User Guide

nor can you clear marshland.
Rock.
Rocky outcroppings sometimes indicate
the presence of construction-grade stone, valu-
able ores or precious gemstones (see pages 69-71).
Rock is impassable; people cannot walk over rock
and must walk around it. You cannot build any-
thing directly on rock.
Water.
The Nile carves a swath through many
regions, and other areas may have oases or small
ponds. Naturally, you cannot build any structures
directly on the water.
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The Kingdom Road cuts through the city and links it
to other cities in Egypt and the world. Immigrants also
use the Kingdom road to get to your city. Be careful
not to isolate your city from the Kingdom. Your city
must have access to the rest of the Kingdom to survive.
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The same basic principles guide building most struc-
tures in the game. The rather large exceptions to the
rule are monuments, which are discussed fully on
pages 129-149. To build the rest of the buildings, the
basic steps are:
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Housing, Roads and Drinking Water
Grassland.
Grass grows on land near water, indi-
cating that there is groundwater flowing under-
neath it. Because of this groundwater, you can
place water-related structures on grassland.
Meadow.
Meadows, identified by their yellow
vegetation, can support farms (see page 62).
Flood plain.
The flood plain is generally the most
fertile land in Egypt. Found along the banks of
the Nile, the land’s fertility is restored each year
when the Nile floods its banks (see page 59).
Because of the annual flooding, farms, roads and
Irrigation Ditches are the only structures that can
be built on the flood plain.
Desert.
Deserts are often a good place to build
industries (see pages 68-79), but a poor place for
housing because it is difficult to supply these areas
with clean drinking water. Deserts cannot support
water-related structures.
Sand Dunes.
Sand dunes form when the desert
wind blows. Nothing can be built on sand dunes,
but people can walk over them.
Forest.
If there is a forest in the area, you may be
able to harvest wood (see page 72). You can also
permanently cut down a forest by clearing the
land (see page 38).
Marshland.
Marshes are the habitat for reeds (see
page 72), which can be made into papyrus.
Marshland is found near water and sprouts very
dark green reeds. Because the ground is so wet,
you cannot build anything directly on the marsh,
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Housing, Roads and Drinking Water