Police = useless?

[joncnunn]

I note though that improving any specalist besides entertainment hurts the AI; which never hires any other specalist unless there is no place to put a worker.

[Arrian]

I'm not sure I've gotten the hang of things exactly right yet, but I've been using policemen in core cities. These cities tyically have all the improvements, so that's where the greatest benifit will be.

I use civil engineers in far-flung cities to assist stuff like markets/cathedrals/aqueducts. The essential things, like a temple for culture expansion, a barracks, and a harbor if the city has a resource or luxury source and is coastal, I will not wait for - I'll rush that with cash.

Once cities with extreme corruption have the basics improvements to a) let them grow; and b) keep them from rioting, I will turn as much of the pop into taxmen or scientists as I can.

Generally speaking, I use taxmen, because that requires less micromanagement than scientists (whose output will often be partly or wholly wasted on that last turn of a tech, unless you take the time to switch them to taxmen and then back again the following turn).

Anyway, as to the topic, I think policemen are fine.

-Arrian

[joncnunn]

In order of apperance:

Entertainmen are only useful when needed to keep order.

Scientists tend to be most useful in early game when the 3 beaker difference is most noticeable, particlarly if the city has to have a specalist to keep order but doesn't need an entertainmen.

Taxmen are better somewhat later on when the city has to have a specalist to keep order, but doesn't need an entertainmen and there's also enough inferstruture to where scientists would be partly of fully wasted on the last turn of a tech. There's never a micromanagement problem with them.

Police Men are most useful in cities with a Factory plus a power plant that have both commerce and waste production. They are partly wasted if the city has no shield waste and fully wasted if the city has neither shield nor commerce waste.

Civ Eng are most useful right with Replaceable Parts to help speed up construction of Factories and other improvements prior to a having a power plant. Micromanagment is sometimes needed to ensure that shields aren't wasted in part or full the last few turns of a build. Note that they are competely wasted when producing a military unit.

[Theseus]

* I was going to write a balanced, thoughtful, and comprehensive response to the byplay in this thread... ahhh, screw it, I know peeps are ultra-serious, but to me it's good humor!!

* I wish there were options for 1) starving down cities, and 2) all excess worforce should be 'x' specialist.

* I mostly just use taxmen, thus minimizing MM.

* I have used the other specialists in very rare situations, where I need to eke out a bit of extra science or production, but that's about it.

[dexters]

Originally posted by alexman
Why are people so hard on Policemen?

If you have the right city improvements, Policemen can give you up to 3 extra shields and 3 extra commerce, even more if Newton and/or Copernicus are present. This is more than any other specialist can provide.

Alex, what sort of right improvements do I need? and where do i do this?

I've tried using policeman in really corrupt citries and in moderately corrupt cities around my second ring.

Well developed with courthouses, police, etc. I've only gotten 1 shield and 1 commerce. I've never observed the 3 commerce 3 sheild effect.

[Fatwreck]

Marketplaces, banks etc?