Some ideas
1. Culture triggers election
Strong culture emanating from your civilization would trigger elections in enemy’s cities at the border. You would capture these cities peacefully if you won the elections, by spending gold in election campaigns or by sending spies/saboteurs.
It’s more fun to have the option of capturing a city in many different ways, not just militarily. It also allows you to capture a city with strategic importance or resources without the need to start a war.
2. Bribery
You could bribe enemy’s military units with gold, stopping them from attacking your city for 3 turns, provided your city has a market.
This moderates the problem of “production is king” and adds more interesting dynamics to the play between military strength and wealth.
3. Immunity from violence
Cities with high holiness/zen points cannot be captured militarily (until their holiness points drop back down).
This provides more incentive to pursue the religious route.
4. Influence a city via religion
Strong religion emanating from your civilization would influence enemy’s cities at the border. Influenced cities send 50% of all their yields to you and the remaining 50% to their original civilization. And you have a 50% chance of choosing what building/unit to construct in such cities (after the current construction is completed).
5. Loans
You could take loans of gold at “prevailing” interest rate after you construct “The Treasury” or join the IMF diplomatically. This moderates the problem of “production is king” and adds more interesting dynamics in times of crises and wars. Prevailing interest rate depends on whether there is an ongoing war, how much loans you and the other players are currently taking, total amount of global trade between players, total number of banks in your cities, etc. If you default on your loan, then your units/buildings would be sold off by force.
6. Terraforming/land reclamation
You gain the ability to turn sea/ocean tiles to land (and vice versa) after researching certain techs. You could turn certain tiles into canal tiles, which allow both the passage of sea and land units.
1. Culture triggers election
Strong culture emanating from your civilization would trigger elections in enemy’s cities at the border. You would capture these cities peacefully if you won the elections, by spending gold in election campaigns or by sending spies/saboteurs.
It’s more fun to have the option of capturing a city in many different ways, not just militarily. It also allows you to capture a city with strategic importance or resources without the need to start a war.
2. Bribery
You could bribe enemy’s military units with gold, stopping them from attacking your city for 3 turns, provided your city has a market.
This moderates the problem of “production is king” and adds more interesting dynamics to the play between military strength and wealth.
3. Immunity from violence
Cities with high holiness/zen points cannot be captured militarily (until their holiness points drop back down).
This provides more incentive to pursue the religious route.
4. Influence a city via religion
Strong religion emanating from your civilization would influence enemy’s cities at the border. Influenced cities send 50% of all their yields to you and the remaining 50% to their original civilization. And you have a 50% chance of choosing what building/unit to construct in such cities (after the current construction is completed).
5. Loans
You could take loans of gold at “prevailing” interest rate after you construct “The Treasury” or join the IMF diplomatically. This moderates the problem of “production is king” and adds more interesting dynamics in times of crises and wars. Prevailing interest rate depends on whether there is an ongoing war, how much loans you and the other players are currently taking, total amount of global trade between players, total number of banks in your cities, etc. If you default on your loan, then your units/buildings would be sold off by force.
6. Terraforming/land reclamation
You gain the ability to turn sea/ocean tiles to land (and vice versa) after researching certain techs. You could turn certain tiles into canal tiles, which allow both the passage of sea and land units.