Playing your first turns

Now that you've picked a server, created a country and taken a look at the Game Layout it's time to start playing turns. Below are some general tips and guidelines to get you started, feel free to check out Advanced Gameplay if you want more detailed information about strategies and game mechanics.

General Guidelines

These are not set-in-stone rules, but will help your country get going smoothly.

• The best overall tax rate is 35%
• At the beginning of the game, it is a good idea to build some farms and industrial complexes to produce spies and bushels. As the game progresses you will construct only those buildings that benefit your specialization (see below).
• During the first 50 or so turns produce 100% turrets. At the end of each turn, try and sell all of your turrets. This will keep your expenses down and generate cash to build more buildings.
• Build effectively. Try and build your max BPT (buildings per turn) each turn. Try not to build double IE: you have 20BPT, but can build 40, so you take 2 turns building 40. The ideal way is to build 20, sell off turrets, then build 20, sell off turrets etc.
• Explore 1 turn at a time, again selling turrets each turn.
• Try not to waste turns cashing. This is counter-productive within the first 99 turns.
• Try to get your BPT (buildings per turn) up high early by building construction sites. This will allow you to more efficiently construct buildings.
• Unless you are running a Cash start it is best to build a chunk of construction sites, then explore and build your other buildings, then finish off with another chunk of conscruction sites.
• Take a look at the Scores tab from time to time and make sure your country does not have significantly more acres than the countries around you. This will prevent you from standing out to aggressive countries looking to capture your land.
• If you are making negative amounts of cash each turn you can sell bushels on your Private Market. Just be sure not to let your cash or food fall to zero, you will lose a percentage of your military when this happens.
• Avoid making a Rainbow country. This is a country that has buildings of all types and is not an efficient strategy. (see below)
• Use your turns up to turn 99, then wait for them to refresh while your country is still in protection. Protection means your country cannot be attacked. By saving turns you will have a stronger country that can fend for itself when you come out of protection.

About Specialization

Specialization means that your country will be producing a large amount of ONE type of unit. For example: A casher produces large amounts of cash by building Enterprise Zones and Residences then buys bushels from the Public Market. Cashers do not have farms and lose bushels every turn. In contrast, farmers produce bushels, which they sell on the Public Market. Farmers, for the most part, do not have Enterprise Zones and Residences and lose cash each turn.

By specializing, your country runs efficiently.

You may want to take a look at some Basic Strategies for guidance on specialization.