When are you founding your religion?

[darkace77450]

For those of you who like to found a religion to supplement your Domination/Science/Cultural Victory, when are you doing so? Are you building a Holy Site and shrine in your capital before your initial expansion so that you get GP points rolling in as you build settlers and establish cities? Or are you doing so afterwards so you can start rolling the snowball new cities provide sooner?

 

[sugerdady87]

In my last 2 games, the only way I've been able to found a religion is: slinger -> worker -> holy site -> chop forrest for holy site prayer project.

 

[Victoria]

The AI targets religion quite heavily and so ASAP unless on low levels.
TBH I have only bothered twice and found the lag only worth it when I wanted to spam 20 national parks as a victory condition.

 

[The_Notorious_P]

Since the winter update, my challenge has been a deity, marathon, huge map as Poland, going for religious start and cultural finish. I have not succeeded yet, out of over 20 starts. I was only able to found a religion twice. Both times I built 2 slingers then holy site in capital, setting it to holy prayer project after that. My army in its first war was able to capture a settler then the npc negotiated peace with a gold sum I turned into a shrine in my capital. 2nd city made an extra slinger or archer, then began the 2nd war, conquering a npc city that already had a holy site + shrine going. My pantheon was Divine spark and I still had to faith buy the prophet, one time getting the 2nd religion and one time the 3rd.

In my best attempt, I war-mongered my way to Gunpowder only to discover that to acquire niter, another military campaign was needed, but a Mamluk defeated my army. After a few more failed restarts I'll probably go back to that game and attempt to hold peace, or maybe the winged hussars could change the tide, haven't gotten to those yet either.

 

[greygamer]

Since the winter update, my challenge has been a deity, marathon, huge map as Poland, going for religious start and cultural finish. I have not succeeded yet, out of over 20 starts. I was only able to found a religion twice. Both times I built 2 slingers then holy site in capital, setting it to holy prayer project after that. My army in its first war was able to capture a settler then the npc negotiated peace with a gold sum I turned into a shrine in my capital. 2nd city made an extra slinger or archer, then began the 2nd war, conquering a npc city that already had a holy site + shrine going. My pantheon was Divine spark and I still had to faith buy the prophet, one time getting the 2nd religion and one time the 3rd.

In my best attempt, I war-mongered my way to Gunpowder only to discover that to acquire niter, another military campaign was needed, but a Mamluk defeated my army. After a few more failed restarts I'll probably go back to that game and attempt to hold peace, or maybe the winged hussars could change the tide, haven't gotten to those yet either.

Try to buy a shrine after you build a Holy site, establishing a second city (with Holy site) will boost your chances significantly on Deity. Don't forget you can use faith/gold to buy a prophet, the cost reduces the more points you have accumulated. My success rate on deity is around 80% out of 10+ starts, although if the last religion goes very early you will likely still be out of luck.

 

[Victoria]

Slightly off topic. I was playing a deity game yesterday amd i took a gilgamesh city that had a great prophet in it but did not get the prophet. A few turns later the great prophet was wandering around way too fast for gilgamesh to have made another.

1. I assume loosing a city put the prophet back to the capital city
2. If I took all gilgameshes cities and there was a great prophet in his capital ( looting all holy sites would encourage this) would I gain it?

 

[greygamer]

Slightly off topic. I was playing a deity game yesterday amd i took a gilgamesh city that had a great prophet in it but did not get the prophet. A few turns later the great prophet was wandering around way too fast for gilgamesh to have made another.

1. I assume loosing a city put the prophet back to the capital city
2. If I took all gilgameshes cities and there was a great prophet in his capital ( looting all holy sites would encourage this) would I gain it?

I doubt you can take control of a great prophet
Was Gilgamesh eliminated? If not maybe the prophet is tied to the original city and when you took that it starts acting like a barbarian scout that has lost it's camp.

 

[Browd]

Slightly off topic. I was playing a deity game yesterday amd i took a gilgamesh city that had a great prophet in it but did not get the prophet. A few turns later the great prophet was wandering around way too fast for gilgamesh to have made another.

1. I assume loosing a city put the prophet back to the capital city
2. If I took all gilgameshes cities and there was a great prophet in his capital ( looting all holy sites would encourage this) would I gain it?

1. Great People (including Great Prophets) cannot be captured or killed -- they just teleport back to the owner's nearest city. Gilgamesh probably had no other city with a Holy Ssite, forcing his Great Prophet to wander in the wilderness for a (metaphorical) 40 years.

2. If a civ is eliminated, all of its remaining units should disappear from the map, and I would assume that includes that civ's Great People (but haven't tried to test that).

 

[sugerdady87]

1. Great People (including Great Prophets) cannot be captured or killed -- they just teleport back to the owner's nearest city. Gilgamesh probably had no other city with a Holy Ssite, forcing his Great Prophet to wander in the wilderness for a (metaphorical) 40 years.

2. If a civ is eliminated, all of its remaining units should disappear from the map, and I would assume that includes that civ's Great People (but haven't tried to test that).

I heard from a birdie that you were working on a religion guide?

 

[Browd]

Yep, but it's a beast. Right now I'm traveling without a laptop that runs Civ, so writing has been delayed.

 

[ShinigamiKenji]

It does include that AI's Great People indeed. Sometimes I had only 2 religions in a game that otherwise would allow 4, because I eliminated the AIs that had Great Prophets.

BTW, Saladin's ability kinda forces the game to either have his religion or 1 less religion. Once I eliminated him very early, only to discover that his Prophet was locked forever, and thus I couldn't have a religion. It makes sense in case he gets ressurrected, but it's kinda wonky. I think his ability should change to make him have one Great Prophet and allow the game to have one more religion instead.