From Humble Beginnings to Thriving City – MEMORIAPOLIS Step-by-Step

It took me a while to get a good start building a city in Memoriapolis, but watching TheOnlyL0nzY's full playthrough, helped me gain valuable insights into how to tackle the game’s unique challenges and develop an efficient city with minimal missteps. 

Here, I’ll share a structured, detailed breakdown of the main steps he outlines in his play through, the choices, and strategies that TheOnlyL0nz went through in much details, in his two hours and forty minute long playthrough. You read that right - his full play through is almost 3 hours long!

If you don't have time to watch the full play through, this guide should give you a solid foundation to build upon, whether they’re new to Memoriapolis or are looking to improve their city-building skills. 

1. Choosing Your Destiny: Picking the Right Path

The game begins with a crucial choice among six destinies, each setting a different path for your city’s growth and providing unique advantages. In the playthrough, the author chose the path of the philosopher, boosting cultural satisfaction by 15%. This choice is ideal for players who want to focus on keeping citizens happy and developing a rich cultural environment. Here’s a summary of all six options to help you decide:

• Craftsman: Increases natural resources by 25%, providing an edge in resource-heavy builds or for cities situated in resource-poor areas.
• Strategist: Reduces the likelihood of incidents like fires by 20%, keeping your city safe from disasters that can disrupt growth.
• Trader: Generates passive income from trade routes, a reliable choice if you plan on focusing on a strong economy.
• Politician: Allows two additional decrees to be issued at a lower cost, giving you more control over civic policies and faster access to certain upgrades.
• Philosopher: Boosts cultural satisfaction by 15%, making it easier to attract and retain a happy, thriving population.
• Priest: Citizens make regular offerings of random resources, adding a steady flow of materials that can supplement your supply chain.

Each path offers distinct benefits depending on your playstyle. For players who want more immediate benefits, options like craftsman or trader provide quick, tangible advantages right from the start. But starting a new game is super simple and quick. So you'll easily be able to test out each different path/destiny.

2. Building Foundations: Setting Up Your First Settlement

After choosing a path, the next step is to establish a foundation for your city. This is where strategic placement of key buildings will save you time and resources later. Setting up the Town Center in a carefully chosen spot is essential; you’ll want it near abundant resources like wood, stone, and sand. Here’s a checklist to help you get started on the right track:

1. Pick a fertile, resource-rich area. Positioning your Town Center near resources will make it easier to gather essentials without stretching your workforce. Stones are usually near hills, sand and clay near water. As long as you place your Town Center near these, you should be fine.
2. Establish a small farm. This will provide a steady food supply for your early population and keep your citizens from starving during your city’s infancy. Start with 8 fields, then increase to the full 12 fields per farm as your population increases.
3. Set up a woodcutting camp and ensure it’s near the forest. It’s essential to maintain a steady supply of wood without negatively affecting residential areas.
4. Build a stone quarry. Stone is a critical resource for early construction, so placing your quarry close to a stone deposit will save time and improve production efficiency.
5. Roads automatically get connected to your buildings and infrastructures. Just realign them using the "Q" and "E" keys to rotate the building so that the they connect to roads in the most efficient - and esthetic fashion.

3. Unlocking the Building Tree: Expanding Your Capabilities

The building tree is where Memoriapolis shines imho, allowing players to tailor their city’s growth to specific needs. The video’s author takes a methodical approach, prioritizing buildings that increase the city's reach and resource management. Here’s a step-by-step approach to make the most of this feature:

1. Unlock the surveyor’s cabin early. Extending the build radius enables you to access valuable resources in distant areas, making it easier to expand.
2. Upgrade the Town Center. Once you’ve gathered enough stone and wood, this upgrade boosts the attraction range, helping your city grow faster.
3. Unlock the Architectural Office as soon as you can. Blueprints are an essential component of the game currency. So make sure you unlock that building and place it in your city at the earliest.
4. Invest in cultural buildings. These buildings will increase citizen satisfaction and attract new settlers, a great choice if you’ve chosen the philosopher path.
5. Progress through the building tree systematically. Avoid unlocking too many non-essential buildings early on; focus on ones that will directly support your current population and needs.
6. Save blueprints for later stages. As you advance, new options will open that require blueprints, so be mindful of your spending to avoid shortages when crucial upgrades are needed.

4. Creating a Cultural Hub: Boosting Satisfaction and Influence

As you develop your city, focusing on making it more attractive to new settlers will pay off. This is where cultural buildings come into play. Adding a ceramic workshop early on, which fits well in attraction zones and boosts health and creativity, will be benefiting to citizens across the city. Here’s how to create a well-rounded cultural hub:

1. Add the ceramic workshop to a district close to residential zones, maximizing its impact on citizen satisfaction.
2. Balance satisfaction areas carefully: Focus on health and creativity early on to keep citizens productive and happy.
3. Use decorative statues within districts. Strategically placed statues improve attraction and encourage population growth.
4. Expand the radius of cultural buildings. When feasible, prioritize cultural buildings that have a broader impact radius to maximize their effectiveness.

5. Developing Infrastructure: Production and Trade Routes

Setting up trade routes is essential for generating income and balancing resources as your city expands. In the playthrough, the author wisely establishes trade routes to sell excess stone and sand for gold, which funds additional buildings and upgrades. Here’s how to make the most of Memoriapolis' trade and production systems:

1. Make sure to unlock and build both the Horreum, a large storehouse, as well as the Macellum, a large market which will open up Trade Routes. Without these two buildings trade will not be possible.
2. Identify surplus resources. Selling excess materials like stone and sand brings in steady gold income, which can be used to fund essential upgrades.
3. Upgrade production buildings. Increasing output from woodcutting camps and quarries helps meet the growing demand for building materials.
4. Create a balanced workforce. Avoid overspecializing in one resource, which could create shortages elsewhere in your economy.
5. Invest in a larger marketplace. Upgrading the marketplace opens up more trade routes, offering new opportunities to exchange goods and expand your economy.
6. Manage trade efficiently. Check each route’s profitability and ensure you’re getting maximum value from each transaction.

6. Advanced Growth: Reaching the Tier 2 City

As your city grows, upgrading to a Tier 2 city brings new buildings and capabilities, allowing for even greater development. However, this stage also introduces new challenges, such as managing faction tensions. Here are a few ways to make the transition smoothly:

1. Construct safety-focused buildings. Building structures like arenas can help reduce incidents, which become more likely as factions develop tensions.
2. Invest in cultural influence points. Advancing through the ages improves your city’s reputation and allows for higher-level upgrades.
3. Manage faction relations. Keep an eye on faction satisfaction levels and address issues before they escalate into conflicts. Certain factions may have different needs or preferences.
4. Create additional districts. As new buildings become available, expand your residential and industrial districts to accommodate a growing population.
5. Save resources for key upgrades. Some Tier 2 buildings are expensive, so stockpile resources like wood, stone, and gold to avoid delays in construction.

7. Unlocking Wonders and Advanced Cultural Buildings

Once you’ve secured your city’s basics, investing in wonders and advanced cultural buildings provides significant boosts. In the video, the author demonstrates how to build high-value structures like the arena and the Agoge Center to enhance influence. Here’s a guide to prioritize wonders effectively:

1. Focus on the Agoge Center or library to boost cultural influence. These buildings improve city-wide satisfaction and increase your cultural reach.
2. Place wonders in high-traffic areas to maximize their impact. Wonders near residential zones offer bonuses to more citizens.
3. Consider safety upgrades for wonder districts. Building defensive structures near wonders ensures they’re protected from incidents.
4. Save resources for construction. Wonders often require substantial materials, so plan to accumulate what you need before starting.
5. Regularly expand surveyor cabins. This allows you to build wonders farther out from the core, increasing your city’s total area.

8. Optimizing Faction Management and Decrees

At this stage, you’ll encounter factions with unique demands. Managing these factions carefully, especially if they develop tensions, will become an important of your city management. Use decrees and policies to mitigate conflicts and enhance your city’s stability.

• Issue decrees strategically. Certain decrees, such as increased food production, improve citizen satisfaction or reduce faction tensions.
• Manage faction trust levels. High trust prevents conflicts, while low trust increases the likelihood of incidents and disputes.
• Consider faction removal if tensions rise too high. Sometimes, expelling a problematic faction is more beneficial than dealing with constant conflicts.
• Create buffers between rival factions. Placing neutral buildings or parks between contentious factions can reduce interactions and potential conflicts.
• Balance decrees for all factions. Ensure that no single faction feels neglected, as this can quickly lead to dissatisfaction.

Final Thoughts and Recommendation

Building a successful city in Memoriapolis requires a careful blend of resource management, cultural development, and strategic planning. The full playthrough showcased each stage’s intricacies, from early resource gathering to managing complex faction relations and wonders.

 Following TheOnlyL0nz’s guidance, you can start your own city with the foundation necessary for growth and prosperity.

If you found this guide, I highly recommend you check out the author’s channel for even more gameplay insights and tutorials. Watching these choices play out offers valuable context and helps refine strategies for anyone looking to master Memoriapolis.

Carpe Diem!

The Official Teaser for "Secret Level" is out, and it looks amazing!

As Amazon Prime Video gears up to launch its anthology series Secret Level, it feels like a dream come true for anyone who's ever lost themselves in these worlds we've poured hours into. If you're anything like me - a gamer with a love for the narratives that have captivated us, and one who's been collecting "The Art of" books from his favourite games for years - this show is bound to be an immersive experience.

Secret Level promises to pull us into the universes of our favorite games, but with the added magic of cinematic storytelling. Each episode dives into a different game world, offering a nostalgic trip down memory lane for some and a fresh perspective on modern classics for others. It's not just a showcase of the mainstream hits; the series also highlights some underappreciated gems, making it a treasure trove for both casual and hardcore gamers.

The teaser hints at the vast array of stories waiting to be told, from the eerie corridors of survival horror to the vast expanses of space. It brings to mind Ready Player One, with its immersive dive into different game worlds, each more captivating than the last. Amazon clearly isn’t holding back, with production values that stand toe-to-toe with their biggest hits.

As someone who has always been passionate about the intersection of gaming and storytelling, Secret Level is a dream come true. It's a celebration of the games that have shaped us, and I, for one, am ready to dive in.

Oh, and here's some suggested readings to learn more about Secret Level. I for one can't wait for December to arrive!

• A List Of Every Game Featured In Amazon’s Promising ‘Secret Level’ Show
• Get a sneak peek at the new video game anthology series 'Secret Level' (trailer)
• Prime Video Unveils ‘Secret Level’ Premiere Date and Teaser for New Adult-Animated Series

The Calm of Creation: Why City-Building Games Are Perfect for Gamer Dads

 

As a gamer dad, life can get a little chaotic, right? Between work (or trying to find my next role), family, and the general madness of daily life (soccer practices and games, lifts to here and there, the dog, etc.), finding the time to sit down and really immerse yourself in a game can feel like a luxury. 

That's where city-building games come in, and let me tell you, they've been a game-changer (pun totally intended).

The Magic of the Pause Button

First off, let’s talk about one of the biggest perks of city-building games: the ability to pause or stop the game whenever you need to. Whether you're deep into a session of Cities: Skylines meticulously planning the perfect road network or trying to ensure your colonists survive another day in Surviving Mars, you can hit pause and step away without missing a beat. No need to worry about respawning in an FPS firefight or letting your team down in the middle of a MOBA match (I could write a whole posts on all the insults I've taken from World of Tanks players). 

These game wait for you, not the other way around.

Meditative Moments in Gaming

Additionally, city-building games offer something incredibly valuable in our fast-paced world: a sense of peace and mindfulness. There’s a certain meditative quality to watching your city grow, whether it's a bustling metropolis in Cities: Skylines or a fragile colony on the brink of collapse in Frostpunk. You’re not just reacting to what’s happening on screen; you’re crafting something from the ground up, watching your creation evolve over time. 

It’s like a digital Zen garden, where each decision is a small stone you’re placing just so, bringing order to the chaos. Oh the hundreds of hours I've spent in my Cities Skylines cities, beautifying them with parks, trees and endless landscaping.

Building Something That Lasts (well, sorta)

Speaking of crafting, there’s something deeply satisfying about the “building something” aspect of these games. Unlike many other game genres where the goal is to destroy or outlast, city-builders are all about creation and longevity. In Farthest Frontier, you’re not just surviving; you’re creating a thriving settlement, planning for the future, and seeing the fruits of your labor grow season by season. It's a nice change of pace from the quick reflexes and high-stakes tension of other games.

Casual, But Deep

Don’t be fooled by the seemingly laid-back nature of city-building games - they’re deceptively deep. Take Per Aspera, for example. On the surface, you’re just managing resources and expanding your colony on Mars, but dive deeper, and you’re making decisions that could impact the future of humanity on a new planet. And that's not counting the whole aspect of watching the AI Singularity unfold with every decision you make.

These games allow you to play at your own pace, offering a depth of strategy and planning that’s both engaging and relaxing. It's a perfect match for those of us who want to enjoy our gaming sessions without the pressure of keeping up with the latest trends or high-skill demands of other genres.

A Different Kind of Challenge

Sure, there’s something exhilarating about a well-timed headshot in an FPS or a perfectly executed combo in a MOBA, but city-building games present a different kind of challenge. It’s not about speed or reflexes; it’s about foresight, planning, and adaptability. In Frostpunk, for example, every decision you make could mean the difference between life and death for your citizens, adding a layer of moral complexity to the game. It’s a challenge that’s less about adrenaline and more about thoughtful consideration—a welcome break from the usual high-octane fare.

City-building games like Cities: Skylines, Farthest Frontier, Per Aspera, Frostpunk, and Surviving Mars offer a unique blend of strategy, relaxation, and creativity that’s perfect for casual gamers, especially gamer dads. 

They’re games you can pick up and put down at your convenience, offering a sense of accomplishment without the stress. So next time you’re looking for a game that fits into your busy life, consider giving one of these a try. 

You might just find it’s exactly what you’ve been looking for.

Here's a short list of some of the games I've enjoyed over the years:

1. Cities: Skylines II (2023) - The sequel to the highly acclaimed Cities: Skylines, this game takes city-building to new heights with more advanced tools, deeper simulation, and enhanced graphics.
2. Farthest Frontier (2022) - A survival city-builder where you manage a frontier settlement, focusing on resource management, farming, and surviving harsh conditions.
3. Surviving the Aftermath (2021) - A post-apocalyptic city-builder where you lead a group of survivors to rebuild society after a global catastrophe.
4. Memoriapolis (2024) is a city-building game where you guide a city through 2,500 years of history across four eras. The game emphasizes organic growth, resource management, and cultural influence, allowing your city to evolve uniquely through each age, with distinct challenges and opportunities shaping your city's future.
5. Manor Lords (2024) is a medieval city-building and strategy game focused on realism. You manage a settlement, from agriculture to urban planning, while also engaging in large-scale tactical battles. The game emphasizes detailed building mechanics and realistic resource management. 
6. Per Aspera (2020) - A Mars colonization city-builder with a focus on scientific accuracy, where you terraform the planet and build a self-sustaining colony.
7. Industries of Titan (2020) - A city-building strategy game set on Saturn’s moon Titan, blending industrial city-building with corporate management.
8. Endzone: A World Apart (2020) - A post-apocalyptic city-builder where you create a new civilization in a radioactive wasteland, focusing on survival and resource management.
9. Frostpunk (2018) - A city-builder with a strong focus on survival and morality, where you manage a city in a frozen world, making tough decisions to ensure the survival of your citizens.
10. Anno 1800 (2019) - A historical city-building game set during the industrial revolution, blending city-building, resource management, and trade.

These games offer a wide range of settings and gameplay mechanics, from futuristic colonies to historical cities, each providing unique challenges and experiences for fans of the genre.