FAQ - Index

Frequently Asked Questions for Emperor. Click a category or question to go to the questions & answers.
Some questions & answers were submitted by Vovan.

General

1. I find the intro movie annoying, can I turn it off?
2. What are the minimum system requirements?
3. Where can I download the demo?
4. Upon installation, the game asks for a CD key, where do I find one?

Housing

1. Why do my houses disappear a short while after I place them?
2. My houses say the appeal of the area has to be increased. What does that mean and how do I increase it?
3. Why can't I place elite housing?

Agriculture

1. I place a farm, but it doesn't produce anything, it says the farmers have no fields to tend.
2. I have a hunters tent, but no one's hunting any animals.
3. Deliverymen from my farms just stay there saying they can't drop their loads.
4. If a field is irrigated, the fertility doesn't change, is irrigation worth the trouble?

Industry

1. My industries are at 100%, why does no deliveryman appear with the finished goods?
2. My bronzeware maker doesn't work, but it has enough bronze. What's wrong?
3. Deliverymen with goods stand idle by their buildings, what to do?
4. I can't place a salt mine, where do I have to put them?

Commerce

1. My houses say they need food. How do I provide it to them?
2. My houses need plain/appetizing food, what's that and how do I provide it?
3. Traders don't sell anything to me.
4. Traders don't buy anything from me.
5. I have a warehouse getting goods and a trading station, disconnected from the rest of the city, but the trading station remains empty.
6. My market square refuses to buy hemp/ceramics/whatever while it's in a nearby warehouse and my houses devolve. What's wrong?
7. What is stockpiling? How do I 'unstockpile' goods?

Safety

1. Most of my buildings collapse/catch fire, what can I do against that?
2. I have lots of unrest in the city, what can I do?
3. The safety tab keeps saying that city health is dropping, how do I improve city health?
4. I sometimes see prettier versions of wells, watchtowers and inspector's towers, what's that?

Government

1. How do I collect taxes?
2. A tax office is available, but I can't build it?
3. The mission briefing told me I should build a mint/money printer, but I can't find those buildings?
4. I have some copper on the map, and no Bronze Smelters. Is the Mint worthless?
5. How do I get animals for my menagerie?
6. I got a hero to capture an animal, but while he/she is bringing it to the palace, it gets killed by tower sentries/hunters!

Entertainment

1. What benefit does a New Year's festival have?
2. I find the popup I get every year to ask me if I want to hold a festival annoying, I just want to hold it every year!
3. My elite houses want drama, but I can't build anything like a theatre?

Religion and Heroes

1. How do I get a hero to my city?
2. My city got hit by an earthquake/flood/drought. The message told me the ancestors were angry, how do I prevent this?
3. I can't pay homage to a particular hero.
4. My homage doesn't seem to have effect.
5. How do I get blessings from heroes?

Military

1. How come I can't build any forts?
2. How come I can't build more than 1 or 2 forts?
3. How do I place a city gate?
4. How do I place towers?
5. I want a double thick wall, but I can't seem to build it.

Monuments

1. Those monuments take long to build, how do I speed it up?
2. My tumulus isn't getting any burial goods!
   

Multiplayer

1. How do I start a multiplayer game?
2. How do I chat with other players? Is there a built-in chat?
3. I miss the little banners all the time, and have to ask the people to type their messages again. This is very annoying.
4. I was playing a military game and I wanted to coordinate my actions with an ally. But the chat is for all players! How do we deal with that?
5. I can't trade with other players in multiplayer. When I build a trading station, it says I can't sell anything!
6. But the goods I am selling show up in red. And the traders are not buying anything.

Open Play

1. What does "random seed" mean?
2. How can I win an Open Play mission?

The Empire Map

1. How do I open trade with other cities?
2. When I conquer a city, a month after I get the message they rebel! How do I prevent this?