@randomnub What you’ve said doesn’t change what I said and I don’t agree with your points and examples. Do you play deity? I do, and Ashurbanipal is always progress, not authority like you said while Babylon is never progress and always tradition. But it’s entirely possible that you play more than I do, I dont play a lot.
I would say the only faction I would change to tradition is not the ones you’ve mentioned but India. Everything in India case points to progress IMO and I would fear progress with strong religion and large cities much more than no religious bonuses and many cities. Food is the last thing you want as tradition. Greece you don’t like as tradition has hills bias, perfect for tradition. You could argue Morocco for progress as it is perfect for it and performs great diplo play, and is prop best or top 3 progress civ in game but you don't. I wonder why?
Again, progress is not AI friendly, it goes well with civs that do automatic stuff like Carthage gold and free city connections, not does automatic stuff itself. I see nothing wrong with tradition Greece, both AI and you can get hoplites, get tributes to get wonders and food in capital and you are free to rush top tech for your UB at drama and poetry which again gives culture. Warring as tradition is powerful as tradition more than as with progress and tradition provides a good early spike, same with Japan who needs tradition to get at all to its uniques, then can get a lot of free cultural GP along with Dojo being great at science and culture tradition wants.
You are wrong, tradition doesn’t require any GP or GA synergy, and that’s its strongest point. Strongest and most consistent top traditions like Ethiopia or China don’t even have GP or GA bonuses at all, negligible faith bonus aside. Changing Ethiopia to progress is just plain mad for me, like you not even know how and why both progress and Ethiopia works. You could argue authority for them perfectly, they get the fastest and most dangerous knights in the game anyway, but never progress. The same with Poland. Tradition Poland is the strongest civ in the game, hands down without even need for UB or UU. Again, authority Poland is brutally strong, only equalled by Songhai in my experience. Not progress Poland. Germany or Celts doesn’t have a problem with tradition, how you can say that for a civ that gets lots of science, culture and GA specifically in the capital, they have a problem with their design in AI hands that will stagnate them whatever they will go for. Portugal again, probably one of the best traditions and authorities in the game, and generally the third most flexible and powerful civ the game.
Netherlands, again, I see only tradition or authority if you want to maximise their stuff in synergy as bonus culture is affected by GA and overkill as tradition, coupled gold for a tradition production starved cities. Byzantium and Maya I see no problem with, they are many times the strongest civs in my games and tradition is the right call for them. Cause of faith, science and very strong, early UU they can both double as powerful authority. Shoshone and England are garbage that have no no uniques basically. Shoshone are beyond saving so authority is the right call, it’s hit or miss for them. England has better offensive navy, UB that doesn’t even require philosophy but provides science and gold (both most needed as authority), and earlier spies are only useful to gain science and military CS allies, both strongest as authority, so authority is making the best of bad situation. England could get Longbowman, it would be unlocked the same with UB a great offensive unit it needs. Ranged ship are bad, and indomitable is awful cause you have bonus moves to fire and hide between melee. America should be tradition, has early wonder mechanic, defensive UU with GA points, and unique hermitage that all about tradition, recent changes did little to change that.
Any bonus culture or GA is best with traditon and authority as fiinishing them ASAP is very powerful, while progress is better with science and production cause getting instant culture from building and tech, not affected by GA and doesnt give nothing important by later policies and finisher until later with writers so your earlier culture has lesser effects. Same with statecraft, you even get mechanism to avoid policies requireement as big boost for progress.
@Hokiefan00 , you can enable transparent diplomacy in options on new game. It will show you wats desirable modifiers are. I especially try to get you fought the same enemy when asked by AI to go to war, but it requires actual killing units, not just declaration. It’s something like 60 or 80.
