As you read through threads in the forum, you may notice some offering help and others arguing about the game, the way it is, being an obstacle in the player's path. This is incorrect understanding.
Not everyone is willing to play computer games.
Likewise, this game is not for everyone.
Whether you succeed in this game depends on the goal(s) set. Then it depends on the path(s) taken to reach it(them). Then it depends on how much effort you are willing to invest into the process.
Success is not a one great thing - it is a great number of small things that add up.
This task cannot be outsourced to your family members or your friends.
If you want to succeed, then it is up to you to make that success happen.

Your success is a given - the only variable in the equation is the amount of effort needed to reach it, so either you are "making it" or you are "faking it" - these two are mutually exclusive.
In case of a failure, the game itself cannot be blamed.
Regretting your choice will most likely happen only when you give it up before reaching your goal, whatever the goal itself may be.
You can think of yourself as being as much clueless and ignorant as you like, but you always have to find a way how to help yourself.
Begin with knowing exactly what you want and knowing exactly why you want it.

This is because a precise desire is more powerful than a vague one, but precision becomes limitation.
Let your desire be vague enough to grant you freedom in reaching what you want, without precision being an obstacle on the path to that result.
A "result" means the "what", not the "how" and if you insist on reaching your result in a certain way, then any initial delay in reaching it should be taken as an exercise in patience.

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If you do not know what you want, then look at The pound, after you build a building by the same name.

If you know what you want, then look at The trades, or forum threads about

free giving, or selling.

Another way to start is by taming the wilderness.

If you want to find out what you want, then look into The kodex, to see who to get acquainted with, and then into The library, to see how likely it will work for you. To see how it translates into an animal's appearance, look into The other library.

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The most common way of getting what you want is exchanging it for silver coins. The simplest way, to get little money fast, that is, is by exploring the islands. There you can find money as well as, among other things, materials to build the townhall, which increases your daily income in silver - the greater level the building, the greater income it gives you. Then you can build the inn and invite a financier there. While residing in your inn, usually for three days straight, he will double your silver income from the townhall. You can get further increases in explored resources by visiting islands with animals called harvesters.

Instant access to twenty islands will eventually accumulate, at a rate of a single island per one hour, or sixty minutes. After running out of the initial twenty, you will have to either wait for a given period of time, or keep using energy cards, which can be obtained by sending your animal(s) to The state portal branch, which building needs to be built for the purpose, or by visiting islands with animals with the watchman gene dominant in their genetic makeup.

To see usefulness of buildings and materials needed for their construction, look into their Recipes.

Increasing the likeliness of finding items and materials other than silver while exploring can be done by having astrologist's building - the greater the level, the greater the likeliness.

Increasing the amount of a material which you already have can be done by creating golems, made of the same material, which will then generate additional quantity of that material for as long as they last, usually ten days straight.

Some items can be bought at The state store, others can be traded in The other store, or in The forum.

Another way of obtaining silver is by fullfiling quests, coupled with increasing their daily available number by building the embassy.

The opposite way to silver, to get a lot, but not necessarily fast, is by keeping a supply of animals worth buying, from a buyer's point of view, and keeping selling them.

In such a case it is worth remembering that value is in the eye of a beholder.

This is because value is a variable, not a constant, which means that the more you will want something, the more likely you will be willing to pay for it even with a greater-than-average pricetag.

Read before you write, and if you choose to communicate privately, then it is worth to keep the messages for reference, instead of deleting them, as information unlikely to be read elsewhere.

When searching for information look at the search if it works for you and remember to judge the results by their content instead of their time of creation.

Likewise remember to wade through the forums beyond the ,,most recent'' posts.

This is because information is useful only when you find it useful, regardless of its time of creation.

edit to add more useful information in a reply which keeps the thread ,,recent'' and so easier to notice.

edit for clarification (and addition).