NOBUNAGA’S AMBITION Sphere of Influence Beginner’s Tips and Tricks Guide

Introduction

This is a small guide to provide some ideas, tips, and gameplay tricks.

Nothing major or groundbreaking, just some explanation of how certain mechanics work in the game that is never explained in detail.

No Starting Alliances

Did you want to try Sekigahara without the web of alliances and scripted events? Want to play the Mori in 1534 without being an Ouchi vassal?

If you start a scenario and select “Edit Locations” you can break all starting alliances, vassal status, and historical events.

To do this, you can lock all clans but one, then select “Switch”. Then play the scenario as normal (with or without created clans, doesn’t matter).

No clan will move, but the clan you selected will lose all fortress except its home fortress/castle in any contested province it shares with other clans.

So it is best to do this by selecting a 1 fortress clan for the “Switch” if you don’t want to change the map.

Hidden Roads, Mines, and Resources

When starting a new game there are certain roads, mines, and resources that are randomly hidden. Usually, the chance they will be hidden is somewhat high and will usually require a “Survey” to find them.

There are many dead ends on the map. If there isn’t something obvious there like a tribe, fortress, or mine then that means there is a hidden road or mine there.

Quite a few locations that seem pointless or empty actually contain a hidden mine. This is generally going to be in mountainous areas.

Intelligence is the only factor when sending officers out for “Survey”:

• 90+ INT: Search 2 locations away from the selected base
• 70+ INT: Search 1 location away from the selected base
• 50+ INT: Search the base only
• Below 50: Search base only, unlikely to be successful

Note:

Locations are the white dots where roads meet, each has a nameSo a 90+ INT officer may search every single location within 2 locations (connected by road) of the base you select. This can include a large area in some locations.

In general, in more remote areas with fewer bases to search then you really want to use very high INT officers to increase you chances of finding hidden roads and mines. Just searching a base with lower INT officers may uncover resources or mines at that base but not hidden roads or mines unattached to that base.

Note: The AI can use all roads, including hidden roads. This can tip you off where a hidden road is located when you see enemy units disappear and reappear on the map. Be careful here so you do not get flanked by surprise or have your retreat cut off by hidden units.

Roads effect on Population Growth

Build Roads around your bases first to get the benefits of faster population growth. Building roads is, in general, the first and easiest way to increase population gains. And Population dictates almost everything in this game.

• Roadwork Level 1 and 2 roads do not add population for attached bases.
• Level 3, 4, and 5 roads add population per level. The increase is not the same with each level increase but increases are cumulative.
  • Level 3 roads add the most, around 8-11 per month.
  • Levels 4 and 5 increase equal to or less than Level 3. So a Level 4 road may add 4-10, for example, so 12-20 when added to the Level 3 increase.
  • A Level 5 road may add around 15 – 22 population per turn.

The increase depends on factors that are not entirely clear, so I am not sure why some bases get higher and some get lower increases from the same road level. There may be higher and lower amounts that I missed in testing, but the above numbers seem to be in the general range.

Two bases attached to the same road and with the same Popularity may get different increases. In my test, I used several Castle and Fortress combinations with a road between them. Raising the road from Level 2 -> 3 increased population by +11 for the Fortress and +9 for the Castle in most cases even though they were connected by the exact same road that was increased.

So I am not entirely sure of the mechanics of how monthly population increases for roads are set.

Direct Population Growth

Aside from roads, there are other direct ways to increase population beyond just raising popularity.

Each of these is listed with how much population gain per month they give.

1) Agriculture will slightly raise population growth. Seems to be around +1 population for every 100 in Agriculture development.

2) Civil Defender trait gives a +10 population increase per month.

3) Policies that directly increase population:

• Remove Barriers +20 (PRGS/Progressive)
• Suggestion Box +10 (NTRL/Neutral)
• Fief Assurance +20 (CNSV/Conservative)

4) Castle/Fortress Upgrades that give direct population increases:

• Residence gives +20 population
• Large Gate gives +10 population
• Annex gives +10 population
• Dual Annex gives +20 population

The maximum combination from #4 (Residence, Large Gate, and Dual Annex) gives a +50 population.

Building Infrastructure

Here are the stat levels to build different types of Infrastructure in one month (30 days).

Roads:

• 60+ POL can build a road in 1 month.
• 111+ POL can build a road in 15 days (2 roads per month)

Improve districts:

• 70+ POL can “add” to a facility to a district in 1 month

Add new district:

• 81+ POL can “expand” to add a new district in 1 month