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#Widelands FAQ - Playing ¶

[TOC] ¶


To get help with technical problems see: [WidelandsFaqTechnical](Technical FAQ), [Forum Technical Help](http://wl.widelands.org/forum/forum/1/) ¶


###Which is the best way to start playing Widelands? ¶
After having installed the game (see [DownloadPage](/wiki/Download), [WidelandsFaqTechnical](/wiki/Technical FAQ) you may start playing the Tutorial to learn the game basics. ¶
In the Campaigns (Single player --> Campaigns) you get to know the economy of the tribes. See also the economy networks at the tribe's sides (BarbariansPage, EmpirePage, AtlanteansPage, [Barbarian economy network](http://wl.widelands.org/wlmedia/news/uploaded/Barbarians.pdf), [Empire economy network](http://www.widelands.org/~sirver/wl/wiki_images/empire.pdf), [Atlantean economy](http://www.widelands.org/~sirver/wl/wiki_images/atlanteans.pdf)). ¶
To see the function of buttons and other basic handling information isee on GameHelpBasicInterface (here in the wiki). ¶


###One ware is missing in my warehouse. Why? ¶
This may have several reasons: ¶

* You didare n'ot produce ainy ofg this ware: To see which building produces this ware, look-up the ware in the ware help (fifth button from the right in the [in-game menu:](http://wl.widelands.org/wiki/GameHelpbasicInterface/#in-game) or see the economy network of the tribe you are playing ([Barbarian economy network](http://wl.widelands.org/wlmedia/news/uploaded/Barbarians.pdf), [Empire economy network](http://www.widelands.org/~sirver/wl/wiki_images/empire.pdf), [Atlantean economy](http://www.widelands.org/~sirver/wl/wiki_images/atlanteans.pdf)). Note that some highemor devel compledx wares are only produced by "enhanced" buimmovabledings. ¶
* You didare n'ot produceing enough of this ware: This may be because you do not have enough of the buildings producing this ware (very frequently with lumberjacks and foresters). Another possibility is that the producing building is not efficient. See also question [A producing building doesn't work. Why?](http://wl.widelands.org/wiki/WidelandsFaqPlaying/#a_producing_building_doesn+t_work_why) ¶
A third possibility is a modulasettiong in the [economy options](http://wl.widelands.org/wiki/GameHelpbasicInterface/#economy_options). There you can adjust the target quantityies of a ware which sthould be present icon aomy's warehouse. So iIf you know that you will soon need lots of rations, you can highencrease the target quantity in the economy options. If you have more thatin one economy (separate networks of roads), each will have its own disthinct set of economy options. ¶
* You have this ware, but it's not in thea warehouse/HQ: If you see the ware in your stock, but not in thea warehouse, it lies in a building (which will process it) or is currently obeing transported. ¶

### A producing building doesn't work. Why? ¶
Again, there are several possible reasons: ¶

* The building may not have enough of the precquirsored wares. You see the precqursoired wares in the window of the building (left-click on the entrance of the building). ¶
For hunters, fishermen, woodcutters/lumberjacks and quarries, you see the precursor wares dexirecstly on the map.
For fitsherslf, you can'lthough fisee the parecurs nort warvisibles.
If a fisher runs out of fish, you have to re-build a fisher on eanr other wateredg sources. Atlanteans can prevent this by building a fish breeder. ¶
* The stock in your warehouses has already reached the target conumber ofmy's the ware producged by this building. The target number of a ware is determined in the [economy options](http://wl.widelands.org/wiki/GameHelpbasicInterface/#economy_options). ¶
* You have not enough place around the building. This is only important for some buildings, which use the splace around them to plant trees, corn, blackroot, thatch reed: Forester, farm, blackroot farm, fernery. ¶

### My construction site is not fstartinishedg for a comploeting time. Why? ¶
The construction site has to be linked to the road network and must have a builder present. When the construction site does not finish then, the most probable reason is that ithere is missing a wares. You can see the missing wares, when you left-click on the construction site. When there are several construction sites or producing buildings lacking one ware, you can favour some of them, so they get the ware more likely than the not-favoured construction sites or buildings. ¶

### My roads are congested with too many wares.
It may happen that you have hot spots or long, un-flagged roads where you ware is not transportedation is not as fast as you wish. There are serveral ways to improve this: Build some Warehouses (or Ports) to store wares to avoid long-distant transports. Take care that you have a flag every two coordinates on the map, if feasible. Build multiple roads to the same destination (this helps against accidential splitting of economies, too). Breed Ochsxen (Barbarian), Donkeys (IEmperialre) or Horses (Atlanterians). On some Mmaps ships may be faster thean land transport. An Eexpert will place the Bbuildings along a road in a logical order to minimize transportation costs, thats. lFogisticr pure. Example for: Barbarians: place some Ffarms around a Wwarehouse with Wwells, Bbreweries and Bbakeries. Warehouses should, in general, be surrounded by procoessing Bbuildings like Wwood Hhardeners, Mmills etc. Take care that your Starter-BuldingHQ and Wwarehouses have enough roads, - bfive ist apre fiverable but sometimes it can be only three, but there shoiuld not be less. Take into account that some Bbuildings do not need roads at all, once they are in full operation: Wofod planrester, / Rranger, Ffish Bbreeder, Gand game Kkeeper.

### Can I play with Widelands with my friends or other people? ¶
Yes, you can. If the AI (computer player) is too boring, you can play with other people in a network or via ithe Internet. See the information in the GameHelpMultiplayer and the [WidelandsFaqTechnical](Technical Faq). ¶
You can play against other players or the AI or play together in a team. When you play in a team, there is the possibility to share the kingdom. It's also possible to join a game as a spectator, so you can see all players and use the in-game chat, but not interact in the game. Playing in a team, shared kingdom or spectator modues are options to choose before starting the game. ¶


### What mean thedo symbols over the soldier's head mean? ¶
Thie symbols isdenote the soldier's levels. There are four categories. The more red points in the small square, the higher the level in this category. If the background of the square is white, the maximum level in this category is reached. For more information see SoldierLevels. ¶

### How do I get more soldiers (or other workers)? ¶
Soldiers, as other workers (exception: human carriers), are 'produced' when the necessaccordingy tool wandres a carrier is in thea warehouse and there is a request for this worker. ¶
For example, a barbarian soldier is created when there is a request (open places for soldiers in military or training buildings) and there is an axe and a carrier in a warehouse. Empire soldiers need a wood lance and a helmet, Atlanteans a light trident and a tabard. Note
Cthart enough of the required wares harve to be producedsent in a single warehouse up to 100 automsaticallsfy. Don't ask whye :-), brequt this remeants that- you alwcays have enough carriers and for other workers you just have to care about the tool. nnot, for example, keep light tridents in one warehouse and tabards in another.

### I don't have enough place for my buildings. How can I expand my territory? ¶
Just place a military building (e.g. sentry, barrack, guardhouse, small tower...) near your frontier and connect the construction site to your road network. When the building is finished, soldiers start to move from your headquarter to the military building. As soon as there is at least one soldier in the building, it conquers an area and therefore expands your territory. The size of the conquered area differs from building size and type. ¶


### Why should I send a geologist? ¶
To know which resources you may find before building a mine (or well). ¶
You can order a geologist by left-clicking on an existing flag (which is connected to the economy with a road) and chosing the button at the right: ' Send geologist to explore site'. An old scientist then comes and investigates your terrain. When he finds water or other resources in the earth, he informs you with a message (message box) and a little sign on the point he found the resource. It is especially important to explore the terrain before building a mine. The color of the sign means: blue = water, red = iron, black = coal, yellow = gold, white = granite (Barbarians), marble (Empire), crystal (Atlanteans) ¶


### How to use the message box = news? ¶
Open the message box by left-clicking on the in-game menu on the icon on the very right or with the shortcut N. ¶
Here you get your news: new finished military buildings, findings of geologists, news of the tutorial/ campaign/ scenario, status information (for some win conditions). If the localizing button (in the top right corner) is active, you can directly jump to the region affected by the message by clicking the localizing button. To archive your messages, select them (checkbox at the beginning of the line) and click on the button with the red cross. ¶

### Where can I see my wares or other statistics? ¶
You get a list of your wares (first tab) and workers (second tab) in the [statistics](http://wl.widelands.org/wiki/GameHelpbasicInterface/#statistics) (in-game menu: second button from the left) in the stock. It displays the number of wares and workers currently in your economy (first + second tab) or in all your warehouses (third + fourth tab). Note that wares existing in your economy are not necessarily available: They might be stored in a production building (e.g. gold in a helmsmithy). ¶
In the statistic you also find other statistics such as general (land, military force....), ware and building statistics. ¶
Another presentation of your wares and workers is the menu of the headquarter or of a warehouse. This window presents only the wares and workers which are lying in this headquarter or warehouse in the moment, so these wares are available for new buildings or for production buildings. ¶

### I forgot where I placed some Bulding / I want to find unproductive Buildings ¶
As part of the statistics there is the Building statistic (since R19 it was improved and can be opened with the 'B' shortcut). ¶
There you can locate all your buildings, grouped by sizes. So you can find low productive farms, unfinished buildings, or where you may enhance some Building. And you can find out which buildings have not been built, yet. ¶


### How can I start a battle with another tribe? ¶
Build military structures on the contested border to position more soldiers near the field of conflict. Click on any opponent's military structure and select the number of soldiers to engage with, then start the attack. Note that the defender may send more soldiers from other structures you can't see yet. ¶
See also GameHelpMilitaryAndWarfare ¶

### I can't attack another tribe's military building. Why? ¶
When you opponent has a non-finished military building (construction site) or a military building without soldiers, you can't attack them. The area around a non-finished or non-occupied military building is not conquered, so you can conquer this area by building own military buildings in the region. ¶
You can't attack military buildings of tribes with which you play in one team (set in the playing options before starting the game). ¶
If you can open the attack dialog, but there are 0 soldiers to attack, build military buildings in the near and build soldiers to occupy these buildings. (See question [How do I get more soldiers (or other workers?)](http://wl.widelands.org/wiki/WidelandsFaqPlaying/#how_do_i_get_more_soldiers_or_other_workers)) ¶

### Why should I enhance a building? ¶
Enhanced buildings are more effective: ¶

* enhanced mines are deeper and have a bigger work area, so they can be productive when the normal mine finds no more resources ¶
* enhanced military buildings can house more soldiers and/or have a bigger conquered area ¶

BUT: For some enhanced production buildings, you need experienced workers to occupy it. See [Barbarian economy network](http://wl.widelands.org/wlmedia/news/uploaded/Barbarians.pdf), [Empire economy network](http://www.widelands.org/~sirver/wl/wiki_images/empire.pdf), [Atlantean economy](http://www.widelands.org/~sirver/wl/wiki_images/atlanteans.pdf). So only enhance these buildings when you have the worker for the enhanced building. You see the worker when you left-click on the entrance of the building and chose the tab 'list' (icon with three little figures). ¶
How to get an experienced worker: E.g. a miner has to work for some time in a mine to become a chief miner or a master miner and therefore get qualified to work in an enhanced mine. You see the progress of a worker's experience in the window of the building in the tab 'list'. ¶


### Links ¶

* GameHelpBasicInterface - explic, unless an opponent already holds this territory. The size of the conquered area differs from building size and type. ¶


### Why should I send a geologist? ¶
To know which resources you may find before building a mine (or well - but in this case, it is not implemented). ¶
You can order a geologist by left-clicking on an existing flag (which is connected to the economy with a road) and choosing the button at the right: ' Send geologist to explore site'. An old scientist then comes and investigates your terrain. When he finds water or other resources in the earth, he informs you with a message (message box) and a little sign on the point he found the resource. It is especially important to explore the terrain before building a mine. The colour of the sign means: blue = water, red = iron, black = coal, yellow = gold, white = granite (Barbarians), marble (Empire), crystal (Atlanteans) ¶


### How to use the message box = news? ¶
Open the message box by left-clicking on the in-game menu on the icon on the very right or with the keyboard shortcut N. ¶
Here you get your news: new finished military buildings, findings of geologists, news of the tutorial/ campaign/ scenario, status information (for some win conditions). If the localizing button (in the top right corner) is active, you can directly jump to the region affected by the message by clicking the localizing button. To archive your messages, select them (checkbox at the beginning of the line) and click on the button with the red cross or use the keyboard shortcut Del. ¶

### Where can I see my wares or other statistics? ¶
You get a list of your wares (first tab) and workers (second tab) in the [statistics](http://wl.widelands.org/wiki/GameHelpbasicInterface/#statistics) (in-game menu: second button from the left) in the stock. It displays the number of wares and workers currently in your economy (first + second tab) or in all your warehouses (third + fourth tab). Note that wares existing in your economy are not necessarily available: They might be stored in a production building (e.g. gold in a helmsmithy). ¶
Here you also find other statistics such as general (land, military force....), wares and building stats. ¶
Another presentation of your wares and workers is the menu of the headquarter or of a warehouse. This window presents only the wares and workers which are currently in the building. ¶

### I forgot where I placed some building / I want to find unproductive buildings ¶
As part of the statistics there are details on your buildings. Since Build 19 this has been improved and can be opened with the 'B' shortcut. ¶
There you can locate all your buildings, grouped by sizes. So you can find low productive farms, unfinished buildings, or where you may enhance them. You can also find out which buildings have not been built, yet. ¶


### How can I start a battle with another tribe? ¶
Build military structures on the contested border to position more soldiers near the field of conflict. Click on any opponent's military structure and select the number of soldiers to engage with, then start the attack. Note that the defender may send more soldiers from other structures you can't see yet. ¶
See also GameHelpMilitaryAndWarfare ¶

### I can't attack another tribe's military building. Why? ¶
When you opponent has a non-finished military building (construction site) or a military building without soldiers, you can't attack them. The area around a non-finished or non-occupied military building is not conquered, so you can conquer this area by building own military buildings in the region. ¶
You can't attack military buildings of tribes with which you play in one team (set in the playing options before starting the game). ¶
If you can open the attack dialogue, but there are 0 soldiers to attack, build military buildings in the near and build soldiers to occupy these buildings. (See question [How do I get more soldiers (or other workers?)](http://wl.widelands.org/wiki/WidelandsFaqPlaying/#how_do_i_get_more_soldiers_or_other_workers)) ¶

### Why should I enhance a building? ¶
Enhanced buildings are more effective: ¶

* enhanced mines are deeper and have a bigger work area, so they can be productive when the normal mine finds no more resources ¶
* enhanced military buildings can house more soldiers and/or have a bigger conquered area ¶

However, some enhanced production buildings need experienced workers to occupy it. See [Barbarian economy network](http://wl.widelands.org/wlmedia/news/uploaded/Barbarians.pdf), [Empire economy network](http://www.widelands.org/~sirver/wl/wiki_images/empire.pdf), [Atlantean economy](http://www.widelands.org/~sirver/wl/wiki_images/atlanteans.pdf). You should only enhance these buildings when you have the worker for the enhanced building. You see the worker when you left-click on the entrance of the building and chose the tab 'list' (icon with three little figures). ¶
How to get an experienced worker: a miner has to work for some time in a mine to become a chief miner or a master miner and therefore get qualified to work in an enhanced mine. You see the progress of a worker's experience in the window of the building in the tab 'list'. ¶


### Links ¶

* GameHelpBasicInterface - explanation of buttons and menu ¶
* TheTribes ¶
* BarbariansPage (info to economy and history, see esp. the economy network pdf) ¶
* EmpirePage (info to economy and history, see esp. the economy network pdf) ¶
* AtlanteansPage (info to economy and history, see esp. the economy network pdf) ¶
* [Game Manual](/wiki/Game Manual) ¶
* GameHelpQuickstart ¶
* GameHelpBuildingANewEconomy ¶
* GameHelpMilitaryAndWarfare ¶
* SoldierLevels ¶
* GameHelpMultiplayer ¶
* [GeneralInfo](The Widelands Project) ¶
* [Forum Technical Help](http://wl.widelands.org/forum/forum/1/) ¶
* WidelandsFaq Technical ¶
* [DownloadPage](Download) ¶
* [Contribute](/wiki/Contribute) ¶
* ReportingBugs