3.10.14 AI-Only Game Statistics - Now With Some Religion/Instant Yield Insights

[KlHannibal2]

Interesting that the Ottomans fell behind quite a bit from their former top spot.

 

[ma_kuh]

For those who are curious, I used the religion csv to generate this graphic:

Pantheon: 36
Founded: 1
Enhanced (self): 6
Enhanced (stolen): 1
Reformed (self): 158
Reformed (stolen): 4

... out of 206 games.

For a little more context, 3/8 players never found a religion. If we expected them to have an equal chance of winning the game, pantheon victories + stolen religion victories would show at 37.5%. These stats show it at 19.9%.
Other things this graph doesn't answer:

1. What is the likelihood that this distribution of Pantheon/Reformation wins would happen by chance?
2. Are run-away starts/civs just getting religions and reformations?
   • (Is it just a correlation that reformers are also winners?)
3. What is the likelihood that a civ that Founds a religion also Reforms?
4. Reformed religions have converted more civs to their religion; are they more likely to win the game because of positive religion modifiers, rather than the sheer power of religions?
   • (I don't think we can answer this one with just the numbers alone, we'd need special builds that 0 out this diplo modifier and run tests with them.)

 

[statusquo]

(Is it just a correlation that reformers are also winners?)

From some time i observed that starting location is crucial. If anybody is spawned near "early game-low-faith" civilization, such civilisation will welcome your missionaries and
possibly spend their own faith for spread it for you, boosting benefits from your founder building basically for free.. Im not 100% how AI evaluates if he likes your religion, if it is worth adapting as majority
Last game i had 1 gold per follower up to 10 (Thrift if i recall correctly) and both AIs adapt it in blink of an eye But i also didn't had nearby any other civ with good religion.
So i had full buff from my founder, and also loyal allies, and also ultimately enough pressure to counter second major world religion, that was comfort usually i don't experience

However, if you are unlucky, and you are spawn in the middle of other religions without access to civilisation that didn't grab religion, you are basically screwed..
Since they will have easy access to them and also almost free "brothers in faith"..
If you try to spread to them, you could lose some spreading power while moving trough their territory, and even if you manage, then their pressure will be much better due to shorter distance..

That's why lately i started to focusing more on spreading religion to neighbours instead rushing second Prophet, since it increases the chance, AI will adapt it as majority.
Of course if this is possible, im starting in opposite direction than my conquering plans, since i dont want to "buff" my next opponent too much

So religion has somehow snowballing effect.. Usually, when i see some civilisation snowball out of control, usually their religion is also.. Not sure it is coincidence
But the question is who was first, the chicken or the egg
Last game Monty took 25% growth + 10 gold, which synergised perfectly, since it mitigated poverty nicely, which is very often main problem, and around Industrial era he was 10 tech ahead of everybody
So i guess, probably also, synergies are also the issue here.. But then again, being ahead in religion department allows you to make better decisions, which puts you in better position, and
allows you snowball more