As a rule of thumb, you'll need 1 building of each kind for each zone, kind of. You want deep pockets to reach into when you're on the move. After that I was struggling to provide for my people (as mentioned above), and once that got sorted out, I didn't see the need for a 6th, since I only really needed 150 souls on board.

I had 3 by the time I left the first main zone, with 4 and 5 being built some time during the 2nd zone (I opted to go to the mountains rather than the 'low on coal' Shallows, so that I could get more resource-efficient when I did go there). When it comes to Academies, you should build them up while your people have relatively low demands, so that by the time you need to focus on getting the latest tech up to speed (as in, grabbing all relevant upgrades of the building in question), you won't have to worry about, say, storage space (which can bite you in the ass much more than initially apparent). You can build a 2nd if you feel like you need to catch up but even then it is only temporary. Food, water, coal, and lumber are the resources that see real traffic, so for the rest, you'll be perfectly fine with just 1 of each. Despite being a city-builder game, you actually don't build all that much, nor should you, because you're also building a flying ship, so you'll end up aiming for the slimmest layout possible (especially once you discover that unlit Paths make your people whine about it). Once you get the first upgrades in each column, your workers will be stripping the land bare pretty quick.Ĭonstruction resource production buildings might seem like a big deal but they aren't. In my experience, you'll never need more than 2 Hangars. Therefore, you'll be looking for those sweet spots in workforce allocations, those hilltops in the bell curve, where investing more has increasingly diminishing returns. However, Academies rob you of 5 workers each, so you can't just bumrush the whole thing, and since all progress on a tech is lost if you switch it out for another one, you can't change direction on a whim. The reality of the game is that as time goes on, having the right tech at the right time is more important and harder to achieve than grabbing all the goodies you need, so you have to adjust your efforts accordingly. I couldn't have done that without some upgrades to the buildings themselves. For instance, I've always had plenty of Relics, so whenever I could, I picked up all the tech I could find, so I skipped Minarets entirely and built Shrines, which were later replaced by Spirit Healers (with a few Clinics providing extra healthcare for less workforce once all houses had Faith coverage). Give yourself time to read all the things and then to plan how you intend to provide for your people. I haven't done the math on all permutations but even though I'd go with the exact same building combos in a second playthrough, you can go a number of ways. It is better to take your time, grab the tech you need to set up your optimal layout, than to deal with trouble you could have easily avoided (yes, I only learned that after screwing it up). The game never warns you about it but if people are unhappy with you, they'll leave, which could potentially lose you the game (I've lost roughly a dozen but still finished with ~175, so it's not too bad). This becomes especially important once your people start nagging you for healthcare and comforts. There are times when you should wait for your tech to finish before moving on (ideally in range of resources you're at risk of running low on, primarily coal). Even if you're just passing through, don't hesitate to send workers to grab some stuff, they'll always come back. Construction is quick, so you should do them on demand, rather than in big bursts. Generally speaking, you'll be in need of food/water, construction resources, relics, or simply running the errands you're given. Having played through the game (which was all sorts of comfy, a very underrated player experience in the industry IMO), I thought I'd share what I've learned so that those of you who feel stuck or just looking for ways to improve your flying city can get some pointers.

Airborne kingdom fitgirl