Posted September 19, 2018
...and avoid frustration.
The Nations has interesting mechanics, especially in its economy, but they can take getting used to, and as a new player this can cause some frustration. Since some people enjoy learning the mechanics of the game, this topic can be considered to contain some mild spoilers, even though they are given to increase your enjoyment of the game and reduce frustration.
Game Speed
Take your time with the early game to enjoy the graphics, animation, and personality. In slow periods, go over the interface until you are very familiar with it, as all menu items are important in this game and it will be a much harder game if you try to avoid using any of them.
Later on, do not be afraid to ramp up the speed if things are slow, then slow things down again when you need to.
A map on 2x speed feels very different and keeps you very busy compared to a map played on 1x speed, so play to your preferred style or mood.
Gameplay
Tutorials and the Pimmon campaign are good places to start, even if you've played similar games.
Do not be afraid to restart missions if things are not going well. Some of the campaigns provide hard lessons and will be unwinnable if you take to long or use the wrong strategy.
The second Pimmon campaign is very hard without the right strategy (raise 100 gold), but teaches the important role of trade in this game. Avoid trying to send gold to allies, as for some reason this event is very hard to trigger (has anybody been able to do so?). Learn to use sacrifices instead.
The first Pimmon battle-based map is also very hard without the right strategy, but while on an optional path teaches this mechanism very well. Read the tips on Offence and Defence below.
Trading
Trading is very important. Trade in large amounts and trade often for what you need.
Look over the trade values in the early game, as different maps can come with different intrinsic values. You can see these values by proposing a trade and hovering the mouse over each item.
Note that trade values can change due to scripted events in economy-based maps.
Since trading is important, design your economy to create a large excess of some commodities. Allow some diversity as trade values decrease the more you export them. This make The Nations a different game than other economy-based strategy games since you will often need this excess production in order to succeed.
Raw resources like wood and stone are fairly valuable in and of themselves.
Population
Your population will always be growing.
You can speed things up by training as soon as babies become teenagers and having excess housing.
You can slow things down by waiting to train until teenagers become untrained adults and by allowing homelessness for a day or two.
Adults breed only once they move into a house, and recover lost happiness from that day if they were unhoused beforehand.
The intrinsic rate of growth is based on the number of babies and teenagers at the start of the map.
Build and research order
A research lab and carpenter are often important early on, and a temple should be a priority in the 2nd phase.
Fun to discover on your own and as the map requires.
Keep in mind you will need a new tavern (stage 1), temple (stage 2), and marketplace (stage 3) for every 15 working (or untrained) citizen.
When to advance technology level
Unlike other games, it is often worthwhile to wait before advancing in The Nations until you have a stockpile of resources and are prepared to research, build, and staff next-tier buildings quickly.
Some map objectives are easier to complete in stage 2 or even stage 1.
There is a building limit before advancing stages. Plan accordingly, and consider using more upgraded houses to allow some more flexibility.
The value of sacrifices is reduced in higher stages, and your citizens will request more goods (and be less happy if they do not get them).
Citizen needs and happiness
Do not be afraid of a little unhappiness. If you try to keep your people perfectly content from the start, you will have a harder time with the game.
You can easily get by without a marketplace in stage 2, and will have an easier time if you put off requests for luxury items until your economy is better developed.
Remember to monitor your happiness levels (this is also a convenient way to track number of working citizens).
If you have a few unhappy and angry people, or have a high risk of such and will not be able to fix things quickly, prioritise a police station as early as you can as criminals will sink happiness of everyone else.
Offence and defence
Soldiers work very differently in The Nations than other games.
There is one path for offence (Stronghold) and one path for defence (Towers and Walls with Soldiers).
You will need to understand most of these mechanics and tips to complete the first war-based Pimmon campaign.
For offence, economy is very important. You will need lots of gold and luxuries to mount an attack on a defended foe, and will likely need 4-8 strongholds (tier 3) to do so. To cover this expense, you will likely need to cover a very large portion of the map with your town, so keep expanding. The Nations prioritises economy over war, so a big town is very important.
For early offence, supplying one or two parties (tier 2) might be sufficient, and on some maps (with good recruits) you can win with this.
Near the end of every day, double check that you have enough resources to cover your war party needs, and trade quickly to get them.
You can use boats to scout the map only if a war party is on board. Boats can also be crucial to victory by a backdoor attack.
Micromanagement of offence could be key, although they are fairly smart if left to their own devices, and bad clicks are worse than leaving them alone. It is easier to micromanage at a higher zoom level. Units will move to a location over attacking if you miss clicking an enemy unit.
For defence units, you will need weapons and the economic infrastructure to supply them either directly or through trade, a barracks to train, and a tower to house the units.
Defence units are ranged, and a far more economical use of weapons than restocking injured war parties.
For defence construction, look at how the AI builds defence in the first few levels. Towers and walls can combine to create a Tower Defence style pathway that is very effective.
Interface tips
You can supply wheelbarrows to carriers by clicking on the carrier and then the wheelbarrow icon.
You can supply potions to anyone that is injured by clicking on them and then the potion icon. This also gives a happiness boost.
You can resupply lost units by clicking on the associated stronghold first.
You can track population, job distribution, happiness, war party needs, and many other items in the interface. You should do so regularly.
The best way to see total inventory once you have warehouses is to propose a trade first, then cancel once you've had a look.
You can select units, buildings, and war parties in the menu interface, this can be a much faster way to track things down than finding them on the map.
If you need to keep an eye on a unit or the area around a building, the camcorder option (REC) is useful. Tracking foremen and war parties can be very helpful.
The Nations has interesting mechanics, especially in its economy, but they can take getting used to, and as a new player this can cause some frustration. Since some people enjoy learning the mechanics of the game, this topic can be considered to contain some mild spoilers, even though they are given to increase your enjoyment of the game and reduce frustration.
Game Speed
Take your time with the early game to enjoy the graphics, animation, and personality. In slow periods, go over the interface until you are very familiar with it, as all menu items are important in this game and it will be a much harder game if you try to avoid using any of them.
Later on, do not be afraid to ramp up the speed if things are slow, then slow things down again when you need to.
A map on 2x speed feels very different and keeps you very busy compared to a map played on 1x speed, so play to your preferred style or mood.
Gameplay
Tutorials and the Pimmon campaign are good places to start, even if you've played similar games.
Do not be afraid to restart missions if things are not going well. Some of the campaigns provide hard lessons and will be unwinnable if you take to long or use the wrong strategy.
The second Pimmon campaign is very hard without the right strategy (raise 100 gold), but teaches the important role of trade in this game. Avoid trying to send gold to allies, as for some reason this event is very hard to trigger (has anybody been able to do so?). Learn to use sacrifices instead.
The first Pimmon battle-based map is also very hard without the right strategy, but while on an optional path teaches this mechanism very well. Read the tips on Offence and Defence below.
Trading
Trading is very important. Trade in large amounts and trade often for what you need.
Look over the trade values in the early game, as different maps can come with different intrinsic values. You can see these values by proposing a trade and hovering the mouse over each item.
Note that trade values can change due to scripted events in economy-based maps.
Since trading is important, design your economy to create a large excess of some commodities. Allow some diversity as trade values decrease the more you export them. This make The Nations a different game than other economy-based strategy games since you will often need this excess production in order to succeed.
Raw resources like wood and stone are fairly valuable in and of themselves.
Population
Your population will always be growing.
You can speed things up by training as soon as babies become teenagers and having excess housing.
You can slow things down by waiting to train until teenagers become untrained adults and by allowing homelessness for a day or two.
Adults breed only once they move into a house, and recover lost happiness from that day if they were unhoused beforehand.
The intrinsic rate of growth is based on the number of babies and teenagers at the start of the map.
Build and research order
A research lab and carpenter are often important early on, and a temple should be a priority in the 2nd phase.
Fun to discover on your own and as the map requires.
Keep in mind you will need a new tavern (stage 1), temple (stage 2), and marketplace (stage 3) for every 15 working (or untrained) citizen.
When to advance technology level
Unlike other games, it is often worthwhile to wait before advancing in The Nations until you have a stockpile of resources and are prepared to research, build, and staff next-tier buildings quickly.
Some map objectives are easier to complete in stage 2 or even stage 1.
There is a building limit before advancing stages. Plan accordingly, and consider using more upgraded houses to allow some more flexibility.
The value of sacrifices is reduced in higher stages, and your citizens will request more goods (and be less happy if they do not get them).
Citizen needs and happiness
Do not be afraid of a little unhappiness. If you try to keep your people perfectly content from the start, you will have a harder time with the game.
You can easily get by without a marketplace in stage 2, and will have an easier time if you put off requests for luxury items until your economy is better developed.
Remember to monitor your happiness levels (this is also a convenient way to track number of working citizens).
If you have a few unhappy and angry people, or have a high risk of such and will not be able to fix things quickly, prioritise a police station as early as you can as criminals will sink happiness of everyone else.
Offence and defence
Soldiers work very differently in The Nations than other games.
There is one path for offence (Stronghold) and one path for defence (Towers and Walls with Soldiers).
You will need to understand most of these mechanics and tips to complete the first war-based Pimmon campaign.
For offence, economy is very important. You will need lots of gold and luxuries to mount an attack on a defended foe, and will likely need 4-8 strongholds (tier 3) to do so. To cover this expense, you will likely need to cover a very large portion of the map with your town, so keep expanding. The Nations prioritises economy over war, so a big town is very important.
For early offence, supplying one or two parties (tier 2) might be sufficient, and on some maps (with good recruits) you can win with this.
Near the end of every day, double check that you have enough resources to cover your war party needs, and trade quickly to get them.
You can use boats to scout the map only if a war party is on board. Boats can also be crucial to victory by a backdoor attack.
Micromanagement of offence could be key, although they are fairly smart if left to their own devices, and bad clicks are worse than leaving them alone. It is easier to micromanage at a higher zoom level. Units will move to a location over attacking if you miss clicking an enemy unit.
For defence units, you will need weapons and the economic infrastructure to supply them either directly or through trade, a barracks to train, and a tower to house the units.
Defence units are ranged, and a far more economical use of weapons than restocking injured war parties.
For defence construction, look at how the AI builds defence in the first few levels. Towers and walls can combine to create a Tower Defence style pathway that is very effective.
Interface tips
You can supply wheelbarrows to carriers by clicking on the carrier and then the wheelbarrow icon.
You can supply potions to anyone that is injured by clicking on them and then the potion icon. This also gives a happiness boost.
You can resupply lost units by clicking on the associated stronghold first.
You can track population, job distribution, happiness, war party needs, and many other items in the interface. You should do so regularly.
The best way to see total inventory once you have warehouses is to propose a trade first, then cancel once you've had a look.
You can select units, buildings, and war parties in the menu interface, this can be a much faster way to track things down than finding them on the map.
If you need to keep an eye on a unit or the area around a building, the camcorder option (REC) is useful. Tracking foremen and war parties can be very helpful.