Culture Victories Immortal+?

So I've played Civ 5 for quite a while, and I reckon I'm getting better at it. I have the G&K expansion but is waiting on BNW when it gets cheaper. I've read quite a few threads and are generally proficient at the general strategies. I can pretty much win Emperor on any Civ, and on Immortal I can win Science Victories with the science focused civs. (Babylon, Maya, Korea, and even Egypt.)

On that note, I very much prefer going with an SV. I'm not much of a domination victory type of person, and I like going a Tall build with relatively few troops. Science Victories allow me to out-tech my opponents and beat them with a technologically superior army. I'm pretty much able to get sub 300 turn victories consistently and most of the time around 270ish turns.

Now I've been trying Culture victories, and I just can't seem to grasp how to best go about doing it. My best attempt was with Ethiopia with a CV at 303 turns, but that was with almost everything going my way: no early aggressive civs, no science-focused civs, and having quite a few accessible luxuries, religious bonuses, and defensive positions at hand. The closest contender was Austria who hit Info Era at like turn 260 but somehow only built the 3 boosters by around turn 295.

I guess I just don't know how to manage my focus. I'm split between having to rush the science building and the art buildings, and my specialists (being artists) also make me slow in teching. Should I be focusing on getting tech or art? (Ie. for a decision, build Universities first or Opera House? Research Lab Vs. Broadcast Towers?) Since I have to slowly invest in policies, it's not really possible to get a victory as early as Science.

Atinuviel said:

Should I be focusing on getting tech or art? (Ie. for a decision, build Universities first or Opera House? Research Lab Vs. Broadcast Towers?) Since I have to slowly invest in policies, it's not really possible to get a victory as early as Science.

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tech. Definitely universities in this choice. Yes you want to get the guilds up & running, but culture buildings after monuments are not very important until you need the slots to hold great works. They just don't provide much culture on their own. It only become necessary to get them in all cities once you research Architecture, for Hermitage.

Shameless self promotion time: check out this walkthrough thread I just made, it might help. http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=507517

BNW revamped entirely the CV condition so you will have to learn an entirely different strat. That said, I really like CV's in G&K.

The policy timing is a bit rougher than the science timing. You want full tradition, then full piety, then full freedom with no wasted policies. Then just take whatever you want for the last two trees, commerce/patronage is sometimes worth it, but never do it if Greece, Austria, or the other CS loving civs are around. I go liberty (for the GP finisher) and honor as often as anything else.

You have to be careful to not make too much culture before the industrial era, so choose your path through piety carefully (culture boost can muck up the plan), and delay the Hermitage if needed. I often do not work the amphitheater until renaissance.

Coastal starts are the worst in G&K followed closely by plains starts. What you want is food a river and a hill. Walk the settler around if you need to. Your better off starting on T3 than settling poorly. You need a lot of space around the cap to settle great scientists and great artists. I typically settle 2-5 GS's and 8-15 GA's depending on the civ and the game. two or three cities are ideal, 4 is max. You need to grow with out hitting the happiness wall. Work only food in the cap, you need 12+ pop before universities. Early the science is more important, so buy science buildings and build the culture ones. Plan and save to buy them both later, so you can try to build wonders.

So play your opener like a science game, you need to get out to radio asap, then pick up the military techs on the way to plastics. I prefer to steal the sailing techs from a distant civ who I can ignore when they complain. The more sailing techs you steal, the sooner you get biology (hospitals). Radio is the last culture tech you need, so save Oxford to bulb it. After that you want plastics and to focus on getting some oil and planes up for defense. This is the awkward time int he game when everyone goes nuts, you might be way behind in military tech for 30ish turns, just hang on and yo will be fine with great war bombers.

Make an effort to get a pantheon, take the +10 growth. I have had some success with teching archery first and hammer focusing the ToA when I hit 3 pop. Its a bit of a gambit but worth it on the right map. The HG is not gettable on Emperor with out giving up science focus - do not get sucked in by it.

If you are able to make a lot of faith, something like you have a good (I mean actually good not kinda good) petra start, or are playing Ethiopia (the best), get the +2 faith for each foreign city, +1 production, itinerant preachers, and +8 culture to hermitage beliefs and spam missionaries. You will get 50-150 fpt depending on difficulty level. Once you hit industrial use the faith to buy GA's and settle them. This is why you need a large open space for your cap, you will need to work 10-20 great tiles, and both culture and science specialists.

Remember, food before lux's, food before hammers. Grow like mad

How do you get a science victory around turn 270? Earliest i've been able to do it on emperor difficulty is turn 395.

Aquaplex said:

How do you get a science victory around turn 270? Earliest i've been able to do it on emperor difficulty is turn 395.

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There is an active thread on this in the strategy and tips section with some good comments in it.

Thanks for all the tips. I guess it just feels weird to me to be still playing a similar Tech. game, even though I'm focusing on a culture victory?

As for the SV at turn 270 comment, many of the topics here really help. It all boil down to: teching to the right Science Tech (Education, Scientific Theory, Plastic), Food production (Civil Service, Fertilizer, Hospital), and getting as many science specialist as possible. With proper RAs and GS bulbing, it shouldn't be too hard to get around turn 300 consistently.

Atinuviel said:

Thanks for all the tips. I guess it just feels weird to me to be still playing a similar Tech. game, even though I'm focusing on a culture victory?

As for the SV at turn 270 comment, many of the topics here really help. It all boil down to: teching to the right Science Tech (Education, Scientific Theory, Plastic), Food production (Civil Service, Fertilizer, Hospital), and getting as many science specialist as possible. With proper RAs and GS bulbing, it shouldn't be too hard to get around turn 300 consistently.

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All victory conditions are tech based
Even your domination game will be ugly if you are running around with cannon/muskets an the enemy has bombers and infantry.

So you have to either make your own tech or steal it. Taking Autocracy and stealing up the tech tree is also very viable...

Well I haven't had a chance to do a Dom. Victory in Immortal+, so I wouldn't know. In Emperor and below, I tend to finish the game very early, with my best game as China at turn 205 by destroying most empires early with my Chu-ko-nu. (And later some cannons and gatlings)