Utopia: Growing Your Lands

BUILDINGS, PEOPLE, AND ECONOMICS

Your People: Your land can only hold a certain number of people. You can choose to keep them as peasants to work the land and generate income, place them in your military, or train them as thieves or wizards. It is up to you to determine the ideal balance of how to manage your people; each option has benefits and drawbacks. For example, adding military reduces your income, but may help you grow more quickly.
Economics & Buildings: Buildings employ people and employed people generate taxes - taxes are your primary source of income. One of the first things you should do in Utopia is construct buildings on your land. See the bottom of this page for details on how each building affects your province. Your Internal Affairs Advisor will also help you in this regard.
Building Efficiency: If not properly staffed, your buildings may not function at 100% efficiency. If you find your efficiency falling, there are two solutions. First, increasing your number of peasants will help fill more jobs. Second, you can invest in your buildings to improve their quality. Both of these take time but can make your lands more efficient than normal. Your Civilian Advisor can aid in this information.

If you ever wish to obtain power, fame, or fortune, you must understand the basics of expanding your province and building your infrastructure. While war is always an option for growth, in many instances, you will need to peacefully expand your province. Below, I will describe the methods and benefits of each of your options.

Economics: Employment, Taxes, & Productivity

The Utopian World features a rich, vibrant economic system. The buildings on your land employ people to generate tax revenues for your province. In addition, your people power your buildings to provide non-financial benefits to your land.

The currency of choice in Utopia is the gold coin, demoninated by either "gc" or "$", the dollar sign as you know it. Your coffers need be plentiful if you wish to grow your province over the long term. You have one primary source of money -- tax revenues. It will be important to ensure that your people have adequate work: except for Homes, all buildings employ up to 20 men or women, each of which brings in tax revenues. Prisoners held in your prisons also generate a small amount of gold each day (0.5 gc per day).

Without enough employees, you may find that your buildings function less efficiently. Buildings can be made more efficient through investment. By putting money towards improving your buildings, you can generate more productivity out of a single building. Investments are made on a daily basis - long-term, steady investments every day will produce much greater results than larger, short-term contributions. More can be found on Building Investments in the Growth screen and the Civilian Advisor.

Exploration

To gain additional lands for your province, you can send an exploration team to search out and claim new territory. These expeditions will require both money and soldiers. Unfortunately, as your empire grows larger and receives more notoriety, fewer of your men will be willing to go on these dangerous excursions, and the costs of finding new land rises sharply.
Once you have your new lands in place, you will be able to begin developing them into more useful territory. It is important to understand that your people are essential to exploration, as they settle the lands. Your people will not allow you to explore unless at least 50% of your land has already been put to use.

Construction

Land alone is nice to have, but without buildings and infrastructure, it is of little use to anyone. You have a variety of buildings to choose to build, but remember this: You will need many people to make your province go, and you will need to provide these men with jobs to work. Only employed peasants will bring in the tax revenues that make your province go! Advisors within your Council will help provide you the information you need to keep your economy healthy.
The Utopian World offers a variety of buildings and structures to place on your lands. Each of these has some inherent benefits which allow your province to grow or specialize. It is up to you to determine how best to fill your lands, as there is no perfect or ideal balance for growth.

Your Construction Options

Homes While all land houses some peasants, setting aside acreage specifically for the purpose of housing can help to increase your total population. All provinces should set aside a portion of your land for residential areas.

Farms Food is vital to the growth of any and every province. Without it, your peasants and military will starve! It is important that you keep an adequate portion of your land as farms, or you will find your province quickly fall to ruins.

Mills Mills are all about building better buildings. Your mills make the building process much more efficient and help you to construct buildings more cheaply.

Training Grounds Training Grounds improve the efficiency of your military training practices. While not making your military stronger, these lands allow you to reduce the costs of maintaining a large and vibrant army.

Armouries Armouries give your men better facilities with which to train themselves into a stronger fighting force. Over long run, this allows to you build better troops at lower costs.

Barracks Barracks help train your troops and keep them in better shape. In combat, this allows your men to conduct battle more quickly and return home more hastily.

Forts Forts help to organize your military when defending your lands. By installing forts throughout your province, you can reduce the amount of land captured by invading opponents.

Thieves' Dens Thieves' Dens give the thieves in your land a place to organize, prepare, and rest. Spreading these across your lands will reduce your losses when conducting thievery operations and allow you to more efficiently plan your ops.

Banks By creating a central place for monetary transactions, you can increase the overall efficiency of your economy. Banks help boost overall income -- and thus taxes collection -- in your society, while also protecting your gold from would-be looters.

Hospitals Hospitals are a valuable way to keep your military in good health. Oftentimes in battle, you will find many of your soldiers wounded, but not killed. Without Hospitals, these men will often perish without treatment. With them, your men may be saved.

Guilds Alas, Wizards are needed to cast your spells, and Wizards can only be trained at these Guilds. Developing a powerful army of Wizards takes time and patience, as well as many of these Guilds.

Towers Your Towers serve as a locale for your wizards and mages to work to develop runes. They allow you to produce new runes each day, giving you the ability to cast spells.

Watchtowers Watchtowers serve as watchposts for potential problems within your lands, mostly caused by thieves. Having an array of Watchtowers can help protect your land from infiltration.

Schools Schools are vital to making your peasantry smarter and poised for studies in the intellectual arts. Having Schools helps give your people the fundamentals needed to advance in the sciences.

Libraries Libraries serve to help educate your populace. This, in turn, improves the level of knowledge throughout your province and serves to create a natural source of new discoveries without continuous spending on your part.

Taverns An area for your peasants to socialize, Taverns help your military to find potential new recruits. Having a number of taverns can help lower your draft costs and save you money in the long-term.

Stables Stables help breed, train and house War Horses which can be used by your military to strength your offense. More can be learned about War Horses within Chapter VII, "Going To War".

Dungeons Dungeons are used to house prisoners from war captured during battle. Through torture, combined with the promise of freedom, you are able to use these men as mercenaries in future wars. After each battle, half of the prisoners escape your rule.

The Actual Numbers

The term "%" below refers to the percentage of land you have of that kind of building. For example, if you have 10% of your buildings as Mills, "% * 4" would refer to 40%. The maximum listed is the maximum bonus you can receive from a set of buildings, no matter how many you own or how efficient they are.

Land Capacity Each built up acre of land houses 25 people; Barren lands house 15 people.

Homes Houses 30 people (as opposed to the normal 25)
Employs no one

Farms Produces 70 Bushels Per Day

Mills Decrease Building Costs by % * 4 (80% Max)
Reduces exploration gold expenses by % * 2 (50% Max)

Training Grounds Decrease Daily Maintenance Costs by % * 2.5 (50% Max)

Armouries Decrease Military Training Costs by % * 1.75 (50% Max)

Barracks Lowers Attack Time by % * 0.75 (20% Max)
Increase Offense by % * 0.5 (20% Max)

Forts Decrease Resource Losses when Attacked by % * 1.5 (30% Max)
Increase Defense by % * 0.75 (7.5% Max)

Thieves' Den Lower Losses in Thievery Operations by % * 5 (80% Max)
Increase Thievery Effectiveness by % * 1 (No Max)

Banks Generate $30 per day
Increase Income by % * 1 (No Max)
Protect % * 5 Gold from Thievery (60% Max)

Hospitals Decrease Combat Losses by % * 4 (60% Max)
% * 1.5 chance of curing The Plague each day
Increase Birth Rate by % * 4 (80% Max)

Guilds 2% Chance of Training a Wizard Daily

Towers Produces 10 Runes Per Day

Watchtowers % * 1.5 Chance of Catching Enemy Thieves (60% Max)
% * 5 (60% Max) chance of identifying enemy thieves

Schools Increase Science Maximum by % * 1.25 (60% Max)

Libraries 3 Free Science Points per Day

Taverns Lowers Draft Costs by % * 3 (60% Max)

Stables Produces One Horse Per Day
(Max 75 Horses Per Stable)

Dungeons House 50 Prisoners of War

Your Construction Options
Homes	While all land houses some peasants, setting aside acreage specifically for the purpose of housing can help to increase your total population. All provinces should set aside a portion of your land for residential areas.
Farms	Food is vital to the growth of any and every province. Without it, your peasants and military will starve! It is important that you keep an adequate portion of your land as farms, or you will find your province quickly fall to ruins.
Mills	Mills are all about building better buildings. Your mills make the building process much more efficient and help you to construct buildings more cheaply.
Training Grounds	Training Grounds improve the efficiency of your military training practices. While not making your military stronger, these lands allow you to reduce the costs of maintaining a large and vibrant army.
Armouries	Armouries give your men better facilities with which to train themselves into a stronger fighting force. Over long run, this allows to you build better troops at lower costs.
Barracks	Barracks help train your troops and keep them in better shape. In combat, this allows your men to conduct battle more quickly and return home more hastily.
Forts	Forts help to organize your military when defending your lands. By installing forts throughout your province, you can reduce the amount of land captured by invading opponents.
Thieves' Dens	Thieves' Dens give the thieves in your land a place to organize, prepare, and rest. Spreading these across your lands will reduce your losses when conducting thievery operations and allow you to more efficiently plan your ops.
Banks	By creating a central place for monetary transactions, you can increase the overall efficiency of your economy. Banks help boost overall income -- and thus taxes collection -- in your society, while also protecting your gold from would-be looters.
Hospitals	Hospitals are a valuable way to keep your military in good health. Oftentimes in battle, you will find many of your soldiers wounded, but not killed. Without Hospitals, these men will often perish without treatment. With them, your men may be saved.
Guilds	Alas, Wizards are needed to cast your spells, and Wizards can only be trained at these Guilds. Developing a powerful army of Wizards takes time and patience, as well as many of these Guilds.
Towers	Your Towers serve as a locale for your wizards and mages to work to develop runes. They allow you to produce new runes each day, giving you the ability to cast spells.
Watchtowers	Watchtowers serve as watchposts for potential problems within your lands, mostly caused by thieves. Having an array of Watchtowers can help protect your land from infiltration.
Schools	Schools are vital to making your peasantry smarter and poised for studies in the intellectual arts. Having Schools helps give your people the fundamentals needed to advance in the sciences.
Libraries	Libraries serve to help educate your populace. This, in turn, improves the level of knowledge throughout your province and serves to create a natural source of new discoveries without continuous spending on your part.
Taverns	An area for your peasants to socialize, Taverns help your military to find potential new recruits. Having a number of taverns can help lower your draft costs and save you money in the long-term.
Stables	Stables help breed, train and house War Horses which can be used by your military to strength your offense. More can be learned about War Horses within Chapter VII, "Going To War".
Dungeons	Dungeons are used to house prisoners from war captured during battle. Through torture, combined with the promise of freedom, you are able to use these men as mercenaries in future wars. After each battle, half of the prisoners escape your rule.

The Actual Numbers
The term "%" below refers to the percentage of land you have of that kind of building. For example, if you have 10% of your buildings as Mills, "% * 4" would refer to 40%. The maximum listed is the maximum bonus you can receive from a set of buildings, no matter how many you own or how efficient they are.
Land Capacity	Each built up acre of land houses 25 people; Barren lands house 15 people.
Homes	Houses 30 people (as opposed to the normal 25) Employs no one
Farms	Produces 70 Bushels Per Day
Mills	Decrease Building Costs by % * 4 (80% Max) Reduces exploration gold expenses by % * 2 (50% Max)
Training Grounds	Decrease Daily Maintenance Costs by % * 2.5 (50% Max)
Armouries	Decrease Military Training Costs by % * 1.75 (50% Max)
Barracks	Lowers Attack Time by % * 0.75 (20% Max) Increase Offense by % * 0.5 (20% Max)
Forts	Decrease Resource Losses when Attacked by % * 1.5 (30% Max) Increase Defense by % * 0.75 (7.5% Max)
Thieves' Den	Lower Losses in Thievery Operations by % * 5 (80% Max) Increase Thievery Effectiveness by % * 1 (No Max)
Banks	Generate $30 per day Increase Income by % * 1 (No Max) Protect % * 5 Gold from Thievery (60% Max)
Hospitals	Decrease Combat Losses by % * 4 (60% Max) % * 1.5 chance of curing The Plague each day Increase Birth Rate by % * 4 (80% Max)
Guilds	2% Chance of Training a Wizard Daily
Towers	Produces 10 Runes Per Day
Watchtowers	% * 1.5 Chance of Catching Enemy Thieves (60% Max) % * 5 (60% Max) chance of identifying enemy thieves
Schools	Increase Science Maximum by % * 1.25 (60% Max)
Libraries	3 Free Science Points per Day
Taverns	Lowers Draft Costs by % * 3 (60% Max)
Stables	Produces One Horse Per Day (Max 75 Horses Per Stable)
Dungeons	House 50 Prisoners of War