Resources

Resources include your units and the harvestable items on the map. The game automatically assigns units based on goals set by the player.

Harvestable resources are parts of the map that can be collected by a worker. They are used to build new structures and operate some existing structures. No processing is needed. Once collected by a worker, the resource only needs to be taken to the structure to be used.

Basic Resources

These resources are needed to play the game.

Wheat is needed to feed units. It is used in the swarm to produce new units. Inns can store wheat to be eaten by globs when they are inside the inn. See Units for a discussion of inns and hunger.

Wheat is also used to build a number of buildings

• The Swarm
• Inns
• Pools
• Schools

Wood is the primary construction material. All buildings except the Swarm and walls require wood to be constructed. Wood is harvested by workers from the trees on the map. See Buildings for more information on construction.

Advanced Resources

These resources are not essential to playing the game. Access to any one provides a key advantage to the player.

Algae is used to create schools. As algae grows only on water, and is the only resource found there, it requires that a swimming pool be present. Workers trained to at least level 1 in swimming will be able to harvest algae.

Fruit. Unusual trees exist that do not provide wood. On them grows one of the types of fruit. Fruit tree on the visible map that can be reached by workers will be harvested. The fruit is taken to an Inn to improve the selection of 'foods' at that inn.

Fruit Types:

• orange
• cherry
• prune

Units prefer to feed at an inn with more kinds of fruit available. This is how enemy units are captured. See Fruit_and_conversion.

Stone is needed to

• build improved level two and three buildings
• build walls
• build defense towers
• enable a defense tower to create their ammo, bullets

During an extended invasion, workers may attempt to continually supply a defense tower with stone for bullets. This puts the workers at risk of being in range of enemy combat units. Without a supply of stone from a worker during such an invasion, a defense tower will quickly run out of bullets and stop working.

Managing Resources

Where did the wheat go?

Resources are of two types: regrowing and infinite.

Regrowing Resources

Some resources regrow if left alone:

• wheat
• wood
• algae

Algae only grows in water. Wood and wheat grow faster near water but are restricted to land. Regrowing resources only spread into adjacent locations on the map.

If over-harvested, where all the resource is gone from the map, the resource will not regrow. It is important to not over-harvest a resource such as wheat.

Conversely, not clearing an unused resource can block of access to areas of the map. If left alone, a resource that regrows will spread into all available space, blocking buildings or paths.

Managing the growth of regrowing resources is a key strategy. See Farming.

Infinite Resources

Two types of infinite resources exist at this time:

• stone
• fruit

Stone occurs is fixed piles of such size as to be unlimited during a reasonable game play. On some maps, a stone pile contains very little stone, but never dissipates. Such piles can be infinitely harvested.

Piles of stones are fixed and cannot be removed by clearing workers. On some maps, permanent walls are created using small piles of stones arranged in walls.

Fruit trees are not consumed when harvested by a worker. Instead, a certain number of fruit are present on each fruit tree. A worker collects a unit of fruit and takes it to an inn. The tree will replace that fruit over time. It is still possible to exhaust all the fruit available at a given time. With time, more fruit will be created.

The stands of fruit trees are fixed and cannot be removed by clearing workers. Often these are placed in strategically sensitive locations on a map. Control of the fruit trees is essential for economic warfare when converting units.