Cultural domination - My first Story

[MRick]

OK I've been long to update, but here it is :
By 380 AD, I build a new city next to Heidelburg, right next to the border, before they expand it (it would declare a war if I built a city in foreign territory). On the screenshot you can see the cultural pressure on Heidelburg, and also a little on the Celtic city of Richborough (that doesn't sound like a Celtic name at all by the way.)
I'm doing some research on Theology to build the Sistine Chapel, because I started a pre-build with Sun Tzu but I don't really need Sun Tzu, it's too low on culture, and I really don't want the other civs that started Sun Tzu to switch to Sistien Chapel before me.

 

[MRick]

By this time, I also start to explore foreign lands, in order to find little holes in their city spacing, so that I can put one of mine.
As it is mostly a peacefull game, I sign RoP with every one, taking advantage of their road systems to explore fast.
Here is our valiant warrior that battled the barbarians a long time ago, he has now been upgraded to MI. Now he is visiting Germany and its famous Elephants between Munich and Berlin, the city of the famous Pyramids.

 

[madviking]

BTW, you show pics using [img.]blahblahblah.jpg[/img.]
(minus the periods)

 

[MRick]

Rights of Passage is something nice, other civs will often pay a little for it, and I usually use it more than the AI does.
At 430 AD, I'm ready to discover Theology, I've already build several Cathedrals (that will double their culture output before 1430AD, that's cool), and the most advanced foreign Civ (The French) doesn't even know Monotheism.

Everything is OK. The French have Invention, I could surely trade it, but I will not because I don't want the tech pace to go too fast, I will wait until I get Invention from the GLib. I will shut down research completly except for one lonely scientist, and work on Printing Press in 50 turns.
That will bring me lots of gold, that will be very usefull to rush Temples everywhere when Education will come (ToA will be obsolete).

At that time, I realize that I should better have built my own Temples and never built ToA, because, thet would produce more Culture in the long run. Now I will have to build them around 700 or 800 AD, and they would not double their Culture output before 1700 or 1800 AD.
I could have build the Pyramids instead, it would have been more usefull I think...

 

[madviking]

Most AI don't care about the top half of the tech tree.
Once I got Chemistry or Metalurgy from the GLB before Education!
And that was on Monarch.

 

[MRick]

MadViking : Thanks, but it doesn't work.
I don't understand why the forum automatically shows the picture if there is only one, and shows links otherwize...

 

[madviking]

You upload at the bottom, (theres a 'upload file' button) upload it, rightclick, select 'copy shortcut' and paste between the

 

[Lord_Iggy]

Nice update. I was starting to wonder if you'd fallen off the face of the earth.

 

[Ansar]

Great story so far! Awesome pics! Keep it up!

 

[Xerol]

Nice to see someone trying it on regent, but under my rules, all victory conditions had to be enabled, and you couldn't initiate any attacks (i.e. Defense only). The second rule there actually makes it a bit easier as you can spend all your time building culture and defensive units. Also, internal cities (those with other cities between them and the AIs) can sell their cultural buildings to hold off from Culture victory. I originally played in Vanilla where the 100k limit WAS 100k on all sizes, so I was able to do it on a Tiny Chieftain Pangaea and a Small Warlord Continents (low water) without triggering Culture, but I don't think it'll be possible to do it in Conquests without going over.

 

[MRick]

Lord Iggy :Yes, I'm late on updating this thead, but the game is going on. I played a little yesterday evening, but I won't tell right now I want to tale the story in chronological order. The only thing I can say, is that the game is not over yet (around 1760AD).

Xerol : Yes I know it's not exactly the same variant. I tryed not to initiate attacks in this game, but it is too hard I have to declare war and make alliances to make the AI fight each other. It is too long to wait for flips...

 

[MRick]

This is my military advisor by 490AD.
The minimap is better on this screen, so you can see how the exploration is going on. I've gained a MGL at the end of the war against the Celts, I made an army, but it is still empty, I want to fill it with knights. I've already build 3 horsemen that I will upgrade as soon as I get Chivalry from the GLib.
This army will be a good pillaging crew, good defense, and lots of movement (3 for an army).
I'm researching at 0%, so I can get lots of gold... (I'm researching Printing Press)

 

[MRick]

As you can see on the previous screen, I've founded a city beween two Mongol cities.
Here it is after a Library was rushed (and the Temple was automatically built by ToA). Kazan and Ulaanbaatar haven't produced any culture yet, and Mari is already producing 5/turn... cultural pressure...
The boat here is not mine, it looks red, but it is dark-red the color of the Japanese.

 

[MRick]

My exploring boat is here. I can see that the land south west to Egypt is diputed, the Egyptian have been out-expanded here, by the Maya (Kamina... whatever), the Mongols (look twice, it's not the same yellow), and the French that have already fouded 2 cities and have a settler/spear pair wandering around.
There is still space were I could put a city, but the terrain is really crappy (marsh and jungle), this is not my priority.

 

[MRick]

Around 510 AD, I finally get Invention from the GLib. The AI is not going very fast... That's fine for me.

 

[MRick]

I build the Forbidden Palace in Niniveh. That's close to may current Palace, but I plan to move my capitole in the future.
The proximity of the capital is very important for the calculation of flipping chances. Look at this thread about flip probability :
http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?threadid=41933

 

[madviking]

JW, whats your land/pop for domi?

 

[MRick]

Here is my advisor screen by 560 AD, I'm building Cathedrals everywhere, and then Colosseums, even if the citizens are happy (look at Ellipi or Uruk), only to produce more culture.
In my 2 most productive cities I build the Chapel Sistine, and Sun Tzu's Art of War as a prebuild for another wonder (it will be changed to Leonardo's Workshop)

 

[MRick]

MadViking : Good question. I haven't taken notes of that, and no screenshots either.
Well at that time I think I'm around 20% for the Land and 25% for the Population.
I remember that I had already by that time the greatest and most populated empire by far. The second are the French for Land, and the German for Population I think.

You can see on the next map that I have the most land, but there are still unexplored and unsettled lands.

I also have the greatest army according to that funny metal-cladded guy :
(he says we have a greater army than the German, and also it is bigger than the French and the Egyptians). The other civs are even weaker.

 

[MRick]

Near Maya lands, I have two cities producing lots of culture.
Izibia has more than 100 Culture, Lazapa and Quirigua have 0, but they don't flip. Xaxhilan has between 10 and 100 culture.