This is something you have to learn from the game:
Happiness will be one of your first limitant factors in the development of your civilization. The first thing you have to remember is that each population point in a city will amount for +1
, which is 'cancelled' by +1
. Early on (Noble or equivalent difficulties), the cities start with 4
. Easier diffs allow for more initial
; harder ones reduce it a bit.
There are several ways to counteract
, but not all of them are available on all circumstances:
- Hereditary rule & armies: this government civic assigns +1
on each city, based on how many military units are stationed there. For instance, if your city has 3 units & you have HR, you'll get +3 happiness there.
- Religion: to get happiness from religions, you'll need to have a religion on said city. Unless you have that religon as your official, or if you have free religion, it won't provide happiness. You'll have to either adopt it (+1
on the cities with that religion) or build temples of that religion (another +1). Once you get music, you can get additional happiness from cathedrals, but only those of your official religion.
- Resources: there are some resources--the luxuries--that provide additional
. These include gold, silver, gems, dye, spices, silk, sugar, wine, furs, incense, whales; & later on, the mass media resources (hit movies, hit singles & hit musicals). Each one on its own provides +1
when improved AND connected to your trade network (cities must be connected via road, river or sea in order to be within a trade network). Each of these can provide more
in the cities with certain improvements (say, the forge for gold, silver &/or gems).
-Slavery: it sounds ironic, doesn't it? Early on, your cities will have low happiness cities; & you can reduce that by whipping (rushing production by killing population points). Be careful with this move, though: each rush will add 1
for some turns (10 on normal, 15 on epic, 30 on marathon); & it's best to not whip too often, & whip things that require more than 1 population point.
Other civics: later in the game, you'll be able to reach other civics, & some of them provide
in various ways, including:
- Representation: +3 happiness on the biggest cities of your empire (this number varies in accordance to the map--but it's around 5 & 8 on the bigger maps)
- Nationhood: the cities with barracks will provide +2
.
Certain buildings--Some buildings provide happiness on their own, as well as with other additions. These include:
- for resources (market, forge, theatre, cathedrals)
- for culture slider (theatre, coliseum)
- for religion (temples & sometimes cathedrals)
- for civics (barracks with nationhood)
- on their own (coliseum, some Unique Buildings, the Notre Dame wonder)
The culture slider: this doesn't only allow you to convert commerce to culture points, but it also allows you to increase happiness throughout your empire. With each 10% increment, you'll get +1
. It will also allow you to get 1
per increment with the theatre, & 1
per TWO (2) increments with the coliseum.
