Byzantium religion.

[greenfieldpark]

As per usual I want others to make my hard life decisions for me.



Map situation is that i start with gems as my monopoly and also several iron deposits.



My plan is to forward settle songhai to establish an easy to defend border by keeping him behind a mountain chain.



So for pantheon I think god of fire. Gives 1 prod cul and faith per mine.


With gems ill be upgrading mines quickly.

Need to get extra production to pump settlers.

Also gives forges +2 faith which i will also get early to boost those mines. Forges also come sooner in tech tree now.


The other pantheon i was considering was god of wisdom to keep up in tech. Has served me well in past. But really think I need to boost those early mines for my quick settles.



Also plan to get pyramids due to my early high production. Followed by a quick second settler.



With pyramids im considering ceremonial buriel to macimize my great people boosts. So extra golden age points for expending gp from pyramids. And extra faith and culture from ceremonial buriel based on cities. And i plan to easily convert the worls to my religion.



I really dont feel strongly about any of the founder beliefs to really welcome everyones thoughts on good founders.



When it comes to follower im either thinking going all buildings like church for spread and culture and mosque for spread and science.



Or i can go all pop benefits like creativity for culture per 3 pop, and or diligence for 1 prod per 2 pop, and or scholorship for 1 science per 2 pop.



Now i say and or because as byzantine i get that extra bonus belief.



Really not sure how to maximize my benefit of that extra belief. Cuz it can be anything. Extra pantheon, founder, follower or enhancement.



For enhancer i kind of always go zealotry. Its just too good. Turning high faith into production by buying units with faith. And better tben buying with gold cuz they get the buildings xp bonuses!


However i can gwt two enhancers due to byzantine benefit. And can get a super early enhancer.



So again need guidance here. Is there a combo of enhancers i should consider? I dont think i want zealotry early since ill be using faith on profits, misionairies and buildings. What early enhancer is good?



I have 6 city states nearby so can benefit from abode of peace for its increased pressure, increased base influence of 35, and increased city state rewards.



Mendicancy also seems viable for its +2 culture per city. And ill have around 8 early cities so plus 16 culture early seems good.



Anything else im missing.



Please plan my civs future. Its citizens depend on you!

 

[Thibix Magnus]

are you going progress with 8 cities? I haven't tried ceremonial burial and progress, on paper they don't synergize a lot, at least early on. I think there are 2 approaches to the bonus belief, either go for safety and hedge for something you are missing to stay well rounded (raw yields, well rounded buildings). Or design a feedback loop (lots of fun but riskier). Progress & Council of elders can be nice for a well timed cataphract push, paired with revelation to reward your science. With a good tradition start, ceremonial+holy law can be hilarious up to immortal, though I can't make work trad byzantium on deity.

 

[greenfieldpark]

are you going progress with 8 cities? I haven't tried ceremonial burial and progress, on paper they don't synergize a lot, at least early on. I think there are 2 approaches to the bonus belief, either go for safety and hedge for something you are missing to stay well rounded (raw yields, well rounded buildings). Or design a feedback loop (lots of fun but riskier). Progress & Council of elders can be nice for a well timed cataphract push, paired with revelation to reward your science. With a good tradition start, ceremonial+holy law can be hilarious up to immortal, though I can't make work trad byzantium on deity.

Playing on immortal and plan on going progress.

Briefly considered authority because I have songhai next to me and 6 city states I can bully. But then realized me and my buddy (hemispheres with 6 ai) are playing on quick speed. And quick speed kind of kills authority due to smaller yields.

As foe your two approaches. Safety play is clearly....safer. i usually like to opt for a more interesting maximalost approach which I imagine you are referring to with the feedback loop.

Im coming to realize Byxantium may be one of my fav civs just do to the sheer options. Very fun.

 

[Thibix Magnus]

Playing on immortal and plan on going progress.

Briefly considered authority because I have songhai next to me and 6 city states I can bully. But then realized me and my buddy (hemispheres with 6 ai) are playing on quick speed. And quick speed kind of kills authority due to smaller yields.

As foe your two approaches. Safety play is clearly....safer. i usually like to opt for a more interesting maximalost approach which I imagine you are referring to with the feedback loop.

Im coming to realize Byxantium may be one of my fav civs just do to the sheer options. Very fun.

yes feedback loop is like ceremonial gives culture, culture triggers more policies for holy law, both give more faith to convert more and have bigger yields. All in on culture with some science.

Byzantium is one of the most flexible civs, my favorite one but also the civ with the latest access to any of its own perks, which can be rough on higher difficulties when you need to snowball fast.

 

[greenfieldpark]

yes feedback loop is like ceremonial gives culture, culture triggers more policies for holy law, both give more faith to convert more and have bigger yields. All in on culture with some science.

Byzantium is one of the most flexible civs, my favorite one but also the civ with the latest access to any of its own perks, which can be rough on higher difficulties when you need to snowball fast.

In general do you think religious buildings or pure yields per follower are stronger?

For example mosques vs scholorship for science?

 

[Thibix Magnus]

In general do you think religious buildings or pure yields per follower are stronger?

For example mosques vs scholorship for science?

hard to tell for me, (that's why my byz can't into deity), but at least in this science example it's a clear short vs long term: do you prioritize a cataphract conquest (raw science), or the spaceship (%science)? Then the issue is knowing when does it break even. For other buildings it's harder to tell because their effects are more immediate.

Still, my rough understanding could be: what is my religion strategy, spread or isolate? if the founder needs frantic spreading to work, or if I need a specific reformation belief, I won't use buildings for a long time as I will focus on missionaires. I might as well start with a raw follower belief. Byzantium's advantage is that it can chill and leave its favorite building for enhancement. Others that really want a building will have to pick it first and sometimes can't afford it for a while. However if my neighbors are all strong founders or I'm alone in the middle of the ocean, then full buildings.

Exceptions (not specific to byzantium): a big tradition Constantinople might benefit from % buildings earlier than average cities, so poping a single synagogue and then focus on missionaires could work. Or you might just want to deny a building to other civs, such as mandirs on previous patches. Or you might want military buildings right away if a war is coming.

 

[greenfieldpark]

hard to tell for me, (that's why my byz can't into deity), but at least in this science example it's a clear short vs long term: do you prioritize a cataphract conquest (raw science), or the spaceship (%science)? Then the issue is knowing when does it break even. For other buildings it's harder to tell because their effects are more immediate.

Still, my rough understanding could be: what is my religion strategy, spread or isolate? if the founder needs frantic spreading to work, or if I need a specific reformation belief, I won't use buildings for a long time as I will focus on missionaires. I might as well start with a raw follower belief. Byzantium's advantage is that it can chill and leave its favorite building for enhancement. Others that really want a building will have to pick it first and sometimes can't afford it for a while. However if my neighbors are all strong founders or I'm alone in the middle of the ocean, then full buildings.

Exceptions (not specific to byzantium): a big tradition Constantinople might benefit from % buildings earlier than average cities, so poping a single synagogue and then focus on missionaires could work. Or you might just want to deny a building to other civs, such as mandirs on previous patches. Or you might want military buildings right away if a war is coming.

Very helpful. Specific examples and philosophy to better prepare and decide for specific circumstances.

Thanks.

i play mp with one buddie with 6 immortal ai. We preselect a map ahead of time using resead so we know we have a balanced map that should be fun.

So i know a few variables going in.

Now i just gotta actually play the map and use some of this info when the time comes.