Beating the End Game Race - how?

[GrumpyFlumps]

Hello!

Playing as China on small islands map, was having a fantastic time, a really dynamic game! But now all the lesser Civs have been conquered leaving just me and 3 other main players, each with lots of land/resorces/cities etc.

I was trying for my first Cultural victory, but Hiawatha will get his space rocket long before I get near Utopia. I thought I could nuke him to slow him down, but even with an invasionary force I couldn't even land without being wiped out.... so seemingly he can't be stopped?

I think of this part of the game as the End Game Race (for the spaceship)..., and I think it's a bit frustrating, as seemingly once a certain tech stage has been achieved then attacking another Civ becomes impossible and all you can do is click NEXT TURN.

I am contemplating razing my outpost cities in order to increase my rate of culture aquisition...., seems a bit desperate though...., but what else can you do?

 

[apocalypse105]

If you play culture right you allways finish it before space race usally at the industial era you proparly did something wrong.

If you want a FAST culture win you must only have 3 cities and have 3 key wonders:
The sistine chappel, the cristo redendro and stonehedge or oracle


you can easy win withouth these wonders and more cities but it will take you longer

 

[steave435]

I am contemplating razing my outpost cities in order to increase my rate of culture aquisition...., seems a bit desperate though...., but what else can you do?

Not that at least, once you've annexed/settled a city, the increased culture cost is permanent, you can't get rid of it.
..Or well, atleast the patch notes claim so, I've never tested, but according to them they changed that to avoid exploits where people would trade cities back and forth between them to game the system.

 

[joncnunn]

I am contemplating razing my outpost cities in order to increase my rate of culture aquisition...., seems a bit desperate though...., but what else can you do?

If you had earlier annexed those outpost cities, this indicates why you fell behind.

When going for cultural victory, you should leave as puppets all good cities you conquer (and raze or sell badly located ones).

The honor branch will also help a conquest assisted cultural victory (but not as much as Piety or Freedom) as your puppets like to build defense structures and that extra happiness will plow into culture with one of the honor policies.

Now if those cities are stil puppets, razing them will not decrease cost. In fact, unless your empire used to have more non-puppet cities, it will increase cost by at least one city. (That's if you raze one at a time; if you annex them all at once to start razing, that's a major slow down)

 

[GrumpyFlumps]

Thanks for the interesting replies!

I'll try and play a better cultural game next time, looks like I'll have to go with my Plan A this time and try and slow Hiawatha with a couple of nukes....

....however, I think I'm gone lose this one