Culture's effect on combat?

[Zaius]

Civilopedia: "Don't neglect your empire's culture - walls and castles will only work until gunpowder, but a high cultural influence boosts defense for all eras."

I'm not exactly sure if this is simply meant to talk about how your expanded borders as a result of culture make your enemy remain longer in your territory and thus heal at a slower rate and if that's the extent of it. Or is there some other factor that your culture has on your defense that I'm missing?

 

[The Last Conformist]

The higher culture a city has, the higher defense bonus do units in it enjoy.

 

[Zaius]

Thanks. Is there a breakdown of what cultural points give what defensive % boost? The civilopedia gives me the run around: City links to Culture links to Combat regarding how much culture helps defense.

 

[Sinapus]

Check your city nametag. You might notice a +20, +40, etc above the name. That's a bonus to the city's defense based on the culture it has produced.

 

[Zaius]

Right, I mean knowing beforehand so I know what threshold to concentrate on when I have a cultural Great Person ready to go.

 

[cleverhandle]

Right, I mean knowing beforehand so I know what threshold to concentrate on when I have a cultural Great Person ready to go.

Sorry to not answer your question, but burning a Great Artist for the city defense bonus would be a massive waste. Build a couple more strong defenders and stick them in the city - you can do that anywhere, anytime. But a 4000 cp Great Work can't be so easily duplicated. Use it to push out your borders and nab a vital resource or pressure an AI city into a flip, not for defense.

 

[Zaius]

Well I meant if I have two border towns, each with similar strategic positions concerning resources and potential city flips, the tie-breaker might be which city needs a cultural boost to stick it over a defensive bonus threshold.

 

[Gufnork]

Every time your border expands, the defense you gain from it does too.

 

[Zaius]

Basically my question is: by how much?

 

[Vulpes]

I don't know if it varies by difficulty level, but in my experience it seems to be 20% per culture expansion - ie:

0-9: 0%
10-99: 20%
100-499: 40%
500-4999: 60%
5000-49999: 80%
50000+: 100%

The bonus listed on the main screen also reflects city improvements (including wonders like Chitchen Itza), but I don't think it includes terrain modifiers.

 

[Lord Chambers]

The tile defense from being on a hill certainly does not get displayed or added on the main screen.

 

[blueinf]

That means that artillery is destroying "cultural defense" :? Doesn't make any sense, does it ?

 

[Reinhard]

That means that artillery is destroying "cultural defense" :? Doesn't make any sense, does it ?

I assume "cultural defense" means regular people with pitchforks (or AK-47s) that the catapults and arty then blast into oblivion.

 

[Pvblivs]

"Cultural defense" is some sort of immaterial boost influenced by a strong culture. Strong cultural development affects the moral of defenders as well as the moral of the attackers.

E.g. defenders stand closer and fight to their death, if the splendour of their city is in their backs. As well as attackers admiring the splendour of the city attacking might be sort of overwhelmed and give a less stronger fight.
If now artillery bombards the city to its ruin, the moral of the defenders decrease and with it their strength in combat as well as the attackers see that the enemy city isn't that spledid anymore.

Consider a second example with a just newly found city. Of course there will hardly any defender with a higher moral than in a swamp. Of course there will be hardly any attacker impressed to fear by the culture of this city.

Nevertheless consider cavalries and chariots etc. that do not get any defensive boni. So culture is just for defensive units. So the Phalanx of Troja is a defender to be feared whereas its Cavalry is not <- I do not understand that point

 

[blueinf]

Thanks for the answers, I guess "cultural defense" makes sense.

"Cultural defense" is some sort of immaterial boost influenced by a strong culture. Strong cultural development affects the moral of defenders as well as the moral of the attackers.

E.g. defenders stand closer and fight to their death, if the splendour of their city is in their backs. As well as attackers admiring the splendour of the city attacking might be sort of overwhelmed and give a less stronger fight.
If now artillery bombards the city to its ruin, the moral of the defenders decrease and with it their strength in combat as well as the attackers see that the enemy city isn't that spledid anymore.

Consider a second example with a just newly found city. Of course there will hardly any defender with a higher moral than in a swamp. Of course there will be hardly any attacker impressed to fear by the culture of this city.

Nevertheless consider cavalries and chariots etc. that do not get any defensive boni. So culture is just for defensive units. So the Phalanx of Troja is a defender to be feared whereas its Cavalry is not <- I do not understand that point

I thought it was to reflect that cavalry cannot garnison buildings in the town, ie they cannot use the urban zone to ambush or defend against attackers.

 

[The Last Conformist]

Nevertheless consider cavalries and chariots etc. that do not get any defensive boni. So culture is just for defensive units. So the Phalanx of Troja is a defender to be feared whereas its Cavalry is not <- I do not understand that point

There weren't any cavalry in the days of the Trojan War.

 

[Pvblivs]

There weren't any cavalry in the days of the Trojan War.

I am truly sorry for my mistake. But it was a good scenario to explain it, at least I hope so.

Please replace 'Troja' with some more historical accurate city at war for your better understanding of my explanaition on the topics question if you like to