Population Redistribution

[*Ringo*]

Just discovered something quite useful that could help keep those high population/squalor cities in check while at the same time boosting the population of your struggling fledgling towns. I apologize if this has been pointed out before.

Playing as the Brutii I recently conquering Pativium and the population there exploded, the growth rate was at around 6% and after a few turns i had rats coming out of my ears. Yet at the same time Segestica and Salonia(sp?) were struggling to hit the 2000 mark. So i simply queued up 8 units of peasants from Pativium, playing on huge their unit size is 240, that resulted in a population drop of 1920 over 8 turns. As each unit was completed i just packed them off to one of the neighboring provinces, once they arrived i disbanded them. I hadn't realise before that disbanded units re-entered the population; As a result it gave each of the towns a population boost from every unit (around 240 per unit unsurprisingly). Now both Segestica and Salonia have populations rapidly approaching the 6000 mark, Pativium's squalor level is under control and across my empire larger cities regularly donate peasants to struggling towns. It's like trading my own slaves and for only 100 denarii a piece, it's very much worth it.

This also makes pressing the end turn button quite an interesting event as i have small armies of peasants making their way to every corner of the empire! As of yet i've not noticed any effect on cultural penalties of newly conquered states, from the dilution of the existing populous, but this i will watch closely.

I hope at least someone will find this useful!

*Ringo*

[The Tuffen]

I've heard of taking peasents out of one city and disbanding them before. It didn't occour to me that it would drop squalor though. Cheers for the info it will make managing my cities a bit easier now.

[Akka]

It's a classical technic.

The problem is simply that, obviously, it's insanely tedious to micromanage so many units going to so many different places from so many different places.

[*Ringo*]

Not too hard, i can usually just click on the relevant settlement i want them to go to and it cues up several turn's moves. Then i can just periodically check garrisons and disband any peasants i don't need.

*Ringo*

[Akka]

Not "hard".
"tedious" :)

[fenir]

The Key to playing as Julii espeically, take pativium within 4 years.

The population will explode, (I often get 7% growth), and i use it to boost, the 5 province around venetia.
It also lowers sqaulor, and provides a growth for cities where you need it. Not to mention, sending sending out peasants to get killed off by rebels or your enemies, also helps.

But remember, don't build the last 1 or 2 farms in your cities, let them hover as close as possible to the 0% growth at 25,000 population.


fenir

[therother]

i can usually just click on the relevant settlement i want them to go to and it cues up several turn's moves.

Do you mean that you set the rally point (alt-right click) of the donor settlement to the neighbouring smaller settlement?

[Lord Ovaat]

If you are in a habit of "enslaving" captured provinces, which I do except where they are friendly (Greece-occupy) or nasty (Corboda-exterminate), then do NOT leave a governor in provinces with a tendancy to overpopulate. Only provinces with a gov get a "share" of the slaves. Patavium just doesn't need the extra mouths to feed. Once a province maxes-out on population, I try to keep them slightly declining and governorless. (New word. Shakespeare did it. So can I.) Anyway, it does help.

[*Ringo*]

Another useful point. Thx Lord Ovaat.

Therother, you can do it that way but i just wait until the unit of peasants is garrisoned, then i can decide where they are most needed and send them on their way. Another thing you could do is set the rally point in the middle of a sparsely populated area, then decide where they are needed from there.

*Ringo*

[Bob the Insane]

Another thing you could do is set the rally point in the middle of a sparsely populated area, then decide where they are needed from there.

Or just set it in the middle of enemy territory if you just want the peasants to go - away....

[*Ringo*]

LOL! Excellent point Bob, let the cull begin!!

*Ringo*

[Ulstan]

It's nice when the squalor from patavium perfectly matches the pop growth so you have a natural 0% growth once you've got the population where you want it :)

Need a good governor and arena tho.