Where to start
AllThingsHow and TheGamesEdge both tell new players to prefer a corner or a quiet coast over a packed border. The spawn UI itself marks some unclaimed plains as a safer start. That is two written guides plus the label in a public screenshot, so the corner advice is verified as a recommendation, not as a measured win rate.
What to build
Single-publisher detail from AllThingsHow: a city adds troop capacity, with one article stating +25,000. That number is one publisher. TheGamesEdge agrees on the priority, city then factory, without quoting 25,000. Build the city, then the factory. Add a port when you actually need a landing, not on turn one inland.
How much to attack with
The HUD offers 10, 25, 35, 50, and 75 percent. TheGamesEdge talks about 50 and 75 percent pushes once you have income. A smaller 25 percent poke shows up in community tips and is not in two independent writeups, so it stays a tip: try a quarter when you are scouting, and read the tooltip count before you send it.
Nisu's 11 October guide still described 30-player servers. That figure is historical. On 27 October the cap was 55. Do not plan a beginner match around the old cap.
Source review: 27 October 2026. This page summarizes the linked public record; source-specific limits and historical observations are identified below.