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Pharaoh (computer game)
Encyclopedia
Pharaoh is an isometric
city-building game
set in Ancient Egypt
created by Impressions Games
and published by Sierra Entertainment
for Windows
-based computers. It involves the construction and management of settlements and cities in ancient Egypt, and is the first such themed game in the City Building series
.
The game was released on October 31, 1999
, and was later complemented with an expansion pack
, Cleopatra: Queen of the Nile, developed by BreakAway Games
the following year. Both the original game and expansion pack are commonly referred to, and may be purchased as one, under the title Pharaoh and Cleopatra.
Pharaoh is based on the same game engine as Caesar III
, also by Sierra Entertainment
, and operates on the same principles, but has many improvements and exceptions. The game has little AI, relying instead on a high level of micromanagment from the player.
All scenario objectives must be met before the next city in a campaign can be used and played. Each mission sets five targets for the city, each being a value on a rating scale. A higher target along the scale represents a higher difficulty level for the city.
There are five rating scales: population, representing simply the number of residents in the city; the culture rating, representing the population's access to city services; the monument rating, which represents monument completion; the prosperity rating, which represents the city's financial success; and the kingdom rating, representing the city's relations with the Pharaoh
and other cities in the kingdom.
A few characters can have negative effects over the city, such as thieves or diseased people. Some animals may attack the walkers as well. There are also buildings that show people inside it, but only for animation purposes.
Soldiers are the only characters that the player can control directly, and even so they can only be moved as whole formations, not individually.
Citizens of Pharaohs cities occupy several different levels of housing, all of which require certain services to be maintained. Higher levels of housing are also required to be located within "nice neighborhoods", determined by a level of "desirability." Desirability can be influenced by any industrial buildings in the general area (dragging the area down), as well as any nearby elegant or stately buildings (making the area more attractive). Statues and gardens may also be added to increase the appeal of an area.
The highest housing units are known as estate
s. The player, themselves, also may build a personal mansion
, the size of which is determined by what mission is being played. The three different mansions are the Personal Mansion, Family Mansion, and Dynasty Mansion.
Some cities worship only a selection of these gods, and most cities have a 'patron god' which must be worshiped more than others and is harder to please. Gods are worshiped by building temple
s, shrine
s, and temple complexes. Temples dispatch priest
s to wander the city and spread the word of their particular god. Shrines are small monuments which have no staff but simply serve to appease those living near one. Temple Complexes may be built to any god, though they are usually only available for the Patron God. They are massive structures which greatly increase a god's activity in a particular city and grant the city special abilities. Temple complexes also can have altar
and oracle
additions, which pay homage to lesser gods.
Osiris - Isis, Min
Ra - Horus, Ma'at
Ptah - Amun, Thoth
Seth - Anubis, Sekhmet
Bast - Sobek, Hathor
Each Local Deity God expects the same as every other Local Deity. A Patron God expects more than a Local Deity and will often require much more attention.
In addition to temple-building, festivals may be thrown to specific gods to appease them. Happy gods will grant a city various special gifts or powers. If a god is angry, it may effect a disaster upon the city, relevant to the god's domain. Osiris, for example, will reduce the Nile flood, thus reducing agricultural yields. Seth will destroy troop forts, and Ra will lower a player's kingdom reputation.
In Pharaoh, there are three main types of entertainment: Jugglers, Musician
s, and Dancers. Each must be trained at a special school, known respectively as a Juggler School, Conservatory, and Dance School
. Graduates of the school will either wander the streets of the cities, providing entertainment to houses as they pass, or perform shows on set stages positioned to serve multiple homes. The stages are divided into three classes, those being Juggler Booths which have Juggler shows only, Bandstand
s which display jugglers and musicians, and the largest stage is the pavilion
which features jugglers, musicians and dancers. People will not mind living near Juggling Schools as their practicing is just as fun to watch as if they were performing.
For the most selective of citizens, a Senet House
must be constructed. While not an actual entertainment show, Senet masters walk the streets of a city, inviting citizens to come to the Senet House. Unlike the other forms of entertainment, the Senet House does not require a separate training facility, it instead needs a steady supply of beer. Senet House access is one of the highest possible forms of entertainment available in the game. However, due to the betting of money, this drags desirability down, as well as conservatories and dance schools.
The ultimate form of entertainment is for a city to have a zoo
, which is an addition only available in the Cleopatra expansion. Zoos require straw and meat to keep the animals comfortable and fed within, with zoos vastly raising a city's culture rating. Zoos send out zookeeper
s who invite citizens to visit the zoo, thus providing homes with zoo access.
which dispatches teacher
s to teach people in nearby homes. In the more cultured cities, a library
may be erected which, in turn, sends out librarian
s to provide further education to the elite citizens. Both Scribal Schools and Libraries require a constant supply of papyrus to operate.
Those who have received a large amount of education and who live in the top class of homes, are eligible to become a Scribe
. Scribes are elite citizens who do not hold a job in the city, but rather spend their days in academic pursuit. Having too many scribes will cause the city's employment levels to drop, eventually causing some scribes to become ordinary citizens and rejoin the work force. This, in turn, makes the former scribes (and the city in general) unhappy.
Pharaoh also has a complex agricultural system based on the annual inundation of the Nile
. Some areas of the city map next to the river are designated as flood plain areas, which are covered by water once each in-game year and where only farm
s, road
s and irrigation ditches may be built. The extent of the flood determines how fertile the farms are when they are re-planted after the flood, and this determines the yield of the farm at the harvest season. Farms may also be built in meadows away from the river, but should be irrigated with a water lift, channeling water from the Nile to the farms in order to make them fertile. Meadow farms operate year round while flood plain farms are dependent on the inundation.
In some missions, a "Hunting Lodge" may be built which sends out hunters year round to kill various game
animals such as ostrich
s, water fowl
, and antelope
s. Other animals, such as scorpion
s (only in Cleopatra expansion), hippopotamus
es, crocodile
s, and hyena
s may not be hunted but will instead hunt citizens of the city who venture too near them. Hyenas have also been known to travel across the map to your city to hunt citizens. However, one way to remedy this is to build a police station in your city. The constables will attack the predators and kill them. You can also use your city's military to exterminate certain kinds of predators, such as hyenas. Other year round sources of food are the Fishing Wharf
which will send out fishing boats into the Nile to catch fish, and the Cattle Farm which raises and slaughters cattle. Fishing Wharfs need a shipwright to build their fishing boats for them, but the shipwright constructs the small boats from materials on hand, not requiring imported or stockpiled wood from a storage yard. Cattle farms need straw from a Grain
farm to feed the cattle
contained within.
There are several primary industries that a city may manufacture and requirements for advancement or mission completion may have a city importing resources as well. Cities may also grow certain types of food, and often must import more food to either feed the entire population or have a city with multiple food types (required for higher level residences).
When food and industrial goods are not being used immediately, they are stored in a granary
(for food) or a storage yard (for other goods). Food may also be stored in a storage yard instead of a granary if it is being imported or stockpiled. Storage yards and granaries may be ordered to hold only certain types of food/goods or empty their contents of unneeded supplies. Storage yards may also stockpile goods to build up a resource of a needed item.
Henna
farms, lamp makers, and imported oil are available only in the Cleopatra expansion and are mainly needed, along with an Artisan Guild, to paint the interior of Royal Burial Tombs.
Depending on the level of a particular mission, a player may or may not be allocated military unit availability. Military units are divided into forts, with chariots, archers, and infantry in separate types of forts. A Recruiter is necessary to send soldiers to a fort and, in most missions, soldiers may also visit an Academy
to increase their skill level prior to be being sent on "active duty".
In addition to ground forces, a Navy may also be established in certain missions. Naval wharf
s are built to house one naval vessel a piece, each requiring a shipwright to construct. The two types of vessels available are Transports and Warship
s, of which the player may built several of each.
Military establishments are the least attractive structures in the game and building any military building next to a residence plot will cause the desirability of the area to greatly diminish.
In addition to defense, the player will sometimes be asked by other cities to provide reinforcements for a battle elsewhere. It should also be noted that police constables can also fight enemy armies but since they are not well trained or well equipped, constables only have a chance of success if they greatly outnumber the enemy. In the final missions of the Cleopatra expansion, the player also may command Roman troops
in addition to Egyptian. Though, the player can also use Nubians, the Sea People, etc. in Custom Missions.
Steps to create military units:
Archers:
Spearmen:
Chariot-riders:
buildings that keep the city running through its own infrastructure
. Most such buildings supply the city with specialists who walk the streets of the city, performing duties to keep the city safe or perform a needed service. The civil service buildings in Pharaoh are:
Whenever a building requiring workers is constructed, a special type of worker known as a "Citizen" will appear and begin searching for workers to staff the building which have just been constructed. The citizen does not count as part of the city's actual workforce and will vanish as soon as the building needing employees is fully staffed. People must also live relatively close to where they work, as the citizen will not journey too far from the building needing workers to find employees.
which is also in charge of supplying workers for farm and field cultivation. Thus, when a work force is heavily engaged in agriculture, the available force to build the monument may diminish, especially during a harvest.
Once at the monument, the workers are directed by members of a Guild
. Usually this is a Stonemasons Guild, but a Bricklayers Guild is required when the monument contains ordinary bricks. A Carpenters Guild is available to construct wooden ramps for large monuments and, in the Cleopatra expansion, an Artisans Guild supplies painters to paint the inside of the burial tombs.
There are several monuments in pharaoh. Here is a list of them:
Tombs -- Available in small, medium, large and for pyramids, Complex and Grand Complex
Other Monuments
Cleopatra Monuments
Valley of the Kings
Alexandria
Ramses II
Once a trade route has been opened, the trade city will send traders to do business. Trade over land appears in the form of a caravan
which will walk into the city, sell or buy their commodity, and then depart. Trade over water is slightly more complex, as it involves constructing a working dock.
Docks allow trade ships from other cities to tie up and send agents into the city to buy or sell goods. To prevent back-ups at the dock, cities with multiple trade routes should have two or more docks. Docks also should not be located too far away from the storage yards where goods are kept, or the ship's agents will have to travel across the city and delay the vessel's time at the dock.
Excessive importing of a product can be prevented by instructing merchants to only deliver products to city storage yards if those storage yards have not exceeded a given stockpile. Similarly, exports can be limited so that the city does not run out of a given commodity. Additionally, instructions given to each individual storage yard can ensure that trade deliveries to one particular location are quickly distributed over the city, which is important for trade by water as cities usually only have one suitable site for dock
s.
Trade cities will only trade a maximum amount of goods per year, with this level raised depending on events in the game such as lending assistance to a city or having the God Ra
encourage trade partners to do more business. Trade routes may also be disrupted or even cut off by sandstorm
, war, or the Nile river becoming too turbulent
to travel.
The player can also order the city to stockpile a commodity temporarily, preventing export or consumption.
-like aspect of Pharaoh keeps the simulation far from realistic, the game stays true to the chronological order and timing of major events in the history of Egypt, including monument construction, wars and national disasters, the births and deaths of notable leaders, and the founding and fall of ancient cities.
One inaccuracy is that Osiris is the god responsible for inundation in this game, whereas in ancient Egypt, Hapi/Hapy was. (This isn't really an inaccuracy, because at the time of the Unification of Egypt, Osiris was the God of Agriculture and of the Dead. Originally, Osiris was the god of creation and agriculture, but after having been murdered by his brother Seth, he became the god of the dead. Hapy/Hapi became the God of the Nile on a later period)
The game also provides limited encyclopedic information about ancient Egyptian practices within its help menu. The instructional booklet includes a much more thorough but short history of Egypt.
Apart from the names of various Pharaohs, historical characters who appear in the game are the Royal Architect Imhotep
as well as references to Moses
in a Cleopatra mission.
Isometric projection
Isometric projection is a method for visually representing three-dimensional objects in two dimensions in technical and engineering drawings...
city-building game
City-building game
City-building games are a genre of strategy computer game where players act as the overall planner and leader of a city, looking down on it from above, and being responsible for its growth and management...
set in Ancient Egypt
Ancient Egypt
Ancient Egypt was an ancient civilization of Northeastern Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in what is now the modern country of Egypt. Egyptian civilization coalesced around 3150 BC with the political unification of Upper and Lower Egypt under the first pharaoh...
created by Impressions Games
Impressions Games
Impressions Games was a video game developer founded by David Lester in the UK. He sold the company to Sierra Entertainment in 1995, who was then bought out by Cendant and eventually, Vivendi Universal ....
and published by Sierra Entertainment
Sierra Entertainment
Sierra Entertainment Inc. was an American video-game developer and publisher founded in 1979 as On-Line Systems by Ken and Roberta Williams...
for Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
-based computers. It involves the construction and management of settlements and cities in ancient Egypt, and is the first such themed game in the City Building series
City Building Series
The City Building Series is the collective name of a series of historical city-building games for personal computers developed by Impressions Games, BreakAway Games, and Tilted Mill Entertainment and published by Sierra Entertainment and Myelin Media...
.
The game was released on October 31, 1999
1999 in video gaming
-Events:*British Academy of Film and Television Arts hosts the 2nd annual BAFTA Interactive Entertainment Awards*March – Game Over republished as “Game Over: Press Start to Continue”...
, and was later complemented with an expansion pack
Expansion pack
An expansion pack, expansion set, or supplement is an addition to an existing role-playing game, tabletop game or video game. These add-ons usually add new game areas, weapons, objects, and/or an extended storyline to a complete and already released game...
, Cleopatra: Queen of the Nile, developed by BreakAway Games
BreakAway Games
BreakAway Games is a video game developer based in Hunt Valley, Maryland established in 1998. Their executive staff is composed of several veterans from companies such as MicroProse, Origin Systems, Atari and Acclaim Entertainment....
the following year. Both the original game and expansion pack are commonly referred to, and may be purchased as one, under the title Pharaoh and Cleopatra.
Game description
- See this section of the City Building SeriesCity Building SeriesThe City Building Series is the collective name of a series of historical city-building games for personal computers developed by Impressions Games, BreakAway Games, and Tilted Mill Entertainment and published by Sierra Entertainment and Myelin Media...
article for a gameplay overview.
Pharaoh is based on the same game engine as Caesar III
Caesar III
Caesar III is a video game developed by Impressions Games and published by Sierra Entertainment; the third installment of the Caesar series, part of Sierra's City Building Series...
, also by Sierra Entertainment
Sierra Entertainment
Sierra Entertainment Inc. was an American video-game developer and publisher founded in 1979 as On-Line Systems by Ken and Roberta Williams...
, and operates on the same principles, but has many improvements and exceptions. The game has little AI, relying instead on a high level of micromanagment from the player.
All scenario objectives must be met before the next city in a campaign can be used and played. Each mission sets five targets for the city, each being a value on a rating scale. A higher target along the scale represents a higher difficulty level for the city.
There are five rating scales: population, representing simply the number of residents in the city; the culture rating, representing the population's access to city services; the monument rating, which represents monument completion; the prosperity rating, which represents the city's financial success; and the kingdom rating, representing the city's relations with the Pharaoh
Pharaoh
Pharaoh is a title used in many modern discussions of the ancient Egyptian rulers of all periods. The title originates in the term "pr-aa" which means "great house" and describes the royal palace...
and other cities in the kingdom.
People
Most buildings in the game generate walkers that roam the city, with the most part of the game being related with the effects of such walkers on the city. There are two main types of characters: walkers with a destination and roamers, both of them being NPC. Walkers with a destination are generated at one point of the city and take the most direct road to another one. The most common destination walker is the delivery man, who takes goods and products from one place to another. Roam walkers are generated by a building and roam around the city following the roads laid by the player. Usually the purpose of these characters is to have an effect over the housing plots or buildings they pass by. The player may prevent roam walkers from going by a certain road by using roadblocks, which do not stop walkers with a destination, nor remove the road itself.A few characters can have negative effects over the city, such as thieves or diseased people. Some animals may attack the walkers as well. There are also buildings that show people inside it, but only for animation purposes.
Soldiers are the only characters that the player can control directly, and even so they can only be moved as whole formations, not individually.
Housing
The highest housing units are known as estate
Estate (house)
An estate comprises the houses and outbuildings and supporting farmland and woods that surround the gardens and grounds of a very large property, such as a country house or mansion. It is the modern term for a manor, but lacks the latter's now abolished jurisdictional authority...
s. The player, themselves, also may build a personal mansion
Mansion
A mansion is a very large dwelling house. U.S. real estate brokers define a mansion as a dwelling of over . A traditional European mansion was defined as a house which contained a ballroom and tens of bedrooms...
, the size of which is determined by what mission is being played. The three different mansions are the Personal Mansion, Family Mansion, and Dynasty Mansion.
Religion
The gods present in Pharaoh are:- OsirisOsirisOsiris is an Egyptian god, usually identified as the god of the afterlife, the underworld and the dead. He is classically depicted as a green-skinned man with a pharaoh's beard, partially mummy-wrapped at the legs, wearing a distinctive crown with two large ostrich feathers at either side, and...
, god of agriculture - RaRaRa is the ancient Egyptian sun god. By the Fifth Dynasty he had become a major deity in ancient Egyptian religion, identified primarily with the mid-day sun...
, god of the kingdom - PtahPtahIn Ancient Egyptian Religion, Ptah was the deification of the primordial mound in the Ennead cosmogony, which was more literally referred to as Ta-tenen , meaning risen land, or as Tanen, meaning submerged land, though Tatenen was a god in his...
, god of craftsmanship - SethSet (mythology)Set was in Ancient Egyptian religion, a god of the desert, storms, and foreigners. In later myths he was also the god of darkness, and chaos...
, god of destruction - BastBast (goddess)Bastet is the name commonly used by scholars today to refer to a feline goddess of ancient Egyptian religion who was worshipped at least since the Second Dynasty...
, goddess of the home
Some cities worship only a selection of these gods, and most cities have a 'patron god' which must be worshiped more than others and is harder to please. Gods are worshiped by building temple
Temple
A temple is a structure reserved for religious or spiritual activities, such as prayer and sacrifice, or analogous rites. A templum constituted a sacred precinct as defined by a priest, or augur. It has the same root as the word "template," a plan in preparation of the building that was marked out...
s, shrine
Shrine
A shrine is a holy or sacred place, which is dedicated to a specific deity, ancestor, hero, martyr, saint, daemon or similar figure of awe and respect, at which they are venerated or worshipped. Shrines often contain idols, relics, or other such objects associated with the figure being venerated....
s, and temple complexes. Temples dispatch priest
Priest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
s to wander the city and spread the word of their particular god. Shrines are small monuments which have no staff but simply serve to appease those living near one. Temple Complexes may be built to any god, though they are usually only available for the Patron God. They are massive structures which greatly increase a god's activity in a particular city and grant the city special abilities. Temple complexes also can have altar
Altar
An altar is any structure upon which offerings such as sacrifices are made for religious purposes. Altars are usually found at shrines, and they can be located in temples, churches and other places of worship...
and oracle
Oracle
In Classical Antiquity, an oracle was a person or agency considered to be a source of wise counsel or prophetic predictions or precognition of the future, inspired by the gods. As such it is a form of divination....
additions, which pay homage to lesser gods.
Osiris - Isis, Min
Ra - Horus, Ma'at
Ptah - Amun, Thoth
Seth - Anubis, Sekhmet
Bast - Sobek, Hathor
Each Local Deity God expects the same as every other Local Deity. A Patron God expects more than a Local Deity and will often require much more attention.
In addition to temple-building, festivals may be thrown to specific gods to appease them. Happy gods will grant a city various special gifts or powers. If a god is angry, it may effect a disaster upon the city, relevant to the god's domain. Osiris, for example, will reduce the Nile flood, thus reducing agricultural yields. Seth will destroy troop forts, and Ra will lower a player's kingdom reputation.
Entertainment
Keeping the citizens of Pharaohs cities occupied in their off time is a critical part of city planning and housing requirements. To upgrade beyond the most basic cottage, a house must have access to at least some entertainment. Higher and more elegant homes require a full array of entertainment options to keep the occupants happy.In Pharaoh, there are three main types of entertainment: Jugglers, Musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
s, and Dancers. Each must be trained at a special school, known respectively as a Juggler School, Conservatory, and Dance School
Dance studio
A dance studio is a space in which dancers learn or rehearse. The term is typically used to describe a space that has either been built or equipped for the purpose....
. Graduates of the school will either wander the streets of the cities, providing entertainment to houses as they pass, or perform shows on set stages positioned to serve multiple homes. The stages are divided into three classes, those being Juggler Booths which have Juggler shows only, Bandstand
Bandstand
A bandstand is a circular or semicircular structure set in a park, garden, pier, or indoor space, designed to accommodate musical bands performing concerts...
s which display jugglers and musicians, and the largest stage is the pavilion
Pavilion (structure)
In architecture a pavilion has two main meanings.-Free-standing structure:Pavilion may refer to a free-standing structure sited a short distance from a main residence, whose architecture makes it an object of pleasure. Large or small, there is usually a connection with relaxation and pleasure in...
which features jugglers, musicians and dancers. People will not mind living near Juggling Schools as their practicing is just as fun to watch as if they were performing.
For the most selective of citizens, a Senet House
Senet
Senet is a board game from predynastic and ancient Egypt. The oldest hieroglyph representing a Senet game dates to around 3100 BC. The full name of the game in Egyptian was zn.t n.t ḥˁb meaning the "game of passing."- History :...
must be constructed. While not an actual entertainment show, Senet masters walk the streets of a city, inviting citizens to come to the Senet House. Unlike the other forms of entertainment, the Senet House does not require a separate training facility, it instead needs a steady supply of beer. Senet House access is one of the highest possible forms of entertainment available in the game. However, due to the betting of money, this drags desirability down, as well as conservatories and dance schools.
The ultimate form of entertainment is for a city to have a zoo
Zoo
A zoological garden, zoological park, menagerie, or zoo is a facility in which animals are confined within enclosures, displayed to the public, and in which they may also be bred....
, which is an addition only available in the Cleopatra expansion. Zoos require straw and meat to keep the animals comfortable and fed within, with zoos vastly raising a city's culture rating. Zoos send out zookeeper
Zookeeper
A zookeeper is a worker in a zoo, responsible for the feeding and daily care of the animals. As part of their routine, they clean the exhibits and report health problems...
s who invite citizens to visit the zoo, thus providing homes with zoo access.
Education
Pharaoh allows for the creation of an educated class of citizens who live in better homes and hold down less manual jobs. Citizens are educated by having access to a Scribal SchoolScribe
A scribe is a person who writes books or documents by hand as a profession and helps the city keep track of its records. The profession, previously found in all literate cultures in some form, lost most of its importance and status with the advent of printing...
which dispatches teacher
Teacher
A teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...
s to teach people in nearby homes. In the more cultured cities, a library
Library
In a traditional sense, a library is a large collection of books, and can refer to the place in which the collection is housed. Today, the term can refer to any collection, including digital sources, resources, and services...
may be erected which, in turn, sends out librarian
Librarian
A librarian is an information professional trained in library and information science, which is the organization and management of information services or materials for those with information needs...
s to provide further education to the elite citizens. Both Scribal Schools and Libraries require a constant supply of papyrus to operate.
Those who have received a large amount of education and who live in the top class of homes, are eligible to become a Scribe
Scribe
A scribe is a person who writes books or documents by hand as a profession and helps the city keep track of its records. The profession, previously found in all literate cultures in some form, lost most of its importance and status with the advent of printing...
. Scribes are elite citizens who do not hold a job in the city, but rather spend their days in academic pursuit. Having too many scribes will cause the city's employment levels to drop, eventually causing some scribes to become ordinary citizens and rejoin the work force. This, in turn, makes the former scribes (and the city in general) unhappy.
Industry and agriculture
In Pharaoh, industry is not only necessary for the production of commodities but also plays a large role in the mining of construction materials, which are used in monuments.Pharaoh also has a complex agricultural system based on the annual inundation of the Nile
Nile
The Nile is a major north-flowing river in North Africa, generally regarded as the longest river in the world. It is long. It runs through the ten countries of Sudan, South Sudan, Burundi, Rwanda, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda and Egypt.The Nile has two major...
. Some areas of the city map next to the river are designated as flood plain areas, which are covered by water once each in-game year and where only farm
Farm
A farm is an area of land, or, for aquaculture, lake, river or sea, including various structures, devoted primarily to the practice of producing and managing food , fibres and, increasingly, fuel. It is the basic production facility in food production. Farms may be owned and operated by a single...
s, road
Road
A road is a thoroughfare, route, or way on land between two places, which typically has been paved or otherwise improved to allow travel by some conveyance, including a horse, cart, or motor vehicle. Roads consist of one, or sometimes two, roadways each with one or more lanes and also any...
s and irrigation ditches may be built. The extent of the flood determines how fertile the farms are when they are re-planted after the flood, and this determines the yield of the farm at the harvest season. Farms may also be built in meadows away from the river, but should be irrigated with a water lift, channeling water from the Nile to the farms in order to make them fertile. Meadow farms operate year round while flood plain farms are dependent on the inundation.
In some missions, a "Hunting Lodge" may be built which sends out hunters year round to kill various game
Game
A game is structured playing, usually undertaken for enjoyment and sometimes used as an educational tool. Games are distinct from work, which is usually carried out for remuneration, and from art, which is more often an expression of aesthetic or ideological elements...
animals such as ostrich
Ostrich
The Ostrich is one or two species of large flightless birds native to Africa, the only living member of the genus Struthio. Some analyses indicate that the Somali Ostrich may be better considered a full species apart from the Common Ostrich, but most taxonomists consider it to be a...
s, water fowl
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
, and antelope
Antelope
Antelope is a term referring to many even-toed ungulate species indigenous to various regions in Africa and Eurasia. Antelopes comprise a miscellaneous group within the family Bovidae, encompassing those old-world species that are neither cattle, sheep, buffalo, bison, nor goats...
s. Other animals, such as scorpion
Scorpion
Scorpions are predatory arthropod animals of the order Scorpiones within the class Arachnida. They have eight legs and are easily recognized by the pair of grasping claws and the narrow, segmented tail, often carried in a characteristic forward curve over the back, ending with a venomous stinger...
s (only in Cleopatra expansion), hippopotamus
Hippopotamus
The hippopotamus , or hippo, from the ancient Greek for "river horse" , is a large, mostly herbivorous mammal in sub-Saharan Africa, and one of only two extant species in the family Hippopotamidae After the elephant and rhinoceros, the hippopotamus is the third largest land mammal and the heaviest...
es, crocodile
Crocodile
A crocodile is any species belonging to the family Crocodylidae . The term can also be used more loosely to include all extant members of the order Crocodilia: i.e...
s, and hyena
Hyena
Hyenas or Hyaenas are the animals of the family Hyaenidae of suborder feliforms of the Carnivora. It is the fourth smallest biological family in the Carnivora , and one of the smallest in the mammalia...
s may not be hunted but will instead hunt citizens of the city who venture too near them. Hyenas have also been known to travel across the map to your city to hunt citizens. However, one way to remedy this is to build a police station in your city. The constables will attack the predators and kill them. You can also use your city's military to exterminate certain kinds of predators, such as hyenas. Other year round sources of food are the Fishing Wharf
Fishery
Generally, a fishery is an entity engaged in raising or harvesting fish which is determined by some authority to be a fishery. According to the FAO, a fishery is typically defined in terms of the "people involved, species or type of fish, area of water or seabed, method of fishing, class of boats,...
which will send out fishing boats into the Nile to catch fish, and the Cattle Farm which raises and slaughters cattle. Fishing Wharfs need a shipwright to build their fishing boats for them, but the shipwright constructs the small boats from materials on hand, not requiring imported or stockpiled wood from a storage yard. Cattle farms need straw from a Grain
GRAIN
GRAIN is a small international non-profit organisation that works to support small farmers and social movements in their struggles for community-controlled and biodiversity-based food systems. Our support takes the form of independent research and analysis, networking at local, regional and...
farm to feed the cattle
Cattle
Cattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...
contained within.
There are several primary industries that a city may manufacture and requirements for advancement or mission completion may have a city importing resources as well. Cities may also grow certain types of food, and often must import more food to either feed the entire population or have a city with multiple food types (required for higher level residences).
When food and industrial goods are not being used immediately, they are stored in a granary
Granary
A granary is a storehouse for threshed grain or animal feed. In ancient or primitive granaries, pottery is the most common use of storage in these buildings. Granaries are often built above the ground to keep the stored food away from mice and other animals.-Early origins:From ancient times grain...
(for food) or a storage yard (for other goods). Food may also be stored in a storage yard instead of a granary if it is being imported or stockpiled. Storage yards and granaries may be ordered to hold only certain types of food/goods or empty their contents of unneeded supplies. Storage yards may also stockpile goods to build up a resource of a needed item.
| Primary industry | Raw Product | Secondary industry | Product | Uses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wood Wood Wood is a hard, fibrous tissue found in many trees. It has been used for hundreds of thousands of years for both fuel and as a construction material. It is an organic material, a natural composite of cellulose fibers embedded in a matrix of lignin which resists compression... Cutter |
Wood | Chariot maker and shipwright | Chariot Chariot The chariot is a type of horse carriage used in both peace and war as the chief vehicle of many ancient peoples. Ox carts, proto-chariots, were built by the Proto-Indo-Europeans and also built in Mesopotamia as early as 3000 BC. The original horse chariot was a fast, light, open, two wheeled... s |
Provides wood for:
|
| Clay Clay Clay is a general term including many combinations of one or more clay minerals with traces of metal oxides and organic matter. Geologic clay deposits are mostly composed of phyllosilicate minerals containing variable amounts of water trapped in the mineral structure.- Formation :Clay minerals... Pit |
Clay | Potter Pottery Pottery is the material from which the potteryware is made, of which major types include earthenware, stoneware and porcelain. The place where such wares are made is also called a pottery . Pottery also refers to the art or craft of the potter or the manufacture of pottery... , Artisan Artisan An artisan is a skilled manual worker who makes items that may be functional or strictly decorative, including furniture, clothing, jewellery, household items, and tools... Guilds, and Brickworks |
Pottery Pottery Pottery is the material from which the potteryware is made, of which major types include earthenware, stoneware and porcelain. The place where such wares are made is also called a pottery . Pottery also refers to the art or craft of the potter or the manufacture of pottery... ; Brick Brick A brick is a block of ceramic material used in masonry construction, usually laid using various kinds of mortar. It has been regarded as one of the longest lasting and strongest building materials used throughout history.-History:... s |
Provides clay for:
Oil lamp An oil lamp is an object used to produce light continuously for a period of time using an oil-based fuel source. The use of oil lamps began thousands of years ago and is continued to this day.... s (Cleopatra expansion) |
| Reed Phragmites Phragmites, the Common reed, is a large perennial grass found in wetlands throughout temperate and tropical regions of the world. Phragmites australis is sometimes regarded as the sole species of the genus Phragmites, though some botanists divide Phragmites australis into three or four species... Gatherer |
Reeds | Papyrus Papyrus Papyrus is a thick paper-like material produced from the pith of the papyrus plant, Cyperus papyrus, a wetland sedge that was once abundant in the Nile Delta of Egypt.... Maker |
Papyrus | Library Library In a traditional sense, a library is a large collection of books, and can refer to the place in which the collection is housed. Today, the term can refer to any collection, including digital sources, resources, and services... and School School A school is an institution designed for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is commonly compulsory. In these systems, students progress through a series of schools... service buildings |
| Barley Barley Barley is a major cereal grain, a member of the grass family. It serves as a major animal fodder, as a base malt for beer and certain distilled beverages, and as a component of various health foods... Farm |
Barley | Brewery Brewery A brewery is a dedicated building for the making of beer, though beer can be made at home, and has been for much of beer's history. A company which makes beer is called either a brewery or a brewing company.... |
Beer Beer Beer is the world's most widely consumed andprobably oldest alcoholic beverage; it is the third most popular drink overall, after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of sugars, mainly derived from malted cereal grains, most commonly malted barley and malted wheat... |
Senet Senet is a board game from predynastic and ancient Egypt. The oldest hieroglyph representing a Senet game dates to around 3100 BC. The full name of the game in Egyptian was zn.t n.t ḥˁb meaning the "game of passing."- History :... house entertainment service building |
| Flax Flax Flax is a member of the genus Linum in the family Linaceae. It is native to the region extending from the eastern Mediterranean to India and was probably first domesticated in the Fertile Crescent... Farm |
Flax | Weaver | Linen Linen Linen is a textile made from the fibers of the flax plant, Linum usitatissimum. Linen is labor-intensive to manufacture, but when it is made into garments, it is valued for its exceptional coolness and freshness in hot weather.... |
|
|
Chickpea Chickpea The chickpea is a legume of the family Fabaceae, subfamily Faboideae... Farm, Lettuce Lettuce Lettuce is a temperate annual or biennial plant of the daisy family Asteraceae. It is most often grown as a leaf vegetable. It is eaten either raw, notably in salads, sandwiches, hamburgers, tacos, and many other dishes, or cooked, as in Chinese cuisine in which the stem becomes just as important... Farm, Fig Ficus Ficus is a genus of about 850 species of woody trees, shrubs, vines, epiphytes, and hemiepiphyte in the family Moraceae. Collectively known as fig trees or figs, they are native throughout the tropics with a few species extending into the semi-warm temperate zone. The Common Fig Ficus is a genus of... Farm, Pomegranate Pomegranate The pomegranate , Punica granatum, is a fruit-bearing deciduous shrub or small tree growing between five and eight meters tall.Native to the area of modern day Iran, the pomegranate has been cultivated in the Caucasus since ancient times. From there it spread to Asian areas such as the Caucasus as... Farm, Grain GRAIN GRAIN is a small international non-profit organisation that works to support small farmers and social movements in their struggles for community-controlled and biodiversity-based food systems. Our support takes the form of independent research and analysis, networking at local, regional and... Farm, Fishing Fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping.... Wharf |
Chickpeas, Lettuce, Figs, Pomegranates, Wheat Wheat Wheat is a cereal grain, originally from the Levant region of the Near East, but now cultivated worldwide. In 2007 world production of wheat was 607 million tons, making it the third most-produced cereal after maize and rice... and Straw Straw Straw is an agricultural by-product, the dry stalks of cereal plants, after the grain and chaff have been removed. Straw makes up about half of the yield of cereal crops such as barley, oats, rice, rye and wheat. It has many uses, including fuel, livestock bedding and fodder, thatching and... , Fish |
Cattle Cattle Cattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius... Ranch and Brickworks |
Meat Meat Meat is animal flesh that is used as food. Most often, this means the skeletal muscle and associated fat and other tissues, but it may also describe other edible tissues such as organs and offal... and Bricks |
Food supplies; Bricks (for monument construction) |
| Henna Henna Henna is a flowering plant used since antiquity to dye skin, hair, fingernails, leather and wool. The name is also used for dye preparations derived from the plant, and for the art of temporary tattooing based on those dyes... Farm |
Henna plant | Paint Paint Paint is any liquid, liquefiable, or mastic composition which after application to a substrate in a thin layer is converted to an opaque solid film. One may also consider the digital mimicry thereof... Maker |
Paint | Used in the Cleopatra Valley of the King missions to paint wall mural Mural A mural is any piece of artwork painted or applied directly on a wall, ceiling or other large permanent surface. A particularly distinguishing characteristic of mural painting is that the architectural elements of the given space are harmoniously incorporated into the picture.-History:Murals of... s in burial tombs |
| Oil Oil An oil is any substance that is liquid at ambient temperatures and does not mix with water but may mix with other oils and organic solvents. This general definition includes vegetable oils, volatile essential oils, petrochemical oils, and synthetic oils.... |
Imported only | Lamp Maker | Lamps | Used in the Cleopatra Valley of the King missions in conjunction with pottery to create lamps to light burial tombs |
| Gemstone Gemstone A gemstone or gem is a piece of mineral, which, in cut and polished form, is used to make jewelry or other adornments... Mine |
Gemstones | Jeweler | Jewelry | Domestic product to upgrade housing |
| Copper Copper Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish... Mine |
Copper | Weaponsmith | Weapon Weapon A weapon, arm, or armament is a tool or instrument used with the aim of causing damage or harm to living beings or artificial structures or systems... s |
Equipment for Recruiter building to train spearmen |
| Gold Gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a... Mine |
Gold | N/A | Money | Delivered directly to city treasury to supplement funds |
| Granite Granite Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic... Quarry |
Granite | N/A | Granite Blocks | Monument construction - Obelisks |
| Limestone Limestone Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera.... Quarry |
Limestone | N/A | Limestone Blocks | Monument construction - Pyramids |
| Plain stone Quarry | Plain stone | N/A | Plain Stone Blocks | Monument construction - Pyramids |
| Sandstone Sandstone Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,... Quarry |
Sandstone | N/A | Sandstone Blocks | Monument construction - Sun Temples and Mausoleums |
Henna
Henna
Henna is a flowering plant used since antiquity to dye skin, hair, fingernails, leather and wool. The name is also used for dye preparations derived from the plant, and for the art of temporary tattooing based on those dyes...
farms, lamp makers, and imported oil are available only in the Cleopatra expansion and are mainly needed, along with an Artisan Guild, to paint the interior of Royal Burial Tombs.
Military
Some cities are susceptible to attack by other civilizations, and the player must counter this threat by building defenses. A maximum of six armies can be recruited from the general population, each consisting solely of spearmen, archers, or chariot-riders. Walls, gates, and towers, limited only by costs, can also be built to defend the city. Up to six warships can also be constructed for naval defense.Depending on the level of a particular mission, a player may or may not be allocated military unit availability. Military units are divided into forts, with chariots, archers, and infantry in separate types of forts. A Recruiter is necessary to send soldiers to a fort and, in most missions, soldiers may also visit an Academy
Academy
An academy is an institution of higher learning, research, or honorary membership.The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 385 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the goddess of wisdom and skill, north of Athens, Greece. In the western world academia is the...
to increase their skill level prior to be being sent on "active duty".
In addition to ground forces, a Navy may also be established in certain missions. Naval wharf
Wharf
A wharf or quay is a structure on the shore of a harbor where ships may dock to load and unload cargo or passengers.Such a structure includes one or more berths , and may also include piers, warehouses, or other facilities necessary for handling the ships.A wharf commonly comprises a fixed...
s are built to house one naval vessel a piece, each requiring a shipwright to construct. The two types of vessels available are Transports and Warship
Warship
A warship is a ship that is built and primarily intended for combat. Warships are usually built in a completely different way from merchant ships. As well as being armed, warships are designed to withstand damage and are usually faster and more maneuvrable than merchant ships...
s, of which the player may built several of each.
Military establishments are the least attractive structures in the game and building any military building next to a residence plot will cause the desirability of the area to greatly diminish.
In addition to defense, the player will sometimes be asked by other cities to provide reinforcements for a battle elsewhere. It should also be noted that police constables can also fight enemy armies but since they are not well trained or well equipped, constables only have a chance of success if they greatly outnumber the enemy. In the final missions of the Cleopatra expansion, the player also may command Roman troops
Roman army
The Roman army is the generic term for the terrestrial armed forces deployed by the kingdom of Rome , the Roman Republic , the Roman Empire and its successor, the Byzantine empire...
in addition to Egyptian. Though, the player can also use Nubians, the Sea People, etc. in Custom Missions.
Steps to create military units:
Archers:
- Build recruiter
- Build forts
- Build academy(Optional)
Spearmen:
- Build weaponsmith or import weapons
- Build recruiter
- Build forts
- Build academy(Optional)
Chariot-riders:
- Build chariot maker or import chariots
- Build recruiter
- Build forts
- Build academy(Optional)
Civil Service
Cities in Pharaoh maintain a variety of civil serviceCivil service
The term civil service has two distinct meanings:* A branch of governmental service in which individuals are employed on the basis of professional merit as proven by competitive examinations....
buildings that keep the city running through its own infrastructure
Infrastructure
Infrastructure is basic physical and organizational structures needed for the operation of a society or enterprise, or the services and facilities necessary for an economy to function...
. Most such buildings supply the city with specialists who walk the streets of the city, performing duties to keep the city safe or perform a needed service. The civil service buildings in Pharaoh are:
- PalacePalaceA palace is a grand residence, especially a royal residence or the home of a head of state or some other high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word itself is derived from the Latin name Palātium, for Palatine Hill, one of the seven hills in Rome. In many parts of Europe, the...
: The hub of city administration, it is from here that all city activities are monitored. The bulk of the city's treasury is also stored at the palace and the palace provides a shortcut to set the wageWageA wage is a compensation, usually financial, received by workers in exchange for their labor.Compensation in terms of wages is given to workers and compensation in terms of salary is given to employees...
amount given each year to the city workers. Palaces may be robbedRobberyRobbery is the crime of taking or attempting to take something of value by force or threat of force or by putting the victim in fear. At common law, robbery is defined as taking the property of another, with the intent to permanently deprive the person of that property, by means of force or fear....
if crime gets out of control in the city. Palaces are available in three levels, depending on the level of a particular mission. The palace types available are villageVillageA village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
, townTownA town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
, and cityCityA city is a relatively large and permanent settlement. Although there is no agreement on how a city is distinguished from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status based on local law.For example, in the U.S...
.
- BazaarBazaarA bazaar , Cypriot Greek: pantopoula) is a permanent merchandising area, marketplace, or street of shops where goods and services are exchanged or sold. The term is sometimes also used to refer to the "network of merchants, bankers and craftsmen" who work that area...
: These critical buildings collect and supply houses with all the needed commodities such as foodFoodFood is any substance consumed to provide nutritional support for the body. It is usually of plant or animal origin, and contains essential nutrients, such as carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, or minerals...
, potteryPotteryPottery is the material from which the potteryware is made, of which major types include earthenware, stoneware and porcelain. The place where such wares are made is also called a pottery . Pottery also refers to the art or craft of the potter or the manufacture of pottery...
, beerBeerBeer is the world's most widely consumed andprobably oldest alcoholic beverage; it is the third most popular drink overall, after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of sugars, mainly derived from malted cereal grains, most commonly malted barley and malted wheat...
and, in the case of elite citizens, jewelleryJewelleryJewellery or jewelry is a form of personal adornment, such as brooches, rings, necklaces, earrings, and bracelets.With some exceptions, such as medical alert bracelets or military dog tags, jewellery normally differs from other items of personal adornment in that it has no other purpose than to...
and fine linenLinenLinen is a textile made from the fibers of the flax plant, Linum usitatissimum. Linen is labor-intensive to manufacture, but when it is made into garments, it is valued for its exceptional coolness and freshness in hot weather....
. Bazaar workers send out two types of employees, one who finds the needed goods in the city's granarys and storage yards and one who sells them. Bazaars must be located close to houses to provide their services but not too close since bazaars slightly reduce the desirability of the land immediately surrounding it. There are two types of Bazaars, elegant and normal. Normal bazaars send out one gatherer and one seller while elegant bazaars will send two of each type of employee. Bazaars become elegant if they are located in a desirable area.
- Service Posts: Service posts provide specialists who deter three possible damage types to city, these being fire, building collapse and crime. The fire post sends out Fire MarshalFire MarshalA fire marshal, in the United States and Canada, is often a member of a fire department but may be part of a building department or a separate department altogether. Fire marshals' duties vary but usually include fire code enforcement and/or investigating fires for origin and cause...
s to prevent fires in the city and put them out if one starts, while the architect's post provides architectArchitectAn architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
s to prevent buildings from collapsing. The last service post, the Police Stations, provides constablesPoliceThe police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...
to deter crime. Service posts are small one tile buildings marked by a color code to distinguish their purpose: red indicates a fire post, brown an architect's post, and blue posts are police stations.
- CourthouseCourthouseA courthouse is a building that is home to a local court of law and often the regional county government as well, although this is not the case in some larger cities. The term is common in North America. In most other English speaking countries, buildings which house courts of law are simply...
: Courthouses are large stately buildings which provide Magistrates who help prevent crime and are necessary for a residence to upgrade to a higher type of dwelling. Courthouses also serve to store a portion of the city treasury and can be robbed by criminals if the city's crime rate is too high. - Tax CollectorTax collectorA tax collector is a person who collects unpaid taxes from other people or corporations. Tax collectors are often portrayed in fiction as being evil, and in the modern world share a somewhat similar stereotype to that of lawyers....
: Collects taxTaxTo tax is to impose a financial charge or other levy upon a taxpayer by a state or the functional equivalent of a state such that failure to pay is punishable by law. Taxes are also imposed by many subnational entities...
es from the population. The tax amount is dependent on the quality level of the housing and the percent of tax that the city is currently imposing. Pharaoh begins each mission with a tax rate of 9% which can be raised or lowered with varying effects on the city sentiment. Tax Collectors store a portion of the treasury and can be robbed by criminals if a crime waveCrimeCrime is the breach of rules or laws for which some governing authority can ultimately prescribe a conviction...
occurs. - Road Blocks: While not an actual building, roadblockRoadblockA roadblock is a temporary installation set up to control or block traffic along a road. The reasons for one could be:*Roadworks*Temporary road closure during special events*Police chase*Robbery*Sobriety checkpoint...
s are essential to proper city planning. Road blocks are placed on roads and only allow destination walkers, such as those transporting food to a granary or bringing trade goods to and from a storage yard or dock. All other "random" walkers, such as Entertainers and bazaar traders are prevented from passing the roadblock thus stopping vital civil servants from wandering into industrial areas or farms where their services are not needed.
Whenever a building requiring workers is constructed, a special type of worker known as a "Citizen" will appear and begin searching for workers to staff the building which have just been constructed. The citizen does not count as part of the city's actual workforce and will vanish as soon as the building needing employees is fully staffed. People must also live relatively close to where they work, as the citizen will not journey too far from the building needing workers to find employees.
Health care
Health care is provided in Pharaoh to both the living and the dead. Every city has a level of general health, determined by the number of health buildings active in the city. Each health building sends out its own type of provider who grants the health care services to housing units as they pass. The greater number of health care services, combined with the amount and types of food each house has, determines the general health level for an entire city. If the health level drops too low, a plague will hit the city causing much death and a sharp decline in the population. The primary health care buildings are:| Building | Description | Service Provider |
|---|---|---|
| Well Water well A water well is an excavation or structure created in the ground by digging, driving, boring or drilling to access groundwater in underground aquifers. The well water is drawn by an electric submersible pump, a trash pump, a vertical turbine pump, a handpump or a mechanical pump... |
None | |
| Water Supply | Water Carrier | |
| Physician Physician A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments... 's Office |
Physician | |
| Apothecary Apothecary Apothecary is a historical name for a medical professional who formulates and dispenses materia medica to physicians, surgeons and patients — a role now served by a pharmacist and some caregivers.... |
malaria Malaria Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease of humans and other animals caused by eukaryotic protists of the genus Plasmodium. The disease results from the multiplication of Plasmodium parasites within red blood cells, causing symptoms that typically include fever and headache, in severe cases... |
Herbalist Herbalist An herbalist is:#A person whose life is dedicated to the economic or medicinal uses of plants.#One skilled in the harvesting and collection of medicinal plants .... |
| Dentist Dentist A dentist, also known as a 'dental surgeon', is a doctor that specializes in the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of diseases and conditions of the oral cavity. The dentist's supporting team aides in providing oral health services... 's Office |
Dentist | |
| Mortuary | mummies Mummy A mummy is a body, human or animal, whose skin and organs have been preserved by either intentional or incidental exposure to chemicals, extreme coldness , very low humidity, or lack of air when bodies are submerged in bogs, so that the recovered body will not decay further if kept in cool and dry... . |
Mortician |
Monuments
Some cities require that specific monuments be constructed before the player may move onto the next city in the campaign. Monuments are built through a lengthy process of acquiring needed resources (such as bricks and stone) and then having a peasant worker force clear the area where the monument will be and then build the monument itself. The peasant work force is gathered by a Work CampLabor camp
A labor camp is a simplified detention facility where inmates are forced to engage in penal labor. Labor camps have many common aspects with slavery and with prisons...
which is also in charge of supplying workers for farm and field cultivation. Thus, when a work force is heavily engaged in agriculture, the available force to build the monument may diminish, especially during a harvest.
Once at the monument, the workers are directed by members of a Guild
Guild
A guild is an association of craftsmen in a particular trade. The earliest types of guild were formed as confraternities of workers. They were organized in a manner something between a trade union, a cartel, and a secret society...
. Usually this is a Stonemasons Guild, but a Bricklayers Guild is required when the monument contains ordinary bricks. A Carpenters Guild is available to construct wooden ramps for large monuments and, in the Cleopatra expansion, an Artisans Guild supplies painters to paint the inside of the burial tombs.
There are several monuments in pharaoh. Here is a list of them:
Tombs -- Available in small, medium, large and for pyramids, Complex and Grand Complex
- MastabaMastabaA mastaba, or "pr-djt" , is a type of ancient Egyptian tomb in the form of a flat-roofed, rectangular structure with outward sloping sides that marked the burial site of many eminent Egyptians of Egypt's ancient period...
(bricks) - Stepped pyramid (stone)
- Bent Pyramid (partially bent at top) (limestone and stone)
- PyramidPyramidA pyramid is a structure whose outer surfaces are triangular and converge at a single point. The base of a pyramid can be trilateral, quadrilateral, or any polygon shape, meaning that a pyramid has at least three triangular surfaces...
(limestone and stone) - Mudbrick Pyramid (Limestone and bricks)
Other Monuments
- Mausoleum
- Sun Temple
- ObeliskObeliskAn obelisk is a tall, four-sided, narrow tapering monument which ends in a pyramid-like shape at the top, and is said to resemble a petrified ray of the sun-disk. A pair of obelisks usually stood in front of a pylon...
(Small and large) - SphinxSphinxA sphinx is a mythical creature with a lion's body and a human head or a cat head.The sphinx, in Greek tradition, has the haunches of a lion, the wings of a great bird, and the face of a woman. She is mythicised as treacherous and merciless...
Cleopatra Monuments
Valley of the Kings
Valley of the Kings
The Valley of the Kings , less often called the Valley of the Gates of the Kings , is a valley in Egypt where, for a period of nearly 500 years from the 16th to 11th century BC, tombs were constructed for the Pharaohs and powerful nobles of the New Kingdom .The valley stands on the west bank of...
- Royal Burial Tomb (Small, medium, large, and grand)
Alexandria
Alexandria
Alexandria is the second-largest city of Egypt, with a population of 4.1 million, extending about along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in the north central part of the country; it is also the largest city lying directly on the Mediterranean coast. It is Egypt's largest seaport, serving...
- Great Library
- Pharos Lighthouse
- Caesareum
Ramses II
- Abu SimbelAbu SimbelAbu Simbel temples refers to two massive rock temples in Abu Simbel in Nubia, southern Egypt on the western bank of Lake Nasser about 230 km southwest of Aswan...
Trade
Trade is an essential part of the game and for most cities a primary source of income. Pharaoh has a sophisticated trade system, allowing the player to manage the flow of commodities into and out of the city. Trade begins by establishing a trade relation with another city. For this, a map of the known world is accessed, allowing the player to select a city, see what the city will sell and buy, and purchase the rights to trade with a city. The farther away a city is from the player's city, the more expensive the trading rights will be. Some cities will not offer to trade right away, but must be given gifts or assistance to open up their own trade route.Once a trade route has been opened, the trade city will send traders to do business. Trade over land appears in the form of a caravan
Caravan (travellers)
A caravan is a group of people traveling together, often on a trade expedition. Caravans were used mainly in desert areas and throughout the Silk Road, where traveling in groups aided in defence against bandits as well as helped to improve economies of scale in trade.In historical times, caravans...
which will walk into the city, sell or buy their commodity, and then depart. Trade over water is slightly more complex, as it involves constructing a working dock.
Docks allow trade ships from other cities to tie up and send agents into the city to buy or sell goods. To prevent back-ups at the dock, cities with multiple trade routes should have two or more docks. Docks also should not be located too far away from the storage yards where goods are kept, or the ship's agents will have to travel across the city and delay the vessel's time at the dock.
Excessive importing of a product can be prevented by instructing merchants to only deliver products to city storage yards if those storage yards have not exceeded a given stockpile. Similarly, exports can be limited so that the city does not run out of a given commodity. Additionally, instructions given to each individual storage yard can ensure that trade deliveries to one particular location are quickly distributed over the city, which is important for trade by water as cities usually only have one suitable site for dock
Dock (maritime)
A dock is a human-made structure or group of structures involved in the handling of boats or ships, usually on or close to a shore.However, the exact meaning varies among different variants of the English language...
s.
Trade cities will only trade a maximum amount of goods per year, with this level raised depending on events in the game such as lending assistance to a city or having the God Ra
Ra
Ra is the ancient Egyptian sun god. By the Fifth Dynasty he had become a major deity in ancient Egyptian religion, identified primarily with the mid-day sun...
encourage trade partners to do more business. Trade routes may also be disrupted or even cut off by sandstorm
Dust storm
A dust / sand storm is a meteorological phenomenon common in arid and semi-arid regions. Dust storms arise when a gust front or other strong wind blows loose sand and dirt from a dry surface. Particles are transported by saltation and suspension, causing soil to move from one place and deposition...
, war, or the Nile river becoming too turbulent
Sea state
In oceanography, a sea state is the general condition of the free surface on a large body of water—with respect to wind waves and swell—at a certain location and moment. A sea state is characterized by statistics, including the wave height, period, and power spectrum. The sea state varies with...
to travel.
The player can also order the city to stockpile a commodity temporarily, preventing export or consumption.
Historical accuracy
Although the puzzlePuzzle
A puzzle is a problem or enigma that tests the ingenuity of the solver. In a basic puzzle, one is intended to put together pieces in a logical way in order to come up with the desired solution...
-like aspect of Pharaoh keeps the simulation far from realistic, the game stays true to the chronological order and timing of major events in the history of Egypt, including monument construction, wars and national disasters, the births and deaths of notable leaders, and the founding and fall of ancient cities.
One inaccuracy is that Osiris is the god responsible for inundation in this game, whereas in ancient Egypt, Hapi/Hapy was. (This isn't really an inaccuracy, because at the time of the Unification of Egypt, Osiris was the God of Agriculture and of the Dead. Originally, Osiris was the god of creation and agriculture, but after having been murdered by his brother Seth, he became the god of the dead. Hapy/Hapi became the God of the Nile on a later period)
The game also provides limited encyclopedic information about ancient Egyptian practices within its help menu. The instructional booklet includes a much more thorough but short history of Egypt.
Apart from the names of various Pharaohs, historical characters who appear in the game are the Royal Architect Imhotep
Imhotep
Imhotep , fl. 27th century BC was an Egyptian polymath, who served under the Third Dynasty king Djoser as chancellor to the pharaoh and high priest of the sun god Ra at Heliopolis...
as well as references to Moses
Moses
Moses was, according to the Hebrew Bible and Qur'an, a religious leader, lawgiver and prophet, to whom the authorship of the Torah is traditionally attributed...
in a Cleopatra mission.
Campaign structure
Throughout the game the player takes the role of successive generations of a particular family, progressing from city to city and ascending in rank from village elder to pharaoh. In some cases, the player is given the option of two cities to choose from to complete the next level. Usually one is more focused on domestic challenges, while the other involves military campaigns. In the original Pharaoh game, missions were required to be played in order. The Cleopatra expansion offered a "Select Mission" feature which allowed either individual missions to be played or single campaigns.External links
- Pharaoh Fasttrack Guide, containing mission walkthroughs.
- Pharaoh at HeavenGames
- Other Ancient Egyptian Games like Pharaoh