# City Status

**Entity Type:** SystemEntity

City Status is a measure of growth determined by a city's population. As status increases, cities gain bonuses to Belief, Knowledge, and Prestige per residence, but also incur penalties to Health, Happiness, and Fire Safety.

## Overview

- Population determines city status
- Higher status grants bonuses per residence (Belief, Knowledge, Prestige)
- Higher status incurs penalties (Happiness, Health, Fire Safety)
- Starting at City Status II (Minor City), incidents like disease, fire, or unrest can occur
- Penalties scale based on exact population, not just status tier
- Two cities with the same status may have slightly different penalties based on where their population falls within the range

## Regional Differences

- **Latium:** Standard population requirements, more islands with larger open spaces
- **Albion:** Lower population requirements due to smaller islands; bonus pattern differs based on Celtic or Romanized path (more Knowledge or Belief bonuses respectively)

## City Status Tiers (Latium)

| Status | Population | Penalties | Bonuses (Per Residence) |
|--------|------------|-----------|------------------------|
| Outpost (I) | 0-200 | None | None |
| Minor City (II) | 200-400 | None | None |
| Major Colonia (III) | 400-800 | -1.3 Fire Safety | +1 Belief |
| Major Imperial City (IV) | 800-1,500 | -2.5 Happiness, -2.5 Fire Safety | +2 Belief, +1 Knowledge |
| Vast Imperial City (V) | 1,500-3,000 | -5 Happiness, -2.5 Health, -3.8 Fire Safety | +3 Belief, +2 Knowledge, +1 Prestige |
| Minor Megalopolis (VI) | 3,000-5,000 | -7.5 Happiness, -5 Health, -5 Fire Safety | +4 Belief, +3 Knowledge, +2 Prestige |
| Growing Megalopolis (VII) | 5,000-7,500 | -10 Happiness, -7.5 Health, -6.3 Fire Safety | +5 Belief, +4 Knowledge, +3 Prestige |
| Minor Monstropolis (VIII) | 7,500-10,000 | -12.5 Happiness, -10 Health, -7.5 Fire Safety | +6 Belief, +5 Knowledge, +4 Prestige |
| Growing Monstropolis (IX) | 10,000-15,000 | -13.8 Happiness, -12.5 Health, -7.8 Fire Safety | +7 Belief, +6 Knowledge, +5 Prestige |
| Major Monstropolis (X) | 15,000-20,000 | -15 Happiness, -12.8 Health, -8 Fire Safety | +8 Belief, +7 Knowledge, +6 Prestige |
| Vast Monstropolis (XI) | 20,000-25,000 | -16.3 Happiness, -13 Health, -8.3 Fire Safety | +9 Belief, +8 Knowledge, +7 Prestige |

Cities can grow beyond Status XI, following the same bonus/penalty patterns.

## Penalty Curve

After Vast Imperial City (V), bonuses grow linearly (+1 Belief, +1 Knowledge, +1 Prestige per tier). However, penalties grow unevenly:

- **Health penalties** increase sharply in early Megalopolis tiers
- **Happiness penalties** increase significantly at each tier
- **Fire Safety penalties** grow more gently

Example: Transitioning from Vast Imperial City (V) to Minor Megalopolis (VI):
- Fire Safety: -3.8 to -5 (moderate increase)
- Health: -2.5 to -5 (doubles)
- Happiness: -5 to -7.5 (50% increase)

The curve evens out around Status IX-X. Additionally, an Amphitheatre provides island-wide happiness bonuses that can negate happiness penalties entirely while also boosting population.

## How to Raise City Status

Status is tied to population, so the primary method is building more residences. However, each residence can house more citizens by:

1. **Upgrading to higher population tiers** - A Liberti residence holds ~14 people; a Patrician residence can hold 30+
2. **Providing goods with population bonuses**
3. **Building services and marvels**
4. **Using specialists** that provide population bonuses

### Population-Boosting Goods

| Good | Notes |
|------|-------|
| Sardines | Basic food |
| Porridge | Basic food |
| Cockles | Seafood |
| Eels | Seafood |
| Bread | Staple food |
| Cheese | Processed food |
| Beer | Beverage |
| Sausages | Processed meat |
| Roast Beef | Luxury food |
| Oysters with Caviar | High-tier luxury |

### Population-Boosting Services and Marvels

| Service/Marvel | Region |
|----------------|--------|
| Market | Both |
| Tavern | Latium |
| Bardic Hearth | Albion |
| Gambling House | Requires technology |
| Elder Council | Celtic |
| Forum | Latium |
| Baths | Both |
| Amphitheatre | Both |
| Shrine of Ceres | Latium |
| Shrine of Epona | Both |
| Shrine of Mars | Latium |

### Specialist Example

**Baker Augcrusta** adds +2 population when citizens are supplied with bread. This affects all Plebeians, Mercators, Equites, Nobles, and Patrician housing.

## Tips

- Higher tier houses can benefit from lower tier goods, but not vice versa (Patricians can eat Sardines, but Liberti cannot use Oysters with Caviar)
- Place Specialists in a Villa or Officium for additional bonuses
- Settling additional islands or opening trade routes helps provide exotic goods
- Use the "City Status on Incidents" game setting to adjust penalty difficulty

## Related Systems

- [Area Effects](./area-effects.md) - Building proximity modifiers
- [Maintenance Model](./maintenance.md) - Building upkeep costs
