I have been trying Cultural Deity games in Quick speed and Large maps, to try the "bostich strategy" to the last consecuences, as suggested in http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=4825720&postcount=45 . The idea is maximize food and stop research after CoL, Philo and maybe CS are known, while production goes only to granaries, theaters, one monastery and the National Epic. Religion is ignored, but for Pacifism. I have used Peter in all of them, he is philosofical and healthy.
The first try, Continents map, I had 2 silver and 4 sea resources in the capital. I didn't make a single cottage, all land was farmed and I tried to maximaze the number of Great Artists. Without the silver mines my research would have stagnated before Alphabet. I won in 1615 having farmed 22 GP, all of them artists (the next one would have cost 2613GPP, please remember that the first one in Quick costs 67GPP). Research stopped in 290AD, when CoL, CS, Philo and Drama were known. There was no difference between running 100% science or 100% culture, since all the commerce I had came from the trade routes and the river tiles. In my game there were no cultural multipliers at all, every city was adding only around 100cpt at the end.
IMHO this game demonstrates that food can win you a deity game, but can not compete with cottages and cathedrals.
The second game, GreatPlains map, the capital had 2 cows and stone. No cottages either. It gave me the opportunity to try a mix between the food strategy and godotnut's strategy. I built the Pyramids, which slowed the building of cities in the early game. Then I researched with artists. This game was a complete failure. I resigned when I popped my fourth Great Engineer.
The third game, GreatPlains map, the capital had 5 cows and 2 gold. I had decided to cottage the capital, but the terrain wouldn't allow it. My second city was a GPfarm, its FP were farmed. The third city's FPs were cottaged, although somewhat late. A goody gave me HBR, so trading was specially good in this game. On the other hand, Gandhi (yes, he) dowed in 790BC. After losing 10 of his 15 units in my capital, he razed 2 gold mine and 1 pasture, before agreeing peace was a good idea. Also, I farmed an scientist first in order to found taoism, but ir arrived 1 turn too late. I built 7 cities and 2 cathedrals. Research stopped in 90BC, when CoL, CS, Philo and Drama were known. Well, things didn't go as expected. My first two cities produced more culture than the cottaged one for the whole game. Since I won as late as 1675AD, I had the time to farm 21GP, 20 of the artists.
Well, I should play two more games, one in which only the capital was cottaged, and all the useless hammers were producing temples, so that the capital had several culture multipliers; the other with Marble, to build the Parthenon and try to win with food only. This way my experiment would be complete. I have the feeling, though, that food is not the way to go. Culture multipliers (from Liberalism, Music and Nationalism) are needed. And, if you plan to research so far, you can't do it without cottages. Trying to find the correct balance between multipliers and Great Artists is my next step now, on my quest for
.
The first try, Continents map, I had 2 silver and 4 sea resources in the capital. I didn't make a single cottage, all land was farmed and I tried to maximaze the number of Great Artists. Without the silver mines my research would have stagnated before Alphabet. I won in 1615 having farmed 22 GP, all of them artists (the next one would have cost 2613GPP, please remember that the first one in Quick costs 67GPP). Research stopped in 290AD, when CoL, CS, Philo and Drama were known. There was no difference between running 100% science or 100% culture, since all the commerce I had came from the trade routes and the river tiles. In my game there were no cultural multipliers at all, every city was adding only around 100cpt at the end.
IMHO this game demonstrates that food can win you a deity game, but can not compete with cottages and cathedrals.
The second game, GreatPlains map, the capital had 2 cows and stone. No cottages either. It gave me the opportunity to try a mix between the food strategy and godotnut's strategy. I built the Pyramids, which slowed the building of cities in the early game. Then I researched with artists. This game was a complete failure. I resigned when I popped my fourth Great Engineer.
The third game, GreatPlains map, the capital had 5 cows and 2 gold. I had decided to cottage the capital, but the terrain wouldn't allow it. My second city was a GPfarm, its FP were farmed. The third city's FPs were cottaged, although somewhat late. A goody gave me HBR, so trading was specially good in this game. On the other hand, Gandhi (yes, he) dowed in 790BC. After losing 10 of his 15 units in my capital, he razed 2 gold mine and 1 pasture, before agreeing peace was a good idea. Also, I farmed an scientist first in order to found taoism, but ir arrived 1 turn too late. I built 7 cities and 2 cathedrals. Research stopped in 90BC, when CoL, CS, Philo and Drama were known. Well, things didn't go as expected. My first two cities produced more culture than the cottaged one for the whole game. Since I won as late as 1675AD, I had the time to farm 21GP, 20 of the artists.
Well, I should play two more games, one in which only the capital was cottaged, and all the useless hammers were producing temples, so that the capital had several culture multipliers; the other with Marble, to build the Parthenon and try to win with food only. This way my experiment would be complete. I have the feeling, though, that food is not the way to go. Culture multipliers (from Liberalism, Music and Nationalism) are needed. And, if you plan to research so far, you can't do it without cottages. Trying to find the correct balance between multipliers and Great Artists is my next step now, on my quest for
.
'sidetracked with a few Diplomatic runs' you say! 
