Found all religions strategy?

[Fried-Psitalon]

The key is to utilize Great Prophets for Code/Philosophy/Theology (at least two of those.) You can take a break to gather your empire a bit before driving for the remaining one (probably Taoism) and then the final religion way down the road at Divine Right.

[krytonix]

Founding most/all of the religions does sound tempting.

One thing you might do (in SP only) is use religions to divide the AI enemies. If you found most/all of the religions, you could convert different civs to different religions, then get them to adopt it as their state religion, thus giving them diplomatic penalties against each other. Then convincing Hatshepsut to go to war against Isabella would become a lot easier (damn you, Isabella!). This may or may not be more of a domination/conquer tactic though (i haven't tried it). With so much emphasis on tech researching to get all the religions and the subsequent availability of so many religious buildings, seems like a cultural victory would generally be better. In that case, I'd think you'd want to spread only your state religion so you get the most out of its diplomatic benefit (keep them off your back while you out pace them).

[Jon Shafer]

Religions are founded in a random city weighted AGAINST the capital (so it's less likely to get in your capital).

[DeepO]

size doesn't matter? other religions present doesn't matter? Those seem obvious choices...

DeepO

[Jon Shafer]

Yes, population factors in, as well as number of religions already there.

I could give the exact formula, but what fun is that?

[DeepO]

Bah, in 2 months time everyone will be able to read it from code, most likely

DeepO

[Jon Shafer]

Certainly, but for the meantime we can keep it interesting.

[tetrahedron]

I found all the religions with the Americans.. pretty easy, maybe I just lucky??

[DeepO]

Maybe you should play your next game one level higher?

DeepO

[tetrahedron]

indeed.. indeed... just having fun right now is all

[Yavathol]

Wow, lots of comments. I'm still waiting 'til Friday to get the game but at least now I have the benefit of your experiences.

It sounds like it is definately a good strategy, if you can do the hardest bit at the start and get all the earliest ones. Then use Great Prophets to get the later technologies. With respect to how weak this leaves you in other areas, how valuable are the technologies themselves? I'm wondering if it would be possible to pick up the technology that allows tech-trading and then trade one tech to the other civilizations for economic/military techs. This would also help convert the foreign techs, right? Without needing to spread missionaries However if the AI realises that the value of the religious technologies is very low then you probably won't be able to trade them!

A couple of people mentioned some wonders, could I ask which wonders are most useful for pursuing this strategy?

[DeepO]

Originally posted by Yavathol
It sounds like it is definately a good strategy, if you can do the hardest bit at the start and get all the earliest ones.

Getting the 3 at the start is very difficult, however getting all 4 others isn't exactly easy either. They are not all on the same beeline, and nearly no military techs are anyway near.

Then use Great Prophets to get the later technologies. With respect to how weak this leaves you in other areas, how valuable are the technologies themselves?

The techs themselves aren't that special compared to others (they are useful, though: it is possible to have no temples up into later in the game, but who would want that?), what makes them stand out is that as long as they lead to oher religions, the AI will be less likely to trade them. And will be more eager to receive them in trades.

I'm wondering if it would be possible to pick up the technology that allows tech-trading and then trade one tech to the other civilizations for economic/military techs. This would also help convert the foreign techs, right? Without needing to spread missionaries However if the AI realises that the value of the religious technologies is very low then you probably won't be able to trade them!

I found alphabet to be the key if going for most religions. It gives you a chance of getting up to speed on military and worker techs. But use it badly, and you will lose the race to later religions.

A couple of people mentioned some wonders, could I ask which wonders are most useful for pursuing this strategy?

The Oracle. Not only does it give you a free tech (meaning a free religion at that point in the tree), it also gives great prophet points. And those great prophets again lead to religions being discovered.

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One thing that has't been mentioned before, is what to do with such an all-religions strat. Just going for all 7 of them is of course a worthy goal, but getting 7 (or 5) of them is also extremely important if pursuing a cultural victory. Cathedrals give an insane amount of culture, and you need insane amounts in 3 cities... hence you need at least 9 temples of each religion in your empire in order to be able to build 3 cathedrals. Cultural victory at such a point is a walkover, on noble you should be able to get one around 1950. Getting there, however, is not easy at all.

Something else where loads of religions are useful for is of course gold, you will never run into problems with 7 shrines, even natural spread will be enough to fill your treasury. This means you can run a much higher research rate, and the possibility to switch more of your cottages to mines. But as a 7-religion game also requires a lot more shields invested in missionaries and religious buildings, that offsets nicely.

Last, diplomacy. You will be military weak, so spreading your state religion like crazy (and not the others until later on) will make everyone your friend. Which is rare in CIV, normally some will like you, and some won't.

This is especially true with continent-maps: in many cases, even getting 5 of the 7 will mean that the other continent has 2 religions, while you have the rest. On your home continent you can decide which party will go to war with whom. Try spreading your state religion to everyone except one, while you spread your none-state to the unlucky bastard... he will find himself at war with the whole continent, leaving you ample room to pick him clean without wasting too much soldiers.

DeepO

[krytonix]

Originally posted by DeepO
One thing that has't been mentioned before, is what to do with such an all-religions strat.....

My previous post summed up several of these points in a few sentences (though without nearly the depth you provided). Great specific info, I didn't know if such tactics could really be pulled off, but now i'm excited to try it!

[DeepO]

Originally posted by krytonix


My previous post summed up several of these points in a few sentences (though without nearly the depth you provided). Great specific info, I didn't know if such tactics could really be pulled off, but now i'm excited to try it!

The difference may be that I used a 5-religion strategy a couple of times... and a 7-religion strat once. What can I say, I love religions

DeepO

[Addled Platypus]

Originally posted by krytonix
Founding most/all of the religions does sound tempting.

One thing you might do (in SP only) is use religions to divide the AI enemies. If you found most/all of the religions, you could convert different civs to different religions, then get them to adopt it as their state religion, thus giving them diplomatic penalties against each other. Then convincing Hatshepsut to go to war against Isabella would become a lot easier (damn you, Isabella!). This may or may not be more of a domination/conquer tactic though (i haven't tried it). With so much emphasis on tech researching to get all the religions and the subsequent availability of so many religious buildings, seems like a cultural victory would generally be better. In that case, I'd think you'd want to spread only your state religion so you get the most out of its diplomatic benefit (keep them off your back while you out pace them).

In my second game, it almost seemed to be that point, but used agaisnt me. They will diffently go to war with you if you keep on being nice to someone of not the same religon. The additional factor would have to be closed borders.

In the same game I kept closed borders to all but 2 (out of 9).
The others of the same religon never got in my face.

It does seem that Cathrine of Russia has been the pain for 2 straight games. I am 1 for 2, agaisnt this dame.