Overhauling old civs (Faith, Trade Routes, GWAM) - A lot of new ideas

[benjamin28]

Hey guys!
There has been a debate about how Vanilla civs are starting to look somewhat dull and not as exciting as the new ones, especially since the incorporation of a lot of features from G&K and BNW. True, we got new France and Arabia, some minor additions to Iroquois and India, and it has been announced a change to Japan and Germany. So, why don’t we imagine an overhaul of some of them, trying to mix in things like Tourism, Trade Routes, Religion, etc?

As an addition, I’ve suggested new leaders for some civs, with new UAs tied to their respective personalities. Well, in fact this is highly unlikely to happen, since, according to the devs, creating new leaderscreens is a lenghty process. So, if you don’t agree with this idea, you can simply consider that some civs could have two UAs to choose from.

I won’t create a mod with this data, it’s pure suggestion. Please don’t turn this thread into a debate about whether some civs are worthy of overhaul or not. There are dozens of threads about that already. But any suggestion, criticism or addition will be happily received. Also, if you like some of the ideas and want to use for a mod or anything, you’re free to do it.

Credits for some ideas go to wigwam and his "Reinventing the wheel" thread; ferretbacon, whose ideas for India have been used... a second time And several other forum users and their contributions (some of them may have been cribbed unconsciously ).
So, here we go! Things that are not listed are unchanged. The most notable changes are underlined.

Arabia:
Leader: Abd al-Malik
UA: Ships of the desert: Trade routes generate +1 faith per turn and spread the home city's religion twice as effectively. Oil resources are doubled.

Spoiler :

Arabia’s UU and UB are top tier as they are, so I didn’t want the UA to be too powerful. The 50% extended range of Caravans was added to another civ. I think Arabia needs to be a religious powerhouse, so generating Faith in some way looked like a logic step. I thought about increasing the Faith bonus to +2 when discovering Theology, but I think it could be too much.

Leader: Harun al-Rashid
UA: House of wisdom: During a Golden Age, every religious building produces +1 Science . Every Great Work of Literature produce +2 Science , or +4 if it’s from a foreign civilization.

Spoiler :

Arabia was a scientific power during most of its history. Harun’s House of wisdom was a famed library, specialized in preserving knowledge from older civilizations. That’s why foreign GWoL give extra Science. The question is: should this bonus be applied only to Arabia? Sounds natural but other players would have little incentive to give away their own GW. Or maybe every Arabian GWoL gives the +2 bonus to any civ, but only Arabia benefits from the +4.

Aztecs
UU: Jaguar warrior: replaces Longswordsman. If it kills an enemy, it heals 25 hit points and has a 33% chance to turn melee and ranged units into Workers.

Leader: Montezuma
UA: Sacrificial captives: Before Printing Press is discovered, you can sacrifice a Worker in a city with a Temple to receive Faith . City-States are more easily bullied and provide more gold as tribute.

Spoiler :

I’ve made a complete overhaul of the Aztecs. The killing-for-culture strategy has been translated to another civ. Aztec society was deeply religious and warfare was centered on capturing prisoners to sacrifice. The UU is now a little closer to the era when the Empire was strong (late medieval) and has nothing to do with jungles (something that was completely unconnected to this culture; in fact, they dwelled mostly on dry highlands). Instead, it synergizes with the UA, turning the pre-Renaissance years into a period of religious expansion. To counterbalance, they have incentive to stay away from a useful tech (Printing Press) if they want to preserve their ways. This was done because, at this point, Workers are too cheap to create in cities and could be in fact TOO powerful.
Civs at war with the Aztecs would prefer to attack them with horses and siege weapons, since these cannot be converted into Workers. By doing this, I wanted to reflect the Spanish conquest of Tenochtitlan.
On the other hand, the part about City-States shows how the Aztecs expanded through Mesoamerica: they usually didn’t occupy cities, but prefer to subjugate them and ask for tributes.

Notes: there has to be a delicate balance about how much Faith would every sacrificed Worker produce.
I also toyed with the idea of including Nezahualcoyotl as a second leader. A philosopher king, it would have added a nice touch to the usual warmonger civ. Anyway, I had so much Faith and Great People related civs I couldn’t really think of an original UA for him.

Byzantium:
Leader: Theodora
UA: Bastion of faith: Every Wall produces +1 Faith and every Castle produces +3 Faith per turn. You can create Cathedrals, even if you didn’t choose the Cathedrals follower belief or if it has been chosen by another civ.

Spoiler :

Since the old UA has been assigned to India, I thought I could create something new to Byzantium. "Patriarchate of Constantinople" was too dependent on luck, since founding a religion is not always possible (especially on higher levels).
With the new UA, you have an incentive to fortify your cities and create a strong religion based around Cathedrals. This could be helpful to produce a lot of culture, in order to protect oneself from Tourism or to achieve a CV. Both options would fit Byzantium role as a protector of roman heritage and a religious civilization.

Celts:
Leader: Boudicca
UA: Great expedition: Upon defeating a Barbarian unit inside an encampment, there is a 50% chance you earn 25 Gold and they join your side. +1 Faith per city with an adjacent Forest.

Spoiler :

Comments: OK, this really needs to be changed. I’ve removed the Barbarian UA from Germany to add something more flavorful, but I think the Celts could benefit from it. Both Brennus and Boudicca were famous for uniting various tribes against a single enemy (in Brennus case, this was known by historians as “the Great Expedition”, hence the UA’s name). I don’t think the Celts should receive massive bonus to Faith, since this would allow creating an organized, formal religion… a bonus I see more fit with some other cultures, such as India, Arabia or Ethiopia.
Anyway, there’s a poor synergy between these elements. What would you do to improve it?

China
Leader: Wu Zetian
UA: Hundred schools of thought: You can research Writing, Compass, Gunpowder and Printing Press in half-time. Great Scientist produce more Science when boost research.

Spoiler :

This is based around The Four Great Inventions, but didn’t want to call it that way because the word “Great” is overused in UAs. Anyway, I wanted to emphasize the role of science in Chinese culture. And, besides, the Great General thing was transferred to another civ. The Printing Press bonus could be very useful to found the World Congress.
On the other hand, the Great Scientist bonus should be adjusted to provide a reasonable bonus (not too powerful or too weak).

Leader: Yongle
UA: All under Heaven: Every Chinese Great Work produce +1 culture . +10% production towards Wonder construction.

Spoiler :

Yongle created two World Wonders present in the game (the Porcelain Tower and the Forbidden Palace) and expanded another one (the Great Wall). This would require, anyway, changing Egypt UA. The idea behind more culture from GW is related to the Ming Dynasty growing influence and patronage of arts, though I didn’t want to fall again into the “produce more GWAM faster” idea. Beginning with this Dynasty, China turned into a more isolationist nation; in game terms, more culture equals more protection against foreign Tourism.

Comments: By the way, +1 culture per GW could be overpowered. Wu’s UA is powerful as well. Maybe I could nerf both, or, even better, nerf the Paper Maker. I always hated this strangely-named UB. Maybe produce only +1 Gold, instead of +2?

Denmark
Leader: Harald Bluetooth
UA: Viking fury: Embarked units have +1 Movement , defend at double strength and pay just 1 movement point to move from sea to land. Melee units pay no movement point cost to pillage.

Spoiler :

I haven’t really added a second UA or leader, but read through the forum for civs that are considered to need a change, and Denmark was among them. The addition is simple but substantial: it makes the Vikings transoceanic fleets a terrifying sight for any foe. Besides, I changed Songhai’s UA as well (see below).

England
Leader: Elizabeth
UA: Elizabethan splendor: When a Golden Age triggers, you receive a bonus Great Artist, Musician or Writer if the civilization has built the appropriate Guild. Great Artist produced this way cannot trigger their own Golden Ages.

Spoiler :

A different approach to Golden Ages-related abilities: you don’t necessarily want your GA to last longer, you'll just need MORE GAs. By imposing a bias towards Musicians and Writers I want to display what flourished the most during the Elizabethan era; at the same time, by shunning the Artist action to create GAs, I prevent an endless cycle of GWAM.

Leader: Victoria
UA: Sun never sets

Spoiler :

It remains the same as old. I wanted to include Winston Churchill but a new female leader is welcome and Victoria’s UA fits better her reign.

France
Leader: Louis XIV
UA: City of light: Museum and World Wonder theming bonuses are doubled in their capital. +10% production towards Wonder construction in the capital.

Spoiler :

There has been some complaint about France’s new UA: if you can’t get the Wonders you only have ONE museum left to enjoy the double theming bonus. And that’s it. So, now Paris has something small but useful to improve its civ.

Leader: Napoleon Bonaparte
UA: Legion of Honor: Each time a Great General is born, you receive a boost to Great People production. Great Generals provide extra experience and a +10% flanking bonus to adjacent units.

Spoiler :

The Legion of Honor was a recognition created during Napoleon’s government to replace the old nobility titles. The idea was to give a decent amount of money to encourage excellence in both the battlefield and the cultural and civil achievements.
As Napoleon, you’ll want to start as many wars as you can to receive more GGs. Since they provide more XP to nearby units, Generals are easier to get.

[Continues below]

 

[benjamin28]

[Second part]

Germany
UU: Landsknecht: Same stats and production cost as usual Pikemen, but can be bought at half-price. +15% strength when defending. If it causes more damage than it receives when attacked, the attacker suffers extra damage.

Leader: Otto von Bismarck
UA: Realpolitik: Double quantity of Iron and Coal resources. When at war, influence with friendly and allies Cities-States recovers at twice the normal rate.

Spoiler :

Bonuses to production, military forces and diplomacy, all of which fits the complex bismarckian policies. The City-State part is related to the wars against France, that Bismarck ignited to win the favor of non-Prussian, germanic cities (and, in turn, helped him unify the country). It also gives an indirect help with the World Congress, which I think is very appropriate for a diplomatic power as Prussia was during the XIX century.
Panzer remains the same.

Comments: I desperately wanted to add Frederick II as a second leader, with a UA called “Spirit of the Enlightenment” or something similar, and related to Great Musicians and the Palace. Can somebody help me out with this?

Greece
UU: Hoplite: replaces the Spearman. Starts with the Cover I promotion.
UB: Odeon: replaces the Amphitheatre. No maintenance cost, +1 extra culture.

Leader: Pericles
UA: League of Delos: City-State Influence degrades 25% slower. Allied City-States will occasionally gift you Great Writers. The “Create Political Treatise” action provides extra culture .

Spoiler :

Another flavorful-but-difficult-to-balance UA (the name was changed to avoid overlapping with Alexander’s ability). Pericles’ reign was a golden era for writers: dramatists, philosophers and historians. And many of them came from the colonies or foreign cities.
In game terms, earning City-State friendship is harder, but maintaining it is a little easier (but less than the old UA). You can pursue a cultural or diplomatic victory, or use the culture bonus to improve any Social Policy you need.

Comments: the amount of extra culture provided by the Political Treatise determines if this new Greece is overpowered or underwhelming.

Leader: Alexander
UA: Hellenistic expansion: Great Generals are earned a 33% faster. They can be spent to create a Courthouse in a conquered, providing extra culture at the same time.

Spoiler :

Now China has a new UA, so this Great General thing had to be assigned to someone else, and Alexander was fitting -since he conquered bigger empires with better tactics, rather than by having larger armies-.
The new ability to rush a Courthouse allows having a wider empire and represents the marriages Alexander arranged between his generals and local princesses. The extra culture equals the Hellenization process that expanded Greek idiosyncracy, from Egypt to India.

India
Leader: Akbar
UA: Navratanas: Cities with more than one religion produces +1 extra culture , +2 Happiness and +10% to Great People generation . Foreign Prophets always leave at least one follower of the original religion in Indian cities they convert.

Spoiler :

“Navratanas” means “Nine jewels”, a metaphor related to great people born during Akbar’s reign. It was a golden age for mughal art and religious tolerance.
The UA works in two ways: on one hand, you can always enjoy the bonus to culture, happiness and Great People, since foreign religion cannot eliminate completely your local religion. At the same time, other players may be discourage to expand their religions to India (your cities will receive a passive pressure from foreign religions anyway, but this is helpful for Akbar).

Leader: Mohandas Gandhi
UA: Holy rivers: Cities founded next to a river produce +1 Faith per turn. Choose one more Belief than normal when you found a Religion.

Spoiler :

Theodora’s old bonus applied to India seems fitting. As has been said thousands of times through the forum, the very introduction to India mentions it as origin of three great religions. And, to this day, Indian religions (especially Buddhism and Hinduism) have grown to generate several different cults and shapes.
Comments: the more urgent question is: +1 Faith per city is enough? Having an extra Belief can be powerful, since you have an initial bonus to Faith, but +1 seems like too few. I wanted to add a Happiness or Growth bonus, but this can be provided by Religion in a more flexible way. What about this: every subsequent city you found beside your capital city will provide +2 Faith bonus?

Japan
Leader: Oda Nobunaga
UA: Bushido: Units fight as though they were at full strength even when damaged. Gains Culture for the empire from each enemy unit killed.

Spoiler :

OK, this is two UAs in one. But, of course, culture acquired through killing should be MUCH smaller than the old Aztec bonus. Maybe escalates with era?
What’s the reasoning behind this? Old Bushido was nerfed since G&K changes to HP, and is too passive, but still useful. At the same time, in Firaxis they have been talking about making Japan more resilient against foreign Tourism. And what is the best defense against Tourism? More culture. This way, you have an incentive to be a warmonger, while you “isolate” culturally your country and unlock new Social Policies.
Comments: this UA is more likely to receive an overhaul with the next patch, so I didn’t make anything too wild with it. Let’s see how it turns out.

Leader: Mutsuhito
UA: Meiji Restoration: Trades routes (foreign and Japanese) produce double science . Great Engineers are earned a 33% faster.

Spoiler :

A simple but powerful UA, that represents Japan’s recent history. It encapsulates openness to foreign influence, scientific development through external contact and a growing industry. More Engineers equals more Wonders, which can be very powerful, so I didn’t want to give a 50% bonus.

Mongolia
Leader: Genghis Khan
UA: Mongol terror

Spoiler :

This remains the same. I never liked this UA: attacking City-States won’t bring you closer to a Conquest victory and will more likely enrage other players. Anyway, sometimes having a straightforward bonus to combat doesn’t hurt and the real deal lies within the +1 movement to mounted units. What do you think?

Leader: Kublai Khan
UA: Silk road: Two extra trade routes available. Each trade route produces +1 culture . Caravans gain 50% extended range and can reveal unexplored territory.

Spoiler :

A more peaceful Mongolia, that preserves their fantastic UUs anyway. The Silk road thrived during Kublai’s reign and reached the farther extents of the European realms. It was also a time of great cultural development.
Caravans revealing territory is a small but nice bonus. You can put an embassy on a distant civ and send your Caravans. The route wouldn’t be all visible at the start, but as the Caravan passes through its route. You can discover City-States, Natural Wonders and better invasion paths with little effort.

Russia
Leader: Catherine
UA: Enlightened absolutism: Cities with Courthouses provide +2 Happiness and create cultural buildings 33% faster . Amphitheatres, Opera houses and Museums produce +1 Great People generation point each.

Spoiler :

A mix of conquest and culture. You don’t have a direct bonus to warfare, but you have a good incentive to build Kreposts: your culture will grow faster and your military units will start with extra experience. When you create a Courthouse, you can convert far-away cities into cultural outposts. Also, the Amphitheatres, OH and Museums will help your core cities with the Great People Generation.

Comments: Although I like the idea, I think the mechanics are obviously too brittle. I have no idea about the maths behind Happiness with conquered cities so it can be an incentive or an obstacle to expansion. At the same time, +1 Great People generation point per building can be too much. I need help to redesign this.

Leader: Lenin
UA: Working intelligentsia: Manufactories, Workshops and Engineers produce +2 Science each . Can build factories 33% faster.

Spoiler :

This is similar to Korea, but I always thought the Science bonus should be assigned to other civs which were influential in more recent times. Soviet Russia was a very developed country in terms of academies and theoretical studies.
On the other hand, the ability to build factories in less time is an indirect buff to Ideology founding. You can still choose the Ideology you prefer, but there is a small bias towards Order, since you can benefit from “Workers’ faculties” and “Young pioneers”.

Songhai
UB: Mud Pyramid Mosque: Requires no Gold maintenance. It gives no extra culture. Trade routes other players make to a city with a Mud Pyramid Mosque will generate an extra 1 Gold and 2 Faith for the city owner and the trade route owner gains an additional 1 Gold for the trade route.

Leader: Askia Muhammad
UA: River warlord: All units pay just 1 movement point to enter any tile adjacent to a river and receive no penalty for attacking across rivers. Receive triple Gold from Barbarian encampments and pillaging Cities.

Spoiler :

I totally cribbed Sumer’s bonus, which is quite appropriate for an UA called “River warlord” (and definitely better than allow easier transoceanic invasions for a landlocked empire as Songhai was). The gold part is unchanged.
As the very Civilopedia admits, Askia was not a great general at all, though he can still be dangerous thanks to the changed UA and the Mandekalu. Anyway, the modified UB gives this civ another edge: Faith and Commerce. Songhai was a rich trade partner and their cities attracted pilgrimage from distant regions. All of these gives Songhai a more flavorful and flexible style.

Spain
Leader: Phillip II
UA: Colonial monopoly: Internal trade routes produce Gold (bonus if the city is in another continent).

Spoiler :

A straightforward, flavorful UA. During Phillip’s reign, there was a strict policy of monopoly imposed to colonial cities; in fact, said cities grew enormously despite their commercial restrictions. Spain went rich during this era, although would start feeling the economic consequences in the decades to follow.
The UA synergizes finely with Conquistadores as well.
For balance’s sake, every internal route should give MUCH LESS gold than the usual routes, even the transcontinental ones. Otherwise, Spain would grow monstrously without a single penalty for isolation.

Leader: Isabella
UA: Seven cities of gold

Spoiler :

Comments: I left Isabella’s bonus as it is, but toyed with an idea of a Reconquista UA: bonus against cities that follow your religion, much powerful inquisitors, a Faith bonus and the like. But maybe it could be too controversial. Anyway, though I hate the current UA randomness, I think at least one civ could have a bonus about Natural Wonders.

United States
Leader: George Washington
UA: Manifest destiny: All land military units have +1 sight. 25% discount when purchasing tiles. Horse, Aluminum and Uranium resources provide +1 production .

Spoiler :

I nerfed the discount when purchasing tiles to add a bonus to production. This represent the “American ingenuity” when colonists first arrived to the Americas, as well as the industrial boost of more recent eras. It’s not a radical change to the civ, but I think it adds something that was lacking.

Comments: I thought about a second UA, called “E pluribus unum” and based on immigration, Great People and Tourism, but I couldn’t figure out how to reflect this on a creative way, especially immigration. There are a lot of possible new leaders, but I’ve thought of Abraham Lincoln as a first choice.

That's it! As I said, any suggestion or comment will be welcome

 

[Galgus]

Awhile back, I posted an idea for France and America to get UAs that change upon adopting an Ideology:

France

Ancién Regime: +1 and +1 from Luxury resources. Palace provides two extra slots for great works of Art or Artifacts.

Changes to City of Light upon adopting an Ideology.


City of Light: Great Work Tourism and theme bonus doubled in capital. Palace provides two extra slots for great works of Art or Artifacts.


America

Manifest Destiny:

All land military units have +1 sight.

50% discount when purchasing tiles in newly founded cities.

Gold purchasing buildings in newly founded cities costs 25% less .

(Newly founded cities have not had a turn pass since their founding.)

Changes to Economic Superpower upon adopting an Ideology.


Economic Superpower:

All land military units have +1 sight.

-15% building maintenance cost and +25% Empire wide per turn.



With this, France would have some bonus and for settling on luxury resources, something they want to do anyway.

This shifts into a theming bonus later in the game, when they are likely to benefit from it more.

The extra slots are to make them a bit less Wonder reliant.


America gains the ability to rapidly develop a new city via Gold purchasing buildings and tiles in the early game.

They trade it for a general purpose economic advantage in the late game.

 

[benjamin28]

I really like your suggestion for France: more art slots in the Palace, so they will take advantage of their UA, regardless the number of Wonders they manage to get.
About America, the idea of having bonus to buy in newly founding cities is a cool way to reflect the rapid growth of the cities during the expansion to the West.

Having a second UA upon founding an ideology can be a tricky issue, but I definitely see it applying to an interesting mod.

 

[animalcross]

I've got a couple american leader ideas.

Leader: Abraham Lincoln
UA: Emmancipation Proclamation: +15 Happiness when entering the industrial era. +2 Happiness for every foreign religion in your empire. +25% Tourism from other civilizations. (A penalty to balance the extra happiness)

Leader: John F. Kennedy
UA: From the Earth to the Moon: Construct the Apollo program at double speed. Receive a 15% production discount on rocket parts. Receive a relation penalty with all Order civs begining in the Atomic era.

Leader: Franklin D. Roosevelt
UA: The Great Depression: Gain 3 free great musicians. Reaserch Atomic Theory at double speed. -50 Gold Per Turn upon discovering plastics. Recovery from depression and +50 gold per turn upon discovering Nuclear Fission.

 

[benjamin28]

The problems I see with those ideas, @animalcross, is that they all three imply some kind of penalty -one of the main sources of complaints about India's current UA. Also, they are too centered on the last part of the game. Until that point, what would a civ like this be worth for?
There's been an intense debate about how to make a better America. I liked the @arachnofiend suggestion: every external trade route gives a 10% growth rate. Simple, straightforward, powerful and flavorful enough (maybe combine with some kind of bonus to Tourism?).

 

[blkbltchemie]

You mentioned wanting suggestions for Mongolia; I've had a thought I've been toying with for the UA...

Take the City State part of the Mongolia UA and give it to the Huns (possibly add that they can raze city states--seems justifiable since Austria and Venice effectively eliminate city states from the game with their UAs because they cannot be liberated afterwards). That'll make the Huns uber-conquerors.

Then give the Mongols the pasture production bonus from the Huns. Maybe add enhanced production for mounted units since now that I read it, they seem underpowered. Or go really over the top and say each time the Mongols produce a mounted unit, two units are created (i.e. finish building a Keshik in city and a second Keshik appears in a tile next to the city). Maybe rename the UA "Mongol Horde" instead of terror focusing on numbers.

 

[animalcross]

The problems I see with those ideas, @animalcross, is that they all three imply some kind of penalty -one of the main sources of complaints about India's current UA. Also, they are too centered on the last part of the game. Until that point, what would a civ like this be worth for?
There's been an intense debate about how to make a better America. I liked the @arachnofiend suggestion: every external trade route gives a 10% growth rate. Simple, straightforward, powerful and flavorful enough (maybe combine with some kind of bonus to Tourism?).

I like that as well. Possibly something to do with happiness? Say just being happy gives a 10% boost to tourism, then above 10 is 15%, Above 20 is 25% and so on. I do think that the boost to the Apollo program is a nice thing to add in, since the fact that the US made it to the moon is really quite significant.

Also, a second leader for Rome could be Constantine, possibly giving some kind of religious bonus, such as having your cities start with your religion.

 

[Sheershaw]

Greece

Leader: Alexander
UA: Hellenization
Every time you destroy an enemy unit, tourism is added against that civilization (1% of your total culture) Receive a free Philosopher at Philosophy

UU: Hoplite

UU: Philosopher
Unique Unit for Greece, replaces Great Writer. Great Works of Literature made by Philosophers give 1 more . Political Treatises grant double .

 

[steveg700]

Been considering an alternate version of India, if for no other reason than to extract the Mughals from them. The design here encourages religious diversity, rather than one powerhouse religion that's spammed out forcefully in all directions.

INDIA
UA: Many People, Many Beliefs.
When pantheon beliefs become available, choose two. Indian cities retain these beliefs even when converted to another civilization's religion.
UB: Cave Temple.
Requires Philosophy, replaces temple.
Cost: 100
Maintenance: 2
Provides +2 piety as a temple. Has a slot for a great work of art. When the slot is filled, a city with a majority religion receives the follower belief of the second most popular religion.
UU: Rajput.
Requires Steel, replaces longswordsman.
Cost: 120
Strength: 21
Moves: 2
Ranged Strength: 17
Range: 1
When at full health, the rajput uses its chakram to make a range 1 attack. When below full health, it attacks as a melee unit. The rajput has unique promotions that allow it to spend faith to heal damage or gain combat bonuses before attacking.

 

[digrosz]

I like many of these ideas, seems like a lot of work put in.
Here's my suggestion for Japan:
UU: Samurai - Replaces Longswordsman - Combat increased by 30% when adjacent to a Friendly Samurai
UB: Dojo - Replaces Barracks - +15 XP to units, gives the 'Bushido' promotion (units fight at full strength even when injured) to each unit built in a city with the Dojo.
UA: Isolation - +2 gold, +culture for each Internal trade route. Internal trade routes have double yield. International trade routes decrease culture output of the empire by 3% each.

 

[benjamin28]

Thanks a lot for the answers!

I like many of these ideas, seems like a lot of work put in.
Here's my suggestion for Japan:

Thanks! I liked your ideas for Japan, especially the dojo. The UA is fine; I seem to have problem with abilities that imply a penalty besides the positive part, but it's an ingenious way to show the country's isolationism, nonetheless.

Take the City State part of the Mongolia UA and give it to the Huns (possibly add that they can raze city states--seems justifiable since Austria and Venice effectively eliminate city states from the game with their UAs because they cannot be liberated afterwards). That'll make the Huns uber-conquerors.

I agree: the city-state part would fit better with the Huns. It's true that Austria and Venice "eliminate" CS in a sense, but maybe letting the Huns raze it just like that may be too annoying. I might suggest you must spend a Great General to raze the city, granting a lot of money in the proccess.

UU: Philosopher
Unique Unit for Greece, replaces Great Writer. Great Works of Literature made by Philosophers give 1 more culture. Political Treatises grant double culture.

That's a wonderful idea!

By the way, I've been thinking a way to overhaul Egypt. In my original idea, the Great Wonders bonus went to France and China.
So, we might start with a new UA called "Gift of the Nile", by which cities founded next to a river can use the caravans to send production, even if they don't have a Workshop (Ed Beach mentioned in an interview that internal trade routes would bring production "just like the egyptians did with the Pyramids". So I think it's fair to give this civ an ability like this).
What else would you add? Any changes to UU or UB?

 

[sadv]

Some part ideas.

America
UA: Manifest Destiny - Settlers may seize territory in another civilization's borders, incurring diplomatic penalties. Cities get +25% ranged combat strength and +5 defense. Free settler upon researching horseback riding.

Egypt
UB: Slave-pit - Replaces stone works, but does not require a quarry. +1 production, +1 production from quarries. Unemployed civilians provide +1 hammer, require half food, and produce no unhappiness.

Rome
UA: Apostolic Palace - Capital counts as a holy city for its majority religion and you also benefit from the founder belief of that religion if you did not found it. +1 delegate for every other civilization which shares your majority religion.

UA: Assimilation - +2% growth, culture, and science in each city for every other city in the empire. +1 happiness global happiness for each occupied city. When you capture a city, one of your other cities gets +1 population.