Language

Languages was and still is one of the most important thing that connected civilizations with each others, and has always made alliances, such as the arab world (Egypt, KSA, Morocco, Lebanon, Palestine, Iraq), or the Anglo orld (US, UK, Australia canada, etc..)...
i mean, i know its gonna be pretty hard to put the over 3000 existing languages, but they can start with the 10 largest, like russian, chinese, arabic, french, english, spanish, Hindu, Malay, etc...

I like how in Civ 4 when you click on a unit and it will say something in their native language, but I'm not sure how it could be made into an important part of the gameplay.

How about you could have to "build a translator for the other civ." Mabie this could give you an advantage in diplomicy w/ that civ if u r the first to build it before them.

I kinda like how in Galactic Civilizations you couldn't even CONDUCT diplomacy with an alien race until you built a translator or had some way of translating their language... Perhaps something like that could be done with Civ....

yeah, i like the translator idea, Cynovolans, i think languages will be more of an advantage or disadvantage with other civilizations, for example, Arabs and Egyptians would have stronger relations, and perminante alliances, since they both speak Arabic, while English and Americans would have more stronger ties then say Americans and Chinese...

pretty much like the religions, having the same faith brings you together, so if you have the same faith, and language, it would automatically make you allies... or make you have much stronger relations...

nation gets a language, you can choose the "offical" language but you get 1 unhappiness per 3 turns per 10% that speak the language in a city. (~ how may generations it takes to switch languages) You get a diplo + (+1?) for sharing a language sence it isnt that important. Language can work like culture. The culture would influance the native people to speak the language.

and you get extra bonus if your language becomes the lingua franca... which would be spread with your military power, Technological Discoveries, or by Diplomacy, and Alliances...
like English, Arabic,etc...

MyCiv concept around this is as follows (briefly):

• Each civ has its own language
• You can only conduct VERY basic trade without knowing each others' language - only 1 turn trades, limited options.
• Upon meeting a new civ, you get an small-tech item in your tech tree, which you can research at any point. This represents you learning their language. It opens up more trade/alliance options.
• After learning their language, you can learn their culture (via another tech) which enhances your relationship with them (+points per turn) and allows you to build a consulate etc.
• Both of these techs affect how your people see them, and how they're people see you. It drastically effects spying, most diplomatic relationships and technology-leak.
• Conversely, if you have known another nation for a long time, and expressed no/little desire to understand them, it negatively impacts your relationship.
• Later game you will have the ability to add a third-tier of cultural knowledge to your belt, which gives more +friendly points, and allows a closer bonding of your two nations. You may even choose to merge your languages.
• (I haven't decided yet) but may even split the "learn cultural stuff" into different categories for example (music, food, goods, religious studies, architecture, warfare). These could give bonuses for example +luxury (for multicultural food options), enable you to make more-desirable trade goods, or bonuses on warfare against them etc. A true friend would know each other well. This level of split might become tedious however.
• Being the first to know all languages (and/or cultures) would give you a diplomatic bonus with the UN, and perhaps provide a small exclusive wonder.

i think the consulate idea is very good, CivMyWay, i mean, instead of having open borders, and before doing so, you can offer to exchange embassies, which will have advantages and disadvantages, i mean, it will act as a + in relations with another civilization, and will also help you communicating with the other Leader with out loosing marks for an "aragont demand", yet it will cause HUGE problems if a spy is detected in...

it can also be held as a threat, like we see today, that if they do not do "this" demand, you will end diplomatic relations (Embassy) with them, and you can do so as well, if you wich to launch a war on another civilization that you have an open borders with, so if you declar war on a civ, without closing embassies your chance of getting them to talk to is is harder then if you declared war with closing an embassy before doing it...

I think about using Languages as Religions is a good idea, as "lesser religions" with less implications in some things, and more in others. This seems a crazy idea 'cause never has been made, but well, Religions were new too one time, and now are no problems about them.

-Language is important in diplomacy.

-Language is important in Civil War, Anexing foreing citys and losing cities.


Is no need 'bout a complicated language system, with "Language teachers" spreading your language around the world; Is easy as a "cover op" screen where you invest in national education to make another language more important.

Maybe your civ can have 1 first language, and 1 o 2 secondary languages, the more if you have a high culture. This is the National languages all people speak, and grants a good "+" "-" mods in diplomacy. Anyway, you can contact with other language based civs with habitual embassaors. (Is not the same in diplomacy, if your people talks the foreing language, or only a embassaor)

I've decided not do a massive split - but so that you have to research language and writing of each civ. It also means that Civ A who can't talk to Civ B can make trade deals (at a price) using Civ C to negotiate, who can speak both languages. The higher end agreements would require writing in the language.

Something akin to various languages could be implemented through an expanded culture system, whereby each nation has its own distinct culture that spreads more realistically than currently, i.e. more like religious spread.

I like the idea of introducing language into the game, but I think the idea of diplomatic or trading restraints for civs with differing languages is a bit much. I almost think that you could separate languages into families instead of specific language themselves (Slavic, classical, Latinate, Anglo-Saxon, Native American, Sumerian or ancient Persian, Semitic, Asiatic, ect.). Each family could have its own wonder to spread its influence (like The Odyssey for classical or Beowulf for Anglo-Saxon)-- these monuments could even be used to found them in the first place. Languages could work like religions in the sense that they incur positive or negative diplomatic points and influence espionage points.

In conjunction to language families there should another tier in the civic options. They should come in effect as a civ progresses in the tech tree. These can provide bonuses to culture, science, religion, espionage, research, commerce, probably anything you can think of. Here's my own idea:

Tribal Ritualism (or something like that): low cost, no effects (or small culture boost), Starting Civic
Commercial Exchange: low cost, trade/science bonus for cities with state lang.,spread culture in cities connected to trade route, spread state lang., Req. writing
Monasticism: Medium cost, no non-state lang. spread in cities w/ state rel., science boost to state religious buildings, missionaries -15% production cost, Req. Theology
Censorship: high cost, no non-spread culture spread in cities, +5-10% maintenance cost, +15% espionage points in all cities, Req. Court of Laws
State Propaganda: high cost, -15% war weariness, -15% Civic maintenance, -2 w/ all leaders, Req. Facism
Free Press: low cost, university + , +35% research in all cities, Req. Liberalism
Globalism: medium cost, + and culture for each language in city, + culture per religious building, +10 research, +2 w/ all leaders.

Welcome to the forums, WilltoPower.

I don't really think that language should be a determined factor like civics, but more of a naturally occurring phenomena, although I don't know what benefits/penalties would be derived from it, seeing as I also don't think it should act as a barrier to diplomacy.

Thanx Camikaze,

I was thinking of finding a way to utilize language within the game in the same way Hitler used his voice to stir the German Volk, or the Norman's used French to dominate the Saxons, or the Roman Catholic Church used Latin the control the laity during the middle ages. I just think it would be interesting if you could find some way to use language to your own advantage instead of merely a natural barrier.

I think that that could be reasonably easily tied into culture, as just a factor of cultural control and influence (if such a thing is implemented). What you suggest would require the need to actually control your people beyond the general happiness/unhappiness that there is currently. If that was also implemented, then your idea would have some grounds for use, but I don't see how it could be used until that time.

Well two civs with the same language should get diplomatic bonus. Perhaps the leader could be an outstanding orator, which would make them more persuasive (deals, reduced war weariness etc).

That's a possibility I guess, so long as you could still talk to other civs if you don't share a language. I mean, a simple diplomatic bonus and a few other bonuses worked into language within your own civ would be okay, but I don't think it should be a very powerful, restricting and important thing, as you suggested earlier.

Yea i mean, No wars Im aware of are faught over language.

Sorry, but which Civ IV nations share the same language?
(except USA/UK and Byzantium/Rome-Greece)

A unique character of civilizations are their different languages