One (well - not the only one) problem I have with CiV is that its mechanisms don't support colonization as we know it from history.
Even if we set aside the inapt AI that can't coordinate any naval operation, the happiness system discourages settling into the new world. By the time you discover the "new world", you usually have most possible luxuries this way or another, and founding new cities in the new world doesn't present much of an incentive. (I am especially thinking Terra maps with all civs starting in the old world, where there IS a lot of free land to colonize).
How I think this could be fixed:
1) Unique (per continent) luxuries
I think there should be luxury resources that are limited to a single continent, or are VERY scarce in the others. Maybe instead of "Spices" we could have "Pepper", "Cacao", "Coffee" and "Tea", each limited to one continent only (or something along the lines).
2) Population overflow and transfer
One of the real life reasons for colonizing, e.g., America, was the immigration. Currently, every citizen is useful in even the biggest cities (3-hex radius plus specialists). If cities could grow to sizes bigger than that, transferring citizens to new world colonies would be useful.
I think option 2 would be difficult to implement, but I would welcome option 1 in an expansion or at least in a mod.
Even if we set aside the inapt AI that can't coordinate any naval operation, the happiness system discourages settling into the new world. By the time you discover the "new world", you usually have most possible luxuries this way or another, and founding new cities in the new world doesn't present much of an incentive. (I am especially thinking Terra maps with all civs starting in the old world, where there IS a lot of free land to colonize).
How I think this could be fixed:
1) Unique (per continent) luxuries
I think there should be luxury resources that are limited to a single continent, or are VERY scarce in the others. Maybe instead of "Spices" we could have "Pepper", "Cacao", "Coffee" and "Tea", each limited to one continent only (or something along the lines).
2) Population overflow and transfer
One of the real life reasons for colonizing, e.g., America, was the immigration. Currently, every citizen is useful in even the biggest cities (3-hex radius plus specialists). If cities could grow to sizes bigger than that, transferring citizens to new world colonies would be useful.
I think option 2 would be difficult to implement, but I would welcome option 1 in an expansion or at least in a mod.