Ideology and (un)happiness

[ezaura]

I posted this question in the Quick Questions and Answers thread, but I feel it might need more exploration and hopefully bring in a few experienced players with their views. Here are what I've previously posted.

Hey guys.

I was wondering what the determinants are for happiness in regards to the new ideology social policy system. It says I'm influenced by another civ's ideology - which I don't understand either.

Furthermore, I may have missed a tooltip when making an initial choice, but is there some kind of indication somewhere which would hint at what the population's preferred ideology would be?

I know what's causing it, but is there a specific measure though? In my specific example, only 1 civ is pressuring me - and somehow that amounts to -17 unhappiness (yes, seventeen). Even with this unhappiness, I'm still at +1 while at war, so without this discontent thing and the war, I'd be +26-27 or something. I have this civ completely crushed in tech, army, congress delegates, gold, culture, luxury resources and probably more. Only his city number and population and faith rival mine - but even then we're quite similar.

I changed it and it went to "content", but it just doesn't make sense at the moment - it should be be me that's pressuring him!

Oh and I literally started G&K 2-3 weeks ago. Any references to past Civ titles will just go over my head

Might as well upload the save as well, I'm on Mac though, so not sure if same format on Windows.

http://www.sendspace.com/file/kp94sj

 

[Dragonmaster83]

Basically the ideological pressure (which is what is giving you unhappiness) is completely based around the new culture/tourism format. You will received ideological pressure when their culture level is higher then yours. By culture level is meaning the Unknown, Exotic (10%), Familiar (30%), Popular (60%), Influential (100%), Dominating (200%) on the culture graph.

The %'s are the total amount of generated tourism by the opposing civ compared to the total generated culture of your civ. If they have generated 1000 tourism on you and you have 10000 total culture, they are at 10% and at the exotic level. If your still at the unknown level of culture, they will exert 1 point of ideological pressure on your civ. More pressure from an ideology that is not what you have picked, you will get increasing levels of resistance (also shown on the culture victory window). If you get your tourism high enough to get to exotic with that civ thats pressuring you, then the pressure goes back to 0 and unhappiness goes away.

Basically this means that you CANNOT completely ignore culture/tourism in any game if you plan on using an ideology and cannot have excess happiness. The ideological pressure will destroy your happiness if you don't follow the world ideology. It doesn't take but only a little bit of tourism to get to at least exotic levels with all the civs even if they are full on culture. At least then the point of pressure will be lowered by 1.

Culture is now basically pure defense to ideological pressure. The more you have of it, the more tourism is required to overcome it. Tourism is basically like another offensive part of the game. The more tourism you have, the more pressure you put on the other civs to either follow your ideology or have rebels and lose cities. But tourism also does act a little defensive where it lowers pressure on you from other ideologies if you can hit the next influence level.

 

[torni]

If I don't adopt any of the three ideologies and just pick other social policies, will I be immune to the ideological unhappiness?

 

[Dragonmaster83]

If I don't adopt any of the three ideologies and just pick other social policies, will I be immune to the ideological unhappiness?

Yes. The unhappiness only happens after you pick one.

 

[Eagle Pursuit]

If I don't adopt any of the three ideologies and just pick other social policies, will I be immune to the ideological unhappiness?

You will eventually be forced to commit to an Ideology, whether by building 3 factories or by entering the Modern Era. Even if you refuse to take any Tenets, you have to pick an Ideology. It can be put off, but not entirely avoided.

 

[Dig-Doug]

If I don't adopt any of the three ideologies and just pick other social policies, will I be immune to the ideological unhappiness?

You will also be losing all the bonuses from the ideologies so it really boils down to this. If your not interested in their Ideology just refrain for as long as possible then go ahead and take the one you want. After that just keep popping your tourism and culture up as fast as possible(if you haven't already started to). Also picking the Ideology with the best happiness tenets will help considerably, even if that ideology is theirs.

 

[torni]

I could see a situation where I'm going on a conquest spree and would delay getting an ideology on purpose in order to take culturally threatening civs before they can press me with unhappiness.

I understood that you only get unhappiness from different ideologies than the one you choose?

 

[Dig-Doug]

I could see a situation where I'm going on a conquest spree and would delay getting an ideology on purpose in order to take culturally threatening civs before they can press me with unhappiness.

I understood that you only get unhappiness from different ideologies than the one you choose?

Yes
and all the normal stuff like growth in city population.