I just started playing it for the first time. I was disappointed how little information that I can find on the web.
I have a lot of questions.
Does it matter what a sim eats? Or will any meal other than gruel give the same benefit.
It does matter. Seed Porridge - free, from gathering wildflowers, which any Hero can do - is a +5 buff, against Gruel's -5. The better the food, the better the buff, but anything is better than starvation. Hunter's Stew takes a lot of ingredients, but provides an excellent boost to Mood.
Does it matter how you cook (caldron, spit, oven)?
Sort of. All soup pot fireplaces cook the same recipes. Baking oven makes breads, pies and some baked meats. Roasting spit does roasts. The better the quality of the soup pot, the less time it takes to cook.
Does it matter what you feed the beast. I've been feeding pigeon; it seems the cheapest option.
No. Cheap meat is fine. It all has the same effect. Side note: if you feed the Pit Beast before you jump in the pit, it purrs and makes woohoo hearts, instead of growling, cursing and attacking you.
Does it matter how you decorate the rooms? Does more stuff help? More expensive stuff?
Yes. The nicer the furnishings, the better your Hero will like it, improving mood.
What triggers a decorated buff?
The "Environment" rating of an object, and the higher the better. Decorated moodlets can hit 3 levels: +10, +25, and +40. You get the benefit even while asleep, so it's worth making your bedroom nice.
My sim got a buff for new stuff. Does that mean that it is better to add stuff over time so you can keep getting the new stuff buff? Or will they be happier getting a lot of stuff to start? Or should I occasionally sell off and replace items with new stuff.
Upgrade when you can. But once you have a pretty good space and all needs met, the short term "New Stuff" boost is unnecessary. You'll make it up with food, drink, prayer, environment, meeting responsibilities, and being clean.
Does it matter which professional tools a sim uses? If you need to craft, will any craft table work? For example can the wizard use the spy's craft table? Are some crafting tables more effective? Same questions for the other professional tools?
No. A crafting bench is a crafting bench. The Spy can even use the Physician's or Wizard's, in their buildings. A Bard can use the Peteran Priest's or the Wizard's Archives. They are interchangeable except for looks. The exception is that the strategy table in your Throne Room is unique, and cannot be replaced. You cannot propose or pass edicts on the Knight's or Spy's tables.
Can I put things outside such as a cooking spit? Where? It would be great to up a spit in the forest clearing.
You need to have Testing Cheats enabled (which is done by editing a game file, not by console command, in TSM), but YES, you can Shift+Click on some outdoor areas (Forest entrance, Town Square, Beach, garden in front of the Clinic) and open buy mode there and decorate. I usually set up a whole camp in the Forest entrance. Note, however, that if you get a Quest that puts items in these areas, your decorations/furniture will be deleted and need to be re-placed.
Do you get bigger buffs from using some items over others? For example a bathtub vs a washbasin. What if you use both back to back?
Wash basins are a different "clean" buff than bath tubs, and both count. Also, a silver basis is better than bronze, and gold is better than silver. The three tubs are each worse-to-best also, by price. I like to place gold wash basins, but middle-class tubs (except for my Monarch, who gets the best). Generally speaking, the more expensive, the better.
What is the purpose of the mill, lighthouse, kingball court, and watcher's pavilion? How do I make use of them?
The Mill, Pavilion and Lighthouse are purely decorative and have no interactions. They do raise your kingdom's potential for Wellbeing, Culture, Security and Knowledge, however. The Kingball Court can be played on, once you equip a Kingball paddle. It's a sport Sims play for fun.
What about the hut in the judgement zone, I can't seem to interact with it but one time my spy went in and came back out before being put in the stocks.
That is a spawn point for the Constable. When a Sim is arrested, they will be led away to a "stage door" and disappear off-screen. Then they re-appear at the Constable Hut to be put in the stocks or thrown in the Pit.
My sims are always getting mugged. What can I do about it?
Take Quests that award Kingdom security (shields), and keep your kingdom Security high. Your Monarch, Knight and Spy will have the most options to pursue those quests, but some other Heroes can contribute, too. Until then, try to stay home after dark. Muggings are much more likely at night.
I bought armor for the spy but he can't wear it. Did I get the wrong kind or can he never wear any armor? Can anyone other than the knight and the monarch wear armor? What kind of armor and swords should I be trying to get for them?
Only your Monarch and Knight wear armor. You want it to have low weight and high protection. Note that once they are producing exceptional items your Blacksmith will be making armor and weapons better than what you can purchase. I like to get all my fighting heroes equipped with an Embossed Longsword as soon as my Smith can make them. When I can, they get Legendary quality Embossed Longswords. My Monarch stays with the plate mail he gets from picking the "Defense" focus on the initial kingdom Quest. I like my Knight in Ardvortan Scale until the high end Mithral or Adamantle armors are available.
After building all the buildings, what do I do with additional RP (resource points)?
Ally with neighboring territories so that you can get the Quests to annex them to your Kingdom. After that, you can spend them to buy XP for your Heroes in Kingdom view, by clicking their buildings.
Do you save money by going with pre-furnished buildings or can you similarly deck out the rooms yourself and have extra cash leftover?
I've only played one kingdom so far. When you go with pre-furnished buildings, do you always get the same stuff or is there any variety in how the buildings are furnished?
Furnished layouts are all the same. They save you money to start, and give you necessities plus some extras you can sell off. Once I have money (or cheat to get it), I vastly prefer to decorate the buildings myself, with better items, more luxury, and better layouts. You can't change floor plans, but can decide how the space provided is used. I have finished all Ambitions at Platinum, and by then, you have a sense for what you want, where.
Oh and a big one .... does anyone have a map of the kingdom?
There don't seem to be any good ones out there, and I have not made one yet. Just keep playing - the Hero buildings are always in the same spots and you'll learn your way around the crazy roads eventually. Have you Blacksmith, Wizard, Spy and Physician explore to find all the herbs and minerals - you want to gather your own, rather than buy, when you can - and it will teach you all the areas pretty well.
Can you point me to some online resources where I can look up answers these and other questions?
Right here:
http://www.carls-sims-medieval-guide.com/Thanks for any help.
Sorry to be slow to see this, but hope it helps!
