How to play guide for Dawn of Man

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This page will serve as a basic **how to play guide for *Dawn of Man***. While there is very little information available at this time, we urge you to check back often, as new information is being added all the time! Feel free to edit this guide with any tips, tricks, and suggestions.

## Basic gameplay

One of the basic things you need to figure out is correctly calibrating resource limits. Generally speaking moderation is key, stockpiling the wrong resources may reduce production of other resources, resulting in bottlenecks in tool production, building construction or elsewhere. Where high demand for a certain resource is foreseen (as a result of gameplay experience) it is sensible to stockpile or concentrate production of certain resources to prevent shortages in future. Some examples include dry skins(for tents, skin clothes and bows) logs (for wooden palisade walls) and stone (for stone walls, warehouses and stone huts).

In terms of tools provisions a sensible supply provision as a percentage of population size is: 50% spears, 75%-100% bows, 25% fishing tools, 25% picks, 25% axes, 75%sickles, 50%-75% knives and 50% swords. Only a relatively small number of people will be logging, mining or fishing hence the 25% for those. Depending on livestock numbers a figure between 50-75 for knives is sensible for butchery purposes. Spears 50% as whilst those hunting will generally be few in number spears are good for defence against raiders. Bows are great for hunting and defence so 75%-100% is recommended (kids can't use bows but nice to have a surplus so new arrivals can arm themselves immediately). 50% swords as they are good for fighting but preferably the dogs should be the melee meatshield buying time for your 'archers' to decimate the distracted raiders. It is going to be all hands on deck come harvest so 75% sickle ratio allows all the adults (elderly included) to pitch in cutting the grass.

## Tips and tricks

* Research food drying first, so you can start stockpiling food for the winter immediately.
* Build a storage tent, to help preserve your equipment and food.
* Set limits on resources like sticks, logs, and flint, to avoid having too high of a workload.
* High workloads will result in inefficient and slow work, which can easily cause starvation.
* In the early game, particularly in hardcore mode growing your population is key to building a viable settlement. Raids will significantly cull your workforce and so high fertility and immigration is essential in recovery. As such ensure you always have a surplus of 10+ housing and wool/skins attire to accommodate more people. In terms of food, a combination of foraging, hunting and fishing is sufficient up to 50 population.
* If your villagers are unhappy, build spiritual monuments; a range of different monuments works best. The priority however should be in removing needless hardship and providing some everyday comfort to lessen the daily toll that ultimately make them miserable. In this respect sledges, stylish clothes and beer are important with the former additionally boosting worker efficiency.
* In the Paleolithic and Neolithic stages of the game I find having hunting work areas close to your Settlement work best.
* Settlement layout not only affects the look of your Settlement but planning ahead for defenses and expandability helps later on in game.
* For winter I find it easier to keep my people close to the settlement to avoid hypothermia and starvation since animals hibernate or migrate somewhere else. Plants will all be frosted over as well.
* When you are able to plant crops, be sure that you set all crop fields to high priority.
* When you have crop fields designated, try to not give other tasks like building or hunting when villagers are planting(spring) or harvesting(autumn/fall).
* Planting pulses and other non-grain food allows you to spread some of the planting/harvesting workload to winter and summer respectively. Grain crops should remain the staple crops however as domestic animals can only eat straw (or grain), both products of cereal crops only.
* Domesticating sheep early and gathering a large herd may speed up technological advancement as wool's end product, the wool outfit, is (and remains) a valuable commodity to traders throughout the ages and can be bartered for knowledge (technology).
* In the early game it is recommended to produce a sizeable arsenal of slings or preferably bows to fend off raiders. Providing every adult with a bow will allow the whole tribe to aid in defense and overwhelm the raiders.
* When hunting with primitive hunting tools it is often preferable to gather a group of tribespeople and hunt an animal that will fight back (aurochs, wolves or bears) since this removes the need to chase the prey which wastes valuable man hours. More advanced hunting weaponry will swiftly kill a hunted herbivore and lessens the risk of engaging in a pointless 'goose chase'.
* Wolf cubs may be tamed into dogs to bolster defense from raiders.
* Animal pens should be built inside or close to the main settlement to protect them from raiders who will destroy them if given the chance.
* Bone, Flint, and Copper tools as well as Skins Outfits should be bartered soon after they are made obsolete as they diminish in value quickly in the Bronze/Iron ages. Wool and linen clothing however will not depreciate and can be retained.
* Unless there are a tool surplus, only set tools to auto produce since weapons can be acquired looting the dead after raids.

## See also

* Release date
* System requirements