Economics in Miniature
How the buildings interlink in the original Settlers
LUMBERJACK’S HUT
This is probably the first thing you’ll build. The lumberjack chops down trees, which can be sent to the sawmill to be made into planks.
WAREHOUSE
When supply lines are stretched, this comes in handy to store goods where they’re produced, rather than shipping them back to your castle.
FISHERMAN’S HUT
The fisherman is by far the easiest and cheapest way to get food for miners. With only a couple of boards, you’ve got yourself a fisherman’s hut. Now you just need a lake.
IRON FOUNDRY
Iron ore is turned into iron at the foundry, then it goes off to the blacksmith to be made into weapons or the toolmaker to be made into, well, tools.
QUARRYMAN’S HUT
The quarryman chips away at hunks of granite to make stone blocks, which are used – along with wood – to make guard huts and larger buildings, like windmills.
SHIPMAKER
The shipmaker is one building you will only rarely need to construct – it makes boats for ‘roads’ that go across water.
FOREST RANGER’S HUT
To enable a steady supply of logs, you’ll need to plant new trees to replace the ones the lumberjack cuts down, which is where this happy chappy comes in.
BLACKSMITH
This is essential for when you begin clashing with neighbours; the blacksmith churns out swords and shields for knights.
SAWMILL
The sawmill turns logs into wooden boards, which are essential for making buildings. The shipmaker and toolmaker also need wood.
TOOL MAKER
You’ll need a toolmaker to produce axes for lumberjacks, hammers for geologists, scythes for farmers, saws for sawmill workers and so on.
WHEAT FARM
The wheat farm needs a large expanse of flat ground around it for fields, and hence is a tricky one to place. The wheat heads off to the windmill and pig farm.
GOLD FOUNDRY
Gold ore is processed into solid gold ingots here. This provides motivation for your knights: the more gold they have, the more they will want to fight.
WINDMILL
Wheat goes in, flour comes out – it’s as simple as that. For maximum efficiency, you’ll need to place the windmill near the wheat farm and bakery.
BAKERY
The baker turns flour into bread, which then goes off to feed those peckish miners. Weirdly, only miners need food in The Settlers.
GRANITE MINE
Like the quarryman’s hut, the granite mine spits out stones. Most buildings require stone blocks in their construction, so they are one of the most essential goods in the game.
BUTCHER
The next destination for porkers from the pig farm is the butcher. Ach, it’s a hog’s life. The meat then gets carted off to the miners for lunch.
COAL MINE
Coal is sent to the iron foundry, blacksmith and gold foundry to power the furnaces. If there’s no coal, then there’s no fire – and no weapons or gold, and you don’t want that.
PIG FARM
Wheat doesn’t just go to the bakery – it also ends up at the pig farm to sate the hungry hogs. Swill is too good for them, it seems.
GOLD MINE
Towards the end of a game, when wars are kicking off all over the place, gold becomes crucial for motivating your army. Gold ore is sent from here to the gold foundry.
GUARD HUT
When a soldier occupies a guard hut, your border magically extends out around it, so they’re essential for expanding your territory.
IRON MINE
Iron is a useful resource and used to make weapons and tools. Ore is taken from the mine to be processed at the iron foundry.
GUARD TOWER
Whereas a guard hut only houses three knights, a guard tower holds six, so they’re handy for protecting hostile borders.
GARRISON
Garrisons take an enormous amount of wood and stone to build, but they house a whopping 12 knights, so they’re great for massing your forces.