Am i missing something that is required to start a revolution? As far as i'm aware, it's 50% rebel sentiment in each city, and 50% overall on the bar on the revolution screen.

I've only played four or five games. I could do it in the first one which was the first scenario. I wanted to try to win a huge game by conquest, so i unticked independence victory on a custom game. I've tried twice (the second time just getting to 50% as soon as possible to test), and neither time could i press the "start revolution" button. It stayed greyed out.

Could this be a bug or am i missing something obvious?

I'm guessing that since you unticked "Independance Victory", you cannot declare independance :)

Well that should just mean the game doesn't end when you achieve independence, not that independence shouldn't be possible as it's the main thing in the game.

Any..... slighlty more..... sensible answers?

I'm a little confused by the independence declaration part of the game too, but for a slightly different reason.

I have 4 colonies set up, and their independence support percentages are as follows:

Colony 1: 72% (My capital/biggest colony)
Colony 2: 78%
Colony 3: 84%
Colony 4: 100%

The revolution adviser is telling me that only 44% of my colonists support a revolution and it doesn't allow me to declare independence. Why? I don't understand how only 44% support it when my lowest colony is at 72%.

Is this a known bug? I'm hoping this is one of the many bugs I've stumbled across that will be taken care of in a patch.

I'm guessing that the number on the overall slider includes units that aren't in the settlements.

Rebel sentiment won't effect people not working in cities, which in my eyes is a huge flaw. One possible solution could be to stockpile weapons and food to quickly pump out soldiers after independence declaration but that would lower your rebel sentiment after declaring.

Rebel sentiment won't effect people not working in cities, which in my eyes is a huge flaw. One possible solution could be to stockpile weapons and food to quickly pump out soldiers after independence declaration but that would lower your rebel sentiment after declaring.But your aggregate rebel sentiment after declaring isn't important. And when you take half a city's population and turn them into Dragoons, the 50% rebel sentiment jumps to 100% for that city.

I really, really, really wish colonists who aren't in settlements weren't counted against the overall sentiment, though.

Couldn't just ask to bring the thread back to my original question could i? Has any one else tried what i did?

Couldn't just ask to bring the thread back to my original question could i? Has any one else tried what i did?

Yes, had the same sort of game where I unchecked the Independence victory and also was not able to declare independence. So it seems like a result of unchecking the victory condition.

Ok thanks. Then it's either a bug or the world's gone completely insane (maybe a slight overreaction)

Yeah you're right, i've just done the exact same thing, getting to 50% as soon as possible, but with independence victory ticked. I could start the revolution. That's pretty ridiculous.

(My army of elder statesmen was killed rather easily too)

But your aggregate rebel sentiment after declaring isn't important. And when you take half a city's population and turn them into Dragoons, the 50% rebel sentiment jumps to 100% for that city.

I really, really, really wish colonists who aren't in settlements weren't counted against the overall sentiment, though.

It is important because you get a combat bonus for each percent above 50%.

Ok thanks. Then it's either a bug or the world's gone completely insane (maybe a slight overreaction)

I'm confused why you think this is a bug... You unchecked declaring independence as a victory condition, so it doesn't let you. Seems pretty clear cut to me.

I'm confused why you think this is a bug... You unchecked declaring independence as a victory condition, so it doesn't let you. Seems pretty clear cut to me.


What he said...


However I understand your frustration jsab500 since you don't get a combat bonus.

It's hard not to get angry when people say such things. Which is why i'm angry. Read my second post.

So you want all the benefits of declaring independence but not have to deal with the pesky REF? You're questioning why this isn't allowed and wondering out loud if it's a bug? Really?

I guess he wants to declare independence, fight it out with the King and not have "game over"...

Well that should just mean the game doesn't end when you achieve independence, not that independence shouldn't be possible as it's the main thing in the game.

Any..... slighlty more..... sensible answers?

Well.....how were you hoping to eventually win a game as an invasion of the homeland is not possible. I don't believe that the tick box option should be available for independence as you have already pointed out that this is an integral part of the game. I don't think that this game is geared up for a Civ type domination or conquest type victory. It is wholly reliant on the succesful declaration of independence as far as I understand it.

On a related note, what does "Europe victory" mean? I've seen it in custom game menu?

Well that should just mean the game doesn't end when you achieve independence, not that independence shouldn't be possible as it's the main thing in the game.

Any..... slighlty more..... sensible answers?

It's a perfectly sensible answer. This is no different from a custom game in CivIV when you uncheck diplomatic victory or space race, and can't build the UN or the Apollo Program. It's like that in all Meier games, if you disable a victory condition, you can't do the things that would bring on that victory if you had it checked. (Except I suppose eliminating opponents for conquest.)

I personally leave Independence as the ONLY victory condition checked. That way, you don't have any time limit and can declare independence at leisure.

I also think it might be cool if a future patch had other victory conditions. You should be able to win victory as a loyalist, by building a really big empire, or eliminating all European rivals, or wiping out X% of native settlements/native nations, or whatever. It might be interesting if you could choose whether your Statesmen generated Liberty Bells (towards independence) or Loyalty Bells (same other effects but no increase in rebel sentiment). Of course, to make this work they would have to balance the European AI as well -- right now the natives can be pretty formidable but the Europeans are pushovers.

On a related note, what does "Europe victory" mean? I've seen it in custom game menu?

"Europe Victory" is available only to the king. It happens when you hit the time limit and haven't declared independence yet. "Time Victory" is also available only to the king. If you have declared independence, but run out of time before beating all the REF, this one happens. The only way you can win is by independence, and the only way you can lose by independence is if an AI gets there first, which given what weenies they are right now ain't gonna happen.

It's a perfectly sensible answer. This is no different from a custom game in CivIV when you uncheck diplomatic victory or space race, and can't build the UN or the Apollo Program. It's like that in all Meier games, if you disable a victory condition, you can't do the things that would bring on that victory if you had it checked. (Except I suppose eliminating opponents for conquest.)

I personally leave Independence as the ONLY victory condition checked. That way, you don't have any time limit and can declare independence at leisure.

I also think it might be cool if a future patch had other victory conditions. You should be able to win victory as a loyalist, by building a really big empire, or eliminating all European rivals, or wiping out X% of native settlements/native nations, or whatever. It might be interesting if you could choose whether your Statesmen generated Liberty Bells (towards independence) or Loyalty Bells (same other effects but no increase in rebel sentiment). Of course, to make this work they would have to balance the European AI as well -- right now the natives can be pretty formidable but the Europeans are pushovers.

Oh this is brilliant - and means this is the ONLY way I'm playing future games.

Having the game end arbitrarily at 1792 is just ridiculous, ESPECIALLY when the MOW is parked outside your city instead of bringing more fresh cattle over for your men to slaughter.

Karhgath: "I'm guessing that since you unticked "Independance Victory", you cannot declare independence."

Does anyone know how to alter the savegame file to "re-tick" this option? I've just played a quite long game and i want to declare independence and now i can't because i misunderstood what this tiny option meant.

You can't, you'll have to start a new game.

If you want a game where you can keep on playing after an independence, just play a game with the independence victory box ticked and when you get your independence, click the "wait, let me play one more turn..." option from the pop-up.

Be warned though, if you didn't chose "Monarchy" as an option for your new state, you still can't trade with Europe and if you leave any Man-'o-Wars alive, they will keep pestering your sea-lanes.

Colonization isn't built to play on after indendence, but believe me, it doesn't get anymore interresting as you will not get anything new. You'll just keep expanding in the same way and the insane taxes (the king keeps increasing them after your independence) and the slowdown of training colonists will eventually start to irritate you.

Just play another game if you want to start a sprawling empire far in the imperial age.

I belive all settlements have to be to 100% to get independance, not sure though

Johan et al - Here is an interesting concept I am trying right now in a game.

I am playing the Dutch on the large map of all the Americas. I wanted to see if I could turn the whole of North and South America Orange before time ran out. That is a "goal" I have never tried before.

Here is what I have done so far:

I built a 20 town colony stretching from east to west coast of South America with a great port city on both coasts and one highway connecting all the cities from east to west. When the Soiux declared war on me I beat them up a little bit before signing a peace treaty and put two more coastal cities of pop 3 in the northwestern most part of Brazil.

I declared independence as a monarchy as soon as I could and as expected on turn 2 the REF attacked New Amsterdam on turn 3 they took the other two coastal cities which I had left undefended on purpose. I fended off the REF making sure not to recapture both of the two coastal cities (only leaving one REF solidier at the end of any turn in one of those cities). After awhile the REF was down to 1 soldier in that city and 16 MoWs sailing around bombarding my ports (which did not matter as I was trading with Europe from my west coast port). I left 2 very experienced dragoons and 3 infantry within 1 turn of the lonely REF outpost. My intention is with 2 turns left to take out this one unit.

I then set out on my quest to turn the entire map Orange taking on the natives and the other colonies.

With 60 turns left before the game ends the entirety of of South and Central America are orange with not one square available on the coast for another nation's colony. North America west of the Mississippi is cleared of native settlements and I am developing my own towns there to turn that area orange as well.

I built SoLs in both my east and west coast port cities (combining them when I built a colony in Panama) and started taking on the King's fleet. I ended up destroying the entire royal navy and my SoLs are just standing by to bombard the defenses of the King's lonely colony every time they are rebuilt.

On the way, I developed a new west coast trading port in central america to cut the travel time back and forth down to Europe and developed the pan american highway (it is amazing how quickly a stack of 6 expert pioneers can buld a road!)

In the 60 turns I have left I hope to be able to take out the 2 native tribes and the french colony (which has gone nowhere fast being stuck up in NE Canada with just two settlements). I am even planning on putting a couple of fisherman on islands (even the galapagos) just for kicks. I have done the whole conquest with less than 40 dragoons.

I think with 60 turns left I should be able to complete my goal as with 100% rebel sentiment borders of new towns grow rapidly.