The 90s are considered by many to be the golden age of PC gaming, and within this age, city-building simulation games were king. The genre spawned many titles which are now recognizable names, including that of Pharaoh. Though it was originally released way back in 1999, this city-sim remained so popular that it earned itself a remake released in 2023.
Set in Egypt and steeped in its ancient history, Pharaoh: A New Era allows players to build and cultivate a prosperous city along the banks of the Nile. Players must balance their city’s health, culture, religion, and resources in order to ensure its survival. However, managing a city is no easy task, and players should be mindful of a few things when they begin.
1 Cities Are An Ecosystem
Like many other city-sim games, and indeed many real-world cities, Pharoah: A New Era tells the story of an incredibly complex and interconnected society. No element of the city can exist in isolation, and thus making changes will always affect something else. Players will need to keep this in mind as they develop their cities.
Balance is a key concept within Pharoah: A New Era, as balance is what helps ecosystems to thrive. Overload any one element, and the whole thing tumbles to the ground. Some of the key city elements players will need to balance are population, resources, infrastructure, and the economy. Keeping each of these elements in check will make the city run smoothly.
2 Utilize Gameplay Options
Pharoah: A New Era provides players with a lot of customization options, and it's wise not to just skip over them when playing. Tailoring the settings will allow for many different gameplay styles, so it’s important for players to figure out how they’d like to play and prioritize that accordingly.
In addition to standard difficulty settings and the ability to toggle predators on and off, the game has several key settings regarding city functionality. Some of the most important settings to consider are the ones that adjust the recruitment system, worker ratio, and the default acceptance of goods at storage yards.
3 Be Mindful Of Your Resources
A city always needs to eat, so players will need to make sure their resource system is properly protected. When beginning Pharoah: A New Era it’s a good idea to set up a basic food supply chain first thing, and then build from there. Water supplies and farms can only be built on fertile land, so players will need to set things up wisely.
Moreover, minding resources doesn’t just begin and end with building a farm. Granaries and warehouses are important to stockpile resources and ensure citizens are kept fed. Protecting these is also important, as you will lose any goods inside if the building is destroyed. Building an architect’s post and a firehouse near warehouses will ensure they don’t collapse or catch fire.
4 Keep Your Citizens Happy
A key factor of city success in Pharoah: A New Era is the happiness of the city residents. Having a content population makes it easier to meet the goals of campaign missions. There are several elements to consider in the happiness of citizens, and these include housing needs, employment rates, and entertainment.
There are several levels of housing in the game, and the higher the level the more resources they require. While it is a good idea to upgrade housing, it shouldn’t be done too quickly or to too high of a level. Housing will also affect employment rates, as citizens in higher-level housing will no longer work in the city. High unemployment will lead to unrest and unhappy citizens.
5 Add Desirability To Your City
A good way to boost the happiness of existing citizens and attract new ones is to increase the desirability of the areas in which they live. Residents that live in beautiful areas will be happier, and those areas will attract others as well. There are many ways to boost the desirability of certain areas, but an easy way is to place lots of gardens nearby.
In addition to gardens, other buildings that have a positive effect on nearby residents are plazas, festival squares, water sources, statues, booths, temples, pavilions, and bandstands. But remember – cities are ecosystems. Many of these buildings have negative effects on other aspects of the city too, so careful planning is required.
6 Prepare For Disasters
There are five essential safety services in Pharoah: A New Era, and they are essential when it comes to protecting a city from disasters. These services are architect’s posts, firehouses, physicians, police stations, and apothecaries. These essential service buildings will send workers out into the city that help keep it safe against fires, collapsed buildings, disease, and crime.
It’s a good idea to ensure that these services are built in areas that require them, and that no part of the city is neglected. Service employees will wander up to 40 blocks per day, but will go a shorter distance and less frequently if the service is short-staffed. An optimized city road structure and well-staffed services are essential for success.
7 Don't Forget The Gods
Failing to appease the gods in Pharoah: A New Era is a surefire way to feel their wrath, and this can have disastrous consequences for the city. Players looking for success within the game should keep this in mind. Each city will have up to five gods to appease and sometimes even a patron god who requires a little extra attention.
Building shrines and temples will appease the gods as well as increase the prosperity rating of the city. Balancing these shrines between active gods will ensure they don’t become upset. If a god does become upset, holding a festival in their honor is a good way to quickly appease them. Happy gods provide many benefits to a city, so be sure to keep them on side.
Pharoah: A New Era is available now on PC.