Guide to Buildings in the Medieval: Total War

Medieval: Total War is a turn-based global strategy, which gives you an opportunity to develop your own empire, conquer other kingdoms and become a world ruler. The game embraces the period of the Dark Ages. While getting started, you can choose between many factions. There are several playable and unplayable nations. Those, whom you can direct are Danes, Russians, Turks, Egyptians, English, French, Poles, Germans, Almohads, Byzantines, Spanish, and Italians.

While starting a new campaign, you will be able to choose between three periods: Early (the starting point is 1087 AD), High (1205 AD), and Late times (1321). The initial strength of your faction depends on the period, as there is an attachment to the historical context. For instance, Byzantines are very strong in the early Middle Ages but face a decadence in the late medievalism. Thus, it will be easier to play them for the period of 1087.

As an empire should develop the powerful ground environment, it is essential to be good at the types of buildings and their features available in the game. Your success depends on the way you build the premises.

If your defense has flaws, you cannot sustain the enemy’s assault. Under conditions of a scarcity of resources and funds, you are not able to create a powerful army to expand your territories.

Losing a moment to put up a castle can be a fatal mistake because your enemy is able to approach your province boundaries easily.
There are civilian and military constructions, which include several subdivisions.

Each facility has a price, build time and requirements. The setup time is measured in years. One year is equal to one turn.
There are basic, fort, keep, castle and fortress levels of installations. We shall describe them in particular.

Basic Premises

Basic structures include:

• A Watchtower. It is a primitive building, which allows you to monitor what is going on at the adjacent locations. It has no requirements. The price is the lowest among constructions – 100 florins. Time to build – one year.
• A Border Fort serves the same functions. In addition, it allows seeing invisible units such as spies or assassins. Also, it increases your population. The fort requires watchtower to be constructed, 200 florins and one year.
• Mines bring you a stable income. There are silver, gold, salt, cooper facilities. It is possible to replace the common variant by the complex one, which brings more revenue. Each facility takes two years for construction. By the way, each premise is possible to upgrade. The basic variant requires the related mineral resource in the province. The advanced version needs the primary one and doubles the construction time.

The cost sheet is the following:

1. Silver mine – 750 florins. Complex variant – 1,400;
2. Gold mine – 1,000. Enhanced – 1,800;
3. Cooper mine – 500. Improved – 900;
4. Salt mine – 250. Advanced – 400.

• A port. You can build the seaport only within the coastal area of a certain region.

  It allows you to convey your troops across the provinces, organize commercial relations with allies, and make combat ships. It costs 740 florins and takes four years for erection.

• Farms. They generate the major part of your revenues. The farmland has a four-stage improvement. The first level has no requirements. Each level unlocks the next one.

The price list and the time for the construction are the following:

1. I – 600 florins / 2 years;
2. II – 1,000 florins / 4 years;
3. III – 1,500 florins / 6 years;
4. IV – 2,500 florins / 8 years.

Fort Level Buildings

You can put up several fortifications and advanced civilian buildings:

• A fort. It is the basic defensive structure. It allows you to create military units. The structure can accommodate 120 men. They can strike enemies with arrows, being in the entrenchment. It costs 400 florins and takes four years. It has no special requirements and unlocks other structures.
• A Royal Palace. It is an administrative center of your kingdom. It requires to have a fort, costs 1,000 florins, and takes two years. It allows you to train agents. The structure also unlocks advanced administrative buildings.
• A trading post. Requirements: a fort and some types of merchandise produced in the country. It costs 800 florins and takes two years. It allows you to raise taxes on the goods sold in the provinces. The income depends on many factors such as the size of your sales channel, the types of the production, and the taxation level.
• There are also structures that allow preparing of specified infantry (archers, spare-armed troops, bolt throwers) and horse troops. They are Spearmaker, Bowyer, Siege Engineer and Horse Farmer.

Keep Level Buildings

• A keep is an advanced defense center, which accommodates up to 420 troopers. Its inner ring is made of stone that is more difficult to destroy.

  Moreover, it has eight towers from, which archers can shower up hostile forces. This structure requires a fort and replaces it. You will need 100 florins and eight years of the construction.

• A gunsmith. It is an extremely important building, which allows you to produce units with firearms. It requires the defense center. You also need to research a gunpowder. The building costs 400 florins and takes four years.
• A Royal Court. This is a center of your government. It requires the keep and the Royal Palace. You will need to spend 100 florins and four years. It opens additional lifeguard units.
• Houses of worship. There are Catholic and Christian churches, chapter houses, mosques, and ribats for Muslims. These buildings increase happiness and give additional moral bonuses. Ribats allow building jihads.
• Other defensive structures: ballista towers, curtain walls, town guard.
• A merchant. It is the advanced trading port.
• Improved weapon manufactories.
• A tavern that allows training assassins.

Castle and Fortress Level Premises

The premises of this level include:

• A castle is a massive defense accommodating 600 soldiers. It also has eight arrow towers. The stone wall with four ballista towers surrounds the main gate. Thus, it has 12 active firing points. It requires the keep and replaces it. You will need two thousand florins and 12 years. It unlocks other buildings of the similar level.
• A bell-foundry is a metal castings factory that allows you to produce siege cannons. You can cast mortar guns and bombards. It requires a castle and gunpowder research. It costs 800 florins and takes four years.
• A monastery is a further level of religious structures for Christians. It requires the castle and church. It is cheap – the price is 300 florins. You will need three years to build it.
• The university and the College of Surgeons are both time-consuming facilities. They need eight and ten turns respectively. Both structures cost 1,000 florins. And they both require the fortress. These structures increase the overall loyalty of the province.
• Other defense structures: ring walls and catapult towers.
• Advanced workshops and merchant.
• A Royal Estate allows training of feudal knights.
• A Chancellery increases loyalty and command points.