Suggestion for 0.9 - Spreading the culture

[bovi]

Except for the areas close to your starting position, every settlement has a 50% culture penalty to public order. This penalty gets lower as time passes and your culture gains ground, but extremely slowly. I propose a system to speed up this process, involving purchasing "buildings" representing an action to promote your culture in the province. The build time would be 0 for the less drastic measures, to allow simultaneous building of other improvements. The background script would check every city each turn, removing any such "buildings" and applying their effects in the province and vicinity.

Based on the government type, you'll have different tools for the job.

"Propaganda" - Allowed by any government type, the slowest working action, 0 build time.
Hire artists to perform music, plays and the like to promote your culture and ridicule others. Bribe locals to talk about all the positive aspects of the new rule and new traditions. Promote trade with the province by subsidies/shortterm tax reductions. Give various benefits to those who openly endorse your ways. Would cost a fair bit, say 600 or so.

"Migration" - Allowed by client state and subjugation governments, 0 build time.
Entice people of your culture to settle in the province. A number of people are moved from neighbouring provinces, amount depending on the "free space" in the target province in the form of nominal population growth and the culture rating of the source territories. Culture benefits in the target province but declines in the source provinces based on the amount of people moving. The benefit would depend on the amount of people in the target province and the number of migrants. A modest amount of unrest is generated by the influx of foreigners, say 15%. Under subjugation government the unrest can be mitigated by the garrison presence, so if you have a 70% garrison you'd get a mere 15%*0.3~5%. Low cost, say 200 or so.

"Displacement" - Allowed by subjugation government, 1 build time.
Entice people of your culture to settle in the province, while driving the foreign scum away and giving their lands and assets to the new settlers. Like in the migration people are taken from neighbouring provinces with a decent culture rating, however the population in the target province does not increase. Rather, the population will likely plummet as a lot of its people flee to neighbouring provinces not under your control or become brigands/marauders as they have nowhere to go when their livelyhoods are taken away. High level of cultural conversion, high level of unrest generated, say 100% mitigated by garrison presence of faction units and mercenaries. High cost due to deporting as well as required escort for settlers, say 800 or so, and no income can be collected in the province due to its upheaval (its income figures are deducted from the treasury). Some garrison troops may get killed while performing the required duties.

"Extermination" - Allowed by subjugation government, 1 build time.
Initiates or keeps up extermination of the foreign weaklings who currently inhabit this province but were unable to keep control of it. Being their conqueror gives you the right to do whatever you please with the vanquished. Kills a number of the province population modified by garrison presence of faction units and mercenaries. Displaces more who flee rather than face the potential continuation of the extermination. The level of conversion depends on current culture rating and the amount of people removed from the province; but even if there are no "cultured" people there it will pave the way for more effective later measures as the population will be low and therefore less resistant. High level of unrest generated, say 150% mitigated by garrison presence of faction units and mercenaries. No cost, as the plunder will likely outweigh the costs including loss of regular income. Some garrison troops may get killed while performing the required duties. Faction leader and commanding general may get negative traits, particularly if they are unselfish. Diplomats gain a negative trait to represent the lowered reputation of the faction due to the atrocity. Repeated extermination leads to own negative traits as well for the faction leader, his sons and the faction heir, to represent popular disgust with the cruel rule.

Sounds good? Historical considerations I haven't thought of? Faulty logic? Will it be feasible, are the scripts able to perform everything? Other measures that should be included?

[Radier]

I think it is a good idea bovi. The advantage of spreading your culture to newly conquered provinces will then be more stability at the end?

Wouldn't it be hard to script so that when a province is more or less assimilated you can recruit national troops there? Just wondering...

[bovi]

The gain will be a longterm stability, yes, offset by the immediate unrest, required garrison and/or costs of the conversion. Also somewhat greater resistance to enemy occupation, but I don't think many players have really needed that, given the not-so-great AI. The faction units you can recruit are dependant on the government you instate, so it won't affect that.

I agree it would make somewhat sense to increase the available government types as the culture changes in provinces close to the political centre, which would have to be the original motherland due to the odd ability to instantly move your capital. However, distance still plays a very great role in how tight you can control things; messages can take weeks to travel between the reaches. Seleukeia was unable to keep strict control in the lands of the Pahlava and Baktria, for instance.

I imagine it will be quite hard to make the AI use this functionality with sense though. I suppose, in order to not give the player too great an advantage, you'd have to simply give the AI the benefit of propaganda for free, like the best available government is currently given to them for free.