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vive la revolution!
So a couple other people have hit upon the same or similar ideas to this one. I think it's time to bring back the revolution. Remember back in Civ1, when capturing a civ's capital city could spark a revolution in which the empire split into two civilizations? That was cool. And I think the revolution should be brought back (in pog form). One problem, though, is if you captured a civ's capital, you created two really weak empires out of one weak one. It's pretty tough to capture an capital city, after all. And it's historically inaccurate. Instead, I think a revolution could be triggered differently:
1) ongoing civil disorder
2) an extended, "unpopular" war
3) using the whip (in despotism and communism)
4) a renaissance of conquered cities (see below)
Non-free governments would have the highest chance of a revolution, but it's also possible for democracy or republic to fall prey to a revolution. Distant cities would have a higher chance of revolting, so those cities you founded on that distant island to exploit and protect your source of saltpeter might just get sick of taxation without representation and bugger out on you (aka, the American and South American revolutions). Distance from the palace would definitely be key in this determination.
With regard to conquered cities revolting, I've found it somewhat bothersome that civilizations can be eradicated in a single turn. The people don't get assimilated to your nationality for some time, but it doesn't really matter because they're not going to be unhappy about you attacking their mother country because it doesn't exist anymore. So they might as well be your own. And the resistance seems to end the turn after the mother country is eradicated. I'm thinking, however, of the Asian and African colonial rebellions against European rule. Or the rebirth of Persian culture and creation of a separate empire in the 9th and 10th centuries after the Muslim conquests. Those people were never assimilated by the conquerors, and so got some self-determination going and went their own way. And there are the many nations into which the Austro-Hungarian empire split in the aftermath of WWI, and the more recent example of the USSR breaking into over a dozen separate states that had been conquered by the Russians, some as long ago as the 17th century (Ukraine).
In support of this, there should be a new Great/Small Wonder. I'm thinking of calling it the Statue of Liberty, but it could be a bunch of different things. This Wonder would accelerate the assimilation of foreign nationalities in your cities, reducing the likelihood of them separating from you.
The two types of revolutions would be distinct: one is your own people rebelling against you, and the other is conquered peoples rebelling. In the former case, the primary consideration would be accessibility to your main capital/forbidden palace, the strength of your culture, and your treatment of your people. In the latter case, we would also add the strength of the conquered nation's culture (whose effect on the conquered would fade over time as you assimilated the people) and the dissimilarity of the people from your own (like Chinese and Japanese vs. Zulu and French). It's quite possible that a distant conquered city to which you added some of your own people could be a fusion of both types of revolution, though that would get pretty complicated.
So what would the new empires be like? The revolt of your own people would create a new nationality that hasn't previously existed, but is in the same group. They would be somewhat weak, but I'm thinking that your enemies will always be eager to support the revolutionary cause (like the French against the British in the American Revolution). So, for example, a revolt against the English might create the Irish or Scottish empire. Against the Russians, the Ukrainians. And so forth. The revolt of subjugated people would of course resurrect the previous civilization.
I haven't figured out what a good cultural value to assign the newly free civilization would be. Clearly they cannot start from zero, but how to assign them culture?
Another thing to determine is how a bloc of cities would band together. Supposing you had only whipped one city, but been good to the surrounding ones. The revolt would be contained there. On the other hand, maybe the revolution starts in one city. You gather troops in a nearby city to quell the upstarts, but then that city joins the revolution (it wasn't unhappy enough to do it on its own, but after careful consideration over a few turns, it joins in). So there's that to think about.
Then there's the spread of the revolution. For example, the American Revolution was an inspiration to the French and South American Revolutions. So if a part of your nation revolts, it could increase the chance of the same happening to a rival civilization. Or again in your own civilization. It could be like the 19th century all over again.
These are just some half-baked ideas, but I think, if properly formed, they could make be pretty cool. Just imagine if your only source of oil decided they didn't like how you were treating them.... Or if the same happened to your chief rival and they came to you for help?
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