WyldRage's Tactics: Settlements & Outposts

This is the second part of my tactics. It is about the cities and outposts, as well as the economy. The outpost section was possible due to the insight provided by Freezone.

Two concepts are important for constructing settlements: Emplacement and Use.
Emplacement: Where to place the settlement.
Use: The different uses of the settlements.

Emplacement: Because losing a city can be a great blow on the economy, they should be placed where they are difficult to reach and to spot. A great desert, forest or jungle is a good place, since they slow down units. Also put them in hard to reach places so that the enemy has difficulties finding them. It would also mean that his choices will be limited as to how he will reach it.
Use: There are two main uses for cities, although most cities often enter both categories: Recruitment Centers and Resource Supplier.
-Recruitment: This is a upgraded city or citadel. The buildings in it allow you to recruit most or all of your possible units. A single one will often do, but you might wish to have Ceyah and non-Mareten settlements in this function, since their units are different. Losing such a city is a great blow, so make sure it is defended.
-Resource: Most of your settlements will be used like this. They are the ones who provide you with the resources. They don't need to be upgraded much, usually only to town level. You won't recruit much from this town. The buildings will be quarries, woodmill, blacksmiths and some markets. They will be easier to capture than recruitment centers, but are also less important, since you will have more.

Emplacement: The position of an outposts is very dependent of its use. They will be discussed for each uses.
Use: There are many ways to use outposts, depending on the situation: Defense, Information, Support or Resources.
-Defense: Outposts are relatively easy to destroy, so you must not put them alone to protect a pass, they won't manage to do it. A good defensive outpost would be one that is close to a very important city, or other outposts, to help the militia and slow down the attacker.
-Information: Outposts have a good view range. By putting them on plains between your opponent's kingdom and yours, you can learn when an attack is coming. Also, if they are near your enemy, they can be used for support too.
-Support: Those outposts are used to support your army when attacking the enemy. This one is best placed in a hidden location, since your enemy will try to destroy it. They will create a supply zone where your companies will be able to regroup and regain strength without going all the way back to your cities.
-Resources: This one is easy. When you find a mine, put an outpost near it to mine it. Be sure to protect it with troops if it is close to the enemy.
-Warning: Since they cost less and don't switch sides when attacked, outposts are less dangerous to use than towns. With their low maintenance, money does not seem to be a problem. In the beginning or middle game however, their cost of 50 gold isn't cheap. With that money you could recruit more companies, settle towns or upgrade cities. They are very useful, but they can't win the war.

At the beginning, money will be the greatest problem, since +5 isn't that much. When you build or conquer new settlements, be sure to construct banks, to bring in a greater cash flow. When you reach +60 or +80, the time has come to start thinking about full war. With gold, you can afford to lose some units. Also make sure that most resources stay above 0 at this time. Don't forget to recruit some companies too, you will need them for defense.
When your forces have fought some battles, it is time to think about those resources. You will need them to build your unstoppable army and maintain it. You can probably accept some negatives in the resources, but always keep an eye on the gold: should it fall below +30, things are not going well; make sure it does not happen, or stay there long (that usually means an attack at this point, losing some units will reduce maintenance) .
At the end, economy will most likely not be a problem. +200 gold or higher are likely, if you are winning. At this point you do not need my help. Just find the enemy and destroy him. If you are losing though, there is a good chance you can't do anything about it at this point. Try recruiting all you can, no matter how much gold is dropping. If you can win some towns back, make sure to balance your budget.