Svartalfar: FoL or CoE

[Kalimakhus]

I can
You razed Jonas' city and increased the AC to a level when the Alfar AIs declare war to each other. This is scripted. You didn't think you were supposed to be friend with your best enemies for ever, did you ?

I suspected that but the AC was low and as I said I later razed the AV holy city bringing the AC down by 7 points. Anyway Arendel came crawling to me later when Jonas kicked the hell out of her a--. This time I finished him totally and got one more holy city of his. (The man had actually founded three religions). I however was short sighted enough to hand over Hyle to Arendel after capturing it. For my dismay I found out that it is both FoL and RoK holy city.

 

[Kalimakhus]

Nope. It USED to be so, but now priests DO abandon you on a religion switch. At least High Priests do.

I am sure priests don't abandon you when switching religion. I still have my priests of leaves after switching to CoE. I don't know about hight priests as I didn't got the chance to upgrade my priests before the switch. I can say that the upgrade is not available. Also my fawns can't be upgraded to satyrs (very disappointing).

In general I think only heroes abandon you when you switch away from their religion. Hopefully someone can confirm that.

 

[MagisterCultuum]

Hight Priests abandon you when you switch religions, but normal priests do not. Its always been that way (or at least since I began playing a little over a year ago)

 

[oyzar]

I suspected that but the AC was low and as I said I later razed the AV holy city bringing the AC down by 7 points. Anyway Arendel came crawling to me later when Jonas kicked the hell out of her a--. This time I finished him totally and got one more holy city of his. (The man had actually founded three religions). I however was short sighted enough to hand over Hyle to Arendel after capturing it. For my dismay I found out that it is both FoL and RoK holy city.

You can easily see if a city is holy city on the world map...

 

[Kalimakhus]

You can easily see if a city is holy city on the world map...

I know. I just wasn't paying enough attention at the moment

 

[Caradoc]

Hight Priests abandon you when you switch religions, but normal priests do not. Its always been that way (or at least since I began playing a little over a year ago)

Inquisitors will also stay (and keep all their spells).

 

[MagisterCultuum]

True, Inquisitors stay, not losing any promotions or their religion either. However, only Inquisitors of your state religion can cast inquisition.

 

[Darkheart]

Hi Kalimakus

Couldn't help posting on this thread as I'm having the same dilema.

I play marathon huge emp/Imm games and quite naturaly (naturely ) go for FOL because of prerequiste techs:- hunters and elder councils.

I tend to find that by turn 400 (first quarter) most of my neighbours are FOL and, if I've pushed sailing, most of my continent.

Thats the problem...It's MY continent!!!

I'm now left with the option of intercontinental "expansion " which is expensive and my fellow AI buddies are useless at. Or interneccine squabbling and culture wars whose long term effects are to weaken your (MY) continent and economy, only to get beaten up by a crusading Varn /Sabathiel or out teched by a raging lunatic wearing a clown's costume! With the dwarves on your (MY!) continent and RoK its easy.... But when everyone is FOL...you got a problem.

This is when I'm starting to think about CoE.

FoL is great, mainly because guardian of nature is so broken at the moment... +10 happiness (or more) to a religion whose real bonus is added food production. This means you can still Max pop your cities but don't need to worry about imported luxuries and war weariness. Whereas, in the more peaceful bulider /out-teching games, open border agreements are a requirement for trade route commerce. HN is the way to go and spiders are only good upto about the time that your friends start sending in hunters.

I don't know about you but I dont want my friends sharing MY barb training ground just because they happen to be on MY CONTINENT!!!

I'd suggest building up both equally and using FOL for war (the long-term continent crushing type) and CoE for peace.

That's a strategy the specfics will vary with each game.

 

[Kalimakhus]

Darkheart

I know exactly what you are talking about. It is why I only play on terra or pangaea maps now. In the last game however the same one religion for them all syndrome returned back to hunt me. So yes CoE was the answer. It could however be any other religion for that matter. I might have gone extreme and adopted AV and pushed the AC till it is blight. Being elves with FoL for long time means the least harm possible due to blight. I also work with a CE so only farms for resources and every tile else is cottaged.

My point is: CoE is an option for the Svarts as it is for any other civ. FoL is almost a must. It is IMO more so for them than it is for the Ljosalfar.
This makes me think that if Ljosalfar is a balanced civ then the Svarts are overpowered by all means.

 

[onedreamer]

Hight Priests abandon you when you switch religions, but normal priests do not. Its always been that way (or at least since I began playing a little over a year ago)

Nope, it wasn't. I believe it's happening since when High Priests are religion-specific. Which is less than a year, I think. Or... time flies. Inquisitors aren't religion dependant.