Fun can be had in different ways in building games. Some people build away as they go, place things where they fit nicely, beautify everything to create an aesthetically looking kingdom that simply looks wonderful. That’s not me. I belong to the other group that places everything strategically, plans out the entire kingdom before even starting, and making sure everything is optimally placed. I did the math, I ran the simulations, and I documented the results. This guide sums up my findings and tells you how to achieve that perfect balance.

Peasants are people too, and they like to have all the conveniences they can get. They don’t want to walk far to get their food, they want door to door healthcare, and easy access to all the facilities. Therefore I created a unit that has all the buildings they need, along with enough food next to it to feed the entire district. I’ve made it as compact as possible to not waste any space and made it perfectly stackable as well to construct as many adjoining districts as needed.

The housing units are 10 by 10 blocks that has manors along the entire outside rows. This means 16 manors per block for a total of 400 beds. All houses have access to all town buildings with the sole exceptions of a Cathedral and Great Library. Overcrowding isn’t an issue here as there are enough buildings to prevent that. This makes them perfectly content and easily reach the 100 happiness cap.

Here is a detailed breakdown of the housing unit:

Right next to the housing unit is a market and granaries surrounded by farms and orchards. All of these are irrigated to provide a maximum yield. The only thing that influences the harvest is the quality of the soil here. On fertile land the orchards yield 30 food per year. This is less for barren ground and more for very fertile land, so these need to even each other out to maintain an average of 30 food per orchard. This should be easily achieved however as most ground in the game is balanced as well. Make sure that the small stockpile here is set to only accept coal, as that is the only resource needed here.

Here is a detailed breakdown of the farming grounds:

Like with any good arrangement, the centerpiece is very important to tie the whole package together. This is a 7 by 7 area that has to host 2 bathhouses and supply all farming areas with water as well. The extra space is occupied by the dead population in two graveyards large enough to sustain the four surrounding neighborhoods. The Noria in the middle can be placed in any of the directions, as long the buildings are properly placed around it to supply all four neighborhoods access to a bathhouse. (To place the Noria you need to dig a moat first to get fresh water.)

Each housing unit needs enough charcoal to keep them warm in the winter, and to bake bread to increase the food supply. This means per housing unit you need to have 1 Forester and 4 Charcoal Makers, preferably somewhere nearby. This generates a little more than needed, but you’ll need some extras when new people are moving in to fill up their houses.

After everything is set up there shouldn’t be any need to micromanage the neighborhood anymore, everything should run smoothly. Each district has a Treasure Room as well as you need to collect taxes in order to keep the service buildings running. When set to 1, the overall happiness will drop to 95 which is no problem at all. When set however you’ll generate a way more gold than needed, and you’ll have plenty to set up defences or pay soldiers as well.

All of this perfectly fits on a small map to make a happy little fort. Or if you are playing on a larger map you can stack many together in any direction, or even use several stand alone ones to make cities on their own island.

Thanks for reading and enjoy the game!