The Settlers 7: Paths to a Kingdom

Technologies get blocked off if someone else researches it before you. This includes tech that is past the initial ones, meaning that you can get fucked for second tier techs unless you snag a first tier one early on. I think there might be alternative entry points for 2nd tier techs, but those obviously cost more.

On the other hand, trade routes don't get blocked but you have to follow a path (or pay to go "back" on your path and start another one) but aside from a few specific nodes the rewards aren't that great and just leads to a better economy, a few reward chests and maybe a victory point or two if you really invest.

For the early game, your economy is going to be stone-based. Meaning that until you have prospectors you are going to want to use every stone in a productive manner. Have a look at the strategical map to find the closest quarry and beeline for that. Stones give you: building materials, prestige monument materials, stone road materials.

Generally don't build stone roads until you have a very steady stone income or giant surplus, and obviously start with the most trafficked main roads that a lot of settlers use.

The second most important resource, until you get your own production running, is tools. Once you can make your own they won't be much of an issue, but running out of tools before having the means to make your own means having to buy more for money and that will tie up runners and be a general pain in the ass.

Put constructors in regions with a lot of resources or land that you know you're gonna build a lot in. Building a constructor to make a fishing hut and hunting lodge one region over from your starting region? Not worth it. Putting a constructor in a giant region with 3 mines and space for 4 farms and a fishery? Yes. You can demolish it later if the region is a dead end in terms of being adjacent to other regions with resources.

You don't have to place buildings so that every workshop tile is available and used, nor do you have to use every workshop tile even if they are available - remember they cost 1 tool per workshop. Having a lodge be only two hunters for a medium forest is fine since they'll run out of animals anyway. Having a farm use only two slots for the grain farms is fine as well, since they need a buttload of space. Space management in general is a pretty big thing.

With that said, for mines and quarries you DO want to use all the slots since the faster you can pull out ore the sooner you can put one workshop on geologist duty for more sweet stones. In fact unless you need the ore RIGHT NOW it might be worth it to just start with two workshops on mining duty and one on geo duty.

The game really is about planning ahead and commiting. You get enough starting resources that you can get the first couple of techs/trade routes/soldiers without putting in additional work for them, but eventually you'll have to commit to one path more than the others.

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