Press ganged overseers and wages...

[Pinstar]

Is it safe to say that the low priority wages will allow pirates to afford the lowest cost level of entertainment buildings? (thus med wages can afford middling rates, and high wages can afford gouge 'em)


Also another thing I noticed: When you press a captive into a pirate and they take a land lubber job, (like an overseer) they seem to do just as good of a job as a recruited pirate from a cruise...and after about a year working there, get enough in wages to turn into a level 2 pirate. Level 2 pirates can build houses (level 1s can't and don't, I've tried) and fit in better with the rest of your population.

So if you have an excess of unskilled captives, press gang 'em to fill all your overseer slots. They'll slowly turn into pirates that are a bit more seaworthy and able. And alot happier too.

[Mercator]

Is it safe to say that the low priority wages will allow pirates to afford the lowest cost level of entertainment buildings? (thus med wages can afford middling rates, and high wages can afford gouge 'em)

You sure that pirates get paid more by doing higher priority jobs then ones with lower priority jobs?  I thought the priority was just in which buildings would get assigned workers first. I didn't think it actually forced me to pay higher wages to pirates!

[Jebus]

That's why the job fills up more, at least overseer-wise.  The higher priority means that the pirate gets better wages.  Because he gets more money there, he wants to work there, so the job fills up faster.  I think the descriptions for different buildings in the encyclopedia list a wage range for each building based on low, medium and high priority wages.

Since captives don't get wages, higher priority merely tells them where to go first.  Its like the overseers or pirate king says "hey, you.  I want you to work at this wenchery instead of at that corn farm."

[Mercator]

I'll have to check that out. It makes sense, but when you hover over the priority button, it just tells you that it makes the slots fill up faster.

Again, makes perfect sense, and now that I think about it, my wages in my last game were astronomically high.

Too bad you can't tell the pirates, "Hey you, go whip those lumberjacks and do whip them faster than Helga whips those dockworkers. Oh, and I ain't payin' ya more to whip them more."

 

[Jebus]

As long as you don't have any buildings set on medium or high priority, you can set one on medium priority, then when an overseer goes there to work, you can set it back to low and he'll stay there.

Overseers don't actually whip people faster if the priority is higher, they'll just go work there as opposed to working somewhere else.

[Coconut Kid]

You sure that pirates get paid more by doing higher priority jobs then ones with lower priority jobs?  I thought the priority was just in which buildings would get assigned workers first. I didn't think it actually forced me to pay higher wages to pirates!

Manual Page 26:
Pirate Workers
Pirates are generally a lazy bunch when not at sea, but they will take some land jobs if they cannot find a job on a ship. After all, they have drinking and wenching habits to support.
Pirate jobs are of two types: overseer and guard. For an example of a guard-type building, click on a watchtower or on your palace. For an example of an overseer-type building, click on a farm. Guards are the only type of worker in their buildings, while overseers work with captives in the same building. Using the 'priority' menu below the worker area sets the pay levels for pirates who take these jobs. On your island, only pirates receive pay. Captives never receive money from your treasury.

[Coconut Kid]

Cross references:
http://www.the-nextlevel.com/tropico/cafe/index.php?topic=9040.0
http://www.the-nextlevel.com/tropico/cafe/index.php?topic=9451.0

Players should remember that pirates waiting out time ashore should be employed as Guards or Overseers and\or spending time in school(s)  --  Better Piracy Through Training.  Don't let them just hang-out and get disgruntled.