 15) House
 * 16) Stable
 * 17) House
 * 18) Upgrade Farm
 * 19) House
 * 20) Workshop

Economic-Wise

 * 1) House
 * 2) Farm
 * 3) Warehouse
 * 4) House
 * 5) Upgrade Warehouse
 * 6) Upgrade Farm
 * 7) House
 * 8) House
 * 9) Market
 * 10) Shop
 * 11) Shop
 * 12) House
 * 13) Shop
 * 14) New Farm
 * 15) Upgrade Warehouse
 * 16) Upgrade Farm
 * 17) House
 * 18) House
 * 19) Wall
 * 20) Gate

Again, it's a rough estimate of an economic city.

Overall-WIse

 * 1) House
 * 2) Farm
 * 3) Warehouse
 * 4) Market
 * 5) House
 * 6) Upgrade Warehouse
 * 7) Wall
 * 8) Barracks
 * 9) House
 * 10) House
 * 11) Shop
 * 12) New Farm
 * 13) Upgrade Farm
 * 14) House
 * 15) Gate
 * 16) Archery Range
 * 17) House
 * 18) New Farm
 * 19) Stable
 * 20) Workshop

An all-around city estimate.

Making Your City a Better Place
Firstly, its not a city until you've got the following: House, Farm, Warehouse. That's the minimum. If it was an actual city, it might have more houses, farms, markets, shops, and military buildings with walls and gates.

Also, to build your own city, you'll need some land. You can acquire this by quests, trades, or something in Rping. Lands have a number of slots. Each Building only takes up 1 slot. For every upgrade, it increases by 0.5. So an upgraded Farm(one upgrade) makes it take up 1.5 slots. An upgraded warehouse(one upgrade) takes up 1.5 too. So they take up 3 slots altogether.

Growing Population:

 * Time : Slowest way--but increases in rate over time. Can only be improved by being added to by other ways.
 * Trade : Sometimes you attract people to your city via trade conversing. Can be improved by better products and good wealth income.
 * Media:  When people hear about your city from far and wide-they become interested by how fabulous it is. Can be improved by expansiveness, varieties of buildings like Shops and markets, defenses, and military buildings.
 * Houses : Having open space and sheltering encourages population growth. Can be improved by building/upgrading houses.
 * Health Care : A clean and healthy environment with hospitals reduces deaths and illness to help population. Can be improved by researching new medicines and constructing health care buildings.

Losing Population:

 * Time : If after a while your city is a bit dull and nothing happens, people will slowly drift away. Can be improved by social events. Example: Arena.
 * Trade : If your trade is too low after a time, people see no benefit of being in your city and leave. Can be improved by markets, shops, and job opportunities.
 * Media : When your city is known to be dull, boring, poor, infected, etc., people know and don't want to come. Can be improved by: Preventing these things, and bribing the media.
 * Houses : With limited space, people see they cannot live here, and therefore do not. Can be improved by building/upgrading houses/buying more land.
 * Health Care : If your city is spreading some kind of illness, it will majorly keep people out. And healthy people will leave. Can be improved by researching vaccines and medicinal herbs/building health care buildings.

Growing Wealth:

 * Time : If after a while your city is growing enough wealth to have merchants. Can be improved by encouraging foreign trading.
 * Trade : If your trade is getting expansive, the trade income will slowly rise. Can be improved by more new products and market/shops.
 * Media : People hear of the wealth of your city and come for even more trading. Can be improved by building roads and encouraging foreign trade.
 * Houses : The merchants see Inns and Taverns in your city, so feel welcome to come on in. Can be improved by upgrading Inns and Taverns.
 * Health Care : Your city is fresh and clean. The rich merchants, careful of their lives, come without hesitation. Can be improved by researching new medicines and upgrading health care buildings.

Losing Wealth:

 * Time : Your city's economy is dwindling or stagnant. Merchants are useless. Can be improved by building markets and roads, and planning trade routes.
 * Trade : Nothing new interests the townsfolk, so there is no demand and little income. Can be improved by stocking new products and researching new things.
 * Media : No one knows your city's wealth exists. In a merchant's eyes, it is just a low village. Can be improved by encouraging trade routes, hiring merchants, and building roads.
 * Houses : Traveling merchants have no where to stay in your city, so on their map, they will go somewhere else. Can be improved by building Inns and Taverns.
 * Health Care : Someone has caught an illness! Cautious merchants will avoid your city. Can be improved by researching the current disease's vaccine, researching new vaccines, and constructing/upgrading health care structures.
 * Health Care : Someone has caught an illness! Cautious merchants will avoid your city. Can be improved by researching the current disease's vaccine, researching new vaccines, and constructing/upgrading health care structures.

Growing Fame:

 * Time : People begin to hear of the social life and overall happiness of your city and pack up to live there. Can be improved by building social structures--such as the arena, and building roads.
 * Trade : People trade products of your city that they become interested in. Can be improved by stocking new products, encouraging foreign trade, and researching new things.
 * Media : News spread of the your city vastly across the continent. Can be improved by building roads, social structures, and immigrating people.
 * Houses : The palatial structures in your magnificent city attract many new kinds of people. Can be improved by hiring artists, architects, and researching new ideas.
 * Health Care : Your medicines and herbs with helping health care structures are widely known and respected. Can be improved by researching new vaccines, preventing diseases, and upgrading health care structures.

Losing Fame:

 * Time : It goes around slowly that your city is nothing more than a village. Can be improved by building social structures and upgrading roads.
 * Trade : Your city is less than average with nothing spectacular. Can be improved by researching new things.
 * Media : Merchants and immigrants tell around how worthless your city is. Can be improved by bribes, hiring, and personally treating people.
 * Houses : Houses are cruddy in your neighborhood and there is hardly much space to live in. Can be improved by upgrading houses.
 * Health Care : Your doctors are stagnant and hardly care for making a vaccine unless its needed, which they still slack. Can be improved by promotion, disciplining, researching new vaccines, and upgrading health care structures.

Managing City Happiness
Your city can get unhappy-as well as ecstatic about living there. Mostly, the happiness comes from your honor, the rules, and fame/wealth. First, we're going to cover how your honor affects your city's populace.

Honor of the Leader
Your people can be ashamed of having to live there by your orders, or can be enthusiastic about getting the opportunity to live in your city. Some of the honour comes from quests. Doing many quests helps encourage your people's satisfaction. Dropping quests shuns your villagers. Not doing many quests makes you look like a slacker in their eyes.

Other parts of honor are from wars. If you don't fight in wars like a real leader, they see no honor in your name. A real leader takes a risky war, and comes back with the shiniest medal(or at least it was shiny and golden, but you know how rogues along the path home can get a little cocky). If you faint, ever, your people drop a lot of honor. The more consecutive wins you have--the more it raises. Retreating isn't as bad as dying in battle-but it is just as deadly to the honor. The winners of the battle will tell their villagers and others, spreading around you're a loser--so people don't begin to join.

Honor also comes from how noble and caring you are. If a peasant is needing some coins and comes to your nobleness for assistance, you should provide some money. If a rich man comes up to you and asks for 200 coins, you're probably going to say no. It'll make you look like a feeble push-over. This is similar for donating to the same transient every day he comes over. Sometimes honor comes from laying down the law.

Fairness to the People
Your people are critics and gullible when it comes to a lot of things. The best way to handle things in the beginning is to take it easy. No Tea Act&gt;Boston Tea Party, okay? Its stuff like those that got the revolution of America to the British(although if they hadn't, this whole thing wouldn't even be here). Just take it easy. Your city isn't even too big to set down big laws.

The first things you want to cover are the general unlawfulness things like Murder, Theft, and Vandalism. Murder is the easiest. It's not too common in small cities, easy to catch the killers, and punishment in public makes good examples. Theft is harder in new cities--but easier because there are less suspects. Whenever you catch a robber-juice out his info and WHAP his head off in a public display(lol). Vandalism is hard, especially because they are usually teens who have parents who wouldn't want them dead. Also, they put up a serious fight and are hard to catch(physically). You can't kill them without a riot.

The next things may be enforcements on taxes, but don't start decapitating heads over it, people. Seriously. Not. Necessary. Okay? Inappropriate. Discipline is to your discretion. Also, don't be making rules like: "PAY ME UR GLD OR I CUM AN BEET U UP!!!!!!" Lol. Also, don't overcharge: "ME WANT 50 GLD PER EECH TIEM U BY OR SEL!!!!" Lol. And another, don't tax everything: "TAX ON WOTTER, PAYPER, FUD, AN AL UDDER CRAP!!!!".

Another rule you might want to address: Salutary respect. Imagine this: You just emerged triumphant from a glorious battle of ages when someone needed your help. With nobility, you rush to the assistance. You save the person's mother from rogues, and return to your city to see it is under attack. Equipped once again, you proceed and successfully fend off the foreign invaders. Rebels in your city are vandalizing, and you punish them properly. Merchants display good wealth, and your city's population is impressive. Just as you are to drink your refreshing wine--your butler comes to flavor it with new technological advancements. Yes, you are doing splendid. Then a random peasant comes up in front of you going, "Wazzup Homie! Yall shoulda been at my place last night. Me and my friends was hollerin fo dat music, dawg."

Trading
Your people are interested in everything they come in contact with. You need to satisfy them with new products from foreign trade or new stocks. When something is in demand--get it, and get it fast. When something is lame--lose it, and lose it fast. The media can help too, so try and impress as many merchants as you can, so that new products entertain your city.

Besides market-related, Shops and Stores are also crucial to trading. Without any shops or stores, people rely on the broad market for everything they need, so it's difficult. Making shops and stores makes it easier trading lives for the people. Making your own food store is also very helpful--some peasants are afraid of eating foreign food.

Fame can attract merchants or other trading peasants to your city. Making a market and several stores is extremely helpful for benefiting your trade. Remember to stock what's right, and those who aren't--fly a kite.

Health Care
(this is your new city. so far you have no military, a wall, some scientists, and a hundred peasants with a good economy and free housing space)

"Sir, someone has brought upon us a new disease! What are your actions?"

Oh Shizzle! Someone caught a disease!? RUN FOR YOUR LIFE!

Slay him.

"Quarantine and separate from the rest of the village. Have all researchers find this cure."

(days later) "Sir, it appears the person has died...not only that, but he spread the disease to the rest of his family."

WHAT! THAT'S BULL! IN THAT CASE, LET'S GET THE HECK OUTTA HERE!"

Slay them.

"Have them quartered outside of the village. Stock their foods and necessities beforehand--we don't want more getting infected by continual transferring. Get more research. Ask merchants to get info on this disease."

(days later)

"Sir! We have found the cure for the disease! We already saved the family--but the Imperial Capital City of Cavalry we found it from demands 1000 gold."

"Tell 'em I'll do the deal for 50 coins and that one infected pig in that farmer's house."

"Non-sense! I'm not paying those bulls. My kid came to me last night with the cure. Tell them to ride their damn elite horses to a top of a mountain."

Slay them.

"Excellent! Have the tribute sent by the end of today."

That example pretty much said a lot. Let's go over each sentence and see how each relate to Health Care:

"Sir, someone has brought upon us a new disease! What are your actions?"

Okay, for here, we've got to act smooth, noble, and prepared for a serious response.

'

''' Oh Shizzle! Someone caught a disease!? RUN FOR YOUR LIFE! '''

Okay, you might say this once--but only in a serious epidemic. Not when it just started up. Unless it's a known disease that is extremely dangerous.

''' Slay him. '''

You might actually have to do this if it's a serious disease. It might lower city happiness though.

'

"Sir, it appears the person has died...not only that, but he spread the disease to the rest of his family."

This has bad news and good news: The good news is: we still got to keep our research. The bad news is: its infecting. Make a smooth reply.

''' WHAT! THAT'S BULL! IN THAT CASE, LET'S GET THE HECK OUTTA HERE!" '''

Deal with complications. Don't go 'THATS BULL!'. And bring the other townsfolk with you, lol.

''' Slay them. '''

Lol. That's just stupid.

"Sir! We have found the cure for the disease! We already saved the family--but the Imperial Capital City of Cavalry we found it from demands 1000 gold."

This is awesome. Your city is now free of the disease and prepared for it if it comes again. Plus, 1000 gold is not all that much. Best not screw over the Imperial Capital City of Cavalry anyways, lol.

''' "Tell 'em I'll do the deal for 50 coins and that one infected pig in that farmer's house." '''

First of all-that pig is infected. Also--don't ever cut that much gold off. Lol.

''' "Non-sense! I'm not paying those bulls. My kid came to me last night with the cure. Tell them to ride their damn elite horses to a top of a mountain." '''

This one is different: Don't insult your way to free cures.

''' Slay them. '''

Lolz.

Housing
This is an easy-to-solve problem: People are crammed too much. Even putting 1 extra guy in each house adds up loss of happiness. It might be okay to shove one guy in--but don't get carried away by wealth. The media will talk about you *-*.

For every one person you put extra in a house, its -1 happiness. Some houses have max capacity--where it Just. Wont. Fit. Any more people. Deal with it, greedy crammer.

For every one SOLDIER you put into a house, its -2 happiness. You can just put your men in people's houses unless it's serious. Don't do that.

For every one MILITARY ANIMAL you put into a house, its -3 happiness, and it could possibly be killed. Don't throw your horses in someone's house.

If you have lots of free space, it wont increase happiness, but hey--at least this issue is easy to solve.

Cries from the People: Their needs
You cant give everyone jobs, cash, homes, markets, shops, stores, and leave for 6 months(unless there is a representation, but even this wont deal with everything). Your people might have vandal damages, bandit thefts, and sieges. Sometimes it's a different type of seriousness, like is some people were stolen by thugs or someone got assassinated. Your people are mostly self-sufficient, but they still need your help.

Don't ignore city complaints. They may be saying how someone with the only type of a stock is making the price too high. You've got to rule with an iron fist sometimes and lay down the law. Sometimes the people are being threatened by each other or fights started up. Calm things down. Other times, people complain they don't have enough rights. If they're just being spoiled, tell them to knock it off. Otherwise, make a compromise.

Sometimes people come over to visit you for political reasons. They may have a variety of issues to discuss, and you need to be there to hear it. People often complain, but some may have some deals from other cities on gaining land for you or other reasons. It could be a lot. Just make sure you don't screw everyone over. Here's an example:

"Sire!" the person said, smiling.

"What?" the noob king replies irritably.

"Sorry, your majesty...." he says, hurt.

"Yeah, get outta here, I'm busy." (you resume to eat your muffin) Damn noobs, the noob king thinks to himself.

The person whispers to himself: "I guess he doesn't want to confirm that deal with the 2000 cavalry. I'll tell the company to keep the money he sent them--and don't bother with giving us the product."

I guess that's pretty much it on the subject. If you think I missed anything, or have some suggestions or input that are relevant/you think should be added, leave a message here. Or speak in the contribution thread on GW or PM me or something like that. VM works too.