Starting as an Emperor
Shores of Hazeron can be played in one of two ways: as an emperor or an own empire or by joining an existing empire. This page describes what to do when you start the game as a new emperor.
Tribal Age
Your new avatar comes into existence in a small native village, located on its randomly chosen home world. It is usually in daylight and your homeworld is a habitable world that has never been explored or visited by any other avatar in the game. It does also offer you a wide abundance of resources and materials, such as food, animals, plants, etc., you need to survive. However, your naked and weak avatar and your home world could not be farther away from reaching to the stars or even being called an empire.
Wild animals will ignore you while you are inside the village. However, if you leave the village, to look around your surroundings, the wildlife may attack you. If you die, you will respawn in the village.
Targoss
Shortly after your arrival in the village, you are being greeted by Targoss, a tutorial NPC, who will begin to speak to you, giving you a basic introduction into the game, as well as your first quests to master. Targoss is always of your race, so don't be surprised, if his appearance is different, if you later decide to make a new avatar of a different race. Besides a basic walk-through, Targoss does also give you a torch - an invaluable tool as soon as sun sets and darkness takes its place.
Press F4 or click the backpack icon to examine your inventory. Besides the torch, given to you by Targoss, you start with a piece of paper containing a message from Haxus, the game's creator, and a basic knife.
Your Knife
Your knife has two functions: It can be used as a weapon to injure or kill animals, NPCs, or other avatars, and it can be used to skin animal carcasses, which are dropped, when an animal is killed. The function can be selected by using the scroll wheel. Be careful to select the second function when skinning carcasses, or you will destroy the animal carcass instead of skinning it!
By default, information about the tool you currently have selected is at the lower right of the screen. When the weapon function is selected, you will see this icon:
The number "20" means the nominal damage of this weapon is 20 hp, which is fairly low for a weapon.
The spike below the number indicates the type of damage. In this case, it is piercing damage.
When your knife's skinning function is selected, you will see the following icon:
Skinning an animal carcass is done by attacking the it while it is laying on the ground, this will produce a morsel of animal meat, a piece of leather, and a bone.
Your Torch
Your torch serves only one main purpose: to provide you with some dim light at night, allowing you to explore you surroundings, without having to walk around blind. The torch may however also be used as a weapon, smashing it on the enemy. Needless to say, that such use of the torch is not really effective. You should generally use the torch for lighting only and refer to other weapons, such as a bone or your knife, if you are really looking to kill someone.
The rise of your Empire
So far, your avatar is nothing more but a naked guy or girl, booted on a wild and unknown - though beautiful - world, residing in a camp of natives. Needless to say, that you are very far away from being a feared or renowned empire and even farther away from going to the stars and expand to other planets and systems. So far, the moon, you see lighting up the sky at night, is merely a distant object - going there nothing more but a dream. There is a lot of work ahead, so you better get started.
The first step: your flag
The very foundation to become an empire, is to have something to rule over - a city would be a good thing to start with. In order to create a city, you need a flag. The flag can be handcrafted using the resources found on your home world.
So your first goal should be to look for the materials needed, to craft the flag. This does however include multiple steps. To make your flag, you need:
- 1 Textile
- 1 Sewing Needle
In order to make textiles, you will either need:
- 1 Leather
or - 2 Plant Fiber
Leather is gained by killing animals (or even citizens). Once killed, they will drop an animal carcass, which can than be skinned with your knife, in order to obtain the leather. plant fiber can be foraged from certain plants.
To get a sewing needle, you will need to find either a bone or a log. Again, the bone can be obtained, by skinning an animal carcass or by handcrafting one from the animal carcass. The latter option will consume the carcass, without giving leather. A log can be obtained by foraging some types of trees and plants.
You can use the overhead view, by pressing backspace. Once in the top-down view, press \ and Shift + \, to cycle between the different views, until the organic resources are shown.
With all the materials in your inventory, you are now ready, to craft your flag. This is done from the Gear window, which can be opened by either clicking the little backpack icon in your menu, or by pressing F4. Then click on the top-left button, with the two hands on it, which will bring you to the Handcraft window. Now, do the following:
- Select the appropriate sewing needle recipe from the drop-down list
- Click the make button
- The component will be consumed in exchange for a sewing needle
This has solved the first problem. Now follow the same steps, to make textiles. Be sure, to use the right option, to make your textiles (either leather or Plant Fiber, or the button will be grayed out, as you lack the materials, to handcraft.
With this done, you have all you need to make your first flag and begin your reign. Select the flag from the drop-down list and follow the same steps as above, to get your work done. Again, it should just take some seconds, and the new flag will appear in your inventory.
To find out more information about handcrafting and making a flag, please refer to the Handcraft page.
Note: You have likely noticed that everything you need to make a flag can be made from a single animal carcass. A long time, it has been somewhat a tradition, to kill Targoss, in order to obtain that carcass. However, updates to the game have made Targoss defend himself, possibly killing the player. It is up to you, whether to take that risk, or look for another option.
Warning: Do not attack your villagers, in order to obtain materials. This will change their stance towards you to hostile, causing all of them to attack you on sight. Not only is it most unlikely for you, to kill all four to six natives present, but in case you die, you will also spawn again at their village, where they will attack you again!
Building your City
With the flag in your inventory, you are ready to start your first city, making you finally the ruler of something. But, before you begin and plant your flag right away, you should put some planning into it. The right location of your city is important, because later on, you will be unable to move it.
So, once again press Backspace to open the top-down view and use \ and Shift + \ to cycle through the different views. Ideally, you want to place your city at a position, where you are close to required resources such as ore, minerals and oil. Most of the resource icons shown on the map are easy to interpret. Don't worry, if you do not find all of your resources at once, or if some of the resources are farther away from you. Once your city is founded, it will quickly expand, so that even harvesting resources far out, is no longer a real problem.
Once you have found the right position, open your Construction (F11) window, by pressing either F11 or by clicking on the icon with the small yellow construction sign on it. Now, in the building menu, choose the top icon, which shows the big flag on it. This does allow placement of the town square, essentially founding your city.
Hint: Place all buildings, using the top-down view. This does make planning, placement and organization a lot easier, especially because you can also see the natural resources, helping you to position your buildings.
Now, that you have found a city, you will no longer be spawn tied to the village. If you die, you will respawn in the city's townsquare. The town square is a safe area in which wild animals cannot see you. Go there for refuge there, if needed.
This begins the Rise of Civilization. The ultimate goal of your civilization is to develop space travel and spread your race into the galaxy.
Next chapter: Building Your First City