War Happiness and Different Governments

[Spoonwood]

I have a scenario with Debug Mode checked from the editor. I have roaded up to my neighbor Germany. Once a revolution ends, I gifted them a city with two sources of Gems. Then the peace treaty gets renegotiated for a supply of the now German gems for Masonry from us. We have a scout to stomp on the road. Germany will declare war on us, because they refuse to have their traders walk over a single roaded tile next to our capital. Their traders just can't handle the local grassland terrain. Kids these days, not able to walk over natural grassland, but I digress. Then our workers rebuild the road adjacent to our capital to match commerce from before.

War happiness is supposed to provide a 25% bonus. Now, the purposes of this thread, which governments is war happiness possible?

Despotism - The capital city at size 22 has 2 happy citizens, 2 entertainers, and the rest unhappy citizens. The luxury slider is not getting used.
The city has 4 happy citizens and 1 content citizen with 2 entertainers and the rest unhappy citizens after pillaging gets used. Therefore, war happiness can happen in despotism!

Monarchy - 2 happy citizens, 2 entertainers, 1 content citizen, and the rest unhappy at size 22. Again, the luxury slider is in use and will not be in use for any of the tests below also. 4 happy citizens and 1 content citizen with 2 entertainers after Germany declares war and we reroad the tile. Thus, war happiness can happen in Monarchy!

Communism - 2 happy citizens, 2 enetertainers, 1 content citizen, and the rest unhappy at size 22. After Germany declares on us we have 4 happy citizens, 1 content citizen, 2 entertainers, and the rest unhappy. Thus, war happiness can happen in Communism!

Republic - 2 happy citizens, 2 enetertainers, 1 content citizen, and the rest unhappy at size 22. After Germany declares on us, we have 4 happy citizens, 1 content citizen, 2 entertainers, and the rest unhappy. Republic thus appears to yield the same amount of war happiness as the above governments.

Democracy - Again, 2 happy citizens, 2 entertainers, 1 content citizen, and the rest unhappy at size 22. After Germany declares on us, we have 4 happy citizens, 1 content citizen, 2 entertainers, and the rest unhappy. Democracy thus appears to yield the same proportion of war happiness as any other government.

Fascism - Though it took a little more effort due to Fascism's forced population loss, we again start with 2 happy citizens, 2 entertainers, 1 content citizen, and the rest unhappy at size 22. After Germany declares on us, we have 4 happy citizens, 1 content citizen, 2 entertainers, and the rest unhappy. Fascism thus appears to yield the same proportion of war happiness as any other government.

Feudalism - We start with 2 happy citizens, 2 entertainers, 1 content citizen, and the rest unhappy at size 22. After Germany declares on us, we have 4 happy citizens, 1 content citizen, 2 entertainers, and the rest unhappy.

Therefore, the conclusion of this study is that all governments (in the unmodded game, of course), yield the exact amount of war happiness. War weariness is thus clearly distinct in terms of game mechanics.

 

[vorlon_mi]

That's some patient and thorough testing! Thank you! War happiness seems to be a simple additive modifier. War weariness, as described in the guid in the War Academy, is incrementally added due to events in the conflict.

 

[Spoonwood]

Before the debug civilization (blue workers) declare war on Greece:

After the war declaration on Greece:

Greece having 3 happy faces before war, and 4 happy faces after war implies that the AIs also get war happiness from a human player declaring war. Though I have not tested it for all governments (despotism is not as easy to test as the rest, due to it's penalty), it seems reasonable to extrapolate from the tests above for the AI declaring war on the human player that the AIs also get war happiness for all governments.

Again, war happiness from the AIs can happen by the player renegotiating the peace treaty under 'Active' at the bottom of one of the trading table where players usually put in things to trade, and making a deal for a luxury or resource, and finally pillaging the trade route. In practice, this might look something like the following steps:

0. (not always necessary) Gift the AI you seek to end up in war with a city with two sources of some luxury with a unit outside of it ready to retake it.

1. Call up the AI leader and offer gpt (or technology or hard goods) for the luxury or resource.

2. Sell off any harbors or airports or other buildings for trade routes in your capital (not always needed).

3. Pillage the trade route to your capital, or the borders leading to your capital. Or the road to the city where the AIs luxury or resource sources lay.

Thus, I will leave you, dear reader, with a decision for your next game. When you seek war with an AI, will you declare war and make an AI's citizens happier? Or will you trade for a luxury or resource, pillage, and thus make your own citizens happier?

Which you will choose... the happiness of the AIs citizens, or the happiness of your own citizens?

 

[vorlon_mi]

That feels like an easy choice, for me, anyway.

• Pillaging roads to my capital risks ripple effects to the rest of my empire. Selling off harbors could be catastrophic, since it could affect my ability to have trade routes to my own cities on another landmass and/or trade routes to AI that I am not seeking war with. Lots of downside risk
• Declaring war on an AI gives them war happiness. All of my troops victories will give them war weariness, which will increase as my victories pile up. When I capture their cities which have access to *their* luxuries, those luxuries become *my* luxuries, through the harbors I didn't sell off.

A short burst of war happiness for the AI? A very small price to pay for the benefits that my planned invasion will bring to my empire.

 

[Spoonwood]

Pillaging roads to my capital risks ripple effects to the rest of my empire. Selling off harbors could be catastrophic, since it could affect my ability to have trade routes to my own cities on another landmass and/or trade routes to AI that I am not seeking war with.

Harbors don't need sold in all cities though. If you have a coastal capital, selling off a harbor in your capital would work as enough.

Also, almost always, only the eight surrounding tiles of your capital need pillaged, or any roads at your borders. If roads get pillaged around your capital only, only the capital loses access to resources or luxuries. Trade routes between other cities stays intact. Though, any trade deal with other AIs for their luxuries or resources gets cancelled also. So, any pillager, needs/wants to trade for those luxuries again.