Ara: History Untold Wiki - User contributions [en]

City Tier

2025-02-05T05:14:36Z

Redrum68: Updated for 1.21

{{PagePatchVersion|patch=1.21}}

{{UnderConstruction}}

As your city gains population, its tier will eventually increase to the next tier. When the tier increases, the city will unlock various bonuses. The rate of growth to the next tier depends on several factors.

{| class="wikitable"
|+
!City Tier
!Population
!Claims
!Experts
!Amenities
!Research
!City Production
!Tax Multiplier
!Food Cost
!QoL Cost
|-
|1
|500
|0
|0
|1
|0
|1
|1
|1
|0
|-
|2
|1200
| 1
|0
|1
| 1
| 2
|2
|2
|0
|-
|3
|2500
| 2
|0
| 2
|2
| 3
| 4
|4
|0
|-
|4
|5000
| 3
|0
|2
| 3
| 4
| 6
|8
|5
|-
|5
|10000
|4
|1
|3
|4
|5
|8
|14
|5
|-
|6
|15000
|5
|2
|3
|5
|6
|10
|20
|10
|-
|7
|25000
|6
|3
|4
|6
|7
|12
|28
|15
|-
|8
|40000
|7
|4
|4
|8
|8
|14
|36
|20
|-
|9
|75000
|8
|5
|5
|10
|9
|16
|48
|25
|-
|10
|100000
|9
|6
|5
|12
|10
|18
|64
|30
|-
|11
|150000
|10
|8
|6
|14
|11
|22
|80
|35
|-
|12
|200000
|11
|10
|6
|16
|12
|26
|100
|40
|-
|13
|250000
|12
|12
|7
|18
|13
|30
|125
|45
|-
|14
|300000
|13
|14
|8
|20
|14
|35
|150
|50
|-
|15
|400000
|14
|16
|9
|22
|15
|40
|175
|60
|-
|16
|500000
|15
|18
|10
|24
|16
|45
|200
|70
|-
|17
|600000
|16
|20
|11
|26
|17
|50
|250
|80
|-
|18
|750000
|17
|22
|12
|28
|18
|55
|300
|90
|-
|19
|1000000
|18
|24
|13
|30
|19
|60
|350
|100
|-
|20
|1250000
|19
|26
|14
|32
|20
|65
|400
|110
|-
|21
|1500000
|20
|29
|15
|35
|21
|70
|450
|120
|-
|22
|1750000
|21
|32
|16
|40
|22
|75
|500
|130
|-
|23
|2000000
|22
|35
|17
|45
|23
|80
|550
|140
|-
|24
|2500000
|23
|38
|18
|50
|24
|85
|600
| 150
|-
|25
|3000000
|24
|41
|19
|55
|25
|90
|700
|160
|-
|26
|4000000
|26
|44
|20
|60
|26
|95
|800
|180
|-
|27
|6000000
|28
|47
|21
|65
|27
|100
|900
|200
|-
|28
|8000000
|30
|50
|22
|70
|28
|110
|1000
|225
|-
|29
|12000000
|32
|53
|23
|80
|29
|120
|1100
|250
|-
|30
|20000000
|34
|58
|25
|100
|30
|150
|1500
|250
|}
City tier also affects troop cap (coming soon).

City tier also affects siege defense (higher is better).

== Claims ==
The number of claims a new [[Region]] costs depends on the distance from the city center.

== Experts ==
Most [[Improvements]] have 1-3 expert slots in which you can place an expert to get various bonuses.

== Amenities ==
[[Amenities]] typically provide stat bonuses to your city's [[Quality of Life]]. Some of them provide maluses or unique bonuses. Once an amenity is placed, 1 of that amenity is drawn from the supply every X turns.

Skipping Techs

2025-01-12T00:09:39Z

Redrum68:

Based on v1.2.

To advance to the next age, there are a required number of techs that you must research (3-5).

Here are a few guidelines and tips:

* Try to research only the minimum number of techs required unless you absolutely need any of the additional technologies
* Pay attention to whether things can be unlocked by multiple techs or only a single tech so you know whether you can pick it up later if you skip it
* Some techs deprecate improvements so ensure you build or queue them up if needed before researching that tech
* Generally the most important things are increased city cap and improvements/amenities that significantly increase happiness, health, knowledge, and production

Specific per age guidance:

# '''Ancient''' - Research all except Fermenting and either Pottery or Archery depending on if you need early military. You want to get to Bronze age for the +1 city cap ASAP so try avoid researching extra techs.
# '''Bronze''' - Research Code of Laws, Masonry, Chariots, Sacred Rites, and Leatherworking. Consider researching The Wheel and Weaving. Usually skip Sails and Trading.
# '''Iron''' - Research all except Monument Building, Navigation, and Cultural Heritage.
# '''Antiquities''' - This one is very difficult and I'm not sure the best approach yet as most of these techs are important. This is one of the only ages that I tend to research extra techs. Usually you can skip at least Elite Training, Arches, and Candles. Philosophy is very good if you need Republic but its very expensive so skip if you don't need it. The final tech Bureaucracy deprecates a ton of important improvements so make sure you research necessary upgrades and build/queue anything you need before finishing researching it.
# '''Early Middle Ages''' - Research Feudalism first as this is the best government in the game with the +4 gold per improvement policy. The other 2 critical techs are Brewing and Alchemy.
# '''High Medieval Era''' - Research Architecture, Haberdashery, and Universities.
# '''Renaissance''' - Research Printing Press, Steel, Coffee Houses, and Ship Building.

List of Predators and Caches

2025-01-11T18:05:34Z

Redrum68: Added list of cache and predator results.

{{UnderConstruction}}
[[file:RegionExampleCrop.png|frame|A [[List_of_Resources|Rice]] node being blocked by a dangerous chicken.]]
There are a number of predators and caches in the game right from the start that do not move around but do block a [[Zone]] within the [[Region]] they are in. Note that combat stats are irrelevant, hunting is a separate
type of combat that (as of 1.0.4) is not affected by the [[Force Strength]] of your unit. Caches can only be opened by scouts but predators can be hunted by scouts and some military units like spears and archers.

[[file:Alligator.png|frameless|60x60px]]
[[file:BlackBear.png|frameless|60x60px]]
[[file:BrownBear.png|frameless|60x60px]]
[[file:Chicken.png|frameless|60x60px]]
[[file:Cougar.png|frameless|60x60px]]
[[file:Crocodile.png|frameless|60x60px]]
[[file:Hyena.png|frameless|60x60px]]
[[file:Leopard.png|frameless|60x60px]]
[[file:Lion.png|frameless|60x60px]]
[[file:PolarBear.png|frameless|60x60px]]
[[file:Rhino.png|frameless|60x60px]]
[[file:SnowLeopard.png|frameless|60x60px]]
[[file:Tiger.png|frameless|60x60px]]
[[file:Wolf.png|frameless|60x60px]]

'''Animal Hunting'''
* '''Alligator''': 2 Leather, 5 Food, 1 Feast
* '''Black Bear''': 2 Furs, 5 Food, 1 Feast
* '''Cougar''': 1 Fur, 1 Feast, 10 Food
* '''Hyena''': 1 Fur, 1 Leather, 3 Food
* '''Leopard''': 1 Fur, 1 Feast
* '''Polar Bear''': 1 Fur, 15 Food, 1 Feast
* '''Rhino''': 4 Leather, 10 Food, 1 Feast
* '''Snow Leopard''': 1 Fur, 2 Leather, 1 Feast
* '''Tiger''': 1 Fur, 2 Leather, 1 Feast
* '''Wolf''': 1 Fur and 5 Food

'''Equipment Cache'''

* 1 Wheel
* 1 Feast, 1 Plow, 1 Wheel, 1 Tunics, 1 Perfume, 1 Silk
* 1 Plow
* 1 Lithic Tools
* 1 Metal Ingot

'''Resource Cache'''

* 50 Wealth
* 2 Spice, 2 Precious Metals, 2 Salt
* 20 Timber, 2 Furs, 1 Leather
* 20 Materials, 2 Metal Ingots, 1 Sculpting Material
* 15 Timber
* 10 Timber, 1 Fur
* 15 Materials
* 15 Food
* 10 Food, 1 Syrup
* 2 Syrup, 2 Precious Metals, 2 Leather
* 100 Wealth, 2 Precious Stones, 1 Precious Metal
* 15 Wealth, 1 Precious Stone
* 10 Materials, 1 Metal Ingot

'''Ruins Cache'''

* 1 Feast
* 2 Ceramic Pots, 2 Wine, 20 Wealth

Game Settings

2025-01-07T16:48:03Z

Redrum68: /* Difficulty */ Added difficulty bonuses. Need to see if we can map exactly what these do.

{{Editme|text=If you happen to know what the difficulty settings do and what the map presets feel like then feel free to add to this page. Ty!}}

[[File:AraHU-NewGame.png|thumb|Example of setting up a game as of [[Patch_Notes_1.0.3|Patch 1.0.3]]|class=notpageimage]]
When starting a fresh game there are several settings you can adjust. This page hopes to go over what each of them do and how they affect your game.

== Difficulty ==
* Esquire (Easiest)
* Baron
* Viscount ''(Default)''
* Earl
* Marquess
* Prince (Normal)
* Duke
* Grand Duke
* King
* Emperor (Hardest)
From a developer (Tandis) on the [https://steamcommunity.com/app/2021880/discussions/0/4852155152090980599/#c4852155152092141274 steam forums] on the 21st Sep 2024:
<blockquote>''The way AI works in Ara is a bit different from what is typically seen.''

''AI does get bonuses and penalties based on the difficulty level but also it plays differently based on these difficulty levels.''

''For example, at lower difficulty levels the AI tries to simulate what beginner players might do such as forget to place an Amenity or a Supply or not build up armies in quite the optimal way. Whereas at the higher levels, the AI is pretty good at min/maxing.''

''That said, we will be looking to do a lot of additional tuning of the AI once actual strategy masters get their hands on it and start doing terrible, terrible things to not just the AI but in multiplayer.

''Maybe we should have a shirt that says "Because of me, they had to put out a patch!" ;)''</blockquote>
{| class="wikitable"
|+Difficulty QOL Table
!Difficulty
!Player QoL
!AI QoL
|-
|Esquire
|50
|30
|-
|Baron
|50
|35
|-
|Viscount
|50
|40
|-
|Earl
|50
|40
|-
|Marquess
|50
|45
|-
|Prince
|50
|50
|-
|Duke
|50
|55
|-
|Grand Duke
|50
|70
|-
|King
|40
|75
|-
|Emperor
|30
|80
|}
Build Rate and Economy also differs for AI on higher difficulties. Here are a list of the AI bonuses from the game files:<blockquote>'''Prince''' = { "buf_AI_EconomyTrickle_A", "buf_AI_PrinceMoney", "buf_AI_Materials", "buf_AIDifficulty_20_HarvestRate", "buf_AI_Armory", "buf_AI_Tech_2", "buf_AI_Tech_Growth_20", },

'''Duke''' = { "buf_AIDifficulty_10_BuildRate", "buf_AI_EconomyTrickle_A", "buf_AI_DukeMoney", "buf_AI_Materials", "buf_AI_Wood", "buf_AIDifficulty_30_CraftRate", "buf_AIDifficulty_20_HarvestRate","buf_AI_Armory", "buf_AI_Tech_5", "buf_AI_Tech_Growth_20", },

'''Grand Duke''' = { "buf_AIDifficulty_20_BuildRate", "buf_AI_EconomyTrickle_B", "buf_AI_GrandDukeMoney", "buf_AI_Materials", "buf_AI_Wood", "buf_AIDifficulty_30_CraftRate", "buf_AIDifficulty_50_HarvestRate", "buf_AI_Armory", "buf_AI_Tech_10", "buf_AI_Tech_Growth_25"},

'''King''' = { "buf_AIDifficulty_40_BuildRate", "buf_AI_EconomyTrickle_B", "buf_AI_KingMoney", "buf_AI_Materials", "buf_AI_Wood", "buf_AIDifficulty_50_CraftRate", "buf_AIDifficulty_50_HarvestRate","buf_AI_Armory", "buf_AI_Tech_10", "buf_AI_Tech_Growth_50"},

'''Emperor''' = { "buf_AIDifficulty_60_BuildRate", "buf_AI_EconomyTrickle_C", "buf_AI_EmperorMoney", "buf_AI_Materials", "buf_AI_Wood", "buf_AIDifficulty_80_CraftRate", "buf_AIDifficulty_100_HarvestRate", "buf_AI_Armory", "buf_AI_Tech_Growth_100",}</blockquote>Players will start off with different bonuses and resource access depending on difficulty.

== Map Type ==
You can select a preset or configure the map generation yourself. 
 

{|class="wikitable" width="800px" cellpadding="10" style="margin-left: 10px; border:2px solid #4CAF50; border-radius:5px"
|colspan="3" style="text-align:center; background:#A5D6A7; border-radius:3px"|'''Preset Map Types''' 
|-
|style="background:#E0E0E0; border:0px; text-align:center;"|
|style="background:#E0E0E0; border:0px; text-align:center;"|'''In-game description'''
|style="background:#E0E0E0; border:0px; text-align:center;"|'''Detailed description'''
|-
|style="background:#F5F5F5; border:0px; text-align:center"|[[File:indus78.png|border|78x78px]]
|style="background:#F5F5F5; border:0px;"|'''Indus'''
''A balanced map with a realistic distribution of food, wood, and materials.''
|style="background:#F5F5F5; border:0px;"|
|-
|style="background:#E0E0E0; border:0px; text-align:center"|[[File:globulous78.png|border|78x78px]]
|style="background:#E0E0E0; border:0px;"|'''Globulous'''
''A balanced map with two large continents and scattered nearby islands.''
|style="background:#E0E0E0; border:0px;"|
|-
|style="background:#F5F5F5; border:0px; text-align:center"|[[File:northlands78.png|border|78x78px]]
|style="background:#F5F5F5; border:0px;"|'''Northlands'''
''A single continent full of trees, snow, and wild animals. Hunting will be more important than farming.''
|style="background:#F5F5F5; border:0px;"|
|-
|style="background:#E0E0E0; border:0px; text-align:center"|[[File:greatlakes78.png|border|78x78px]]
|style="background:#E0E0E0; border:0px;"|'''Great Lakes'''
''A single continent with multiple inland seas. Temperate climate and resource nodes.''
|style="background:#E0E0E0; border:0px;"|
|-
|style="background:#F5F5F5; border:0px; text-align:center"|[[File:thetorus78.png|border|78x78px]]
|style="background:#F5F5F5; border:0px;"|'''The Torus'''
''A single continent which wraps around the globe. Or, a single landmass with two large inland oceans.''
|style="background:#F5F5F5; border:0px;"|
|-
|style="background:#E0E0E0; border:0px; text-align:center"|[[File:tropical78.png|border|78x78px]]
|style="background:#E0E0E0; border:0px;"|'''Tropical'''
''A moderately sized continent surrounded by ocean and a few islands, with no colder regions. Food is more plentiful.''
|style="background:#E0E0E0; border:0px;"|
|-
|style="background:#F5F5F5; border:0px; text-align:center"|[[File:heatwave78.png|border|78x78px]]
|style="background:#F5F5F5; border:0px;"|'''Heatwave'''
''A continents map with much less rainfall. Food is reduced everywhere, and deserts are larger.''
|style="background:#F5F5F5; border:0px;"|
|}
''(Needs extended description beyond what the game tells us)''

=== Generate New Map ===
These options are available when choosing to configure the parameters of map generation yourself (Which is the default).
* '''Map style'''
** Supercontinent
** Global Archipelago
** World Spine
** Four Continents
** Fractal Coasts
** Great Inland Ocean
** Continental Isthmus
** Twin Continents ''(Default)''
* '''Map Size'''
** Tiny
** Small ''(Default)''
** Medium
** Large
* '''Wrapped Map''' ''(Enabled by default)'' - If it wraps around into a cylinder or not.
* '''Seed'''
* '''Axial Tilt''' - How tilted the planet is. Earth generates tundra in the north/south and desert in the middle. Uranus does the opposite.
** Earth - 23.5 degrees ''(Default)''
** Jupiter - 3.1 degrees
** Mercury - 0.0 degrees
** Uranus - 82.2 degrees
* '''Temperature'''
** Scorching
** Tropical
** Mild ''(Default)''
** Boreal
** Polar
* '''Humidity'''
** Arid
** Semi-arid
** Humid ''(Default)''
** Wet
** Monsoon
* '''Sea Level'''
** Dry
** Shallow
** Average ''(Default)''
** High
** Global Ocean

== Nation Settings ==
{{Notice|text=As of version 1.0.3 there is a bug where the difficulty will not be set correctly if nations are added after changing the difficulty!}}
How many nations will spawn. The amount you can select depends on the map size selected earlier. 
{|class="wikitable" cellpadding="10" style="margin-left: 10px; border:2px solid #bbb; border-radius:5px"
|style="background:#bbb; text-align:center" colspan="4"| '''Number of Nations possible'''
|-
|style="background:#E0E0E0; text-align:center"|
|style="background:#E0E0E0; text-align:center"|'''Min'''
|style="background:#E0E0E0; text-align:center"|'''Default'''
|style="background:#E0E0E0; text-align:center"|'''Max'''
|-
|style="background:#E0E0E0; text-align:right"|'''Tiny'''
|style="background:#F5F5F5; text-align:center"|2
|style="background:#F5F5F5; text-align:center"|4
|style="background:#F5F5F5; text-align:center"|8
|-
|style="background:#E0E0E0; text-align:right"|'''Small'''
|style="background:#F5F5F5; text-align:center"|2
|style="background:#F5F5F5; text-align:center"|8
|style="background:#F5F5F5; text-align:center"|10
|-
|style="background:#E0E0E0; text-align:right"|'''Medium'''
|style="background:#F5F5F5; text-align:center"|2
|style="background:#F5F5F5; text-align:center"|12
|style="background:#F5F5F5; text-align:center"|18
|-
|style="background:#E0E0E0; text-align:right"|'''Large'''
|style="background:#F5F5F5; text-align:center"|2
|style="background:#F5F5F5; text-align:center"|12
|style="background:#F5F5F5; text-align:center"|36
|}

== Advanced Settings ==
{{Notice|text=Changing the turn limit will NOT change the speed of the game. Only when the game will end!}}
* '''Turn Limit'''
** Brief (100)
** Short (300)
** Medium (800)
** Long (1500) ''(Default)''
* '''Randomized Tech Draws'''
* '''Human Player Culling'''
* '''Vegetation'''
** Low
** Medium ''(Default)''
** High
* '''Wildlife'''
** Low
** Medium ''(Default)''
** High
* '''Ore'''
** Low
** Medium ''(Default)''
** High

Game Settings

2025-01-07T16:40:24Z

Redrum68: /* Difficulty */ Made a few fixes

{{Editme|text=If you happen to know what the difficulty settings do and what the map presets feel like then feel free to add to this page. Ty!}}

[[File:AraHU-NewGame.png|thumb|Example of setting up a game as of [[Patch_Notes_1.0.3|Patch 1.0.3]]|class=notpageimage]]
When starting a fresh game there are several settings you can adjust. This page hopes to go over what each of them do and how they affect your game.

== Difficulty ==
* Esquire (Easiest)
* Baron
* Viscount ''(Default)''
* Earl
* Marquess
* Prince (Normal)
* Duke
* Grand Duke
* King
* Emperor (Hardest)
From a developer (Tandis) on the [https://steamcommunity.com/app/2021880/discussions/0/4852155152090980599/#c4852155152092141274 steam forums] on the 21st Sep 2024:
<blockquote>''The way AI works in Ara is a bit different from what is typically seen.''

''AI does get bonuses and penalties based on the difficulty level but also it plays differently based on these difficulty levels.''

''For example, at lower difficulty levels the AI tries to simulate what beginner players might do such as forget to place an Amenity or a Supply or not build up armies in quite the optimal way. Whereas at the higher levels, the AI is pretty good at min/maxing.''

''That said, we will be looking to do a lot of additional tuning of the AI once actual strategy masters get their hands on it and start doing terrible, terrible things to not just the AI but in multiplayer.

''Maybe we should have a shirt that says "Because of me, they had to put out a patch!" ;)''</blockquote>
{| class="wikitable"
|+Difficulty QOL Table
!Difficulty
!Player QoL
!AI QoL
|-
|Esquire
|50
|30
|-
|Baron
|50
|35
|-
|Viscount
|50
|40
|-
|Earl
|50
|40
|-
|Marquess
|50
|45
|-
|Prince
|50
|50
|-
|Duke
|50
|55
|-
|Grand Duke
|50
|70
|-
|King
|40
|75
|-
|Emperor
|30
|80
|}
Build Rate and Economy also differs for AI on difficulty.

Players will start off with different bonuses and resource access depending on difficulty.

== Map Type ==
You can select a preset or configure the map generation yourself. 
 

{|class="wikitable" width="800px" cellpadding="10" style="margin-left: 10px; border:2px solid #4CAF50; border-radius:5px"
|colspan="3" style="text-align:center; background:#A5D6A7; border-radius:3px"|'''Preset Map Types''' 
|-
|style="background:#E0E0E0; border:0px; text-align:center;"|
|style="background:#E0E0E0; border:0px; text-align:center;"|'''In-game description'''
|style="background:#E0E0E0; border:0px; text-align:center;"|'''Detailed description'''
|-
|style="background:#F5F5F5; border:0px; text-align:center"|[[File:indus78.png|border|78x78px]]
|style="background:#F5F5F5; border:0px;"|'''Indus'''
''A balanced map with a realistic distribution of food, wood, and materials.''
|style="background:#F5F5F5; border:0px;"|
|-
|style="background:#E0E0E0; border:0px; text-align:center"|[[File:globulous78.png|border|78x78px]]
|style="background:#E0E0E0; border:0px;"|'''Globulous'''
''A balanced map with two large continents and scattered nearby islands.''
|style="background:#E0E0E0; border:0px;"|
|-
|style="background:#F5F5F5; border:0px; text-align:center"|[[File:northlands78.png|border|78x78px]]
|style="background:#F5F5F5; border:0px;"|'''Northlands'''
''A single continent full of trees, snow, and wild animals. Hunting will be more important than farming.''
|style="background:#F5F5F5; border:0px;"|
|-
|style="background:#E0E0E0; border:0px; text-align:center"|[[File:greatlakes78.png|border|78x78px]]
|style="background:#E0E0E0; border:0px;"|'''Great Lakes'''
''A single continent with multiple inland seas. Temperate climate and resource nodes.''
|style="background:#E0E0E0; border:0px;"|
|-
|style="background:#F5F5F5; border:0px; text-align:center"|[[File:thetorus78.png|border|78x78px]]
|style="background:#F5F5F5; border:0px;"|'''The Torus'''
''A single continent which wraps around the globe. Or, a single landmass with two large inland oceans.''
|style="background:#F5F5F5; border:0px;"|
|-
|style="background:#E0E0E0; border:0px; text-align:center"|[[File:tropical78.png|border|78x78px]]
|style="background:#E0E0E0; border:0px;"|'''Tropical'''
''A moderately sized continent surrounded by ocean and a few islands, with no colder regions. Food is more plentiful.''
|style="background:#E0E0E0; border:0px;"|
|-
|style="background:#F5F5F5; border:0px; text-align:center"|[[File:heatwave78.png|border|78x78px]]
|style="background:#F5F5F5; border:0px;"|'''Heatwave'''
''A continents map with much less rainfall. Food is reduced everywhere, and deserts are larger.''
|style="background:#F5F5F5; border:0px;"|
|}
''(Needs extended description beyond what the game tells us)''

=== Generate New Map ===
These options are available when choosing to configure the parameters of map generation yourself (Which is the default).
* '''Map style'''
** Supercontinent
** Global Archipelago
** World Spine
** Four Continents
** Fractal Coasts
** Great Inland Ocean
** Continental Isthmus
** Twin Continents ''(Default)''
* '''Map Size'''
** Tiny
** Small ''(Default)''
** Medium
** Large
* '''Wrapped Map''' ''(Enabled by default)'' - If it wraps around into a cylinder or not.
* '''Seed'''
* '''Axial Tilt''' - How tilted the planet is. Earth generates tundra in the north/south and desert in the middle. Uranus does the opposite.
** Earth - 23.5 degrees ''(Default)''
** Jupiter - 3.1 degrees
** Mercury - 0.0 degrees
** Uranus - 82.2 degrees
* '''Temperature'''
** Scorching
** Tropical
** Mild ''(Default)''
** Boreal
** Polar
* '''Humidity'''
** Arid
** Semi-arid
** Humid ''(Default)''
** Wet
** Monsoon
* '''Sea Level'''
** Dry
** Shallow
** Average ''(Default)''
** High
** Global Ocean

== Nation Settings ==
{{Notice|text=As of version 1.0.3 there is a bug where the difficulty will not be set correctly if nations are added after changing the difficulty!}}
How many nations will spawn. The amount you can select depends on the map size selected earlier. 
{|class="wikitable" cellpadding="10" style="margin-left: 10px; border:2px solid #bbb; border-radius:5px"
|style="background:#bbb; text-align:center" colspan="4"| '''Number of Nations possible'''
|-
|style="background:#E0E0E0; text-align:center"|
|style="background:#E0E0E0; text-align:center"|'''Min'''
|style="background:#E0E0E0; text-align:center"|'''Default'''
|style="background:#E0E0E0; text-align:center"|'''Max'''
|-
|style="background:#E0E0E0; text-align:right"|'''Tiny'''
|style="background:#F5F5F5; text-align:center"|2
|style="background:#F5F5F5; text-align:center"|4
|style="background:#F5F5F5; text-align:center"|8
|-
|style="background:#E0E0E0; text-align:right"|'''Small'''
|style="background:#F5F5F5; text-align:center"|2
|style="background:#F5F5F5; text-align:center"|8
|style="background:#F5F5F5; text-align:center"|10
|-
|style="background:#E0E0E0; text-align:right"|'''Medium'''
|style="background:#F5F5F5; text-align:center"|2
|style="background:#F5F5F5; text-align:center"|12
|style="background:#F5F5F5; text-align:center"|18
|-
|style="background:#E0E0E0; text-align:right"|'''Large'''
|style="background:#F5F5F5; text-align:center"|2
|style="background:#F5F5F5; text-align:center"|12
|style="background:#F5F5F5; text-align:center"|36
|}

== Advanced Settings ==
{{Notice|text=Changing the turn limit will NOT change the speed of the game. Only when the game will end!}}
* '''Turn Limit'''
** Brief (100)
** Short (300)
** Medium (800)
** Long (1500) ''(Default)''
* '''Randomized Tech Draws'''
* '''Human Player Culling'''
* '''Vegetation'''
** Low
** Medium ''(Default)''
** High
* '''Wildlife'''
** Low
** Medium ''(Default)''
** High
* '''Ore'''
** Low
** Medium ''(Default)''
** High

Modding

2025-01-06T22:16:44Z

Redrum68: /* Guides */ - Added link to modding guide by Brad Wardell from his blog

[[File:SettingsFile.png|thumb|Example of the Settings_v121.txt file]]

= Ara Modding Setup Guide =
This document will show you how to get started with modding Ara: History Untold.

In this initial version of mod support, we provide a copy of our source game data files in the Ara installation directory. You can install these source files as a mod in your Documents folder and enable mod loading in the Ara settings. We will walk through each step below.

== QuickStart ==
# Find the game data source files in the Ara installation folder at `assets\SourceMods\.
# Copy the folder SourceMods (files and sub-folders) it into `Documents\My Games\Ara History Untold\Mods\`. Create the "Mods" folder first if it does not exist.
# Navigate to `%LOCALAPPDATA%\Ara History Untold` with File Explorer (open File Explorer with WinKey + E) and open the latest settings text file (e.g. `Settings_V122.txt`).
# Set the line `EnableMods=0` to `EnableMods=1`. If this line is missing, add it to the end of the file.
# Set the line `GameCoreMod0Source=` to `GameCoreMod0Source="YourModName"`. If this line is missing, add it to the end of the file.
# Start Ara – it will load your modified source files from your Documents folder into the game. Multiplayer and achievements will be disabled while mods are enabled.
== Step 1: Find the game data source mods files ==
If you own the game through Steam, you can get to your installation files quickly through the Steam Library tab. For Windows Store installations (e.g. from Game Pass), you can find the top-level Ara folder by starting at `%LOCALAPPDATA%\Microsoft\WindowsApps`.

=== Find Ara in your Steam library ===
Right-click the game in the library list, select Manage -> Browse Local Files.

You should have a File Explorer window (WinKey + E) open with the following folder:

Open the `assets\SourceMods` folder and copy the whole folder (files and sub-folders).

== Step 2: Paste SourceMods into Mods folder ==
Use File Explorer to open your Documents folder and navigate to `My Games` and then, in a separate window, the `Ara History Untold` folder.

In `Documents\My Games\Ara History Untold`, create a `Mods` folder (if it does not already exist).

Open the Mods folder and select the Paste the whole SourceMods folder into it.

You should end up with a folder SourceMods in the Mods folder, containing all of the game data files.

== Step 3: Enable modding in Ara settings ==
Open a File Explorer window and navigate to `%LOCALAPPDATA%\Ara History Untold`.

This folder contains a settings file, such as `Settings_v121.txt`. Open the one with the largest version number (the "v121" or similar at the end).

You can open this file using a text editor such as Notepad or Visual Studio Code.

In the file, you should find two lines: `EnableMods=0` and `GameCoreMod0Source=`. If you haven't run the game since the last update, you may need to do so for these to show up. Alternatively, you can also add them to the end of the file manually.

Change these lines to: EnableMods=1 and GameCoreMod0Source="YourModName"

Save and close the file.

== Step 4: Run Ara ==
If you launch Ara again, you should now start with mods enabled and the source files from "YourModName" loaded as your active game rules.

If there are errors loading the mod files, you will receive a data error popup, and the game will proceed loading only its built-in, un-modded data.

(Note: Pressing 'Ctrl-C' will copy all the text from the error popup)

`%LOCALAPPDATA%\Ara History Untold\logs\Ara.log` contains a diagnostic log of the mods loaded (if any) and errors found.

While you are running with mods enabled, achievements and multiplayer will be disabled.

== Step 5: Update your folder SourceMods ==
The original SourceMods folder is changed whenever the game is updated (V1.04, V1.06 and then V1.1). To keep your Mods folder up to date you must

repeat the procedure to copy the SourceMods folder in the game folder to your Mods folder.

== Guides ==

* [[Modding for fun and profit]]
* [https://littletinyfrogs.com/article/533164/modding-ara-history-untold Modding Ara: History Untold] by Brad Wardell

Skipping Techs

2024-12-27T21:41:52Z

Redrum68: Added guidance for age 5-7.

Based on v1.2.

To advance to the next age, there are a required number of techs that you must research (3-5).

Here are a few guidelines and tips:

* Try to research only the minimum number of techs required unless you absolutely need any of the additional technologies
* Pay attention to whether things can be unlocked by multiple techs or only a single tech so you know whether you can pick it up later if you skip it
* Some techs deprecate improvements so ensure you build or queue them up if needed before researching that tech
* Generally the most important things are increased city cap and improvements/amenities that significantly increase happiness, health, knowledge, and production

Specific per age guidance:

# '''Ancient''' - Research all except Fermenting and either Pottery or Archery depending on if you need early military. You want to get to Bronze age for the +1 city cap ASAP so try avoid researching extra techs.
# '''Bronze''' - Research Code of Laws, Masonry, Chariots, Sacred Rites, and Leatherworking. Consider researching The Wheel and Weaving. Usually skip Sails and Trading.
# '''Iron''' - Research all except Monument Building, Navigation, and Cultural Heritage.
# '''Antiquities''' - This one is very difficult and I'm not sure the best approach yet as most of these techs are important. This is one of the only ages that I tend to research extra techs. Usually you can skip at least Elite Training and Candles. Philosophy is very good if you need Republic but its very expensive so skip if you don't need it. The final tech Bureaucracy deprecates a ton of important improvements so make sure you research necessary upgrades and build/queue anything you need before finishing researching it.
# '''Early Middle Ages''' - Research Feudalism first as this is the best government in the game with the +4 gold per improvement policy. The other 2 critical techs are Brewing and Alchemy.
# '''High Medieval Era''' - Research Architecture, Haberdashery, and Universities.
# '''Renaissance''' - Research Printing Press, Steel, Coffee Houses, and Ship Building.

Combat

2024-12-25T22:28:23Z

Redrum68:

{{UnderConstruction}}

{{OutOfDate}}

'''Combat Tips (based on v1.2)'''

* Generally, don't raze an enemy's original capital since it has a great hearth.
* Security only matters in the city that you are mustering troops from and troops use the city's current security value so you don't need to increase it until you expect your troops to fight.
* Generally, you want to try to muster all your units out of just 1 city and have security high there. If you only have enemies in 1 direction then a border city works. If you are surrounded then a central city might be better so you have flexibility to muster and then move out from there.
* You can't muster from a city that is being sieged so be careful if you are keeping most of your units in reserve.
* City walls make it so siege units are needed before a city can be moved into and sieged down. But they have a high maintenance cost so early game, it can be cheaper to station units in the city. 
{| class="wikitable"
|+List of Land Tactics
!Formation (#)
!Tactics (Shape) ^
!Composition
!Bonus
!Research
|-
| rowspan="2" |Squad (1)
|Default
|Any
| --
|
|-
|Sniper
|Modern Infantry Unit
| +10% Strength While Fortifying
|
|-
| rowspan="6" |Batallion (3)
|Default
|Any
| --
|
|-
|Line
|Melee Infantry-Projectile-Melee Infantry
| +10% Strength While Fortifying
|Bronze Working
|-
|Wedge
|Melee Infantry
Projectile-Projectile
| +10% Strength
|Archery
|-
|Vanguard
|Melee Infantry
Projectile
Melee Cavalry
| +10% Strength
|Scholarship
|-
|Protector
|Gunpowder Infantry x2
Artillery
| +10% Strength While Fortifying
|
|-
|Special Forces
|Modern Infantry
Modern Infantry
Armor
| +15% Strength
|
|-
| rowspan="8" |Legion (4)
|Default
|Any
| --
|
|-
|Square
|Melee Cavalry - Melee Cavalry
Projectile-Projectile
| +10% Strength
|Iron Working
|-
|Strike
|Modern Infantry x2
Armor x2
| +10% Strength
|
|-
|Phalanx
|Melee Infantry 4x
| +10% Strength
|Siege Warfare
|-
|Diamond
|Melee Infantry
Projectile-Projectile
Melee Cavalry
| +10% Strength
|Scholarship
|-
|Torrent
|Gunpowder Infantry x2
Gun Cavalry
Artillery
| +10% Strength
|
|-
|Crescent
|Any
| --
|
|-
|Shield Wall
|Melee Infantry x3
Projectile
| +10% Strength While Fortifying
|Siege Warfare
|-
| rowspan="6" |Brigade (5)
|Default
|Any
| --
|Gunpowder
|-
|Picket
|Gun Infantry x3
Gun Cavalry - Artillery
| +10% Strength
|Gunpowder
|-
|Tercio
|Any
| --
|
|-
|Fusion
|Modern Infantry x2
Armor x2
Artillery
| +10% Strength
|
|-
|Echelon
|Melee Infantry x2
Projectile x3
| +10% Strength
|Gunpowder
|-
|Flying Vee
|Melee Cavalry x5
| +10% Strength
|Gunpowder
|-
| rowspan="6" |Division (6)
|Default
|Any
| +11 Strength
|
|-
|Swarm
|Gun Infantry x2
Gun Cavalry x2
Artillery x2
| +10% Strength
|
|-
|Blitz
|Armor x6
| +10% Strength
|
|-
|Column
|Modern Infantry x2
Armor x2
Artillery x2
| +10% Strength
|
|-
|Trapezoid
|Any
| +15 Strength
|
|-
|Coalition
|Modern Infantry x3
Armor x2
Artillery
| +10% Strength
|
|}
{| class="wikitable"
|+List of Sea Tactics
!Formation (#)
|-
|Vessel (1)
|-
|Patrol (2)
|-
|Squadron (3)
|-
|Flotilla (4)
|-
| rowspan="2" |Armada (5)
|-

|}
{| class="wikitable"
|+List of Air Tactics
!Formation (#)
|-
|Sortie (1)
|-
|Escort (2)
|-
|Wing (3)
|}

=== List of Counters ===
Infantry counters Anti Cavalry

Anti Cavalry counters Cavalry

Cavalry counters Infantry, Ranged

Anti-Air counters Fighter, Bomber, Helicopter

Helicopter counters Cavalry

Submarine counters Ship, Battleship

Battleship counters Destroyer

Destroyer counters Submarine

Fighter counters Bomber, Helicopter

Combat

2024-12-25T22:28:04Z

Redrum68: Added some combat tips.

{{UnderConstruction}}

{{OutOfDate}}

'''Combat Tips'''

* Generally, don't raze an enemy's original capital since it has a great hearth.
* Security only matters in the city that you are mustering troops from and troops use the city's current security value so you don't need to increase it until you expect your troops to fight.
* Generally, you want to try to muster all your units out of just 1 city and have security high there. If you only have enemies in 1 direction then a border city works. If you are surrounded then a central city might be better so you have flexibility to muster and then move out from there.
* You can't muster from a city that is being sieged so be careful if you are keeping most of your units in reserve.
* City walls make it so siege units are needed before a city can be moved into and sieged down. But they have a high maintenance cost so early game, it can be cheaper to station units in the city. 
{| class="wikitable"
|+List of Land Tactics
!Formation (#)
!Tactics (Shape) ^
!Composition
!Bonus
!Research
|-
| rowspan="2" |Squad (1)
|Default
|Any
| --
|
|-
|Sniper
|Modern Infantry Unit
| +10% Strength While Fortifying
|
|-
| rowspan="6" |Batallion (3)
|Default
|Any
| --
|
|-
|Line
|Melee Infantry-Projectile-Melee Infantry
| +10% Strength While Fortifying
|Bronze Working
|-
|Wedge
|Melee Infantry
Projectile-Projectile
| +10% Strength
|Archery
|-
|Vanguard
|Melee Infantry
Projectile
Melee Cavalry
| +10% Strength
|Scholarship
|-
|Protector
|Gunpowder Infantry x2
Artillery
| +10% Strength While Fortifying
|
|-
|Special Forces
|Modern Infantry
Modern Infantry
Armor
| +15% Strength
|
|-
| rowspan="8" |Legion (4)
|Default
|Any
| --
|
|-
|Square
|Melee Cavalry - Melee Cavalry
Projectile-Projectile
| +10% Strength
|Iron Working
|-
|Strike
|Modern Infantry x2
Armor x2
| +10% Strength
|
|-
|Phalanx
|Melee Infantry 4x
| +10% Strength
|Siege Warfare
|-
|Diamond
|Melee Infantry
Projectile-Projectile
Melee Cavalry
| +10% Strength
|Scholarship
|-
|Torrent
|Gunpowder Infantry x2
Gun Cavalry
Artillery
| +10% Strength
|
|-
|Crescent
|Any
| --
|
|-
|Shield Wall
|Melee Infantry x3
Projectile
| +10% Strength While Fortifying
|Siege Warfare
|-
| rowspan="6" |Brigade (5)
|Default
|Any
| --
|Gunpowder
|-
|Picket
|Gun Infantry x3
Gun Cavalry - Artillery
| +10% Strength
|Gunpowder
|-
|Tercio
|Any
| --
|
|-
|Fusion
|Modern Infantry x2
Armor x2
Artillery
| +10% Strength
|
|-
|Echelon
|Melee Infantry x2
Projectile x3
| +10% Strength
|Gunpowder
|-
|Flying Vee
|Melee Cavalry x5
| +10% Strength
|Gunpowder
|-
| rowspan="6" |Division (6)
|Default
|Any
| +11 Strength
|
|-
|Swarm
|Gun Infantry x2
Gun Cavalry x2
Artillery x2
| +10% Strength
|
|-
|Blitz
|Armor x6
| +10% Strength
|
|-
|Column
|Modern Infantry x2
Armor x2
Artillery x2
| +10% Strength
|
|-
|Trapezoid
|Any
| +15 Strength
|
|-
|Coalition
|Modern Infantry x3
Armor x2
Artillery
| +10% Strength
|
|}
{| class="wikitable"
|+List of Sea Tactics
!Formation (#)
|-
|Vessel (1)
|-
|Patrol (2)
|-
|Squadron (3)
|-
|Flotilla (4)
|-
| rowspan="2" |Armada (5)
|-

|}
{| class="wikitable"
|+List of Air Tactics
!Formation (#)
|-
|Sortie (1)
|-
|Escort (2)
|-
|Wing (3)
|}

=== List of Counters ===
Infantry counters Anti Cavalry

Anti Cavalry counters Cavalry

Cavalry counters Infantry, Ranged

Anti-Air counters Fighter, Bomber, Helicopter

Helicopter counters Cavalry

Submarine counters Ship, Battleship

Battleship counters Destroyer

Destroyer counters Submarine

Fighter counters Bomber, Helicopter

Skipping Techs

2024-12-25T21:53:25Z

Redrum68: Added initial tips and specific guidance for the first 4 ages.

Based on v1.2.

To advance to the next age, there are a required number of techs that you must research (3-5).

Here are a few guidelines and tips:

* Try to research only the minimum number of techs required unless you absolutely need any of the additional technologies
* Pay attention to whether things can be unlocked by multiple techs or only a single tech so you know whether you can pick it up later if you skip it
* Some techs deprecate improvements so ensure you build or queue them up if needed before researching that tech
* Generally the most important things are increased city cap and improvements/amenities that significantly increase happiness, health, knowledge, and production

Specific per age guidance:

# '''Ancient''' - Research all except Fermenting and either Pottery or Archery depending on if you need early military. You want to get to Bronze age for the +1 city cap ASAP so try avoid researching extra techs.
# '''Bronze''' - Research Code of Laws, Masonry, Chariots, Sacred Rites, and Leatherworking. Consider researching The Wheel and Weaving. Usually skip Sails and Trading.
# '''Iron''' - Research all except Monument Building, Navigation, and Cultural Heritage.
# '''Antiquities''' - This one is very difficult and I'm not sure the best approach yet as most of these techs are important. This is one of the only ages that I tend to research extra techs. Usually you can skip at least Elite Training and Candles. Philosophy is very good if you need Republic but its very expensive so skip if you don't need it. The final tech Bureaucracy deprecates a ton of important improvements so make sure you research necessary upgrades and build/queue anything you need before finishing researching it.