Originally Posted by
nhvanputten
You can usually rely on general traits/ancillaries, governors, and faction-wide bonuses from power balance and leader (as a politician or posted in your capital) to manage public order. Especially once you get trained slaves and the later slave market buildings, PO in your income provinces should be fine. Failing that, one stadium or temple focused on public order in your poorest region of the province is plenty. Even if not, you can use the host games political intrigue to boost public order by 10 per turn. That costs a little bit of money, but it’s worth it if needed to max the income potential of the province.
I always play with the hardcore submod, so empire maintenance is brutal mid-late game. That means I rely on only 1-3 provinces to produce literallly any income at all. The rest are all either food surplus (public order needs to be positive, so I don’t usually build past level 2 or maybe 3), military, or resource provinces (either specialists like weaponsmith or just extra resources for trade). The latter two can have taxes off, so public order shouldn’t be difficult and food is irrelevant. In all non-income provinces I also try to build libraries and fountains, as much for the empire maintenance reduction as the research boost. One important tip in province management is to not over-develop minor provinces. Choose a few to focus on, and leave the rest at level 2 buildings or below. If you build everywhere, you’ll consume all of your excess food in minor regions.
So in your income provinces (Latium, Aegyptus, Africa, Asia), focus first on the city center main chain, secondly on the commercial income branch of the resource buildings, and thirdly on multiplier buildings in the capital like slave market, grain market, amphora maker, etc. Most of your income is going to be commercial or subsistence. The exception is maybe in Asia where industry can pan out better. It’s only very late game that I start filling the remaining 4th slots in my towns, and usually then it’s a temple or maybe tradepost. Also, tradeports everywhere of course.
For Barbarian factions, there are lesser income provinces in Gallia, Mesopotamia, or Thrace where you can focus on agriculture or industry.