[BNW] Cultural victory against the French

[cranium1]

So I was going for my first cultural victory and the mighty German and Austrian empires (plus the other lesser ones) finally decided to wear my blue jeans. However, I had some issues with the French - not with their cultural output per se, but rather with my tourism modifiers. Even though I had a diplomat in their capital I did not get the 25% boost that I was getting against other empires. Also, for some reason I could not set up a land OR sea trade route to them even when I was clearly in range.

At first, I thought it was because they had denounced me. However, even after the denouncement ended I didn't get the diplomat modifier or the ability to set up a trade route. Is there some feature I am missing about the French or is it a bug? I did get the open borders modifier however. No mods.

PS: For anyone interested, I eventually had to wipe France off the map because of this. They had eaten ALL of Russia and most of Rome so I was more than justified in waging this war of liberation. One turn after my cultural victory, I liberated the last French city - Rome. Great game !!

 

[psparky]

Did they pick the same ideology as you? The diplomat boost only works when ideologies are different (when it helps to offset the negative modifier that then applies).

For trade routes, had they been embargoed by the world congress, as punishment for their deplorable warmongering?

 

[cranium1]

Did they pick the same ideology as you? The diplomat boost only works when ideologies are different (when it helps to offset the negative modifier that then applies).

Oh I didn't know that. Yes, they did switch to Freedom (my ideology) from Autocracy after a revolution.

For trade routes, had they been embargoed by the world congress, as punishment for their deplorable warmongering?

Again, I didn't know this! I thought of embargoes as restrictions on lux and start trading. But yea, it all makes sense now. They were indeed embargoed. Thanks a lot !!

 

[phryxolydian]

There wasn't any need for you to wipe them out if they indeed switched Ideologies because of your tourism (that means you were at the very least Familiar with them already). With the Internet + Hotels + NVC, etc. there's no way they wouldn't have gotten fully influenced by you, eventually. You didn't know then but, the differing ideologies is a -34% modifier so if the AI with the biggest cultural pool is embargoed, then do you best to get that repealed in the WC. But, even if you couldn't, I assume you had Cultural Exchange from Aesthetics (to increase the % modifiers for Open Borders, Trade Routes, etc)? Also, if you had OB with them, then just go bomb them with 1 to 3 GM tours once you have the Internet. I suggest you read the threads about Culture Victory on War Academy under Strategy & Tips for a lot more info.