Guides
Town to City Beginner Guide: First Steps, Supply Chain, and Hamlet Milestone
Quick Answer
Town to City beginner priority: survey the map first, place your town nucleus (Station → Warehouse → Stalls → Houses) in a central open area rather than against the station, build a Research Center immediately, and maintain 60% happiness by placing decorations alongside food stalls. Hamlet milestone requires 50 citizens and 60% average happiness.
Town to City rewards players who understand two things early: the supply chain that connects your station to your citizens, and the 60% happiness threshold that controls population growth. The game is very forgiving — you can move any building for free at any time — so the starting decisions are about setting up a layout that does not need constant correction, not about getting everything perfect from scratch.
Last checked: May 15, 2026. Town to City 1.0 launches May 26, 2026. Core mechanics described here have been stable through Early Access. The new tourism system unlocks in mid-game and is covered in the Tourism Guide.
Quick Answer
Build your first warehouse near the station, but plan your town center in an open central area — not crammed against the station wall. Place stalls within warehouse range, connect them with roads, assign workers to every building, and add decorations immediately. The goal for the first hour is 50 citizens at 60% happiness to unlock Hamlet.
Before You Place Anything: Reading the Map
The first thing to do in a new Town to City session is pause the game and look at the full map. The starting maps have meaningful differences:
| Map | Terrain | Starting advantage |
|---|---|---|
| Belvue | Gentle hills | Easy to build, forgiving layout |
| Montedeux | Mountain-split valley | Challenging — plan around the geography |
| Ventelieu | Vast flatlands | Maximum room to expand — very beginner friendly |
| Fontebrac | Farm-ready fields | Best for farming supply chains in mid-game |
Identify: where is the flattest, most central open area? That is your town nucleus, not the corner where the station sits.
Step-by-Step: First 60 Minutes
Step 1: Plan Your Main Road
Draw a road from the train station to your chosen center point. This road will become your main artery. All future expansion branches from it. Use a straight or gently curving path — tight corners slow worker movement.
Step 2: Place Your First Warehouse
Build a Small Warehouse near the station side of your main road. This warehouse receives goods from the station.
| Building | Placement rule |
|---|---|
| Small Warehouse | Close to station — needs to receive train deliveries |
| Later warehouses | Distributed across town as you expand |
Step 3: Place Stalls in Warehouse Range
Place Poultry Stall and Cheese Stall within the warehouse’s distribution range. You will see a circle indicator when you hover a stall — keep it inside the warehouse coverage area.
Step 4: Build and Assign Houses
Build three to four houses near the stalls. Connect them with roads. Assign arriving families from the station to empty houses by clicking the family then clicking a house.
Step 5: Assign Labor to Every Building
This is a step many players forget. Click each warehouse, stall, and any other building and assign at least one worker. Buildings without workers do nothing.
| Building | Workers to assign early |
|---|---|
| Warehouse | 2–3 (more if deliveries are slow) |
| Each Stall | 1 minimum |
| Research Center | 2 (priority) |
Step 6: Place Decorations
Immediately after setting up food, place decorations near houses. Decorations fulfill a direct happiness need. Street lights, trees, benches, and flower patches all count.
A useful decoration tip: flower patches are context-aware. Placed near a window, they become window boxes. Near a wall, they become hanging garlands. Next to water, they become lily pads. Experimenting with placement unlocks more visual options than you might expect.
Step 7: Build a Research Center
Place a Research Center in your town and assign workers to it. Research Points (RP) are essential for unlocking new buildings. The sooner you start generating RP, the earlier you can access the mid-game content.
The 60% Happiness Rule
| Happiness level | Effect on town |
|---|---|
| 100% | Maximum citizen productivity — multiplied income and RP |
| 60–100% | New families arrive, growth continues |
| Below 60% | Growth stops |
| Below 50% | Citizens start leaving |
How to check happiness: Click any house to see its current happiness breakdown. Red items are unfulfilled needs — address those first. If your overall average is showing yellow or red in the top UI, open one of the struggling houses to diagnose the problem.
Reaching the Hamlet Milestone
Hamlet requires 50 citizens and 60% average happiness. This is typically achievable within the first 30–60 minutes if your supply chain is running.
| Problem | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Growth stalled below 50 citizens | Happiness below 60% | Check red needs in houses — usually food or decorations |
| Food need shows red | Warehouse not connected or no workers | Assign workers; check stall is within range |
| Decorations need red | Not enough trees/lights near houses | Add benches, street lights, trees around residential area |
| Happiness good but no new arrivals | Houses are all occupied | Build 2–3 new empty houses ahead of demand |
What Hamlet Unlocks
After reaching 50 citizens at 60% happiness, your settlement upgrades to Hamlet. This unlocks:
- Apparel need (new citizens require Clothing Store and Shoe Maker)
- Tier 2 Research — more buildings available
- Mayor’s Home — unlocks the Requests system, which gives unique rewards for building challenges
- Butcher — provides meat (food) + Luxury Value, the first real happiness multiplier
The Five Biggest Beginner Mistakes
| Mistake | What it causes | Correct approach |
|---|---|---|
| Building everything next to the station | Town gets trapped in a corner with no room to expand | Build your nucleus at a central map location |
| Forgetting to assign workers to buildings | Buildings do nothing without assigned labor | Check every building after placing it |
| Ignoring decorations until “later” | Decoration happiness need goes unmet, slowing growth | Place trees and lights immediately with early houses |
| Over-staffing one building | Nearby buildings go understaffed | Assign minimal needed workers, then balance |
| Building only one warehouse forever | Distribution breaks down as town expands | Add new warehouses in each district as you grow |
Citizens With Traits
Some arriving families have a Trait icon — a special preference that gives them +20% happiness when fulfilled. Common Traits include preferences for living near trees, near markets, or near specific decoration types.
Use the free move function (M key) to place Trait families near the conditions that match their Trait. A family that loves trees can go near a park area and stay happy even in a less service-dense location — freeing up your prime service-rich land for families without Trait bonuses.
Key Moves to Know
| Key | Action |
|---|---|
| M | Free move any building to a new location (no cost) |
| Road draw tool | Draw, erase, and repave roads freely |
| Click house | View happiness breakdown and fulfilled/unfulfilled needs |
| Click service building | View active connections (which houses it is serving) |
| Pause button | Pause time while planning |
After Hamlet: What Comes Next
| Next stage | Target | New system to learn |
|---|---|---|
| Village (120 citizens) | Build apparel shops (Clothing Store, Shoe Maker) | Luxury goods and higher-tier needs |
| Small Town | Artisan class arrives — build Artisan Residences | Class-based happiness management |
| Tourism (1.0) | Hotels, tour routes, landmarks | Tourism Guide |
How This Connects to Other Guides
| Question | Guide to open |
|---|---|
| How do I optimize warehouse placement and district layout? | Town to City Layout Guide |
| How does the tourism system work in the 1.0 update? | Town to City Tourism Guide |
| Where is the full game hub? | Town to City Hub |
Sources
FAQ
Where should I start building in Town to City?
Do not build directly next to the train station. Instead, survey the full map and identify a central, open, flat area. Run your main road from the station to that center and build your first warehouse, stalls, and houses there. This gives your town room to grow in all directions.
How do I get new families to arrive in Town to City?
Maintain average happiness above 60%. New families wait at the train station and move in when you assign them to a house. Pre-building two or three empty houses means new arrivals can move in immediately, keeping growth momentum going.
How does the supply chain work in Town to City?
Goods arrive at the Train Station. A nearby Warehouse collects and stores them. Workers from the Warehouse deliver goods to Stalls and Shops within range. Citizens visit those stalls to fulfill their food needs. Every step in the chain requires assigned labor.
What do I research first in Town to City?
Build a Research Center as soon as possible and assign at least two workers to it. Research Points unlock new buildings and upgrades. In the early game, prioritize Vault upgrades (to hold more money), upgraded Warehouses, and Tier 2 buildings unlocked at the Hamlet milestone.
What happens if my happiness drops below 60% in Town to City?
Below 60%, new families stop arriving and your population growth stalls. Below 50%, citizens begin to leave. If happiness drops and you cannot identify why, click on individual houses to see which needs are red (unfulfilled) and address those first.
