Health
Population Health
Population health in Captain of Industry represents the overall well-being of your colonists, influencing population growth, mortality, and Unity. A healthy population grows slowly, while negative health leads to colonist deaths. Health is affected by factors such as base health, services, pollution, and diseases. Managing health through clinics, Medical Supplies, and proper settlement planning is crucial for a thriving colony.
Health Mechanics
Population health is measured as a percentage (0% to 100%), with positive and negative values impacting growth and survival:
- Population Growth: When health is positive, the population grows by 0.01% per 10 health points per month. Examples:
- 20 health → 0.02% growth per month
- 50 health → 0.05% growth per month
- Population Loss: When health is negative (below 0%), colonists die at a rate of 0.10% per -1 health point per month. Examples:
- -3 health → 0.30% loss per month
- -10 health → 1.00% loss per month
Note: Growth and loss are applied as a net change to the birth rate, calculated monthly. If housing capacity is full, growth is paused until space is available.
Unity Bonus/Penalty
Health affects Unity production:
- Positive Health: Grants a bonus of 0.02 × Health + 0.2 Unity per month. Examples:
- Negative Health: Incurs a penalty of 0.02 × Health Unity per month. Examples:
Disease Outbreaks
Diseases periodically afflict your colony, reducing health and potentially causing mortality. Outbreaks occur naturally or due to specific triggers (e.g., low water supply, waste accumulation). Most diseases unlock when The Ship travels a minimum distance, measured in distance units (e.g., Cold: 0, Flu (mild): 600, Flu (deadly): 1700). Infection and Cholera are triggered by settlement conditions, not exploration.
- Frequency: Diseases occur every 3 to 6 years on average, with a minimum gap of 36 months and a maximum of 72 months between outbreaks. Early game (first 20 years or population < 300) has fewer outbreaks.
- Difficulty Impact: On the hardest difficulty, disease mortality rates are doubled (100% increase), making mitigation critical.
Positive Health Factors
Several factors contribute to positive health:
- Base Health: +10% (default, modified by difficulty or edicts)
- Food Variability: Diverse food types (e.g., Vegetables, Meat) provide a health bonus. See Settlement for details.
- Water Access: Providing clean Water via water services boosts health. See Settlement for details.
- Edicts: Certain Edicts (e.g., health-focused policies) increase health. See Edicts for details.
- Medical Supplies: Clinics with Medical Supplies provide health bonuses and reduce mortality:
- Medical Supplies: +15% health, 0.6% mortality reduction
- Medical Supplies II: +20% health, 1.0% mortality reduction
- Medical Supplies III: +25% health, 1.4% mortality reduction
- Clinics prioritize the highest-tier supplies available, fully counteracting disease health penalties (e.g., -25% for Flu (deadly)) and mortality (e.g., 1.0% for Flu (deadly) on hardest difficulty) when using Medical Supplies III.
Negative Health Factors
Factors that reduce health include pollution, diseases, and other hazards:
- Air Pollution: Health penalty based on Air Pollution released. See Air Pollution for details.
- Water Pollution: Health penalty based on Water Pollution dumped. See Water Pollution for details.
- Landfill Pollution: Health penalty based on
Waste exceeding settlement capacity. See Landfill Pollution for details. - Diseases: See the Factor of Disease section for specific health penalties.
- Radiation: Health penalty based on radiation exposure. See Radiation for details.
Factor of Disease
Diseases are a major health threat, causing health penalties and, in severe cases, mortality. Clinics mitigate these effects by consuming Medical Supplies to provide health bonuses and reduce mortality. During a disease, medical supply demand increases by 50%, requiring robust supply chains.
The table below lists all diseases, their base effects, causes, and exploration distances. On the hardest difficulty, mortality rates are doubled (e.g., Flu (deadly): 0.5% → 1.0%). Medical Supplies II or III are recommended to fully mitigate mortality on harder difficulties.
| Disease | Health Penalty |  Base Mortality
|
Hardest Difficulty
|
Duration (Months) | Min Distance Traveled | Demand for  Medical Supplies
|
Cause |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cold | -5% | 0% | 0% | 8 | 0 | +50% | Naturally occurring |
| Flu (mild) | -8% | 0% | 0% | 6 | 600 | +50% | Naturally occurring |
| Flu (moderate) | -12% | 0.1% | 0.2% | 6 | 900 | +50% | Naturally occurring |
| Flu (severe) | -15% | 0.2% | 0.4% | 7 | 1100 | +50% | Naturally occurring |
| Flu (very severe) | -20% | 0.3% | 0.6% | 8 | 1430 | +50% | Naturally occurring |
| Flu (deadly) | -25% | 0.5% | 1.0% | 8 | 1700 | +50% | Naturally occurring |
| Infection | -15% | 0.3% | 0.6% | 5 | 0 | +50% | Settlement full of waste |
| Cholera | -20% | 0.4% | 0.8% | 4 | 0 | +50% | Low water supply |
Mitigation Strategies
To maintain positive health and minimize mortality:
- Build Clinics: Ensure clinics are fully stocked with Medical Supplies III to maximize health (+25%) and mortality reduction (1.4%), fully counteracting severe diseases like Flu (deadly) and Cholera.
- Manage Pollution: Reduce Air Pollution, Water Pollution, Waste, and radiation through recycling, treatment, and efficient production. See Air Pollution, Water Pollution, Landfill Pollution, and Radiation for details.
- Ensure Services: Provide clean Water and diverse Food to boost health. See Settlement for details.
- Monitor Exploration: Limit early exploration with The Ship to delay severe diseases (e.g., Flu (deadly) at 1700 distance) until clinics are established.
- Adjust Edicts: Use health-focused Edicts to offset penalties from pollution or diseases. See Edicts for details.
