Pharaoh Campaign Walkthrough - Part 3 Author unknown November 15, 1999 Continued from Issue 75 On (Heliopolis) --------------- Population: 4000 - Kingdom: 60 - Prosperity: 35 - Culture: 40 Monuments: 3 small Mastabas Building an efficient city at On is a test of your ability to create different self-sustaining zones. There are five landmasses here: the east bank, the west bank, and three islands. The only way to access the west bank is to skip across the islands from the east bank. Begin your city by building ferries that will allow immigrants to access the west bank. It is there that you should set up the first zone in your city. Build some housing, Hunting Lodges, and a papyrus-making industry. Build a Dock there, too. Make sure that the ferry from the west bank to the western island has access to employees on both sides. Use the western island to grow flax for linen production. Linen and papyrus can then be exported through the Dock on the west bank. Next, establish a quarrying community by the rocks on the east bank. Build a Dock there, too, and export limestone from that Dock. You should now have some well-established sources of income. Establish a food-producing community on the middle island. Since the west bank is self-sufficient, there is no reason to provide employees to the ferry leading from the center island to the western island until later in the scenario, when your entire city needs linen and papyrus. However, the east bank is without a source of food, so the ferries leading from the east bank, across the eastern island and to the middle island should all have access to employees and road connections. This is a good place to employ your knowledge of Roadblocks. Build a Granary by the limestone Quarries, and you will be able to feed your people there. By ensuring that there is no way for Dock deliverymen from the east bank to get to the west bank, and vice versa, you will isolate river trade, thereby making it more efficient. Trade ships will only visit the west bank to buy papyrus and linen, and only visit the east bank to buy limestone. The eastern island is a good location for a brick-making community. You'll need lots of bricks to build the three small Mastabas. If you use these tips as a start and remember to save room for the three small Mastabas, you should soon have a thriving city at On. A word of warning: you will be asked several times for gifts of limestone. If you don't fulfill these requests, one of your trading partners will become upset and close its route, potentially cutting off your source of luxury goods, which you need as a burial provision. Either stock up on luxuries early, or be sure you don't miss these limestone requests. Rostja (Giza) ------------- Kingdom: 50 Monuments: Sphinx, Pyramid Complex, medium Pyramid The Rostja scenario is one of the most difficult in the game and requires wits and patience. Take a moment to look at the terrain before getting started. There are a few things to notice: * First of all, despite the presence of flood plain here, you cannot build farms. So, take a look around and locate the ostrich breeding grounds, because your people are going to be eating a lot of ostrich meat! Be particularly careful when placing the Pyramid Complex not to cordon off the ostriches on the western bank of the main Nile branch here. You will need to be able to access them for food. * Secondly, notice that all of the rocky areas are at the western edge of the play area. You will need A LOT of plain stone for Khufu's Pyramid Complex, not to mention the medium Pyramid that you have to build for Khafra too. You will also need to mine lots of gemstones and create lots of luxury goods (jewelry) for export. These are your main sources of income and should be attended to from an early stage. * Finally, suitable areas for Dock placement are a long way from the mining areas, so try to devise a system to efficiently move gemstones and jewelry for exportation. Instead of making Dock deliverymen come to the mines to get gems, make the gems available near the Dock. Build Storage Yards near the Dock and tell the Storage Yards to "Get" gems. On will become your most important trading partner during early stages of the game. Trade ships from On will not only buy your gems and jewelry, but will sell you the limestone that you need to complete the Pyramids. Through all of this, do not neglect your military. It is important that you slowly build up your forces, as your city will most certainly be invaded during the course of building these great monuments. As for the Sphinx, it is the easiest of the monuments to construct. Consider building it first as you stockpile plain stone and limestone for Pyramid construction. The Sphinx just requires stonemasons and carpenters, so be sure to have some wood ready for the Carpenters' Guilds. With an efficient city setup, building the monuments at Rostja is just a matter of time. So much time, in fact, that you are advised to begin monument construction early, before you entirely solve the main challenge of establishing an efficient distribution system. Bahariya Oasis -------------- Population: 3000 - Kingdom: 40 - Prosperity: 25 - Culture: 15 Monuments: Sun Temple Libyans and Bedouins will pose a constant threat to the city at the Bahariya Oasis. They will attack from (literally) the four corners of the play area. You should set up Forts or Towers near the edges of the city to block them. You may even try isolating the oasis, turning it into a walled fortress. Watch out for invasions that come without a pop-up warning message (sneak attacks!). You can check your military status in the Chief Overseer's panel to see if enemies are approaching. Invasions will escalate the longer the mission goes uncompleted. The sooner you begin exporting wood, the sooner you can afford to import other raw materials such as barley, flax, and clay. You can then develop the industries to turn these raw materials into refined goods and sell them for even more profits. You will need these proceeds to buy copper to arm your infantry with weapons, as well as the sandstone needed to construct the Sun Temple. Set up plenty of Storage Yards to house the 220 blocks of sandstone you'll need to start it - and don't forget that the initial 220 blocks are only a down payment. You need even more sandstone after construction begins. Djedu (Abusir) -------------- Population: 4500 - Kingdom: 50 - Prosperity: 40 - Culture: 45 Monuments: Sun Temple Several requests come at the beginning of this scenario that must be filled in order to open trade routes offering goods needed to win. Don't fret too much if you miss these requests, as later opportunities will allow the same routes to become available. However, it is always nice to be able to open the routes as soon as possible. With that in mind, you should set out to have a stockpile of game meat, wood, and grain as soon as possible. Not only is it beneficial to have these industries up and running, but having the goods available for early requests will help you avoid trade difficulties. Other than that, begin importing sandstone for the Sun Temple as soon as you are making money from exports, since it will take you a number of years to import all of the stone needed. It takes 220 blocks to place the Sun Temple, and more sandstone to complete it. Finally, don't forget to save some room for the Sun Temple when you are planning your city! Dunqul Oasis ------------ Population: 3500 - Kingdom: - 80 Prosperity: 20 - Culture: 20 Monuments: 1 small Obelisk The land is broken up by mountains and forests, which leaves precious little room for Water Supplies to support your population. Plan carefully, especially when it comes to clearing trees. You'll need to do a lot of mining, manufacturing, and wood cutting to earn money. There's a strong possibility you will go into debt in the beginning of the mission. As long as you have a steady supply of exports to sell, you'll be able to get back on the plus side. Just don't take too long getting back in the black. Prolonged debt will decimate your Kingdom Rating. When your Kingdom Rating hits zero, there's very little you can do to prevent Pharaoh from sending troops to level your city. Things get off to a rocky start, to say the least. Trade routes close, armies invade, and requests for goods are made that you can't possibly meet. But don't worry, you'll find ways to export wood and jewelry to keep your funds growing. Invasions will begin within the first few years of the mission, so start building your armies early. Growing threats from invaders will require you to expand your defenses. Occasionally you may be asked to fork over weapons, game meat, and granite. Dakhla Oasis Population: 5000 - Kingdom: 65 - Prosperity: 45 - Culture: 50 Monuments: 1 small Obelisk The first struggle at Dakhla is to get immigrants past the hyenas and into the city. There is a simple solution to this - designate housing areas that will prompt immigrants to travel south of the oasis to get to the housing. A good rule of thumb is to establish areas of housing south of the road that leads northwest out of the region. If the hyenas continue to plague you, build some Forts, and use the military to send the hyenas to the "Field of Reeds." By this stage in the game, you should be able to recognize your biggest initial source of income and build the beginnings of your city around exports of that good -- in this case, wood. However, do not forget to pay attention to other goods that your city can produce because other cities will inevitably request them. Make sure that you are producing and storing beer, bricks, grain, and wood before the scenario progresses too far. Pre-emptive stockpiling is a good economic tactic for Pharaoh. Granite is needed for construction of the small Obelisk, but will only become available through fulfilling the needs of your fellow Egyptians. As soon as it does become available, begin importing it. You will need 100 granite blocks stored before you can begin work on the Obelisk. If you are able to successfully manage the economics of the Dakhla Oasis, you are well on your way to becoming a master of Pharaoh. Thinis ------ Population: 4500 - Kingdom: 90 - Prosperity: 35 - Culture: 25 10 Common Residences This is arguably the hardest mission in the game. You'll want to save your progress often. Consider pausing or slowing down the game to get past critical moments when a lot is happening, like during combat. There's a small, fortified settlement when you start, but remember that troops can move through dunes, so you're city is not as safe as it might seem. You are stuck between two warring factions who struggle for supremacy of Egypt: the rulers of Henen-nesw and the rulers of Waset. You will be asked to take sides. Thinis is being rebuilt by the rulers of Waset, which makes them the "good guys". Don't accept gifts (however tempting) when Henen- nesw tries to bribe you, and don't give in to their extortion demands. Be scrupulously true to your Waset allies, or you will set off a series of events that will send army after army to destroy your city. Your choices may not make you popular, but it's easier to rebuild your Kingdom Rating than it is to rebuild your city after it's been sacked! This is a heavy combat mission, so regardless of your choices, you'll still need soldiers. Lots of soldiers. Multiple invasions will occur, and sometimes they'll overlap, so you'll be fighting two enemies at once! One way to reduce your losses is to use your warships to take out enemy transport ships before they land their troops. You might have to go into debt for a while, but as long as you can set up Gold Mines in a timely fashion, you shouldn't have any lasting problems. Mining gold should be one of your first priorities. You'll need it to pay for the copper you'll need to import. Don't overlook beer, though. Exports of that can be just as lucrative. Take advantage of the road system. With a little adjustment and carefully placed housing and roadblocks, you'll be in a position to harvest every resource the city has to offer. You start out with high unemployment, so no one wants to come to your city. Try clearing some of the housing (like the housing outside the Fort) until there's no unemployment, then you can start building new housing to attract workers to the areas you want to develop. Requests aren't made often, but when they are, look out. You may have to come up with a heap of pottery - or worse - dispatch troops during a mission where every soldier counts. If you can make it through the first 15 years or so, the invasions should taper off, and you can concentrate on meeting the winning requirements. The most difficult of these will be your Kingdom Rating, which will most likely be at rock bottom. Don't forget to dispatch a gift or two (at most) every year to Pharaoh and hold lots of festivals to Ra. Waset (Thebes) -------------- Population: 6000 - Kingdom: 70 - Prosperity: 45 - Culture: 55 Monuments: Sun Temple, small Pyramid It is a time of civil war and you are being called upon to build Waset as a capital and a support net for those making a stand against Henen-nesw. Not only do you need to build a city powerful in its own right, you must stand ready to provide your allies with any supplies they might need. At the same time, your city is vulnerable to attack and you must build an army and navy to protect the city you are constructing. You must utilize all of the resources you find at Waset, and you must do it quickly. Your initial settlement should be three-pronged. Build a gold mining camp and a City Palace near the gold resources at the northern end of the river. When funds are suitable, build a farming community directly across the river from there, employing both floodplain and meadow farming tactics. Then, build a fishing community on the island at the south end of the river. Make sure that you are providing your mining community with food so that they do not develop disease. Finally, to prepare yourself to fill requests, stockpile half a Storage Yard of each of the food types. As long as your city is well established and your military is prepared by the time Henen-nesw begins trying to extort money from you, completing the Waset scenario should be no problem. Kebet (Coptos) -------------- Population: 7000 - Kingdom: 85 - Prosperity: 45 - Culture: 40 Monuments: 1 large Obelisk, 2 small Obelisks Begin your struggle to reunite Egypt by cleaning up your recently ransacked city. Clear away rubble and area desirability will improve. If you are wondering what buildings used to be there, right-click on the rubble before deleting it. There are valuable resources here that you cannot do without; therefore, do no destroy everything, or you will definitely lose. Most importantly, make sure that you have a Granary and a Storage Yard. Be aware of three things at first: there are allocation priorities pre-set by the Overseer of Workers, the gods are displeased, and you do not need to import clay because your city can produce its own. Your most profitable export is copper, so start mining! Buhen buys copper. If you decide to build Gold Mines, make sure that the City Palace is near them. As soon as your copper exporting becomes stable, begin making weapons. You will need a lot of them to replenish your army and to send to other cities per their requests. Expect an early invasion. Assuming you continue to support your military labor pool, you should have two complete companies of archers (from the pre-placed Forts) by the time the invasion comes. If you have the money, add a few Towers to the existing Walls. The first invasion comes from the north, on the west bank. The invasions continue, giving your army only a little time to recover between attacks. There is also a water invasion, so make certain to have some warships. Be aware of land invasions from the east bank, too! Either provide transport ships for moving troops across the river, or build Forts on the east bank. It's probably a good idea to do both. You can use the transport ships later for dispatching troops to distant battles, so they are useful to have around. When things settle down a little, consider beginning work on the monuments. You have to build two small Obelisks and one large one in Kebet. That's a lot of granite! If you need extra income, you can sell granite to Buhen. As long as you do everything possible to support your military, your growing city at Kebet should be able to effectively repel all invasions. Balancing the need for military resources without going into too much debt is the biggest challenge here, but it is definitely surmountable. Menat Khufu (Beni Hasan) ------------------------ Population: 7000 - Kingdom: 75 - Prosperity: 50 - Culture: 60 Monuments: 2 small Obelisks Your initial task at Menat Khufu should be to expand the scope of the farming and prepare to fill famine requests for food. Assuming this is done quickly enough, and a few Storage Yards are set up to receive the food, you should be able to meet all of the requests in a timely fashion. You may have to sacrifice giving your own city food during the first year to fulfill the needs of other Egyptian cities suffering famine. Do not hesitate to do so. Once food production is adequate, begin establishing beer and linen industries. Beer and linen are needed by your people, are valuable exports and are needed to replenish the burial provisions stolen from the Pyramid in your city. Income received from exports should be used to purchase the granite and wood needed to construct two small Obelisks in your city. Efficient city layout and centralized exporting will help you overcome some of the geographical limitations of the Menat Khufu region. If you ensure high-quality floods by appeasing Osiris (a Temple Complex dedicated to him is invaluable!), filling famine requests will be significantly easier. Itjtawy ------- Population: 7500 - Kingdom: 85 - Prosperity: 60 - Culture: 60 Monuments: Sphinx, small Brick-core Pyramid, medium Brick- core Pyramid 6 Stately Manors This mission will require you to concentrate on economics and large city management. Start exporting linen to create income. You can also expand your city across the river to take advantage of the reed fields. These reeds can be turned into lucrative papyrus exports. You'll receive plenty of requests for goods, starting relatively early in the mission. Have grain, pottery, bricks, limestone, and meat on hand. Itjtawy has problems with water contamination, so make sure you have plenty of physicians and apothecaries to keep your population healthy. As long as you keep meeting requests and keep making a profit from exports, you will be able to expand your city steadily. There's a lot of space in the play area, and you'll need it to get your city's population to 7,500 people. Think about prefabricated city blocks. That is, design a city block that is more or less self-sufficient (water, food, religion, health, infrastructure, etc.). Make sure to leave some empty space in the design for structures you might not need right away (Courthouses, Libraries, Mortuaries, etc.), but will want to add later. As your city grows, add an identical block next to it. When the second block is running smoothly, add a third, and so on. It's a great way to keep your city organized and manageable. Then you'll be in a position to start closing in on your city's other goals like prosperity, culture, and the three monuments you need to build. Don't forget the housing requirement! To be concluded in Issue 77 - o -