Happiness Strategies

[daffyduckmw]

I've got a question for all the experts out there. Which do you use to keep people happy, entertainers in your cities, or raising the luxury rate? Obviously building the right city improvements and getting luxury resources comes first, but when some cities start going into disorder do you make entertainers or raise the luxury rate? Raising the rate will help everyone, but seems costly. I always seem to need that science output or cold hard cash. Entertainers cost you some commerce but it seems like much less. Has anyone checked the numbers on the cost effectiveness of each? Entertainers also usually cost you a little food production in that city, but if they're already in disorder maybe they shouldn't be growing so much anyway. What do you guys think?

 

[Stuie]

I've been using the luxury slider, but this may be out of sheer laziness. Usually though if one of my cities is upset about something, the others won't be far behind.

 

[eyrei]

I think the luxury slider increases the effectiveness of entertainers, as well as luxuries.

 

[ironfang]

Ive used leaders to rush the Sistine Chapel and worked completed the Oracle.

Seems to work VERY effectively.

ironfang

 

[eyrei]

The Oracle is probably my favorite wonder in the game. It makes most of your people happy soon after you build it, and then it produces huge numbers of culture points later in the game.

 

[Gray]

great way to increase happiness...

luxuries and marketplaces!!! luxuries tend to group together, i.e. a grouping of 3 silks or four wines, ivory whatever...

build cities or colonies to collect these resources and they will tremendously boost happiness-especailly in cities with marketplaces (which increase the effects of luxuries i beleive).

i also tend to use the slider bar before entertainers. in republic and democracy 10 or 20% for happiness is a small price to pay IMHO for WeLoveTheLeaderDays.

Of course wonders work wonders and you have to love the Chapel, and all the others that increase contentment...

 

[tetley]

In the early game, I've usually been happy just garrisoning cheap warrior or spearmen units, at least until my citizens are voting. Also, I'll switch an unhappy citizen to a scientist instead of entertainer if I can get away with it, since the scientist is now "content," so to speak.

And then in periods of anarchy, the solution is easy--just put everybody on food and let everybody fall in disorder. Just watch out for TOO much disorder so your improvements don't get blown away.

I have noticed, though, that it can be profitable in democracy to spend a significant amount on entertainment anyway, because your happy citizens start throwing celebrations for you. And then you make the money back in increased productivity.

 

[daffyduckmw]

Has anyone done any experimenting to see if/how much one happiness modifier effects the others. For instance, set the luxury slider to about 20% and note its effect on your population. Then set the slider to 0% and build a colony on that luxury resouce you can see. Note how that affects you population. Then set the slider back up and see if its effect is greater. You could do a similar experiment with the slider and entertainers.

I'm at work now or I'd be doing these experiments myself. If nobody else does it maybe I'll try it over the weekend sometime. If they do boost each other then the best happiness strategy would probably be a mixtrue of all three resources, slider, and entertainers.

 

[Out4Blood]

1. Play a RELIGIOUS civ - 1 turn anarchy, cheaper temples, etc.

2. LUXURIES! Make sure you uinderstand HOW they work. 4 silks does nothing for you. You need to focus on gettign roads to the AI capitals to trade for their luxuries. I make right of passage pacts with them and build roads to their luxuries in their territory so I can later trade them for them. Each new luxury you get has a compound effect once you get marketplaces.

3. MARKETPLACES! First 2 (different) luxuries worth 1 happy dood. Next 2 add 2 happy doods each. Next 2 add 3 happy doods. The next 2 add 3 or 4 each, but I have not gotten more than 6 yet. That means I have 12 happy citizens JUST from luxuries! With 7 and 8 that could go as high as 20.

4. Keep the PEACE. Nothing make democratic citizens unhappier than goin to war.

5. Make ROADS. The extra commerce is useful.

6. Let GOVERNOR manage citizen mood. It never fails that a turn goes by and I forget to adjust a city in my empire some where.