So this is probably the single most common victory method for the AI. How do they do it? Are they smart enough to run a ton of artist specialists? Or do they just turn up the culture slider and get culture through mature towns? I'm guessing they build as many cathedrals as they can.

I'm wondering if there's a nonviolent way to stop them from getting a cultural victory. If they use the commerce method destroying their towns with spies might be very effective. , and afterwards start destroying their cathedrals with espionage. If they use specialists, destroying farms really wouldn't hurt as much as those are easily replaced. Destroying Cathedrals would still slow them down though.Also monasteries should be prime targets under both methods. As they can't be rebuilt in the late game, and they probably had their culture doubled, and they are cheap to destroy since they're so cheap to build.

How is "Destroying Cathedrals" non-violent ? :lol:

I think the AI utilizes all methods to some extent - they definitly use the culture slider, and i also observed them popping more GA late game, so i presume they run Artists...

But assuming you have the time and the economic superiority to make enought :espionage: to sabotage enought buildings/cottages/farms, i would go the 'Sure-fire'-way and just raze one of those cities.

Agreed Refar - shut that city down.

Perhaps you already know this but you might find it interesting that provided the AI only has 3 cultural powerhouses it can be possible to stave off a cultural victory indefinitely by using spies to put the offending city into revolt turn, after turn, after turn, after turn, (insert infinity and eternity and also awhile after that). Dunno who mentioned the idea but I found it somewhere on these forums. In my current game I am desperately using that strat to hold off TWO cultural victories (Elizabeth and Mansa) while I complete my invasion forces LOLLLLL

How do you know which one of your enemy cities that is high on culture?

Look in the Victory screen, and/or top5 cities.

It's not the most reliable way in a sense but it's also the only way XD

For example in my current game Mansa and Elizabeth are literally neck and neck in culture victory race (perhaps 10 turns apart!!!!) so I managed to (hopefully) hold Elizabeth back only to find Mansa's final city had like 47,800 culture o.O Freeking run spies freeking fly LoL

2-4 ICBM's will kill the population down to 1 and destroy all infrastructure and improvments as well as adding fall-out (AI is screwed if they don't have ecology). Might wanna sabotage the nuclear bunker with a spy first tho.