can you choose NOT to found a religion?

[minger]

you're probably right. the point is, under state religion (or organized religion, whatev it's called), cities without the state religion don't get the same bonuses as the ones that do have it. (In your formulation, there is opportunity cost)

Therefore, if my goal is to use state religion eventually, and I happen to be fast in getting techs, I would choose NOT to found a second religion, b/c I want my cities to be of the first religion. Make sense?

If what that other poster said was correct (that you CANNOT choose NOT to found a religion), then I would have to basically avoid getting certain techs first. Strategically, that's an interesting choice, though admittedly strange from a "realism" perspective (yeah yeah, i know not everything is "realistic")

[JonahFalcon]

The default religion (or "no religion") is paganism. You can choose that in the same way you can choose despotism as your government.

[joncnunn]

Well, the Civ IV research tree OR gates seems to allow bypassing techs that would establish a new relgion a whole lot more than the AND gates from Civ II / III / SMAC

Myself, I might very well want to found as many religions as possible by beelining to as many of them as possible.
Whichever State Relgion the AI picks, I'll have the holy city and get the money.

[GeoModder]

No need to bypasss those techs enabling a new religion. Simply wait till someone else has gotten it first.

[vovan]

Another thing I wonder... In MP games, if you have an ally, the I understand it, you share research, so both of you research the same thing, and you both get it at the same time, combining research efforts, basically. So... If you two or three or whatever research a religion tech, then how is it decided which nation gets the holy city? As if all allies were one big civ? Or can you choose which civ gets the holy city?

[minger]

Originally posted by vovan
Another thing I wonder... In MP games, if you have an ally, the I understand it, you share research, so both of you research the same thing, and you both get it at the same time, combining research efforts, basically. So... If you two or three or whatever research a religion tech, then how is it decided which nation gets the holy city? As if all allies were one big civ? Or can you choose which civ gets the holy city?

Not that I know the answer to your question, but I'd bet my money that the nation who researches it gets the holy city. It would take an extra layer of programming to have the players decide who gets the holy city. (even tho the extra layer of programming is easy)

[Verenti]

What if you're BOTH researching it, What then?

[Kc7mxo]

whoever finishes researching it first gets the city, as far as i know.

[Metaliturtle]

It seems, from looking at previews/ interviews, that even if you don't want to have a religious civ, you still gain bonuses of a monetary nature if you have the city in your empire

[vovan]

Originally posted by Kc7mxo
whoever finishes researching it first gets the city, as far as i know.

But in MP, don't allies research techs at the same time?

See this screenie for example:

http://www.civfanatics.com/gallery/showimage.php?i=729&original=1

See at the bottom-right it says:

Chieftess - Military Tradition (9)
GCReptile - Military Tradition (9)

Since they are allies, their research is combined and they will get the tech at the same time. So what if it were a religion tech?

[DeepO]

Originally posted by JonahFalcon
The default religion (or "no religion") is paganism. You can choose that in the same way you can choose despotism as your government.

You're mixing things up here... state religion is something religion-related, paganism is a civics choice. Free religion means no state religion (or maybe better put: all religions are state religions), but nowhere has been said that paganism means no religion period. You can most likely run a state religion in paganism, and even receive certain bonusses (e.g. the relation boosts / disadvantages to AIs). You only don't get any bonusses that come from e.g. running organized religion (e.g. no non-state missionaries)

DeepO

[DeepO]

Originally posted by joncnunn
Myself, I might very well want to found as many religions as possible by beelining to as many of them as possible.
Whichever State Relgion the AI picks, I'll have the holy city and get the money.

Exactly. And every foreign missionary is welcome to do his work in my lands: let someone else build one and travel half-way around the globe just to give me more money

I doubt founding all religions is going to be easy, though. OR-gates does not mean that there won't be several paths to follow, so different religions might be on different bee-lines.

DeepO

[DeepO]

Originally posted by vovan
Since they are allies, their research is combined and they will get the tech at the same time. So what if it were a religion tech?

One of the two gets the holy city, and both of them receive the religion and can choose it as state religion? Seems logical...

DeepO

[vovan]

Originally posted by DeepO
One of the two gets the holy city, and both of them receive the religion and can choose it as state religion? Seems logical...

Yes, however, it somewhat bothers me: what if only one of the allies ends up getting all holy cities? Don't holy cities have special things they give your nation? Like you can only build a shrine thing in the holy city or something? It seems it would be unfair then if only one of the allies got all cities. I guess depending on the algorithm they use to chose the holy city though it might be pretty unlikely to happen.

[DeepO]

Originally posted by vovan


Yes, however, it somewhat bothers me: what if only one of the allies ends up getting all holy cities? Don't holy cities have special things they give your nation? Like you can only build a shrine thing in the holy city or something? It seems it would be unfair then if only one of the allies got all cities. I guess depending on the algorithm they use to chose the holy city though it might be pretty unlikely to happen.

Shrines give money... if MP allows you to share research, I'm pretty sure you can share gold as well.

DeepO