Home on the Range

The house costs 65 stone and 70 wood to build. Unlike other RTS games, it doesn't increase your maximium population. Instead, it works in combination with your town center or Capitol. If you click on your TC, you will see a large radius, of a bit more then a screen. This radius does nothing... until the TC is combined with a house. Any house within this radius provides a "morale" boost to any friendly unit in the radius.

Morale Boost? So What? They are happier? How does that help?

The "Morale" boost has virtualy nothing to do with Morale. Rather it grants your units in the area a 10 percent reduction in all damage taken. This is per house. With a limit of 4 houses. Beyond this limit there is no additional effect. So you can maximize protection by building four houses, which will grant 40 percent damage protection to your units in this area. This protection basicly makes your units twice as durable as before. Combine this with a hospital and you can have troops that last up to three times as long as normal in a combat zone. Allowing you to defend your base from a much larger enemy army with a small defense force.

When should I build houses?

Well, early in the game you have the option of building two houses, usualy we suggest you wait until you have a relatively well established base. However, if you want to build houses early, a intresting statistic is that with two houses, you can with 14 villagers, kill 2 enemy sword cavalry taking only 4 casualtys. This means that the attacker has lost a total of 240 resources (120 gold, 120 food) to your 200 food. Also, nine villager can kill a single enemy cavalry and take only two casualtys when under the protection of two houses.

Still, we recommend building houses after you have a stables or barracks built. As they are most effective then. If you don't have them by the mid game your throwing away the ability to double your defensive armys effectiveness.