Happiness level vs. brigands, revolts, etc?

[RedKnight]

What are the effects of having happiness below 100, past what can be seen in the Details screen? I'm playing with tax rates manually, and wonder just how far I should push it.

So far I've gathered or heard that the following is true:

1) 75% and below is likely to see a revolt.

2) Below 100%, one is likely to get brigands. Probably moreso, the lower is goes (just guessing on this, but it makes sense).

3) Being higher than 100% doesn't help or change anything per se, except that you have that extra happiness buffer. But I'm unsure about this point.

A very specific question I have is, if your happiness is exactly 100%, is there a chance of brigands? I notice that the smiley face is yellow for 100% but green for anything higher. It makes me wonder whether the numeric happiness value is rounded up in steps of 5% and thus, if it says 100%, it might actually mean 97% or 99% and there's actually a chance of brigands.

Are there any other effects of happiness that folks know of?

Thanks!! ~:cheers:

[Red Harvest]

I think you are mixing two terms, riots vs. revolts/rebellions. Going from memory (which could be wrong of course):

Riots start at 70% (on vh/vh anyway.) Casualties and damage, but you retain control of the city.

I'm not sure what the revolt/rebellion trigger level is. It is substantially below 70%...but I've not tried to quantify it. With a revolt, your army finds itself outside of town, with a rebel (or other faction) army occupying the town.

[RedKnight]

Thanks, RH - it looks like I have a lot to learn! If anyone else can jump on with info, please do! Including re: is 100% "totally safe"?

[SwordsMaster]

I usually tax up to 85% happiness, and NEVER had a REVOLT. I had RIOTS when happiness went somewhere between 60-70%, and REVOLTS under 40%. Dont know what happens in the 40-60% range. They usually hate me too much... ~D

[Slaists]

I think you are mixing two terms, riots vs. revolts/rebellions. Going from memory (which could be wrong of course):

Riots start at 70% (on vh/vh anyway.) Casualties and damage, but you retain control of the city.

I'm not sure what the revolt/rebellion trigger level is. It is substantially below 70%...but I've not tried to quantify it. With a revolt, your army finds itself outside of town, with a rebel (or other faction) army occupying the town.

Actually, i've had riots even at 85%... Whereas right below 75% (the red icon) I have had my army kicked out of the city by rebels... On another note, I kicked out Scipii out of Capua sending in a couple spies while my assassins were sabotaging their happiness buildings. I think, their happiness dropped to 65%: in the nex turn, they were out.

this was on VH campaign map setting though.

[Oaty]

Actually, i've had riots even at 85%... Whereas right below 75% (the red icon) I have had my army kicked out of the city by rebels... On another note, I kicked out Scipii out of Capua sending in a couple spies while my assassins were sabotaging their happiness buildings. I think, their happiness dropped to 65%: in the nex turn, they were out.

this was on VH campaign map setting though.

Something to consider @ 75 percent you risk riot and rebellion but usally only in huge cities.

You have 20,000 population and 5 percent growth rate. well when you hit end turn an extra 1000 people join that city. So squalor increases. unrest increases because that city is possibly in a poor economic basis. and the bonus from poulation boom drops. So you just lost a whole lot of bonuses while gaining none. That is why you have to watch large cities carfully.

[Red Harvest]

The only times I've seen riots at 75% or above on VH/VH was when there was an enemy agent sabotaging parts of the city each turn (in Alexandria.) Took me awhile to get rid of him. I'll start keeping my eyes out for other circumstances, but I suspect the problems are coming from some other external factor.

There might also be some cities more prone to rebellion. They might have a higher riot threshhold.

[Oaty]

Good point REDHARVEST. Your right on that sometimes you can notice strange things with cities and I do'nt think a spy will always detect another spy in your city. And I think the only time you can detect a spy in your city is at the end turn. I'm sure quite a few have seen your spy or the enemies spy get kicked out on the comps moves wich makes it hard to notice. Now that I think about it I have a city that has high unrest even though I'va had it for a while. Guess I'll have to train a spy, but I'm not sure that is causing it unless the comp actually took a spy on a boat to Palma, but then again that is where the comp could get the human with there back turned.

[RedKnight]

In my experience, 100% is not totally safe - this the yellow smiley. One has to figure the cost of keeping standing armies vs. lowering taxes on a long term basis, then. In other words, it might be more economically productive to always keep cities in the green, if you have large areas with no border armies in easy reach. That's the point I've been concerned about. Comments?

[Quillan]

I haven't noticed any definite link between public order percentage and bandits. They seem to appear at random, regardless of your happiness rating. Riots happen at 70% and lower public order in my experience.

Revolts, however, seem to have some randomness to them. I suspect it's based on a ratio of the strength/numbers of the garrison to the amount of unhappy population. In my first campaign as the Julii, I finally got around to taking Cordoba away from Carthage, it was nearly 20,000 population, and I didn't exterminate (was still learning). Even with a full army there, at 70% public order I was kicked out. 30% of 20,000 is 6,000 unhappy residents, and I only had about 1,500 soldiers in the city. But a city of 2,000 with a 30% public order would riot but not revolt with the same garrison.