User Guide

39
Housing, Roads and Drinking Water
1. Clear the land, if necessary.
2. Choose the appropriate button
from the Control Panel.
3. Place your building.
You will know if you are choosing an appropriate place
for your building if you see a green “ghost” of it as you
move the cursor over the desired location. If you see
red, the land is not clear or the building you’ve chosen
has special requirements which you have not yet met.
CClleeaarriinngg LLaanndd
With the exception of monuments, you must clear the
land first before building a structure. To clear land,
click on the “Clear Land” button on the Control Panel.
When the special Dig cursor appears, click on the spot
that you would like to clear. You can clear large areas
at one time by dragging your cursor over the land.
The land clears as you drag the mouse, and the amount
of money needed to clear it is displayed. You can
reshape the area of land you’re clearing by reposition-
ing the cursor, but once you let go of the mouse but-
ton, the land is cleared and the money is spent. If you
change your mind, click the “Undo” button on the
Control Panel. Do so quickly, however, because you
have a limited amount of time in which to undo any
action.
If a forest is blocking your way, think carefully before
clearing it. Wood is an extremely rare and valuable
commodity, and it may behoove you to change your
city design instead of clearing the forest.
BBuuiillddiinngg RRooaaddss
Most structures in Pharaoh need road access. If citizens
38
Housing, Roads and Drinking Water
Undo Button
Clear Land Button
Egypt’s Neighborhoods
Ahket, 12th year of Ramesses
Evening
Dear Journal
After the arduous task of unloading
our ship’s cargo, I was ready for a good
night's sleep. I stationed a guard outside the
Storage Yard we had procured for our goods
and made my way to Khmunhotep's house. I
met Khmunhotep last year, when he worked as
a scribe who accompanied trade missions
abroad. He told me that I would be most wel-
come in his house if ever I found myself in
Egypt.
I made my way through the twisting
and turning streets to Khmunhotep's neigh-
borhood. It was clear to me as I walked that
Egypt is much like other places I've been: not
everyone shares equally in the land's wealth.
Some of the homes were quite run down, while
others were larger and kept up. I entered
Khmunhotep's street where the homes were
quite large. The residents were obviously well
off, and most probably worked for the govern-
ment.
Khmunhotep's home is filled with fine
things that point to his status. His pottery is
the finest available, and the clothing his fam-
ily wears is made of very sheer linen, a mark
of quality. He scents his home with
myrrh, imported from Pwenet. Of
course, these luxuries come with a
price: he has one of the highest
tax bills in the neighborhood.
Tired from my journey, I
retired to bed. The typical
Egyptian headrest, a curved piece
of wood atop a small pedestal, didn't
look especially inviting, but this
wooden “pillow” proved to be surpris-
ingly restful.