Religion

[evilnerd15]

From what I understand of the religion system, religions are attached to certain technologies. So I got to thinking and I wondered what would happen if you researched the technologies for all religions. This raises several questions:

1. Would you be able to make one city the holy city for all religions, or would you have to use multiple cities.

2. Would you get all the benefits of every religion.

3. What would happen if you outlawed a religion whose holy city is in your empire.

4. What would would happen if a country that has a large population of Hindus (for example) declared war on the nation which controlled the Hindu holy city.

5. Would you recieve any special bonuses for having control over every holy city.

From what I understand, if you control a holy city you get tribute from the followers of that religion and you share line-of-sight with cities that have a high population of followers of that religion. Therefor you could have a huge amount of influence if you could spread religion all over the world.

What are your opinions on this matter?

[Proteus_MST]

1. I think this will either be determined randomly or the city whose scientific contribution led to the technological breakthrough (AFAIK [Civ 3] the Science points are added city by city in the order the cities were built) will be the holy city for the religion. So IMHO one city could, by chance, be holy city for multiple or even all religions, but it isn´t you who decides this.

2. Depends on which benefits you mean. If there are religion specific benefits for your cities / empire,the city/empire IMHO will get the benefits of the religion which has the majority in the city/empire. But you probably still would get the effect of all holy cities in your empire no matter which religion dominates your Civilization (as long as practicers of other religions are free to practice their religion within your empire).

3. Good question. Maybe you would only get the benefits of the holy city, if this religion is allowed within your empire.

4. Probably just dependend on the religion which has the majority in the enemy empire. If they´re also hÃndus your population probably won´t be too happy to wage war against the other empire. But if the enemy empire s dominated by another religion they won´t have any problems with fighting them. Of course it would even be better if Firaxis had included some kind of crusade-effect (Free our holy city from these unbelievers). Well, lets hope Firaxis has done so

5. I doubt this. After all it is already powerful enough to get money from all believers in any religion from all over the world

[evilnerd15]

Originally posted by Proteus_MST
1. I think this will either be determined randomly or the city whose scientific contribution led to the technological breakthrough (AFAIK [Civ 3] the Science points are added city by city in the order the cities were built) will be the holy city for the religion. So IMHO one city could, by chance, be holy city for multiple or even all religions, but it isn´t you who decides this.

Actually, I think Firaxis had said that you will be able to choose which city to make holy.

[Nikolai]

From what I understand, if you control a holy city you get tribute from the followers of that religion and you share line-of-sight with cities that have a high population of followers of that religion. Therefor you could have a huge amount of influence if you could spread religion all over the world.

You might be right regarding the tribute thing, but the line of sight was scrapped (for now) according to Firaxis.

[GeoModder]

Thought LOS was re-installed again after that. Might be wrong tho.

[Nikolai]

I haven't seen any mentioning of it being reintroduced, but I might of course be wrong too.

[GeoModder]

Let's keep it at that one of us is wrong.

[Nikolai]

That much I have grasped.

[Jaybe]

My understandings:
2. You only get the benefits of your STATE religion.
3. Who said you can outlaw a religion?
5. Again, bonuses only apply for your State religion (and you can only have one).

[Nikolai]

Originally posted by Jaybe
3. Who said you can outlaw a religion?

Ever heard of religious persecution? It was and is pretty usual in large parts of the world.

[Jaybe]

Alright, I'll rephrase that:
3. Who said you can outlaw a religion in Civ4?

[Nikolai]

I think something along that line was mentioned a long time ago.

[Nikolai]

OK, a quick search does not find anything specific on religious persecution, but what I did find, was that citizens not of your state religion will get a happiness penalty. That could be seen as a PC way to include religious persecution.

[Impaler[WrG]]

If you can choose the Holy City for a Religion then I dont see why the "Holy Site" isn't just handled as a generic wonder of the World. So far are their any functional differences in how a Holy City works vs a City with a Wonder?

Presumably only the first discoverer of the unlocking tech gets to make this wonder (dont realy see why though), and their is no cost assosiated with the action.

Another cool option, perhaps you get a "Messiaha" Settler unit that works just like a normal City founding Settler BUT what ever they found or merge with becomes the Holy City. They spawn in your capital (so its easy to put him their which is the logical strategic and historicaly acurate thing to do). Or you could march him off to build a new city someware else.

A major question I have is...

Is it possible for a Holy City to be destroyed/lost/eliminated completly. Say if I Nuke a Holy City to ashes dose the Religion just relocate to a new holy city within the same empire.

Now assuming Holy Cities can be destroyed what dose that do to the Religion, is it eliminated? Dose it slowly die out from not being spread? If all players are going against a particular religion and activly trying to squish it will it drop off the Earth completly? I think it should be able to IF the situation is as I described (No Holy City, No temples, All players pushing other Religions). It would be very interesting and hitoricaly accurate.

[LordShiva]

The thing that I don't like about the whole holy city concept is that it's a western-religion concept - eastern religions don't have holy cities.