01-04-2004 11:42									#1
	Short List of MY CivIV suggestions (Religion) Support Apolyton, buy Alpha Centauri

1. Religion and Culture:

a) Retain current culture Model, with a few balances to make it more fun.

b) Introduce the Cultural Great Leader: Highly cultured cities can produce great artists, philosphers or religious leaders. Great Leaders can convert foreign citizens to you, or be sacrificed for great wonders rush or 20 turn culture boost.

c) Introduce the Idea of a 'State Religion', which is what the majority of your population will follow. Each type of religion (broad groups, not 'Specific' religions) will have its own set of Wonders, Improvements, units and benefits/penalties.

d) Changing your states religion should have a MAJOR impact on your society, with the chance of a 'Religious Schism' (i.e. religious 'civil war') breaking out-especially if you change to a religion that your civilization don't really like, or if your religious faction is very powerful!!

e) After you discover a new religion, either as an advance, or through contact with other civs, there is a chance, per turn, of one of your population 'Converting' to the new religion. The chance should work along similar lines as plague-with an increased chance in a high pop city, and if the city is on a trade route with a city which already has converts. The chances are further increased if it's your civs preferred religion, and on the number of other converts in that city.

f) What these converts can do will depend on their number AND how they are treated. They could force a change in your state religion, cause their city to break away from your empire (a minor schism), or turn into to 'Settlers', under AI control, to go and form their own new nation-under THEIR religion!
g) Each new convert in your empire reduces the influence of your religious faction (and creates a new 'Heretic' faction). This might cause your religious faction to demand a 'crack-down', through whatever means, to bring them back into the fold (conversion by the sword?)

h) It should be possible to use your religion as a means of 'conquering' other civs cities. Aside from a direct 'military' method-under the guise of religion-you can try to force schisms, increase unhappiness and convert enemy populations, units and, eventually, even units! This would be done through the espionage screen, and success would depend on your culture, and how much money you allocate to religion.

i) On a final note, if you want to go to war with a civ with a different religion and/or culture group, then you can declare a 'Holy War'. In this case, nations which share you religion AND culture group will continue to look favourably on you. Also, each turn, there is a chance that one of these nations will actually join you in your Crusade. Obviously, certain government types should not allow the option of a 'Holy War'!

Yours,
The_Aussie_Lurker.