Government Section

The government section of the Nation Editor concerns the running of the player's nation. For ease of use, it is broken down into headings. The headings are as follows.

Leaders

In-game, the player is assumed to take the role of the leaders of the nation, and thus will only have the power that is allocated to the Leaders (see Power Heading below). The name of the current Leaders can be viewed under this heading, alongside their traits. People Traits will have an effect over the whole nation. Under the Leaders Heading in the Government Section, the player will be able to select the number of leaders that represent the nation. This is done with a simple drop-down box. The default number is one, and it is the only possible selection until Oligarchy is researched. The second variable that the player can decide under the Leaders Heading is the way in which Leaders come to power. Through various researches the player unlocks different options for leader selection. These options are under-discussed. Some of the more generally accepted are: Hereditary, Elected [Group/Caste], Religious, Competition [Type] and Caste.

Legislation

The Legislation Party is the equivalent of a Parliament, Senate, Board, etc. It is a group of people that have some share of power through the law-making process (see Power Heading below). The player can view the people currently members of this group, as well as their People Traits. The Legislation Heading is similarly structured to the Leaders Heading. It will contain the mechanic for defining the Number of Members, through a drop-down box. Larger numbers are possible here than in the Leaders Heading. It also contains an identical mechanic for member selection.

Power

The Power Heading is where the distribution of power can be found. 'Power' in this sense, means the ability to make changes to the Nation Editor (the player will be notified when changes are about to be made, and can block them at the cost of stability), to manage resources and trade, and to manage foreign and diplomatic affairs. To easily view and change the 'Balance of Power' in the player's nation, this heading will be represented by graphical sliders, each with a value between 0 and 100. The sum of all the sliders will always be equal to 100. The sliders are: 'Leaders' 'Legislation' and 'People'. Obviously, each slider has different effects on the amount of control the player has over their nation, the happiness and order of their SCs, and how much the People Traits of the respective power groups have an effect on the nation. The higher the Leaders Slider, the more direct control the player has over their nation. The Slider also adjusts the strength of the bonuses that are given by the Leaders' People Traits. The higher the Legislation Slider, the more control the Legislation Members have. This will not be as direct as the player's control, but will strive to change as little as possible, or to shape the nation according to how the Members are elected (e.g. members elected by competition [military] will strive to strengthen the military might of the nation). The People will always try to change things to make their own lives better. A high People Slider will also result in a lot of bonus happiness throughout the nation.

Domestic Policy

Domestic Policy is how the nation treats its own people, and what freedoms they have. It also involves the maintenance of this, that is, how it is enforced upon the people. The Domestic Policy Heading is also divided up into a series of graphical sliders. These sliders are: 'Personal Freedoms', 'Economic Freedoms' and 'Religious Freedoms'. All sliders boost happiness with higher levels. However, researches are needed to unlock certain values on these sliders and certain combinations may not be feasible or may cause instability.

To clarify, Personal Freedoms are the ability to go where and do what you please, when you please. Obviously severely high levels of this would cause disorder as it is a lawless society. With low levels of Personal Freedoms, the player can more directly designate what percentage of the population become what specialists (see Society Centers). Underneath this slider, there is the option to instate the 'Enforced Caste System'. This allows complete player control over specialist designation, boosts specialist input, and limits the Personal Freedoms Slider. It also allows unlimited use of the Cast System Mini-Editor in the Culture Section of the Nation Editor.

Economic Freedoms are the ability for people of the player's nation to spend their money and handle business as they see fit. This comes with obvious positives and negatives on each side. A completely controlled economy, that is 0 Economic Freedoms, will have an increased production rate and will never succumb to an economic disaster such as recession or depression. However, it will also cut off all independent trade, which generates significant wealth for your nation. The player will have to weigh the odds to make sure changes are worthwhile. Again, appropriate researches will unlock more values, and decrease negative side effects. Under this heading, the player will find the options 'One Establishment Rule' 'One Establishment Rule' will reduce economic growth severely, but ensure that no economic disasters appear in their nation.

Religious Freedoms are the ability to practice whatever religions you wish. The ability to do this is measured in the slider. At a lower value, the bonuses from the state religion will be increased (if no state then +science will be given) and unhappiness and disorder from other religions increased. For higher settings the opposite is true. Religions other than your state will not generate unhappiness or disorder, but bonuses from your state religion will be reduced. Also under this heading is the option to begin an 'Inquisition'. This will cost resources and military units, and will kill, exile or convert most of the population that follow non-state religions.

Foreign Policy

Foreign Policy is how the player deals with nations outside of their own. Under this heading, the player can find their current diplomatic stances with nations that they are in communication with. They can also open up the communications panel and engage in trade and negotiations. Also under this heading, the player will find the ability to select Foreign Policies for Military and Trade. There will be a number of options under this panel, however this is largely undiscussed.