Do your games always have Christianity as the 1st found religion?

[hobbsyoyo]

No, because that would violate the rule. If the religion practiced in the land at the time that its leader lived is not available (and it isn't), then the civilization instead prefers the religion that is most prominent in those lands currently (Islam).

True. But I don't like the rule much to begin with. I would prefer a more balanced religion preference than the one we currently have.

 

[Kwami]

True. But I don't like the rule much to begin with. I would prefer a more balanced religion preference than the one we currently have.

Yeah, but the current implementation is less likely to generate any controversy than an implementation in which the developers try to decide which religion to give each civilization.

 

[hobbsyoyo]

Yeah, but the current implementation is less likely to generate any controversy than an implementation in which the developers try to decide which religion to give each civilization.

Again, you're right. Again, this doesn't change my personal preference.
I do acknowledge my ideas or preferences on this or pretty much any other subject will never be considered by the devs, however.

Edit: Nor should they as I regularly prove in these forums i don't know what I'm talking about.

 

[Tomatekh]

It's still a dumb rule, though. If the religion they practice is not in the game, they should have just left them with no religious preference and then have them randomly choose a religion (which would have helped in-game diversity).

It really is absurd to give Carthage a preference for Islam.

 

[Louis XXIV]

True, but it still makes more since for them to be Zoroastrian (they were next door to the Persians, after all) than Islamic.

That would be like saying it makes sense for the Moors to be Christian because they were right next to Christian Kingdoms. I don't think Zoroastrianism really ever was dominant west of the Zagros Mountains. However, Islam did spread there and that's the predominant religion there today. Therefore, the rule that they use makes sense.

 

[Kwami]

It's still a dumb rule, though. If the religion they practice is not in the game, they should have just left them with no religious preference and then have them randomly choose a religion (which would have helped in-game diversity).

It really is absurd to give Carthage a preference for Islam.

As I posted earlier, I think the best solution is to choose a random symbol and then rename the religion to match whatever the leader followed.

 

[PhilBowles]

That would be like saying it makes sense for the Moors to be Christian because they were right next to Christian Kingdoms. I don't think Zoroastrianism really ever was dominant west of the Zagros Mountains. However, Islam did spread there and that's the predominant religion there today. Therefore, the rule that they use makes sense.

No, it's not primarily a geographical issue (other than the fact that Babylon would have had contact with it), it's a temporal one. Of the religions available, the Babylonians may have known of Zoroastrianism (which had been founded by the late Babylonian period). They would never have heard of Islam. To me at least it's much less jarring for Babylonians to adopt a religion they would have been aware of than one that didn't come into existence for over two millennia after their empire collapsed.

As I posted earlier, I think the best solution is to choose a random symbol and then rename the religion to match whatever the leader followed.

I prefer Tomatech's suggestion, to be honest. There are civs with start biases that reflect their native geography, and other civs with no start bias. It should be easy to apply religion on the same basis - civs with a religion represented in the game should have a bias towards that religion, other civs simply no "religion bias".

 

[Louis XXIV]

Well, to me, it makes sense to use a religion that people of the same area later adopted rather than a religion they knew of and rejected.

And while I sympathize with having civs with no default preference, that would also dramatically lower the number of Islamic civs and give Christianity an even stronger dominance for the first-chosen religion. Especially, since some of the Christian successors are ambiguous (the people who make up the Aztecs, Maya, and Inca still self-identify with these groups, but they are now Christian. Certainly, Rome was Christian at one point. The Celts include Ireland and Scotland much later in their history when they were Christian. Same with the Danes, etc.).

 

[PhilBowles]

Well, to me, it makes sense to use a religion that people of the same area later adopted rather than a religion they knew of and rejected.

And while I sympathize with having civs with no default preference, that would also dramatically lower the number of Islamic civs and give Christianity an even stronger dominance for the first-chosen religion.

It would also remove Christianity as the religion of preference for the Aztecs, Maya, Inca, Polynesia, Greece (Greece during its Christian period is already represented by Byzantium), the Celts and potentially Rome, all of whom would have no religious preference. I don't see a problem - Songhai, Arabia and the Ottomans are always going to be default Islamic. You could also set countries with multiple religions as having multiple preferences (so, India might prefer Hinduism, but if that has been taken it would then prefer Islam or Sikhism).

Especially, since some of the Christian successors are ambiguous (the people who make up the Aztecs, Maya, and Inca still self-identify with these groups, but they are now Christian. Certainly, Rome was Christian at one point. The Celts include Ireland and Scotland much later in their history when they were Christian. Same with the Danes, etc.).

Denmark, like Rome, could be either Christian or no preference - Denmark was nominally Christian during much of the Viking era its civ represents, but not during the lifetime of Harald Bluetooth, just as the Christianisation of Rome happened during the Roman Imperial period, but long after Augustus.

I don't see a problem with an imbalance towards Christianity - given the scope, both temporally and geographically, of Christianity, you would expect it to be the most dominant religion in the game in the sense of starting biases. It was one of the first and has been the most successful proselytising religion, as opposed to regional faiths like Judaism or Zoroastrianism whose adherents made little effort to spread the word beyond their native territories. It's an older religion than Islam so reached more of the world sooner. It is still the most geographically widespread of the world's religions.

I'd suggest the following scheme:

America: Christianity
Arabia: Islam
Austria: Christianity
Aztecs: No preference
Babylon: No preference
Byzantium: Christianity
Carthage: No preference
Celts: No preference
China: Confucianism. If unavailable, Taoism. If unavailable, Buddhism
Denmark: Christianity
Egypt: No preference
England: Christianity
Ethiopia: Christianity
France: Christianity
Germany: Christianity
Greece: No preference
Huns: Tengriism
Inca: No preference
India: Hinduism. If unavailable, Islam. If unavailable, Sikhism
Iroquois: No preference
Japan: Shinto
Korea: Confucianism
Maya: No preference
Mongolia: Tengriism
Netherlands: Christianity
Ottoman Empire: Islam
Persia: Zoroastrianism
Polynesia: No preference
Rome: Christianity
Russia: Christianity
Siam: Buddhism
Songhai: Islam
Spain: Christianity
Sweden: Christianity

 

[Louis XXIV]

It would also remove Christianity as the religion of preference for the Aztecs, Maya, Inca, Polynesia, Greece (Greece during its Christian period is already represented by Byzantium), the Celts and potentially Rome, all of whom would have no religious preference.

There are people who still consider themselves Aztecs, Maya, and Inca who are Christian. There are certainly Polynesians around. I agree it'll remove Greece, but I don't think it'll remove the Celts or Rome. You have to look at everything they represent. Certainly, Rome includes the Roman Empire (past Constantine) and the Celts include the Scottish and Irish (Ceilidh Hall is their unique building).

Denmark, like Rome, could be either Christian or no preference - Denmark was nominally Christian during much of the Viking era its civ represents, but not during the lifetime of Harald Bluetooth, just as the Christianisation of Rome happened during the Roman Imperial period, but long after Augustus.

Denmark absolutely represents their Christian period. First, Harald Bluetooth converted to Christianity. Second, the Ski Infantry fought in the Napoleonic Wars, where Denmark-Norway was unequivocally Christian.

 

[HelloGoodbye123]

The file that you're looking for is ..\Path\To\Sid Meier's Civilization V\Assets\DLC\Expansion\Gameplay\XML\Civilizations\CIV5Civilizations.xml. You can search for "Civilization_Religions", which should bring you to line #4902. You can find the G&K civilizations in CIV5Civilizations_Expansion.xml, starting at line #414.

Buddhism: Siam
Christianity: America, Austria, Aztec, Byzantium, Celts, Denmark, England, Ethiopia, France, Germany, Greece, Inca, Iroquois, Maya, Netherlands, Polynesia, Rome, Russia, Sweden, Spain
Confucianism: Korea
Hinduism: India
Islam: Arabia, Babylon, Carthage, Egypt, Ottoman, Songhai
Shinto: Japan
Taoism: China
Tengriism: Huns, Mongol
Zoroastrianism: Persia

The general rule is that the preferred religion is the one that was most prevalent or most official during the leader's reign or, if that religion is not implemented, then the one that is most common today.

what about the Jewish religion?

 

[Kwami]

what about the Jewish religion?

No civilizations implemented thus far favor Judaism. Unless Israel is added to the game (highly unlikely), I don't see that changing.