is it just optimal civs linked to production, or the more civs the more produce? cuz if it's the latter case, then optimal tax should be lower than 35%, right?

eg would a 0 tax techer have more tpt than a 35% tax techer?

more civs more produce (except farmers i think since more pop more bushels consumed), i don't think techer having 0 tax would produce much more techs per turn that techer with 36 tax and with 0 tax there's risk that you commit suicide (pci drops to 0).

production is based on current pop / max pop. reducing ur tax rate doesn't increase the value of current pop / max pop.

It actually does affect, h2o. Reducing your tax rate increases your maxpop, so that makes the fraction smaller.

Regarding the initial question, you want to keep it at 35%-36%. Your production is multiplied by (current pop / max pop), and current pop always ends at at max pop at equilibrium.

ah okay thanks.

I had a chance to test this and yes it does affect farmer production. I took my target from 109k bushels PT down to mid 40s bushels PT, population from 119k to 34k.

Yea. Gotta make walling a bit more difficult.

how about oiler? oil isn't used anyways by country itself (yet) so is it too pop related?

I'll verify when I hit an oiler :p