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Here you can find information on getting the game, and help on the basic things all War of Conquest players should know!
The first question, of course, is do you have the game?. If not, you can download it from this page. The Windows version is a 19MB, self-contained installation; if you are coming back to the game it may be more sensible to download the Mac version, which is only 6MB, but you need the Java runtime to use it. If you have played recently and are using Windows then you can download the Update install instead, which only contains file which have changed during the last update.
The first thing you ought to look at is the official tutorial and FAQ, which will (hopefully!) help you get to grips with the basics. When you actually get into the game, though, and start attacking, you will probably find you lose almost every time. This is because a level 1 is very weak, and the other nations will probably be in double defense, too. The thing to do is use the chat – most players are very helpful to the new boys – and get yourself an ally. Then you can level up much faster.
Sooner or later you will come across resources and orbs. As far as I know, there is nowhere which tells you what each one looks like. So, if you don’t know what some item on the map is, info it! (Pick the Info tool and click on it, and a web page will appear showing you what it is and what it does.) Resources will produce a page showing what the stats bonuses are for holding it, and the tech and level required to use it. Orbs will bring up a page showing all-time and this month’s winners.
Orbs pay you money while you hold onto them. (Not much, I’m afraid; an Orb of Noontide will produce 2 to 3 cents per hour, roughly.) In many senses these are the aim of the game. However, they are (unsurprisingly) hard to get hold of; in the open world, most are held by nations above level 150, and those in the level-capped areas (“noobland”) are held by experienced players and higher level allies. If you attack these, be prepared to have various nasty threats made about your nation (which you can, of course, ignore).
Resources boost your stats. In the level 1-30 area, many resources are ignored, as no nation in that region can use them. When you are in the free world resources are the making of a nation, and some resources (Ancient Starship Wreckage, Rich Helium Source, Oil Fields and Uranium Source particularly) are prized by the top nations – info them and you will see why! As a lower level nation, though, you may well be able to strengthen yourself by holding second-tier resources like Coal, Sulphur, Iron and Silicon mines, and Henges.
Most resources require a tech which is not on the direct route to a major goal. If you plan to use them, you should try and research all these techs by about level 70, because after that point the levels take a lot of points (and time). If you have some resources much earlier which you want to use, of course you can research them as soon as they are available.
On the Stats tab of your client (bottom right, by the tips), you will see four statistics. These are well explained in the WoC docs, and I suggest you read those for detailed information on them. Basically, to keep you geo (standard WoC shorthand for Geographic Efficency) at 100% you want to have a square-ish main with no holes in it. Holes are typically mountains, but could also be due to a stronger nation holding resources, or lakes, rivers etc.
Fortification points can be bought with Arboreal Platforms (20 per purchase) or Fortress (40 per purchase). Your nation also regenerates forts each day up to a maximum value determined by your techs (the Permanent Fortification stat); this is 4 for a new nation.
Fortress tends to be as cheap, or cheaper, than Arboreal Platforms, despite giving twice the bonus, so it is well worth researching Walls as soon as possible, particularly as it boosts your daily fort quota.
However, don't go overboard on forts. If a nation is stronger than you, a few forts are only going to slow them down, not stop them, and they do cost money. Those 250 starting credits are better spent on permanent purchasable technologies (or perms, in the chat). And, when you get out into the open world, remember that your forts can be stolen by the attacking nation (using teleport weapons, typically GSI – Geographic Spatial Inversion – or Geo Tele – Geographic Teleportation).
One of the great strengths of WoC is its community. You can see this in the chat – and this is indeed where a lot of its action occurs. Deals are struck, the weather is discussed, friends and enemies are made here, all without a click of the mouse or a point being gained. At first you will find it all rather daunting, but soon you will begin to recognise people – the ever-presents of WoC and their nations. When you have been playing a while you will find the chat is where much of the game is played!
The other important focus of the community is the official bulletin board. Go there and register an account! This is where the future of the game is decided, the past reminisced about, and the present argued over. Almost every aspect of the game has come from a post in the Suggestions or Report Bugs forum here. You can also sign up to the unofficial fan sites (on the front page here, or from the WoC Resources page).