Colonization, hurried production; culturally conquering a region

Sava · March 16, 2003, 13:31

After the first part of the game where produce cities at an exponential rate and fill up my continent as much as possible, my production of settlers slows as land gets grabbed. But in some games, I notice the AI doesn't build culture buildings and sometimes leaves 1 or 2 tile spaces on their continents/regions. What I do is I send a settler/defensive unit on a boat and build a city right in that little "Dead zone". Then after 1 turn of production, I rush build a temple... then a harbor, then a library. After a few turns, my culture border extends and I effectively get their territory without military action. Sometimes, if I'm feeling especially evil, I'll build another city one square inland from my other city and do the same thing just to grab land. Soon after, usually an AI city or two will get converted to mine.

Does anyone else do this strategy of "culture conquering"? It's a bit easier than building a huge military force and engaging in war. Sometimes, you have to give the AI's some gifts through trades to keep them "Polite" and prevent them from attacking you. The upside to this is that I often get mutual protection pacts, and if some rogue AI decides to attack me, the entire world declares war on them.

vmxa1 · March 16, 2003, 13:58

All technics are part of my arsenal, but I do not use this except to get a foot hold and only on an occassion.
Ususally it is to get a resource I need or a beachead.

Theseus · March 16, 2003, 20:01

I've done it... but I would rather just capture a city pair, one being coastal, and be done with it.

bongo · March 17, 2003, 10:10

It's a handy tool for special occasions. I used it once to conquer a city with iron. Worked well until the zulus took BOTH cities and as the iron disappeared shortly after I never bothered to take them back.

pedrojedi · March 17, 2003, 18:39

Getting an enemy city seems easier... And if it has the Magellan's Voyage, then it feels almost as a calling.

VJ · March 23, 2003, 13:03

Quote:

Does anyone else do this strategy of "culture conquering"? It's a bit easier than building a huge military force and engaging in war. Sometimes, you have to give the AI's some gifts through trades to keep them "Polite" and prevent them from attacking you. The upside to this is that I often get mutual protection pacts, and if some rogue AI decides to attack me, the entire world declares war on them.

Yes.

Works really well with France and Persia.

Odin · March 26, 2003, 00:12

Quote:

Originally posted by pedrojedi
Getting an enemy city seems easier... And if it has the Magellan's Voyage, then it feels almost as a calling.

I hate trying to fight a foothold on another landmass, thats why I like Pangaea maps. Nothing annoys me more than seeing a my defensive convoy of 2 distroyers, 2 battleships, and an AEGIS cruiser potecting my carriers and transports being ambushed from ships out of radar range.

bongo · March 26, 2003, 09:45

Odin, you are aware of the fact that the AI always knows where your units are so you cannot 'hide' outside his radar range?

You can deal with it by a)building an escort big enough to take some damage. b)Build an escort big enough to scare him off. c)sink his navy first d)use enough scouts e)Don't declare war until your transports are right outside his borders. f)any other tactic that works.

Fosse · March 26, 2003, 11:48

Quote:

Originally posted by Sava

Does anyone else do this strategy of "culture conquering"?

The AI does... I just hate when that ONE COASTAL tile of tundra has to have a foreign settler dropped on it before I'm able to set a warrior down to prevent it.

Though the AI stops there, building maybe a spearman and then nothing else in the city for centuries.

Sava · March 26, 2003, 11:59

Well, the AI doesn't... Fosse... it doesn't rush build temples, cathedrals, libraries, etc in order to convert surrounding cities.

Sava · March 26, 2003, 12:02

Quote:

Originally posted by Odin

I hate trying to fight a foothold on another landmass, thats why I like Pangaea maps. Nothing annoys me more than seeing a my defensive convoy of 2 distroyers, 2 battleships, and an AEGIS cruiser potecting my carriers and transports being ambushed from ships out of radar range.

Why do you allow them to get so advanced in the first place?

Yahweh Sabaoth · March 26, 2003, 12:08

Quote:

Originally posted by Sava
Does anyone else do this strategy of "culture conquering"?

I do this all the time, and generally with a good deal of success. Then again, I should note that I play on regent level. On higher difficulty levels, I'm not sure if I'd invest the time, money and resources necessary for such an action...

Early in the game I put down as many cities as possible and will defend them with only 1 warrior if needs be, in order to encourage flips. On a huge world, with max civs, I average between 1-3 flips by the early medival era.

I might also note, though, that this can be a risky proposition for the non-religious/scientific/industrial player! I've been playing numerous Viking games recently, banking on this strategy, REXing like crazy, and then getting my border cities picked off by a neighbor (or two).

Irritating, irritating, irritating! But as most civs, especially as the Babs, I love this strategy. Good for a long time!

Yahweh Sabaoth · March 26, 2003, 12:26

Quote:

Originally posted by bongo
Odin, you are aware of the fact that the AI always knows where your units are so you cannot 'hide' outside his radar range?

Guk! (chocking sound) I did not know this! How does the AI [I]always know[I]?! That's not fair!

Dominae · March 26, 2003, 13:23

Quote:

Originally posted by Yahweh Sabaoth
Guk! (chocking sound) I did not know this! How does the AI [I]always know[I]?! That's not fair!

Is it also not fair that you have an instance of the most sophisticated computer ever with which to make your decisions (your brain), while the other civs have only a AI program written in under a year by a lone programmer?

Dominae

Jaybe · March 26, 2003, 15:00

Quote:

Originally posted by Odin
... Nothing annoys me more than seeing a my defensive convoy of 2 distroyers, 2 battleships, and an AEGIS cruiser potecting my carriers and transports being ambushed from ships out of radar range.

During war, I usually have a screen of obsolete ships/destroyers/subs in front and to sides of my convoy/task force. Good naval intelligence counters AI unit-location omniscience.

Subs/Nuc Subs (nuc subs modded to keep up with surface units) are essential. Sometimes an AI will concentrate on building nuc subs.

Yahweh Sabaoth · March 26, 2003, 16:18

Quote:

Originally posted by Dominae
Is it also not fair that you have an instance of the most sophisticated computer ever with which to make your decisions (your brain), while the other civs have only a AI program written in under a year by a lone programmer?

Touché.

Fosse · March 26, 2003, 16:41

Quote:

Originally posted by Sava
Well, the AI doesn't... Fosse... it doesn't rush build temples, cathedrals, libraries, etc in order to convert surrounding cities.

Right... as I said, they stop at the spearman and don't rush anything. Really, I should't have been saying that they employ the cultural conversion... but they certainly make a beeline for those 1 or 2 open tiles... which is just so annoying.

Odin · March 26, 2003, 18:12

Quote:

Originally posted by bongo
Odin, you are aware of the fact that the AI always knows where your units are so you cannot 'hide' outside his radar range?

I thought the AI just didn't have a fog of war and knew where resorces were before it discovered the right tech, DOH!

Mountain Sage · March 27, 2003, 06:50

Quote:

Originally posted by Dominae

... while the other civs have only a AI program written in under a year by a lone programmer?

Dominae

I feel so

for the lone programmer.

Sava · March 27, 2003, 08:07

Quote:

Originally posted by Fosse

Right... as I said, they stop at the spearman and don't rush anything. Really, I should't have been saying that they employ the cultural conversion... but they certainly make a beeline for those 1 or 2 open tiles... which is just so annoying.

Yes it is. I especially hate when I'm annihilating an AI, another one comes and builds a city in my newly conquered land.

MrWhereItsAt · March 27, 2003, 08:16

@ Mountain Sage

If the AI builds cities in locations where the civ I have attacked used to have a cultural radius, I just take that to mean

"Hello! You should attack us next with all those battle-hardened troops. Here's an easy to capture city to get you started. I'll see YOU in our capital..."