Building handbook
Nations in Economics and War are collections of cities, and cities produce nothing on their own. Improvements are the buildings that generate money, extract resources, manufacture goods, house citizens and raise your military caps. This page explains the rules and lists every building in the game with its exact cost and output.
Step 01
Infrastructure is the backbone of a city. Every 50 infrastructure unlocks one improvement slot, and infrastructure alone already pays base income each hour. Buy it in small batches — the price per unit rises as a city grows.
Step 02
Each improvement sits on a specific kind of land: agricultural, urban, industrial, resource or military. Zone land in the category you plan to build on — a farm cannot be placed on industrial land, and unzoned improvements simply cannot be started.
Step 03
Slots are capped twice over. Infrastructure earns you one slot per 50 built, and your city count sets a ceiling of 12 slots with one city, rising by 4 slots for every extra city you charter. Whichever number is smaller is your real limit, so grow infrastructure and city count together.
Step 04
Commerce buildings raise money and population. Resource sites pull steel, oil, food and uranium out of the ground. Manufacturing refines raw goods into higher value output. Civil services grow population and clean pollution, and military buildings raise the caps on the forces you may field.
Step 05
Every improvement charges money upkeep every hour. What matters is net income — the number shown on the city header. If net income goes negative, demolish the weakest building (you get a third of its cost back) or raise commerce before you build more.
Step 06
Projects are one-off national purchases. They raise per-city building limits and multiply income, resource output or pollution reduction across every city you own. Buy them once your cities are already close to their limits.
Slot maths at a glance
| Cities owned | Slot ceiling per city | Infrastructure to reach it |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12 | 600 |
| 2 | 16 | 800 |
| 3 | 20 | 1,000 |
| 5 | 28 | 1,400 |
| 8 | 40 | 2,000 |
| 12 | 50 | 2,500 |
| 20 | 50 | 2,500 |
Commerce
| Building | Cost | Land | Upkeep /h | Max per city | Produces /h |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bank Turns deposits into hourly revenue for the treasury. | $250,000 · 20 steel | 8 km² urban | $750 | 5 | $3,200 · +1% population |
Supermarket Everyday commerce that keeps citizens spending locally. | $90,000 | 5 km² urban | $300 | 4 | $1,150 · +1% population |
Shopping Mall Large retail hub with strong revenue and civic pride. | $450,000 · 40 steel | 14 km² urban | $1,400 | 4 | $5,600 · +2% population |
Stadium Draws crowds, tourism and a happier population. | $1,000,000 · 90 steel | 25 km² urban | $3,000 | 3 | $9,500 · +3% population |
Subway Moves workers cheaply and clears the air. | $550,000 · 60 steel | 10 km² urban | $1,800 | 1 | $3,400 · +4% population · -8 pollution |
Resource Production
| Building | Cost | Land | Upkeep /h | Max per city | Produces /h |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Farm Grows food on agricultural land. | $45,000 | 20 km² agricultural | $120 | 20 | 14 food · +1 pollution |
Oil Well Pumps crude oil from resource land. | $130,000 · 10 steel | 12 km² resource | $400 | 10 | 6 oil · +4 pollution |
Iron Mine Extracts ore that feeds your steel mills. | $140,000 · 10 steel | 12 km² resource | $420 | 10 | 4 steel · +5 pollution |
Uranium Mine Strategic ore for reactors and warheads. | $380,000 · 30 steel | 18 km² resource | $1,200 | 5 | 0.5 uranium · +8 pollution |
Coal Mine Cheap bulk fuel that feeds mills and smelters. | $95,000 | 10 km² resource | $300 | 10 | +6 pollution |
Strip Mine Brutal open-cast coal extraction — filthy, but fast. | $260,000 · 20 steel | 22 km² resource | $900 | 4 | +20 pollution |
Bauxite Mine Raw ore for the aluminum smelters. | $150,000 · 10 steel | 12 km² resource | $450 | 10 | +5 pollution |
Lead Mine Heavy metal for casings, shot and shielding. | $145,000 · 10 steel | 12 km² resource | $430 | 10 | +6 pollution |
Offshore Rig Deep-water crude at scale, well away from your cities. | $620,000 · 60 steel | 20 km² resource | $2,000 | 4 | 18 oil · +6 pollution |
Deep Shaft Mine A costly shaft that pulls several ores at once. | $700,000 · 70 steel | 24 km² resource | $2,400 | 3 | 6 steel · 0.2 uranium · +12 pollution |
Manufacturing
| Building | Cost | Land | Upkeep /h | Max per city | Produces /h |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Steel Mill Refines ore into finished steel at scale. | $320,000 · 40 steel | 16 km² industrial | $1,100 | 5 | $900 · 12 steel · +12 pollution |
Crude Refinery Stabilises crude for storage and onward sale. | $300,000 · 35 steel · 20 oil | 16 km² industrial | $1,000 | 5 | $850 · 11 oil · +14 pollution |
Gasoline Refinery Cracks crude into the fuel your war machine burns. | $380,000 · 45 steel · 30 oil | 16 km² industrial | $1,300 | 5 | $700 · +14 pollution |
Aluminum Smelter Bakes bauxite into light alloy for aircraft frames. | $400,000 · 50 steel | 18 km² industrial | $1,400 | 5 | $600 · +15 pollution |
Ordnance Works Casts lead and powder into crates of ammunition. | $460,000 · 60 steel | 18 km² industrial | $1,600 | 5 | $500 · +11 pollution |
Coking Plant Bakes coal into coke, lifting steel and fuel output together. | $340,000 · 40 steel | 14 km² industrial | $1,200 | 4 | $500 · 6 steel · +16 pollution |
Munitions Factory Produces the shells and rounds combat consumes. | $420,000 · 60 steel | 18 km² industrial | $1,500 | 5 | $1,600 · 3 steel · +10 pollution |
Civil Services
| Building | Cost | Land | Upkeep /h | Max per city | Produces /h |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Police Station Keeps order so commerce keeps running. | $75,000 | 4 km² urban | $750 | 5 | $600 · +2% population |
Hospital Healthy citizens mean a bigger workforce. | $100,000 | 6 km² urban | $1,000 | 5 | +5% population |
Recycling Center Scrubs pollution out of an industrial city. | $125,000 · 15 steel | 8 km² industrial | $700 | 3 | -18 pollution |
Military
| Building | Cost | Land | Upkeep /h | Max per city | Produces /h |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Barracks Houses and trains infantry. | $60,000 | 6 km² military | $400 | 5 | +3,000 soldier cap |
Armour Factory Builds and services tank formations. | $260,000 · 30 steel | 12 km² military | $1,200 | 5 | +6 pollution · +250 tank cap |
Hangar Establishes aircraft capacity for the nation. | $500,000 · 50 steel · 20 oil | 20 km² military | $2,500 | 5 | +5 pollution · +15 aircraft cap |
Drydock Berths and maintains the fleet. | $900,000 · 120 steel · 40 oil | 30 km² military | $3,500 | 3 | +4 pollution · +5 ship cap |
| Project | Cost | Effect |
|---|---|---|
International Trade Center Raises commerce nationwide and allows two extra banks in every city. | $15,000,000 · 600 steel | Income ×1.05 · +2 bank per city |
Telecommunications Satellite Further raises commerce and allows two extra malls per city. | $30,000,000 · 900 steel · 40 uranium | Income ×1.08 · +2 shopping mall per city |
Iron Works Modern smelting lifts steel output across the nation. | $12,000,000 · 500 steel | Resources ×1.06 |
Emergency Gasoline Reserve Strategic fuel stockpiles boost refining throughput. | $12,000,000 · 400 oil | Resources ×1.06 |
Arms Stockpile Standing munitions reserves make your forces hit harder. | $18,000,000 · 800 steel | Military ×1.05 |
Green Technologies Cleaner industry cuts national pollution sharply. | $20,000,000 · 400 steel | Pollution ×0.7 |
Nuclear Research Facility Required before your nation can field strategic warheads. | $45,000,000 · 1200 steel · 250 uranium | Unlocks new capabilities |
Missile Launch Pad Unlocks conventional missile construction and launches. | $22,000,000 · 900 steel · 300 oil | Unlocks new capabilities |
Central Intelligence Agency Expands your spy roster and covert operations. | $10,000,000 | Unlocks new capabilities |
Ready to build? Open your cities →