0
Here are some tips for The Settlers II. This is not meant to be an official
FAQ, and has not been created
in conjunction with BlueByte or anyone other than myself. Please contact me if
there are any gross errors
in here, on 100734,1751.
I will not go over the basics of the game - I will assume that everyone has read
the manual (if you havenTt,
do so!). I assume that you are familiar with the essential dynamics of getting
resources in order to
construct buildings, make food etc.
Please note that I may sometimes not use the correct word for some of the
buildings or people (especially
the tree-planter, called a Sylviculteur in French!) - this is because I am
playing the French version. It
should, however, be obvious what I am talking about.
Without further ado, here are the tips:
General
Use the Observer to scout, especially in enemy territory as he will not be
attacked and he is cheaper than
building the observation towers. Place a flag as close to the border and send
him to explore there.
For wood, 1 tree-planter and 1 sawmill will serve 2 lumberjacks. Build the
sawmill between the
lumberjacks and the nearest warehouse. Make sure that you donTt place a farm
near the tree-planter,
because he will happily plant trees in the middle of the crops.
If you are notified that the Emergency Plan is in effect, construct a
tree-planter close to a lumberjack who
is no longer productive (use the S key to show the productivity of all
buildings, and C to show their
names).
For stone, quarries are better than granite mines because they do not require
food. OK they run out - but
then so do the mines. Quarries also clear ground for more buildings.
Destroy most buildings when they are no longer productive. Exceptions may be
the lumberjack and the
huntsmanTs cottage, which may be brought back into service by building a
tree-planter.
Unstock items from warehouses if you want to keep certain items in other
warehouses where they are
closer to the buildings which require them. In particular, keep stocks close to
the periphery of your
territory (although be careful if a warehouse is vulnerable to attack).
Your supply of colonists is inexhaustible - however, they need the tools for the
job (a scythe for the farmer
etc). If new buildings stay unoccupied, you need to make more tools (note that
you can determine the
priority of tool production if you need one type in particular).
Control the distribution of goods to buildings using the Distribution window if
certain buildings are
inexplicably unproductive and you have all of the requisite resources.
All levels in Campaign mode end when you find the Magic Portal.
See Appendix 1 for a table showing material requirements for all buildings.
Roads
Flags should generally be placed as frequently as possible; however, turn on the
Building Help (space bar)
to ensure that you do not remove useful building sites by placing them badly.
Much-used roads will be automatically paved and will become quicker - you have
no control over this.
In busy areas (eg around warehouses), build a complex network of roads so that
there are multiple routes
for your goods. This will speed up transportation.
Choose flat ground for roads if possible - the transporters are slowed down by
hills.
Build a Mule farm to speed up transport. For this, you will require 2 farms and
a well in order to provide
the necessary wheat and water.
A maximum of 8 items can be kept at a flag. If your flags are blocked, you are
losing production from
your buildings - get mules or build additional roads. If absolutely necessary,
you can remove the flag,
thus losing the items at the flag but possibly freeing up a blocked route.
Food
Build the huntsmanTs cabin close to a forest, preferably where you see game
roaming around on the
screen. He will eventually exhaust the supply, but if there is forest around it
will return (make a tree-
planter to regenerate the forest).
Fish will always be found in the sea, but only sometimes in lakes. Destroy the
cabins when they exhaust
the supply - fish never return.
Farms must be built with open space around them for the fields. You can readily
see if there is enough
space by checking out the productivity level, which corresponds only to the
space available. Remember to
keep them away from the tree-planters!
For efficient production, build 3 farms to 1 well, 1 mill and 1 bakery. As you
see, you will need lots of
farms!
For 1 pig-farm you need 3 normal farms (again), 1 well and 1 butcher. Is it
worth it? DonTt know - but
you need food to keep your buildings going. I donTt yet know what the most
efficient means of food
production is - if anyone knows, please tell me (obviously the fisherman and
huntsman are the easiest, but
they donTt last forever).
Mines
The size of the coloured portion of the signs indicate the level of resources
available for mining. The
signs disappear after a while, but this does not affect the availability of the
resource.
Destroy mines as soon as they are exhausted - they still take food, and you will
free up the miner for
another mine.
Militia
To make one soldier, you need a sword, a shield and a keg of beer in a warehouse
(not in separate ones).
Soldiers go up in rank according to the supply of gold coins, and this affects
their strength.
Use the military settings to send troops towards the frontiers rather than the
middle of your territory
(unless you have a good reason for not doing so).
Attack enemy military buildings which protect production buildings - if you take
it, he will lose all of the
buildings within itTs radius. Even if it is taken back, he will have to
rebuild.
Catapults are often more useful than soldiers and military buildings -
crucially, destruction of an enemy
building by catapult is not seen as an act of war. Each catapult attack
consumes 1 stone and, if successful,
reduces the garrison of a building by 1 soldier until the building is destroyed.
Change the transport
priorities if you need the catapults to fire quicker.
You can affect the use of gold by selecting the Lno goldL icon in military
buildings which are away from
the conflict zone.
Seafaring
Ships hold up to 40 items (colonists and goods) and can only be built in a
shipyard - suitable sites for
building shipyards are very rare. You also have to build a naval port in order
to supply ships - remember
to take planks and stones with you to build on your new islands.
Appendix 1 - Material Requirements for Buildings
Building Planks Stones
Headquarters - -
HuntsmanTs Cottage 2 -
FishermanTs Cabin 2 -
Quarry 2 -
Tree-planterTs Cabin 2 -
LumberjackTs Cabin 2 -
Sawmill 2 2
Farm 3 3
Well 2 -
Pig-farm 3 3
Butcher 2 2
Mill 2 2
Bakery 2 2
Mule farm 3 3
Mine (any) 4 -
Foundry 2 2
Mint 2 2
Workshop (tools etc.) 2 2
Forge 2 2
Warehouse 3 3
Shipyard 2 3
Port Warehouse 4 6
Boat 1 -
Ship 13 -
Watch Tower 3 -
Barracks 2 -
Guard House 2 3
Guard Tower 3 4
Fortress 4 7
Catapult 4 2
Appendix 2 - Dependency Chart
This chart shows which buildings and resources are required for which products.
See the manual for
details of how to find the resources.
I have this chart as a PowerPoint presentation, in both English and French
versions, which could be
uploaded if there is sufficient interest.
FAQ, and has not been created
in conjunction with BlueByte or anyone other than myself. Please contact me if
there are any gross errors
in here, on 100734,1751.
I will not go over the basics of the game - I will assume that everyone has read
the manual (if you havenTt,
do so!). I assume that you are familiar with the essential dynamics of getting
resources in order to
construct buildings, make food etc.
Please note that I may sometimes not use the correct word for some of the
buildings or people (especially
the tree-planter, called a Sylviculteur in French!) - this is because I am
playing the French version. It
should, however, be obvious what I am talking about.
Without further ado, here are the tips:
General
Use the Observer to scout, especially in enemy territory as he will not be
attacked and he is cheaper than
building the observation towers. Place a flag as close to the border and send
him to explore there.
For wood, 1 tree-planter and 1 sawmill will serve 2 lumberjacks. Build the
sawmill between the
lumberjacks and the nearest warehouse. Make sure that you donTt place a farm
near the tree-planter,
because he will happily plant trees in the middle of the crops.
If you are notified that the Emergency Plan is in effect, construct a
tree-planter close to a lumberjack who
is no longer productive (use the S key to show the productivity of all
buildings, and C to show their
names).
For stone, quarries are better than granite mines because they do not require
food. OK they run out - but
then so do the mines. Quarries also clear ground for more buildings.
Destroy most buildings when they are no longer productive. Exceptions may be
the lumberjack and the
huntsmanTs cottage, which may be brought back into service by building a
tree-planter.
Unstock items from warehouses if you want to keep certain items in other
warehouses where they are
closer to the buildings which require them. In particular, keep stocks close to
the periphery of your
territory (although be careful if a warehouse is vulnerable to attack).
Your supply of colonists is inexhaustible - however, they need the tools for the
job (a scythe for the farmer
etc). If new buildings stay unoccupied, you need to make more tools (note that
you can determine the
priority of tool production if you need one type in particular).
Control the distribution of goods to buildings using the Distribution window if
certain buildings are
inexplicably unproductive and you have all of the requisite resources.
All levels in Campaign mode end when you find the Magic Portal.
See Appendix 1 for a table showing material requirements for all buildings.
Roads
Flags should generally be placed as frequently as possible; however, turn on the
Building Help (space bar)
to ensure that you do not remove useful building sites by placing them badly.
Much-used roads will be automatically paved and will become quicker - you have
no control over this.
In busy areas (eg around warehouses), build a complex network of roads so that
there are multiple routes
for your goods. This will speed up transportation.
Choose flat ground for roads if possible - the transporters are slowed down by
hills.
Build a Mule farm to speed up transport. For this, you will require 2 farms and
a well in order to provide
the necessary wheat and water.
A maximum of 8 items can be kept at a flag. If your flags are blocked, you are
losing production from
your buildings - get mules or build additional roads. If absolutely necessary,
you can remove the flag,
thus losing the items at the flag but possibly freeing up a blocked route.
Food
Build the huntsmanTs cabin close to a forest, preferably where you see game
roaming around on the
screen. He will eventually exhaust the supply, but if there is forest around it
will return (make a tree-
planter to regenerate the forest).
Fish will always be found in the sea, but only sometimes in lakes. Destroy the
cabins when they exhaust
the supply - fish never return.
Farms must be built with open space around them for the fields. You can readily
see if there is enough
space by checking out the productivity level, which corresponds only to the
space available. Remember to
keep them away from the tree-planters!
For efficient production, build 3 farms to 1 well, 1 mill and 1 bakery. As you
see, you will need lots of
farms!
For 1 pig-farm you need 3 normal farms (again), 1 well and 1 butcher. Is it
worth it? DonTt know - but
you need food to keep your buildings going. I donTt yet know what the most
efficient means of food
production is - if anyone knows, please tell me (obviously the fisherman and
huntsman are the easiest, but
they donTt last forever).
Mines
The size of the coloured portion of the signs indicate the level of resources
available for mining. The
signs disappear after a while, but this does not affect the availability of the
resource.
Destroy mines as soon as they are exhausted - they still take food, and you will
free up the miner for
another mine.
Militia
To make one soldier, you need a sword, a shield and a keg of beer in a warehouse
(not in separate ones).
Soldiers go up in rank according to the supply of gold coins, and this affects
their strength.
Use the military settings to send troops towards the frontiers rather than the
middle of your territory
(unless you have a good reason for not doing so).
Attack enemy military buildings which protect production buildings - if you take
it, he will lose all of the
buildings within itTs radius. Even if it is taken back, he will have to
rebuild.
Catapults are often more useful than soldiers and military buildings -
crucially, destruction of an enemy
building by catapult is not seen as an act of war. Each catapult attack
consumes 1 stone and, if successful,
reduces the garrison of a building by 1 soldier until the building is destroyed.
Change the transport
priorities if you need the catapults to fire quicker.
You can affect the use of gold by selecting the Lno goldL icon in military
buildings which are away from
the conflict zone.
Seafaring
Ships hold up to 40 items (colonists and goods) and can only be built in a
shipyard - suitable sites for
building shipyards are very rare. You also have to build a naval port in order
to supply ships - remember
to take planks and stones with you to build on your new islands.
Appendix 1 - Material Requirements for Buildings
Building Planks Stones
Headquarters - -
HuntsmanTs Cottage 2 -
FishermanTs Cabin 2 -
Quarry 2 -
Tree-planterTs Cabin 2 -
LumberjackTs Cabin 2 -
Sawmill 2 2
Farm 3 3
Well 2 -
Pig-farm 3 3
Butcher 2 2
Mill 2 2
Bakery 2 2
Mule farm 3 3
Mine (any) 4 -
Foundry 2 2
Mint 2 2
Workshop (tools etc.) 2 2
Forge 2 2
Warehouse 3 3
Shipyard 2 3
Port Warehouse 4 6
Boat 1 -
Ship 13 -
Watch Tower 3 -
Barracks 2 -
Guard House 2 3
Guard Tower 3 4
Fortress 4 7
Catapult 4 2
Appendix 2 - Dependency Chart
This chart shows which buildings and resources are required for which products.
See the manual for
details of how to find the resources.
I have this chart as a PowerPoint presentation, in both English and French
versions, which could be
uploaded if there is sufficient interest.