Settlement & Life
A Governor must balance taxation, food supply, schooling, and the mood of the people. Raise taxes and coin revenue grows, but happiness drifts downward. Let food run short or let the School fall behind, and happiness drops faster still. When happiness falls below 40, workers slow — and at the worst levels, mines and farms produce only half their normal output. Watch all four on the Life tab: population, food, education, and happiness.
Resources & Economy
AffairsCoin Income
Coins flow from taxation. The base rate depends on the current tax policy (see the table below), but a larger population means more taxpayers — for every 50 workers employed, coin income doubles from the base rate. A small settlement with few buildings earns modestly; a sprawling island with many hands fills the treasury far faster.
Coins are the currency of the Bazaar, where Governors purchase supply crates and secure advantages that raw materials alone cannot buy. A settlement without coin reserves has no bargaining power beyond its own shores.
Food Balance
Every worker consumes food — roughly 0.35 per hour per head. A small natural yield of 8/h feeds the earliest settlers, but each Farm level adds 16/h to the supply. As the settlement grows and more buildings demand crew, food is consumed faster. Build farms ahead of the shortage. The Farm detail in the Build ledger also shows the present population, current balance, and the first Farm level that ends the shortage for that settlement.
When food stores dwindle and the balance turns negative, happiness drops by 1.5 per hour. If food hits zero, the penalty steepens to 4 per hour — morale can collapse within a day. Recovery requires surplus food and stores above 120 before happiness begins to climb again, at just 1 per hour. Prevention is far easier than repair.
A settlement may show Food Supply as Surplus while stores are still empty. In that state, provisions are refilling, but the people still feel the shortage until stores rise above zero.
Happiness
The mood of the people drifts over time, shaped by taxation, food, and schooling. Heavy taxes, empty granaries, and an overcrowded School drive morale down; light taxes, ample food, and proper schooling steady it. Happiness ranges from 0 to 100 and directly affects how productively the settlement operates.
To raise happiness, lower the tax rate or ensure food is well above what the population consumes. Both take effect gradually — recovery is not instant. A Governor who lets morale sink too far will find the recovery slow and costly. The settlement guide now names the strongest active strain first, so a Governor can see whether taxes, provisions, or schooling are doing the harm.
Schooling matters only once the settlement grows beyond 50 people needing instruction. Each School level covers about 33 more settlers. If coverage falls short, happiness can lose up to 2 per hour before world speed is applied. The School detail in the Build ledger shows present coverage, the level needed to catch up, and whether morale is already suffering. The Life tab also carries an Education indicator so the shortfall is visible without opening the School.
The people's mood is shown on the Life tab as one of five tones, each reflecting a range of happiness:
| Mood | Happiness | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Happy | 80 + | Spirits high, full output |
| Content | 60 – 79 | Steady and productive |
| Uneasy | 40 – 59 | Grumbling, but working |
| Sad | 20 – 39 | Output slowing, unrest grows |
| Angry | 0 – 19 | Near revolt — production crippled |
Production Penalty from Happiness
When happiness drops below 40, workers slow down. The lower morale falls, the harsher the penalty — at the worst levels, mines and farms produce only half their normal output.
| Happiness | Mood | Production | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|
| 40 + | Happy / Content / Uneasy | 100% | Full output |
| 20 – 39 | Sad | 90% | Slight slowdown |
| 10 – 19 | Angry | 75% | Noticeable drag |
| 0 – 9 | Angry | 50% | Near revolt — half output |
Sea & War Penalties from Happiness
Morale does not stay on land. Once happiness falls below 40, fleets slow at sea and war operations suffer. These same penalties appear in fleet, attack, spy, and colonisation forecasts.
| Happiness | Battle Power | Fleet Speed | Spy Offense | Spy Defense | Charter Odds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 40 + | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| 20 – 39 | -10% | -5% | -10% | -10% | -10% |
| 10 – 19 | -25% | -15% | -25% | -25% | -25% |
| 0 – 9 | -45% | -30% | -45% | -45% | -45% |
Tax Policy
Each tax policy affects coin income, the rate at which happiness drifts, and production speed. Extreme policies also nudge output directly — light taxes give workers a slight boost, while heavy taxes slow them down even before happiness drops.
| Tax Policy | Coin Rate /h | Happiness Drift /h | Production |
|---|---|---|---|
| very low | 4 | +1.5 | +10% |
| low | 7 | +0.75 | +5% |
| normal | 10 | 0 | +0% |
| high | 13 | -0.75 | -5% |
| very high | 16 | -1.5 | -10% |
Population
Every building and unit on an island demands hands to operate. Population counts include local garrison troops, units in training, and building crews. Housing increases the settlement capacity. Garrisons stationed abroad do not count against the home island.
