Advanced Governments

Freeciv ought to have more advanced governments. Three categories: Politics, Economics and Culture. You choose one from each category, and all combinations are legal (Planned Anarchy focusing on Conquest may be odd, but no impossibility).
Government bonuses increase over time, making it less and less advantageous to switch governments to suit the situation and rewarding successful long-term planning. The bonuses increase in 'steps' occuring every 3^N turns (ie in turns 3, 9, 27, 81, 243 and 729). (Thanks to redguts on the forums for inspiring this idea.)
This was added in the non-free version of Sid Meier's games in the 1990's, in what effectively was "Civ 2.5" -- Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri -- but that fork/project seems dead...and as freeciv uses Civ2 rules but Civ 6 is expected in about a year, the point may have been reached where everything that can be done with freeciv's current format (for those who still prefer the oldschool rulesets) has already been done.
UPDATED Status:
To keep it simple, yet gain support from those (both coders & players) who want a newschool formet and others who prefer to stick with the oldschool format, it may be best to not try to cover Civ 3 or 4, but to make a "FreeCiv 5 beta" and by 2014-2016, finalize FreeCiv 5 or adapt that "FreeCiv 5 BETA" into a 1.0 (release/non-beta) which emulates most of the important features of Civ 6 (currently expected in 2014-2015). (Freeciv does already have some custom rulesets which emulate some Civ 3 features, but it's not a "real"/separate Civ 3 emulation...and Civ2 remains the extremely-outdated standard for Linux...which has a great variety of customising the ruleset, but still doesn't allow many of the features that Civ 3/4/5/6 have --most of which have met with critical acclaim & popularity from players-- including this Civ 2.5 era [i.e. pretty damn old...] very limited "government" menu option.)
The consequence of not making at least 1 "newschool" cleansheet design is, since "limited games" is often cited why people stop using Linux, keeping only the current freeciv would make Linux less likely to be adopted -- unless the non-free "Civ 6" is released (2014-2015) with a Linux version. Most people will be turned-off to still be playing --in 2015-2020 and onward-- with Civ 2 graphics, its sometimes limited user-interface, & simplistic rules when Civ 7, 8, 9... are released.
Implementation of this particular feature (more "Government" choices), which was added to the non-free version after Civ 2, WAS being worked on in PR#14763 . That is now cancelled, per "no longer active" in FreeCiv development. So this issue, namely that "Civ 3 'government types'" was never completed, is yet another reason that it may be best --whilst preserving Civ 2 for those who prefer that style of gameplay & the low system requirements-- to just skip Civ 3 and 4, and not even fully develop a Civ 5 emulation, but get a beta version of freeciv that emulates Civ 5 (with updated graphics) to use it to morph quickly into a Civ 6-like ruleset --including the Civ 6 government types...if and only if critics & players don't pan Civ 6's government types if they're radically different from Civ 5-- instead of the difficulties of:
1. trying to organise games on the public servers for civ 3, 4 (as this "government" proposal seems to be as old as), 5, AND 6, and
2. trying to get enough coders to make such a complicated variety of "versions"--let alone that there were even difficulties getting enough coders to even make the now-defunct SMAC version of freeciv, or even to do this MINOR proposed Civ3/Civ4-style "governments" feature--so this is yet another reason that it may be best to cover ONLY ONE new version of Civ, in addition to keeping the already-existing oldschool (Civ 2/freeciv) version.
== Politics ==
Deals with unit upkeep, martial law and unhappiness from city size. May allow units, partisan rules and senate rules. All enable +1 trade from each tile when 'celebrating'. All have an unhappiness cost for field units of 1.
Additional ideas
perhaps have two further divisions, i hope it wont get too convoluted - but there could be default suggestions. ps perhaps not everything goes to plan. Small changes might bring complacency to some cities.
#Civics
#Power (Singular, By Group, Inclusive; Derives from : Heredity, Merit, Might, Decree, Wealth, Equality)
#Politics (Voting, Referendums, Forum, Tradition )
#Economy (Income Tax, Tariffs, Tolls, Tithes)
#Culture
=== Anarchy ===
You rule by the consent of everyone. There is no unhappiness due to city size, however the incentives needed to get people to join your units and go into danger are prohibitively expensive.
Unit upkeep +100%
City production random
No income from tax -- Does this model well?
=== Aristocracy ===
You rule on behalf of the powerful in society, elected by those deemed worthy of suffrage.
Unhappiness from size 0, +2 each step. One unhappy free unit in each city each step. Martial law 1 content citizen for each unit. Luxuries +20% each step. Allows Knights unit.
=== Authoritarian ===
You rule as a heavy-handed dictator, caring nothing for your people, who only exist to serve. You do not care that they hate you, as long as they fear you.
Unhappiness from size 2, +1 each step. Martial law 1 content citizens for each unit each step. Gold +20% each step. Allows Legion unit.
=== Democracy ===
You are the elected leader of all your people. Your people slander you in the press and gossip behind your back, and your senate threatens to veto your spending bills. However, the freedom inspires creativity in your people and increases research and development.
Unhappiness from size 3, +1 each step. Inspires Partisans. Has Senate. Unit food (and gold) upkeep +100%. Field units unhappiness +100%. +10% Trade production each step.
=== Totalitarian ===
You aim to rule not only the state but also the minds of the people. The total and unquestioning devotion of a whole people makes for awesome military might, but awful research.
Requires Radio.
Unhappiness from size 5, +1 each step. One unhappy free unit each city for each step. Martial law 1 content citizens for each unit for each step. Halved research.
PROPOSAL:
=== Autocratic ===
You are the only governor and source of leadership and in control of power. Monarchy is the aristocratic form of autocracy.
=== Transparent ===
Your rule is open to the public opinion, and advice from the senate/court. The decisions of the ruling body are available freely to the public.
=== Communitarian ===
Civilization decides as a Community on the foreign policy, production, consumption, social plans.
secretariat decides the direction.
=== Timocracy ===
Rule by military might. Dissent-City rebellion makes Fanatics / Partisan units. Military units make happiness in the city.
Upkeep is double. Victory gives a unit of gold as trophy. Conquered cities dissent if from democratic republics.
=== Ochlocracy ===
The mob rules the state. appears instead of Anarchy. Autocrats and Totalitarians are overthrown.
Corruption and piracy are high.
Requires democracy.
=== Theocracy ===
The church rules the state. Requires Mysticism. Cathedrals, Temples create income from tithes, no tax. Happiness +2. More than three missionaries, each city can convert 2 citizens to priests.
===Patriarchy===
The elders or 'fathers' of the extended families rule. +1 food from each tile, because population grows quickly in this system. Increased risk of civil war, because society can easily factionalise when blood relationships grow thinner over generations.
== Economics ==
Deals with production tile bonuses and corruption.
=== Commons ===
Primitive or Utopian, as you happen to look at it, type of government. Everything is owned by everyone, and everyone works with everyone else to make stuff go around.
=== Slavery ===
Slaves carry out most of the crucial work. As this frees up parts of society for more important work, it leads to a flowering of philosophy and science and makes it easy to produce great works, but is quite wasteful and lends itself best to highly centralized civilizations.
Palace gives +50% shield, luxuries and gold production. All other cities experience 80% corruption - 10% each step.
=== Feudalism ===
Large parts of the people live in serfdom, and work under special economic obligations, producing some for themselves and some for their patrons. This increases industrial innovation and production.
Requires: Feudalism
Food production +1 on all tiles with irrigation & Granary. Corruption 50% - 7% each step.
=== Market ===
Valuables are in general privately owned, and those who do not own sufficient capital to live from rent, work for wages. Cut-throat competition between capital owners make for high production and innovation, but also lots of corruption
Requires: Economics
Trade production +1 on all tiles with road & Marketplace. Corruption 40% - 6% each step.
=== Planned ===
Everything is owned and managed by the state. Its planning commissions command the economy. This has the advantage of all factors in the economy pulling in the same direction, becoming capable of achieving singular goals much faster, but is rather inefficient overall.
Requires: Communism
PROPOSAL:
This should be renamed collectivist because Market economy is also planned.
Additionally there could be Controlled economy that has longterm plans and spends most on production. No bonus for science. So scientists could be used for labour.
Shield production +1 on all tiles with mines & Factory. Corruption 40% - 4% each step. Waste 20% - 3% each step
=== Welfare ===
High technology and Democracy enable an economy that cares for each member and provides for their social security. Based on the ideas of social democrats. Unemployment assurance. Medical care. Progressive taxation.
Such care has high costs and increases life expectancy.
== Culture ==
=== Pluralism ===
Your society is awash with multitudes of different values and life goals. None is pulling in the same direction. No bonuses. No penalties.
Should have a trading bonus, more market segments, as well as better connections to other markets. Every city can define their own government, other civs do not request/bully you to follow their form of government.
=== Conquest ===
Your society strives towards and prides itself in its power and territorial conquests.
Requires: Horseback Riding
Produced units +1 veteran level. Cities may upkeep 1 units free of gold/food for each step. Building upkeep +100% gold each building (double upkeep).
=== Knowledge ===
Your society strives towards achieving knowledge of the world and of themselves. Being a value set of rather pacifist bent, it increases science production at the cost of unit support.
Requires: Writing
Science production +10% each step. Field units unhappiness +100%. Unit build costs +50%.
=== Wealth ===
The members of your society care more than anything about each becoming wealthy, lavishing in riches. It is not unreasonable that some fall short of this goal, however, as in order for some to be richer, some have to be poorer. Gold income is increased at the cost of more unhappiness.
Requires: Currency
Gold production +20% each step. Wonder build costs +50% (large projects suffer a death from a thousand cuts as everyone wants their cut).
=== Pleasure ===
Your society reaches towards greater physical happiness as the goal of living.
Requires: Mysticism
Luxuries +20% each step. Shield prod -20% (too laid back to work their asses off).
=== Fundamentalism ===
A society shaped to accomodate literal interpretations of chosen religious texts. There is little tolerance of heretics, and trade of all kind suffers due to religiously imposed restrictions.
Requires: Theology 
Requires: Secular law (Torah, Sharia, Patimokkha)
(thanks to 'briann' in the talk page for this idea)
Unhappiness from field units starts one later each step (as Police Station effect). Trade production -20%. Allows Fanatics unit.
PROPOSAL 1
Why only religious fundamentalism, it has partners such as ethical fundamentalism, military fundamentalism.
Missionaries are such wonderful units! They disappeared from the pc game, Meier wanted to have a non-religious game in the beginning.
PROPOSAL 2
Treat religion and its effects separately that was on my wish-list from '90 on.
So Heresy, Apostasy and Schism run their effects on history as well as Prophecy, Saviour, Avatar, Exodus, Enlightenment, Ascendance, Revelation.
PROPOSAL 3
=== Pluralism ===
Each city can have its own politics/government. Modifiable by migrants, Spies/Diplomats maybe even a new Representative unit available in Democratic Pluralism. You can only set a default value but cities make up their own mind on what government to have. No civil wars.
=== Piety ===
Healthy living, peaceful souls, spiritual inspiration. Modesty of needs. Care for each other, benevolence.
=== Appollonian ===
Society is dedicated to culture, flourishing loci in arts, and the scientific exploration of creativity, perception and reality. High arts attract immigration. Wonders -25%
= GUI =
This is a mockup of the Advanced Governments dialog by Hogne (based on earlier draft by Per): 
= Rulesets =
Civ1 and civ2 governments should be supported, using a single category of governments.
Category:Projects