So this is now his idea, but I liked it.
(If this idea has been said before, I'm sorry)

Defining the problem

He think's that making it harder to control more cities isn't the correct solution. When time goes on more cities will come and that is not that bad.

The problem is that in ICS the cities overlap each another and this is the big problem. You build cities to close to eachother.

Solution

Let's use the cities happiness-factor.

Each city has 21 squares. Now if there are overlaping squares between cities, it affects negatively to the happiness. (Animal tests have shown that beeing to close isn't comfortable for them. They gat stressed aso.)

So for each city the amount of overlaping squares is to be calculated and the number is to affect the citys happiness. This way 1-2 overlapping squares can be allowed, but 5 should have a very negative effect.

I didn't say that this model describes perfectly the situation today.

But if you go into history a bit you can find situations were cities too close to eachother caused unhappiness. (Just one exampls is ancient Rome and Carthago. OK, not same nation but the idea.)

No I don't think this is the truthful projection of reality, but it could maybe solve the ICS problem in Civ-genre games.

They simply tried to exert their power over the same sea, Mediterraneum, hence their clash.

But I would like many more features, like diseases and more advanced infrastructure, which would also make ICS less profitable.

I think that fixing ICS isn't enough. Firaxis must truly implement the rise and fall of great empires idea, which I and S.Kroeze introduced/developed some time in the last days of the old millenium (If I remember correctly) and which later became really popular, especially shown by Matthew's EC3 idea of the same name, which was the top vote reciever of the new ideas.

I think this would be a cool way to make ICS harder.
what you all think?

Where the hell the local tribes go? to the goody huts? then Why is it so damn easy to subdue/pacify these local people?(one simple movement wipe out whole village)

Questions doesn't end there. Why conquered population simply switch its loyalty to the invaders(No garrison needed for that reason-happiness factor is another matter here)?

The world should be filled with different ethnic groups thus expansion should bring not only extra territorial gain but ethnic tension which will be extra burden/liability to your government.

However, an expansion is inevitable path of your grand campaigne and shouldn't be too detrimental(You have to finish the game anyway)which means as long as your empire remains powerful you won't have any serious problem but once your empire begins to cripple the hidden problems will cost you dearly.(former USSR is a perfect example)

Hell, I have fun creating factory nations out of continents! Civ gives you the ability to space out cities, or to pack them together.