Construction
The majority of buildings are clustered around the daimyo's castle - the whole settlement being known as a "castle town" (or "settlement" in Fall of the Samurai). When you select a castle or a building elsewhere in a province (such as a port or farm), the construction tab will appear. Left-click on a building to add it to the construction queue, and again to remove it. The cost of construction is displayed in the bottom left and the time required is shown in the bottom right of the picture. Buildings facilitate unit production, can increase income and improve governmental control within a province. The number of slots available for building inside a castle town or settlement depends on the level of the castle - so the larger the castle, the greater the number of possible surrounding buildings. Any chain of buildings can be constructed in any of these slots, although some buildings require the presence of certain resources or the mastery of certain arts before they can be constructed. Right-click on a building's picture to view its description and statistics.
Click here to view a video tutorial about this subject.
Building Repair
Buildings damaged during sieges or through sabotage can be repaired by use of the dedicated button that appears in the bottom left-hand corner of the screen when a castle town, settlement (in Fall of the Samurai) or outside settlement is selected. If simply left, damaged buildings will be automatically repaired very slowly over time at no cost.
Demolishing Buildings
Buildings can be demolished if you want to construct something else in their place (or leave nothing of value to an invader if you are about to lose a province to them) by use of the demolish button that appears in the bottom left-hand corner of the screen when a castle town or settlement (in Fall of the Samurai) is selected. Castles, ports, roads and province speciality buildings cannot be demolished at their base levels.
Province Speciality Buildings
Some provinces contain natural resources or cultural specialities that enable the construction of special buildings, the type of which depends on the speciality of the province. Like ports or farms, province specialities are positioned out in the province, away from the castle town or settlement (in Fall of the Samurai). Each type of speciality has three levels of building available to construct. Province specialities are constructed in exactly the same way as any other building, and confer special bonuses or provide key resources. See the buildings index to see details of all types of province speciality.
Legendary Buildings
When your clan reaches the top of a building chain it may then be possible to construct a legendary building. You can only construct a particular legendary building once. If you are the first to construct one your clan will be awarded a permanent clan trait and its associated effects, as well as the opportunity to recruit heroes. Guard your legendary buildings well, they will quickly become a target for your enemies. Legendary buildings produce heroes. Heroes fight in exactly the same way as other units, but are led by an exceptional exponent of his chosen weapon. There is a hero-type for each of the different weapon disciplines; which one can be recruited depends on the type of legendary building you have constructed. Each hero is joined on the field by an entourage of loyal pupils, much like a general and his bodyguard. He can also inspire units close to him by his presence, in the same way as a general.
Castle Towns & Settlements
The castle is the hub of activity in a province. It is the place where the majority of a province's buildings and population are concentrated - forming a "castle town" in Shogun 2 and Rise of the Samurai, and a "settlement" in Fall of the Samurai. As such, castles consume the lion's share of food produced, so if farms are not maintained and upgraded there will always be food shortages, which in turn will eventually lead to unrest.
Infrastructure
The roads, post (rest) stations and watchtowers increase unit replenishment, increase the distance you can see into neighbouring provinces, improve army and agent movement capacity, and increase trade income. They can be upgraded in the same way as buildings via the construction tab that appears in the bottom left-hand corner of the campaign map when a castle town or settlement (in Fall of the Samurai) is selected.
Farms
Farms are positioned in the fields in rural areas away from castle towns or settlements (in Fall of the Samurai). They provide an income and are an essential source of food, so not upgrading them will eventually lead to food shortages.
Ports
Ports enable the construction of ships for both war and trade, and as such are positioned on the coast. They also provide income and enable Christian clans to engage in trade with their European partners.
Upgradable Tower Defences
In Fall of the Samurai it is possible to increase the defensive capabilities of a castle by upgrading its tower defences. In battle, towers fire automatically and do not require the presence of a garrison, but can also be selected and controlled as if they were a unit. They can also be captured and turned against their owners or destroyed to render them useless to either side. Each tower upgrade improves the ordnance used; each castle upgrade improves the tower structure itself.
Click here to view a video tutorial about this subject.