Tips From A Newbie

Here are some things I found helpful during my newbie days. Hope they help.

1) Firstly, get all your res plots to level 3. This is boring tedious work, but it does help and gives you some good production to start with.
2) Then, get one plots of each res to level seven. This allows for the specialist res buildings, which give res bonuses. These buildings are Foundry, Kiln, Flourmill, Carpentry and Stonemason.
3) Then get one of each res plots to level twelve if you are planning on Exodusing, or level twenty if you aren't.
4) The main buildings - Library, Mage Tower, Architects Office, Storehouse and Warehouse should be levelled up very quickly. THIS IS CRUCIAL. they will benefit you greatly.
5) Do the research for Caravans and Magic. Everyoen needs these, as best they can.
6) Listen to your alliance. They may seem a little overanxious, or stupid, or wierd or whatever else...but they are good folks and will never cease to help you. They are like family...so treat them as such and they will treat you the same. If you Don't have an alliance...GET ONE!!!
7) Don't go mental...nobody likes that.
8) Don't build the vault...waste of space.
9) Get as many towns as possible very quickly...and find a space with preferably seven food plots on...and move there...away from people.

Hey, i decided to also include a set of goals that you should try to stick to for a good city.

I am a trader, and I found hunting to be profitable when I was quite small. It only takes 60-150 axemen or stalwarts for a dwarf to poke around the forest, plains, and hill animals. If you are using multiple stalwart commanders, your casualties should be quite minimal, assuming you are hunting correctly. When I was little, I spoke up in GC, was told not to hunt by like thirty people, and then a cool big dwarf sent me some war axes. I've been converting animals into items ever since.

The comment about hunting is particularly puzzling given how easy it is to kill elementals, and all the valuable crafted items that can be made from their salts. The salts are the limiting supply on many cool items, especially earth and fire salts. I would rather have a few good stone circles to myself instead of a whole Silversteel or Arterium mine.