When you start you have very few materials.
So i recommend building:
Lumberjack huts.
A lot of houses.
Chapel.
Market place (So you can place houses)
Storage house.

When your citizens evolve i recommend building:
Coal hut(Cant remember the name)
Stone mason.
Ore mine.
And iron melter.

When you have coal and iron ore, then you can make iron.
Iron = tools tools = more buildings

So when you have tools, wood, and stone then you are ready to generate income.
To generate alot of income you need the following:
A ship (If you have honor. Then buy improved sails so it moves faster.)
Hemp plantage.
Rope maker.
Clothing maker.

First you need to make a trade route.
Do this:
(Your town name)
+25 rope (Or any amount) +15 clothing
(Other town)
-25 rope -15 clothing

And then select your best ship.
When you have done this you should generate 1000-2000 each time.
And that means that you dont have to worry about your citizens not paying enough taxes so your income is +. And then you can select europhic (Which evolves them)

If you want to generate more income. Then make more hemp plantages and more rope makers.
And increase the amount of rope/clothing being sold.

You now notice that your evolved citizens need spices. You begin to panic.
Let me help you with that problem

To solve this problem you need:
200 honor (Tournaments)
A good ship.
10000+ money.
A spice plantage.
An island that have one empty armament. And is good for spices.

First you need to send your ship out to another warehouse.
Then trade, and click the dice until spices come up as an fertility.
Then buy the spices. Select your ship and send it to your island.
Now you have to use the spices. And then buy an spice plantage.
Now you can have spices!

A pro tip: Transport the spices to your other island.

Edit: Just make an warehouse on an island in the south. (If its suitable for spice.)
Thats the easy way.

To do this you need alot of money.

An perfect city doesnt need plantages (Just make another island where your plantages are. And then trade materials between the islands.)

To make an happy place do this:
Place a chapel/church to the left. (So it covers the houses)
Place market place to the left.
Place tavern to the left.
Place a carpenters house to the left.
Place fire station to the left.
And now place all the houses you want to the right.

Repeat this and make a good system.
As you progress the citizens need new things. But just place them to the left.

I hope that this helped you guys.

This isnt an guide to help you learn the controls.
Its just a guide to help you learn the basics :)