Overview

The game is divided into 3 distinct phases which each add new mechanics but also remove old mechanics. Each phase also increase the map size.

Pre Industrial

This phase is mostly inspired by Kingdoms and Castles, which itself is inspired by Banished. This is the only phase with direct military conflict, you need to defend your wealth from attackers.

Your people have demands that you need to fulfil. Not supplying them with essentials can lead to death. The goods you need to produce are rather simple, like food or wood.

The map has 9 section and you start with one of them. Additional ones need to be conquered.

Industrial

This phase removes a lot of the micro management of your population. They now just provide taxes, research and workforce. Instead the main focus is on production chains.

You need to use cargo ships and train lines to connect different towns to grow your economy and get access to different resources.

The map now has 25 sections. You start with your sections from the previous phase. Additional ones need to be purchased with money.

Modern

This phase removes direct control over the economy and removes a lot of the resource management. You just need to zone areas for residential, commercial, industry and of course the option to have mixed zoning.

The main focus is on providing infrastructure. Roads, railway, water, electricity and eventually internet.

The map now has 49 sections. You start with your sections from the previous phase. Additional ones need to be acquired though political influence.

Left over buildings and infrastructure from pervious phases have reduced maintenance cost but they provide less benefits then the more modern things you unlock. They can be restored, after you research a technology, but you can’t build any more of them. Restored buildings have a lower tourism value then preserved ones.

Some completely lose their original purpose and then just turn into basic housing or become abandoned. Particularly defensive structures take up a lot of space but become useless after the 1st Phase.

Research

Each phase slowly introduces new mechanics though a technology tree. Researched technologies do not carry over to the next phase since the game mechanics are too different.

With in each phase the technologies you unlock add more sense of progression.

• You start the 1st Phase with crossbows but you can later have arquebus and muskets.
• You start the 2nd Phase with just human labour but later you discover the steam engine and electricity.
• You start the 3rd Phase steam locomotives but later you unlock diesel engines and bullet trains.

The game is not intended to be super accurate when it comes to historic development since in reality there would be a smooth transition between those phases.

Phase transition

Both the 1st and 2nd Phase end in a war.

Phase 1

After fighting of smaller raids for the entire phase you need to prepare for a major invasion. Losing smaller production buildings and farms is less important, some of them stop having a purpose in the next phase anyway, but you want to protect as much of your main city as possible to get a good start into the next phase.

Phase 2

After living the entire phase in peace you need to prepare for enemy air raids. You can build bunkers, radar and anti aircraft guns to reduce the damage but you won’t be able to save everything.

In each phase you have the decision to repair damaged buildings or bulldoze them to build something new. A lot of Phase 1 buildings serve little purpose in Phase 2 but they can generate a lot of tourism value in Phase 3 once the right technology is researched.

Triggering the transition

Each phase as 3 major goals. If you reach one of them you can activate the phase transition. If you reached 2 of them the phase transition activates automatically. So you can only pick 2.

Each major goal gives a bonus for the next phase.

Phase 1:

• Finish construction of a wonder (population provides higher base workforce)
• Research all technologies (population provides higher base research)
• Conquer the entire map (population provides higher base tax)

Phase 2:

• Finish construction of a wonder (reduced monument build and maintenance cost)
• Research all technologies (faster education of your population)
• Build a train station in every map section (cheaper infrastructure maintenance)