Optimizing Patrol and Tax?
 

What is the optimal way to patrol and tax during the early game? I am currently playing around with this with growth 3 scales and trying to squeeze out the most gold possible w/o damaging my population too much. Mainly I'm wondering if it's better to tax heavily for a few turns then stop or tax at a lower rate over a longer period.

Re: Optimizing Patrol and Tax?
 

Well only think you can avoid is unrest.. pop will always be damaged I think.

Re: Optimizing Patrol and Tax?
 

This works great if you play caelum. Their starting army can patrol and tax at 170% without any unrest. If you buy 3 mammoths and a level 2 priest (to cast sermon of courage of course)on turn 1, on turn 2 you can expand with the mammoths while leaving the home army on patrol. Turn 2 you can recruit 3 more mammoths and another level 2 priest.

Most other starting armies can do anywhere from 130%(Ulm) to 150% (Monkey nations, T'ien Chi) without causing unrest.

Re: Optimizing Patrol and Tax?
 

Marverni can do it at 170 as well.

High AP+Precision is good for that.

If you take order, I think the couple hundred peasents killed are worth the extra gold. Faster expansion and the early second fort is worth it, definitely, in most cases.