nooby questions on religion

[dante alighieri]

In my next game i think I'll try to create a religious war. I want to found a religion, convert all of my neighbors and then hopefully get them to rally with me to crush the heathens that won't convert. But I have general questions.

I've founded religions in BtS before, but I've noticed that it no longer gives me line of sight to AI cities with that religion. Is that feature gone?

The AI's always seem to convert to my religion but then convert to another later on. I bribed Willem Van Oranje into converting in my last game, but shortly after he changed his mind and turned to another religion. This was after I spammed his cities with missionaries. What can I do to prevent that?

 

[Stilgar08]

Ok, you might need the AP to create such a war...
LoS due to same religion is gone in BtS - You can regain it by having enough EP.
As far as I know there's not much you can do about the AI converting later on but spamming your religion in their cities. But beware that you maintain a high vote in the AP!
AI converts first to the religion it gets first whether they founded them themselves or not. Later on they might convert if that gives them more benefits or they get supressed be a powerful competitor...

 

[dante alighieri]

But I've seen the AI convert to other religions even if mine was the first they had. I know sometimes its another AI spamming missionaries or bribing them, but its still a huge pain. I literally wanted to strangle the dutch leader when he changed on me. I went to quite a bit of trouble converting his cities!

 

[Stilgar08]

Live is not a pony stable...

To me it happens occasionally but not very often. Personally I find it quite good that the AI does that since a human player would do it, too if it fits his game.. The question is: Does the AI do it then or at other times??

 

[Spearthrower]

But I've seen the AI convert to other religions even if mine was the first they had. I know sometimes its another AI spamming missionaries or bribing them, but its still a huge pain. I literally wanted to strangle the dutch leader when he changed on me. I went to quite a bit of trouble converting his cities!

With BTS you just send a spy over and force him to convert back (stupid game-breaking, over-powered espionage, *grumble*, *mumble*, *moan*)


If he converted away from your religion before, it was because the conversion was more beneficial to him.

Probably someone else had spammed his cities with their religion, and the other religious following was more powerful, so he went with the ones who were most likely to crush him.

 

[Ethric]

Regarding AP votes and shared religions, would it be an idea to try to get two religions, then build the AP locked to one of them but then change state religion to the other? Then you spread your new state religion like nuts and convert as many as you can to it, and keep the AP religion to one city per civ to keep your voting power intact.

But I guess if this works, it tastes a bit too much like a cheese tactic. Don't think I'd do it, at least not in singleplayer.

 

[Spearthrower]

But I guess if this works, it tastes a bit too much like a cheese tactic. Don't think I'd do it, at least not in singleplayer.

If you are going to go to that length, you might just as well put those hammers into military.... or even Settlers....

If you have a high enough population and don't go mad on spreading it to the AI, you tend to have a healthy voting base comparative to the AI anyway. The only game where I have lost control of my self-constructed AP was in the most recent one playing with 15 AI.... even then it was only by 1 miserably, stinky vote.... and half the world was my religion (Jewish)! I never sent a single missionary to the AI in the whole game..... eventually, I just took out Islamic Boudicca and that gave me enough extra pop to take the AP back again.