To me this is the best city builder ever invented. I play with alot of mods that only enhances the game, but also it can make it a lot easier, depends on what mods you run. Just keep in mind that you may have alot of laborers at some point in your game, but people die, and if you dont have the people to replace the deceased, it can put you in a bind. So dont rush trying to expand. Dont rely on crop fields and orchards as your source of food. Gatherers are a good way to keep food coming in. Build you a harbor, or trading post, whatever you want to call it. Stock it with firewood, and you will never have to worry about food. Also the town hall is a good way to grow your population, but they also bring in diseases, so having a clinic and a herbalists, will accomodate this problem. Your vendors only pull product from your barns, the laborers run around and supply your barns with what your town produces. You can wait one winter before building houses, but they will freeze to death if you dont have a place your people a place to live by then. So keep an eye on your seasons. Also put your storage sheds, or barns, close to your marketplace to limit the vendors from having to travel so far to get stock up the market. Dont worry about building mines and stonecutters for a while. There are plenty of these resources on the map to keep you going for awhile. Rotate all of your crop fields, orchards, and livestock farms. They can get infested, and if you dont have a place to relocate your animals, or get your crop harvested in time, you lose it all. Very important. Just keep in mind 10 x 10. One laborer can handle this size.
Other than that, relax and have fun. This is not a very demanding game, but requires a little thinking with placement of things, and managing your population. And speaking of managing your population, dont build a school until later on. It takes 2 to 3 years for a child to get their education, before they become and adult and can work as a laborer. So prepare yourself on the education, so you dont have people dying on you, and putting you in a bind. Of course, the more educated your civilians are, the faster they work, and the more productive they are, which is a good thing, But getting there can really put you in a strain if not planned correctly. I have liked this game since it came out, and it is my go to when i just want to relax and enjoy myself. I highly recommend this game to anyone, young or old. If you are into city builders like i am, this is the one to play. I have played all of the other ones that are out, but this one seems to always scratch my itch. Best game i ever owned. Will be playing this still for years to come. Respect for the people involved in the making of this game. They really know how to catch the attention of people who are in to this kind of genre. Hope this helps. And good luck out there.
