You put the buildings down. The people do the rest: nobody
is steered. A farmer plants what you mark out, waters it, harvests it
and carries the crop to storage, all on his own.
Getting started
You start with a farmer, two wheat fields beside a pond, a grain bin,
a wood shed with a little wood in it, and a trading post with a horse
and trailer. The first thing to do is hire a builder: open
Build, pick the Builder's Yard from Town, and put it
beside a road. He walks in along the highway and builds his own yard
first. After that he builds everything else you put down, in turn.
Water
A crop needs water before it grows. A pond gives it for nothing: 3
to the squares beside it, 2 to the next ring, 1 to the next. Two
ponds add up, and marsh gives 2 to the squares touching it. Whatever
the ponds do not cover, a farmer carries from a well, one
bucket a trip. Water is invisible, like the wind, but
Effects → Water shows how much reaches every square.
Shade
Tall things throw shade, and crops in the shade grow slower. A silo
throws the most. Effects → Shade shows it, and placing
anything tall shows the rings of shade it will throw.
Selling
Click the trading post to sell. The horse and trailer takes ten at a
time along the road to the highway and off the map, and the money
arrives when it reaches the market. Nothing can be sold that is not
in storage, and when storage is full the workers keep working and
throw the extra away — so keep selling, or build bigger.
Wages
Everybody costs wages for every minute their house is switched on.
They are paid on payday, every hour — the countdown is
at the top. Anybody the money does not stretch to goes home and stays
there until they are paid, which happens as soon as money comes in.
Moving about
- Drag
- Slide the map
- Right-drag
- Swing round and tilt
- Wheel
- Closer or further
- Arrows / W A S D
- Slide
- Q and E
- Swing round
- R
- Turn what you are placing
- Escape
- Put the tool down
The town only works while you are looking at it. Close the page and
come back, and everybody starts at home — whatever they were
carrying is lost, but the fields, the stock and the money are all
as they were.