Key Commands

In this page I'll list all of the key commands, hotkeys, and shortcuts in Populous that will greatly increase your skill. Hotkeys and shortcuts are probably the most useful things in Populous because they cut the time it takes you to do certain things in Populous in half. Here's a list in no specific order (which means if you're trying to find a specific key command, you may want to read the whole article, or at least the headings):

Ctrl + Left Mouse Button on a specific follower's button in the side panel
Selects five followers from the corresponding button you clicked.

Shift + Left Mouse Button on a specific follower's button in the side panel
Selects all of the followers from the corresponding button you clicked.

Ctrl + Alt
If you've got a selected follower and you press ctrl + alt on the keyboard, you can make that follower patrol a certain area by clicking once or twice (once if you want the follower(s) to patrol in a circle, two or more times if you want them to run a desired route). This is almost like laying down a bonfire from the buildings panel, just without the bonfire.

Shift + Left Mouse Button on enemy tribe icon
Ally with enemy tribe in multiplayer. Unless the enemy allies you, as well, your followers won't harm the enemy tribe's buildings and followers but their's will harm your's. This can also be done in the demo version of the game although there will be no indication of an alliance besides the fact that your followers won't attack the enemy's buildings and followers, and the enemy won't ally you back.

G
If you've got followers selected and you press this button, the followers will run to the shaman and guard her. If you press this button without any followers selected and you've got followers guarding the shaman, the followers guarding the shaman will simply stop guarding her.

B (Call to Arms)
This hotkey isn't commonly used. If you've got a warrior in a guard tower and you've got followers near the guard tower, when enemy followers approach you can press "b" to activate the Call to Arms feature in the game, which will make any followers near the guard tower with the warrior in it run towards the oncoming enemy and attack.

N
When making a follower/followers patrol, click somewhere else on the map without holding the control and alt keys. Your followers will still patrol but when you press the "n" key, they'll run to the point you selected while not holding the control and alt keys.

Shift + Backspace
Reselects the last follower(s) selected.

| (the key under the backspace key on most standard keyboard)
Tracks the last-selected follower or an Angel of Death.

Ctrl + Left Mouse Button w/ a follower selected
Allows you to give a follower/followers multiple commands. You can do this up to eight times.

Shift + Left Mouse Button w/ a follower selected
Makes a follower follow your command and not be distracted by anything else. For example, if you've got a shaman surrounded by a bunch of warriors coming and you've got a bunch of firewarriors, selected the firewarriors and shift and left click on the enemy shaman and the firewarriors will ignore the warriors and only shoot the shaman.

Shift + Z, X, C, and V
Creates camera points. Pressing Z, X, C, and/or V alone zooms towards the point(s) you created.

Shift + 1 - 6
If you select follower and press this key combination, a small number will appear above the followers head. This creates a platoon. When you want to select a platoon you created, press a key 1 - 6.

Ctrl + 1 - 6
Allows you to select multiple platoons. You can also do this with single followers.

Alt + 1 - 6
Makes the camera fly towards the platoon you've created and selects that platoon.

Ctrl + Left Mouse Button w/ a spell selected
Allows you to lay multiple instances of a spell without having to reselect that spell.

Alt + Left Mouse Button w/ a spell selected
Will make your shaman autocast this one spell if you cast it out of range.

Ctrl + Left Mouse Button
Allows you to lay multiple hut plans without having to reselect that plan.

Shift + Right Mouse Button
Delete a hut plan or a swamp.

Spacebar
Rotate building plan or make the camera fly to a guard tower with an alarm going off.

Shift + Building Icon in Buildings Panel w/ followers selected
Makes all selected followers go to the building(s) constructed of building in the buildings panel you clicked on.

All of these key commands can be found in the Populous manual if you've go tthe CD version. I will admit that I did have to use the manual a couple of times to look up some hotkeys and shortcuts, so some credit goes to Bullfrog and their manual.