Do You Use the Luxury Slider?

[SorvinoBackhand]

I almost never use the luxury slider. I leave it locked at 0% most of the time. I have achieved a score over 6500 on emporer without luxuries.

I use entertainers. Also, no luxuries usefully forces me to build the happiness-creating improvements like markets and cathedrals that also bring other benefits.

I suppose the only time I use the slider is during revolution or city riots to prevent my nuclear power plants from melting down, but that is not predictably effective.

In general, I find the slider too imprecise. I have no idea how much happiness I am 'purchasing' with every 10%. I know much better, though. what I am getting from markets, colosseums etc.

I am curious what others do. Please tell if you find luxuries more useful, and how so.

[GhengisFarbâ„¢]

Yes, early on it is very useful.

[alva]

Oohoo you have opened Pandora's box now...
-
The lux slider is probably the most powerfull tool you have in this game.
The money you loose, you regain partly because you have more city workers and in the long term you make a profit due to faster and continued growth.
Since growth is the core of this game as all else depends on it....

Do a search on this forum, there is a very good thread about this subject. Probably created by ' Alexman'.

[alva]

Nope, I was wrong, it was made by Nathan

the power of the luxury slider

[vmxa1]

I have slowly come to appreciate the lux slider more. I tend to make a few calculations to see if it is better to slider or entertain, usually it is slider.

[GhengisFarbâ„¢]

Using an Entertainer costs shields, food, and gold to make em happy. Slider just costs the gold.

[asleepathewheel]

I used to be completely averse to using the slider but I've come to appreciate its place in my tool box.

I agree with Farb, shields are far more valuable than gold, I would much rather lose a couple gold than a couple food and shields per turn.


But like everything else, it just depends on the situation, If you only have one city that needs the slider, then you're probably better off just with an entertainer, but if you have several, then the slider is the way to go, at least for me.

[Rhothaerill]

Originally posted by asleepathewheel
I used to be completely averse to using the slider but I've come to appreciate its place in my tool box.

I agree with Farb, shields are far more valuable than gold, I would much rather lose a couple gold than a couple food and shields per turn.


But like everything else, it just depends on the situation, If you only have one city that needs the slider, then you're probably better off just with an entertainer, but if you have several, then the slider is the way to go, at least for me.

Ditto what Sleepy said. I try not to use the slider unless I have to, meaning I try to keep my people happy through luxuries and/or happiness improvements. But whenever it is necessary to use the slider I don't hesitate to do so. It is definitely situational (the one city example Sleepy mentioned is a good one), but for more than one city it is almost always better to use the slider and lose the gold than lose the food, shields and gold. Food and shields are precious. Gold isn't (generally)

[Harovan]

I use the luxury slider very often (practically in every game), both in the early game and later on, if I lack enough luxuries to get my cities to size 12 by other means. It is, of course, an unfair advantage over the AI, because it doesn't do it, although it should.

[Paddy]

I reckon the lux slider is a great asset.

more power to it.

[Theseus]

I cannot imagine not using it... but if it's more than 20%, that is very rare.

[Dominae]

As others may know by now (the poor folks who had to play from my blocks in the AUSG), I rarely use Military Police early on, relying exclusively on Luxuries and the Luxury slider. Makes for a stronger early-game, IMO.


Dominae

[Egbert]

I use the luxury slider a lot. Particularly very early in the game when I have only one or two luxury goods and nothing more than a temple and military police in despotism. Luxury slider may go up to 30% to maintain happiness in my capital which I try to boost to size 12 to snaffle the Pyramids (this works well at regent).

[Vlado]

Me using it also depends on which city it is that needs it. Core cities definetly need the lux slider while cities at the fringe don't get the benefit from it as often since they are so corrupt anyway so the only thing you loose is food.

[SorvinoBackhand]

I like the idea of using the slider to get your early cities up to 12. I hadn't thought of that, and happiness is pretty serious block until you get up cathedrals and colosseums. Thank you.

How do you define the effect of the slider? How many happy or content faces are you purchasing? Is there some way to know?