Trajan13 said:
Yea, the new system is like SMAC, except with 5 choices for each instead of four.
They are listed here, what we know so far -
http://www.civfanatics.com/civ4/info/#Control
Though now that I look over the table, questions arise. Why is there both a Despotism and Police State under government? Under Legal, none of those choices make sense. Can you not have both freedom of speech AND buerocracy? And how did "Nationhood" and "Vassalage" make it under Legal? That really needs to be cleared up. What about the Economy also? What is the difference between State Property and Communism? Perhaps State property is like under Feudalism, where the king and nobles owned all the land, whereas Communism is where the Party/People own the land communally? And how does Pacifism make it under religion? Damn I've confused myself again. As I said, many questions. Perhaps the great Soren Johnson would see fit to shed more light on this in a future info release?
I know it is confusing. To get the answer as from the game, you are going to need the information from the person who designed it figure this out.
But I will try to give ideas from my knowledge as a historian. I might not hurt to pull out a Dictionary now. I will now show my ideas and opinions on what these things could possibly mean:
Q: Why is there both a Despotism and Police State under government?
My Opinion:
Definition of Despotism: a state or a system of government in which the ruler (the "despot") has unlimited power
Now, a Police State sound to me more like a Fascists or Communist state, due to this government required Fascism to be used. The police in reality would be like secret police, or Hitler's S.S. the Police State still sound like to me that the people are trying to be protected against something and trying to convince the people that is for their good and to their advantage to have this much protection. Despotism sounds more like a tight military control, and that the people have no rights (period), and that everything is for the good of the ruler, more like a Monarchy.
Q: Under Legal, none of those choices make sense. Can you not have both freedom of speech AND buerocracy? And how did "Nationhood" and "Vassalage" make it under Legal? That really needs to be cleared up.
My Opinion:
Definition of Bureaucracy: A system of managing an organization (as a government or business) by strictly following a fixed procedure that often results in delay.
I think that legal represents what kind of laws they are, and how loose they are. In a plain Bureaucracy, I would think that the laws would be much stricter than with laws that allow freedom of speech. Doesn't make MUCH sence, but we don't have much to work off of. As for the other Nationhood, and Vassalage, I think with Vassalage, that it represents laws that severely restrict the lower class. Meanwhile, Nationhood is probably more like a Nation-State, where the lower class is slightly "looser" in freedoms, but not much.
Q: What about the Economy also? What is the difference between State Property and Communism? Perhaps State property is like under Feudalism, where the king and nobles owned all the land, whereas Communism is where the Party/People own the land communally?
My Opinion: I think the idea above might be the answer, but I think another idea is that State property means the type of communism/feudalism where none of the lower class owns anything and the upper class or government owns everything. And when they say Communism, they mean the real type where everyone shares us, but there is less strict government control than the modern comunism. I got a feeling that that isn't as close as the guess in the question, but it might be.
Q:And how does Pacifism make it under religion?
My Opinion: Maybe the options for this kind of religion means how exceptant or how powerful a religion is in your country? If it is pacifist, maybe your people's opinion is that war is bad, and they use religion to explain this. Freedom of Religion means that the people are exceptant of other religions and people, and are against war for reasons people are different (the religious wars). Organized religion is preobably something like that the religion dictates several government moves, but not all.
and Theocracy...
Definition of Theocracy: government of a country by officials believe to have divine guidance
...sounds like a part of Fascism and the "master race." It probably has a play in religion by that that country's religion is the ultamite religion and that all others should be destroyed (religious wars).
I hope this helps