This is a guide for HUMANKIND™ – Guide on Building Cities

This guide will provide some ideas and tips in this book.

City development methods and basics

Humankind provides two primary approaches to city development. As in other games, these routes are known as “tall” and “wide” strategies; however, Humankind ties these decisions directly to individual cities rather than total city numbers; hence you may include both types in your empire.

Some basics about how districts work in this game

Before beginning our city development efforts, it is necessary to gain an understanding of how districts work. Since specialized districts tend to produce very little (usually 1 FIMS without infrastructure and bonuses), most FIMS districts come from terrain and adjacency bonuses.

As previously discussed, let us now address how adjacency bonuses work. At its core, a basic adjacency bonus of one fim exists – however this number can be increased substantially by building infrastructure projects; consequently, placing one next to another result in greater benefits resulting in greater FIMs from placing each neighbor.

And here the neat part begins. In the Humankind game adjacency bonus for different districts after building all infrastructure is very different. So no we are going to discuss the:

Makers Quarters

Those districts have the highest bonus from adjacency. You can complete 4 infrastructures by the middle of 5 eras which will give you +4 bonus from adjacency. This means that after building all infrastructure you can place makers’ quarters even on tiles without any industry and get around 27-33 production from each new district just due to the agency bonus.

The bonus from industry specialists is also not very big, so you can build a worker industry only in 5 era, if you have time for it.

Farmer quarters

Farmer quarters get the lowest bonus from adjacency: you can build +1 food bonus infrastructure at the 1 era, and one more in the last era. So the main food income comes from resource tiles and also farmer specialists.

The farmer specialists have the highest bonus from infrastructure, around +6 in the middle of 5 era. Also, you can get tons of food from river tiles.

Makers Quarters

Makers’ quarters also have the same low bonus from adjacency as farmer quarters.

Trader specialists also give the lowest income. So basically, the highest money income you will get from harbors (and the ocean tiles) and trade links. Also, good money will provide market quarters placed next to harbour and luxury deposits.

Science quarters

Science quarters have only +1 adjacency bonus until the end of 4 era. After they get a very high adjacency bonus. Moreover they also get the highest bonus for science specialists, and the highest bonus from each science quarter. Also science quarters have very good bonus if placed next to strategic resources.

Settling your city (in era 1-3)

The setting of your city is the same procedure for both strategies. You need to find an outpost, that will have good production tiles and some food tiles. So the idea is that we could build “production zone” – a huge cluster of makers quarters, so they could get the highest adjacency bonus.

While we also need some food, we will place the first farmer quarters in the opposite direction of the “production zone”.

Also try to find an outpost with a river to get huge bonuses for food and industry from it.

Also try to find an outpost with small amount of luxury/ strategic deposits, as on the begging building extractors will increase cost of other districts.

Don’t build all infrastructure, build only that type which increases the income from your terrain.

Also remember that copper and horses give +5 if you have build infrastructure for them. So during the game try to buy/capture all horses and copper.

Developing a “tall” city

The idea of “tall” city is to build a huge cluster of makers’ quarters to get the best industry outcome based on adjacency bonus. Here you don’t need to rush into attaching outposts. You shall attach outpost to your city in next cases:

1. The industry zone reached the border. After you have 2 options: if there is industry tiles next to your industrial zone, then attach that outpost, and continue your building the zone. If there are no good tiles anymore, then attach an outpost with only industry tiles, and start their new zone.

2. You can attach outposts in case if you need to increase food income and develop your population. Then attach outpost which flourishes from food tiles, and place there farmer quarters.

3. In the case if you need money/science development, you can attach an outpost with luxury/strategic deposits, or a coastal outpost with harbour to develop money income

So, you after reaching middle of the 5 era, you will have city containing around 3-4(5) territories but they will fully build with districts. To gain stability leave some place for Wonders. Also you can build common quarters near the market and farmers’ quarters to get more stability there and lose much income. But don’t place common next to makers’ quarters as you will lose your industry potential.

Such city will have around 300 production more than “wide” city, but you will more depend on stability levels. It is good to have your capital as such city.

Also try not to build emblematic quarters in each territory, do it only if it is really profitable.

Developing “wide” city

So, after you developed your “core” territory, you have to attach territories around you, with biggest production/food outcome, place several districts there to collect the biggest amount of FIMS. And after attach another outpost and continue the procedure.

After you reach the 4 era, then it is time to develop your industrial clusters in the most potential region or regions. So by end of era 5, you will have city with 6-7(8) territories with many districts scattered around your administrative centres.

To gain stability don’t forget to build garrisons in each territory, take civic that reduce in cost, and place anywhere you want there, as you are not going to fullfill these territories with your districts .

Also, try to build emblematic quarters in each territory, as you don’t need to build too much quarters, except the makers one, because it will increase dramatically district cost.

Such city is good to be developed from assimilated cities, or if it is placed on New World, or if it is placed in 4-6 era

Advanced tip

You can build a new city in the outpost you are going to attach after you research colonel model, build or buy there emblematic and basic districts and then merge those cities, thefore you don’t need to build all infrastructure (but it will cost you much influence, so better do it in most developed cities).

The same thing also can sometimes be done for “tall” cities.

The main tips for the conclusion:

1. Makers Quarters shall be placed each to over and form a huge cluster (more than 15 districts) after era 5

2. Farmers’ quarters shall be placed where the wizard suggests you, if it doesn’t contradict to your city planning. They could form a cluster of 3-4 districts to collect all the food around them, or placed separately to collect the best food tiles.

3. Market quarters shall be placed only next to harbours or luxury deposits after you can place them next to each other, and place food/common/emblematic quarters near them.

4. Science quarters shall be placed strictly next to strategic resources, or science tiles, after you reach 4 era you can start forming science clusters next to your science quarters placed near strategic resources.

How to gain stability

You can get stability in several ways:

1. Develop your religion by placing holy sights.

2. Build Wonders

3. Trade with everyone as much as you can, before war, take the globalism civic to continue trade links.

4. Develop garrisons in “wide” cities and place

5. Develop common quarters in “tall” cities

Average Numbers for the industry in the city for the end of each era:

1 era – 250

2 era – 500

3 era – 750

4 era – 1000

5 era – 2000

6 era – 3000+

What cultures to pick

There are many discussions about how to develop your culture shifting. In my opinion, the most effective is mixing different cultures due to the most problematic side of your development.

For an example, if you are suffering from lack of science, then pick science one and etc. Don’t forget to use money to build everything faster use diplomatic treaties to search faster and etc.

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