This is a tutorial for getting into the swing
of things in ¶City.
All of the information in this tutorial can also be learned
using the in-game help topics, and with a little experimentation!
Your experience with ¶City
will be more satisfying if you can work
out its gameplay on your own. However, if you are feeling frustrated
and would prefer to have things laid out clearly so that you can
just get to the city-building already, then this tutorial will tell you
what you need to know to start developing your city.
You know what you're getting into, right?
If you're not sure this is what you want, you should turn back now.
Nobody likes to have their play experience unintentionally spoiled!
You'll only have to scroll down a little more to see the tutorial...
You're still here..? Ok. I'll get to it then.
Getting Started
When you begin a new game, you'll be asked to provide a name for
yourself and for your city. Choose carefully! You won't be able to
change these later. Note, however, that these names only affect
how the city is described to you and how the game refers to you -
it won't actually affect how the game is played.
You input the name of your player and your city by typing the name
in the text area at the bottom of the view and then pressing the
enter key. Then, after inputting these names, you'll be asked to
confirm them - you can do this by typing the letter y
and then pressing enter again.
Here's what it looks like when you start a new game...
Please input your name.
Sophie? Are you sure? (y/n)
Welcome to ¶City, Sophie. It's good to finally meet you.
Remember, if at any time you feel lost or confused, just shout "HELP" and somebody is certain to respond.
Please input the name of your city.
Ludum Dare City? Are you sure? (y/n)
Sophie! Your very own legend is about to unfold. Ludum Dare, a city filled with dreams and adventures, is waiting for you...
And that's that! Now that you've given your name and the name of
your city, the first thing you should know how to do is to get around it.
You can do this with the look and go actions.
Looking Around
The first thing you'll want to do when you enter your city is to
look around you. (You do that by, well, literally
typing look around into the input and hitting enter.
You can also just type look, if you prefer the brevity;
it will do the same thing.)
Here's an example of what will happen when you look around...
You are at the Market Square. What will you do?
The area is alive with the sounds of commerce.
> look around
You look around the Market Square.
The area is alive with the sounds of commerce. Merchants tend their
various stalls and prospective customers are on the prowl for good
deals.
Nearby there is a Food Vendor.
The Royal Palace is to the north.
A Vacant Lot is to the south.
The University is to the east.
The Senate is to the west.
You can also look somewhere, like north
or south, or a few other places as well, to get some
information about whatever is over there.
Here's an example of what will happen when you look north...
> look north
You look north, to the Royal Palace...
The palace is an incredible, lavish building. It stands before you with
the magnificent pride and stature that housing centuries of monarchs
and assorted nobles has imbued into its stones.
Going Places
Now that you've sighted out the palace, you'll want to actually go
over there as well. That's where the go action comes
in. With it you can go in a direction or
you can go to a nearby place.
Here's an example of what will happen when you go to palace
and then look around...
> go to palace
Went to the Royal Palace.
You are at the Royal Palace. What will you do?
The palace stands before you with magnificent pride and stature.
> look around
You look around the Royal Palace.
The palace is an incredible, lavish building. It stands before you with
the magnificent pride and stature that housing centuries of monarchs
and assorted nobles has imbued into its stones.
A doorway leads inside, to the Palace Entry.
A Vacant Lot is to the north.
The Market Square is to the south.
The Flint Plantation is to the east.
The Dusty Apartments are to the west.
The next order of business is to actually go inside the palace. You
could do that by entering go to palace entry,
like going to the palace, but this time let's try it a different way:
Here's an example of what will happen when you go inside
and then look around again...
> go inside
Went inside to the Palace Entry.
You are in the Palace Entry. What will you do?
You are aware of several guards suspiciously tracking your every move.
> look around
You look around the Palace Entry.
The palace entry is as well-guarded as it is lavish. You are aware of
several pairs of eyes suspiciously tracking your every move.
You can smell feasts-in-progress coming up from the royal kitchens and
you can hear fates being decided in the throne room ahead.
Nearby there is a Tax Officer.
A doorway leads outside, to the Royal Palace.
The Royal Bedchambers lie upstairs.
The Royal Kitchen lies downstairs.
The Throne Room is to the north.
Starting A Conversation
Now that we're in the room with someone (namely, a tax officer)
let's see what happens if you look at tax officer.
Here's an example of what will happen when, in the palace entry, you
look at tax officer...
> look at tax officer
You look closely at the Tax Officer.
This man is a tax officer. You can speak with him to collect the
money that is allocated for Civil Engineering projects from
taxes paid in Ludum Dare.
You can talk to the Tax Officer to discuss tax matters.
Can you see from the resulting text what's coming next..?
It's to talk to the tax officer. There are a lot
of people in your city that you can talk to, and
many buildings that you can construct will add new sorts of people
with whom you can talk.
Here's an example of what will happen when, in the palace entry, you
talk to tax officer...
> talk to tax officer
You greet the tax officer, who explains that you
aren't currently due any money.
Right now the tax officer hasn't really got anything for you,
but that will change later on.
What's important is that you now understand how to talk to
the people that you can find around the city.
Zoning And You
If you've played other city-building games like
Simcity or
Cities: Skylines,
then the zoning system in ¶City
will already be familiar to you!
In ¶City there are civil,
residential,
commercial,
and industrial zones.
You can assign zones to vacant lots, and then you can accept
offers to construct buildings there. Which buildings will be
offered depends on the type of zone:
- civil buildings provide public services
and improve the quality of the land around them in different ways.
- residential buildings provide housing
for the people of your city. Different buildings house different
income groups; low-wealth and high-wealth citizens won't share the
same housing.
- commercial buildings provide
goods and services to the people of your city, and employment mainly
(but not exclusively) for high-wealth citizens.
- industrial buildings contribute
to your city's production of resources - most importantly, food -
and employ a relatively high number of low-wealth citizens.
The first step of zoning is finding a vacant lot. Don't worry,
you won't have to go searching! There's a vacant lot just north
of the palace.
Here's an example of navigating to the vacant lot north of the palace...
> go outside
Went outside to the Royal Palace.
You are at the Royal Palace. What will you do?
The palace stands before you with magnificent pride and stature.
> go north
Went north to the Vacant Lot.
You are at the Vacant Lot. What will you do?
There isn't much here other than dust and rocks.
> look around
You look around the Vacant Lot.
It's a vacant lot. There isn't much here other than dust and rocks.
A Vacant Lot is to the north.
The Royal Palace is to the south.
A Vacant Lot is to the east.
A Vacant Lot is to the west.
Now that you're here, you can assign a zone to the vacant lot. When
you're just starting the game, you won't have enough money to have
civil buildings constructed; a good
first choice might be to designate a commercial
zone.
(It's only civil buildings that
you need to pay to have constructed.
When creating residential,
commercial,
and industrial zones, people
will offer you money for the privilege of locating their
business there.)
You can also use the name lot action to assign
names to vacant lots so that you can find them more easily next
time! Although we're only going to assign a zone to one lot in this
example, and that means we won't be needing to work out which zoned
lot is which out of a list of several lots, naming lots can become
useful when you've assigned several zones at once and need to
distinguish one from the next.
Here's an example of using name lot to name a vacant
lot, and then using the zone action to assign it a
zone type...
> name lot My First Lot
Ok, now this lot is named My First Lot.
> zone commercial
You place a sign on the vacant lot claiming that it
is now FOR SALE BY KINGDOM.
TO BE USED FOR COMMERCIAL PURPOSES.
BUY NOW!
You can check on solicitations from people who'd like to build something here at a Courthouse or at the Senate.
This is only the first step! Next, you'll learn how to browse the
construction offers for that lot, and how to accept one of them...
The Bulletin Board
Now that you've assigned a zone to a vacant lot, it's time to go
see what people are offering to build there. To do that, you'll have
to make your way to the Senate.
(Later on, you'll be able to build Courthouses
in other parts of your city so that you can check and accept construction
offers there, too.)
Let's retrace our steps back to the market square, which was adjacent
to the Senate...
Here's how to get to the Senate from the vacant
lot that was just zoned...
> go back
Went back to the Royal Palace.
You are at the Royal Palace. What will you do?
The palace stands before you with magnificent pride and stature.
> go south
Went south to the Market Square.
You are at the Market Square. What will you do?
The area is alive with the sounds of commerce.
> go to senate
Went to the Senate.
You are at the Senate. What will you do?
This is the home of Ludum Dare's government.
Inside the Senate (and also inside every courthouse) is a
Bulletin Board. This is a
very important thing to know about! It's here that you can accept
construction offers and actually begin to populate your city with
new buildings.
Let's go inside the Senate and have a look around...
> go inside
Went inside to the Senate Lobby.
You are in the Senate Lobby. What will you do?
The lobby bustles with senators, governors, and ordinary citizens.
> look around
You look around the Senate Lobby.
In the bustling lobby of the Senate building, you can find all sorts.
There are ordinary citizens taking an interest in their government,
as well as any number of senators and governors endeavoring not to.
Nearby there are a Bulletin Board and a Census Attendant.
A doorway leads outside, to the Senate.
The Senate Chambers is to the north.
The Senate Offices are to the south.
Now you can enter check bulletin board to see
what construction offers there are for the vacant lots you've zoned.
From this view, you can choose the vacant lot you're interested in,
then you can view the construction offers made for it and choose
one to accept.
Don't feel intimidated by the lists that show up here! You can
describe the option you're interested in by typing the number
before it. For example, typing the number 1
and then pressing the enter key will select the first option in
a list.
Here's an example of using check bulletin board
to view construction offers and then choose one to accept...
> check bulletin board
You check the bulletin board, and find postings related to these lots:
1. My First Lot (Vacant Lot) (0, -2) • commercial • three offers
Look at offers relating to which posting?
Here are all the offers available for 1. My First Lot (Vacant Lot):
1. Build a Tavern for a payment of 64 coins
2. Build an Apothecary for a payment of 45 coins
3. Build a Stable for a payment of 42 coins
Do you want to accept one of these offers? (y/n)
Which offer will you accept?
You'd like to accept the offer to build
a Tavern at
My First Lot (Vacant Lot) for 64 coins? Are you sure?
(y/n)
You go to the clerk and fill out a form approving the offer.
Construction of a Tavern
will begin forthright and should be completed in
four days.
You collect 64 coins from the clerk.
Excellent! After all of that work, it's time to head to the palace
for some rest and relaxation...
The Art Of Waiting
Now that you've approved a building for construction, you'll have
to pass the time while it's built. You can only wait
at gardens, but fortunately there's one of these nearby, in the
palace. Perhaps we'll take a look at the building being newly constructed
while we're on the way there...
Now it's time to leave the Senate and go to the palace, and to
look at the building you approved once there...
> go outside
Went outside to the Senate.
You are at the Senate. What will you do?
This is the home of Ludum Dare's government.
> go to market
Went to the Market Square.
You are at the Market Square. What will you do?
The area is alive with the sounds of commerce.
> go to palace
Went to the Royal Palace.
You are at the Royal Palace. What will you do?
The palace stands before you with magnificent pride and stature.
> look around
You look around the Royal Palace.
The palace is an incredible, lavish building. It stands before you with
the magnificent pride and stature that housing centuries of monarchs
and assorted nobles has imbued into its stones.
A doorway leads inside, to the Palace Entry.
A Tavern (Under Construction) is to the north.
The Market Square is to the south.
The Flint Plantation is to the east.
The Dusty Apartments are to the west.
> look north
You look north, to the Tavern (Under Construction)...
Construction of the Tavern has just begun.
And there it is! The building will take several days to construct.
Different buildings may take different lengths of time; you can see
how long your choice of building will take at the time that you
approve the construction offer at the bulletin board.
The next step is to go to the palace garden and wait
for a few days to pass. (You can only wait in
gardens. It wouldn't be proper to loiter anywhere else.)
Here's what it looks like when navigating to the palace garden
and then choosing to wait there...
> go inside
Went inside to the Palace Entry.
You are in the Palace Entry. What will you do?
You are aware of several guards suspiciously tracking your every move.
> go downstairs
Went downstairs to the Royal Kitchen.
You are in the Royal Kitchen. What will you do?
The kitchen is full of busy cooks and savory smells.
> go outside
Went outside to the Royal Garden.
You are at the Royal Garden. What will you do?
This is a place for quiet contemplation.
> wait
You enjoy the pleasant scenery and while the day away...
Tax collectors are collecting taxes...
Low-wealth citizens are moving to Ludum Dare...
Wealthy citizens are moving to Ludum Dare...
Buildings are being constructed...
The birds are singing, the sun is shining, and a new day begins!
You'll want to do this a few times, until the building is fully
constructed, but you might notice a small problem when you
attempt this...
Here's what happens when attemting to wait twice in a row...
> wait
It won't do to wait while you're hungry. You should go
find something to eat, perhaps at a Market
or the Royal Kitchen.
This means you'll have to find something to eat! But don't worry,
the palace cook is very nearby, and she'll be able to help you with
this.
Here's an example of going back into the palace to get some food
from the palace cook...
> go inside
Went inside to the Royal Kitchen.
You are in the Royal Kitchen. What will you do?
The kitchen is full of busy cooks and savory smells.
> talk to cook
You approach the palace cook who, upon noticing you, shoves
some indescribable dish in your face. She says it's a new
recipe she's trying out, and she wants to know what you
think.
You eat the dish... and it's rather good, actually, and
very satiating. You tell the cook so, and she rewards you
with a delighted smile.
And now you can return to the garden and wait
again!
You'll have to repeat this cycle of waiting and then eating a
few times before the building is fully constructed...
Urban Development
After waiting a few days for construction to progress, you'll want
to go and see the result!
Here's what it looks like when you leave the palace and go see
the newly-completed building...
> go inside
Went inside to the Royal Kitchen.
You are in the Royal Kitchen. What will you do?
The kitchen is full of busy cooks and savory smells.
> go upstairs
Went upstairs to the Palace Entry.
You are in the Palace Entry. What will you do?
You are aware of several guards suspiciously tracking your every move.
> go outside
Went outside to the Royal Palace.
You are at the Royal Palace. What will you do?
The palace stands before you with magnificent pride and stature.
> go north
Went north to Fortnight Tavern.
You are at Fortnight Tavern. What will you do?
Where residents come to have their thirst quenched.
> look around
You look around Fortnight Tavern.
It's a noisy and vicarious place filled with life and laughter and,
on occassion, drunken brawls. This is where the people of Ludum Dare
come to have their thirst quenched.
A doorway leads inside, to the Tavern Interior.
A Vacant Lot is to the north.
The Royal Palace is to the south.
A Vacant Lot is to the east.
A Vacant Lot is to the west.
There are all kinds of different buildings in ¶City!
All of them have different roles, advantages, and disadvantages
which you can discover by building up your city the best that you can,
and observing how its different pieces interact.
What this tutorial won't tell you is how to build a prospering city...
you'll have to figure that part out yourself.
Goodbye now, and good luck!