losing those resources

[wools2]

Having played a few games at Warlord I find that later in the game (about 1900's) the resources like oil, aliminium and uranium are very important. I find that if I have oil or aliminium near an AI opponents border it will often get 'taken' by an expanding city.

I keep my culture up and my cities keep expanding thier borders but I cant seem to avoid this.

Are there any tips to avoid this happening ?? I find that later in the game I lose these resources and cant trade for them. My economy goes and I cant build those units that need them so I am ripe for a war and so lose at the end of the game.

Wools

 

[blitzkrieg1980]

Upon discovering SciMeth (reveals oil), if you plan on playing until the later eras (Space Race, or can't pull of vic before then), you will NEED to obtain some somehow. Without oil, no fighters, jets, tanks, gunships, destroyers, battleships (unless you have uranium)... you get the picture.

If I plan on going Space Race and SciMeth reveals no oil in my borders, it's time to either plan an invasion or settle a crap tundra/ice city that has oil. You should pour over the map once SciMeth is discovered to find out where oil sources are. If you can settle a remote city peacefully to get it, all the better. But if the only oil sources are within rival borders, you may want to pick a weak target and go after them.

 

[bestsss]

alternatively you can found "standard ethanol" if everything else fails.
what do you have in your cities, usually AI at warlord is pretty appalling culture-wise.

 

[Beamup]

I find that if I have oil or aliminium near an AI opponents border it will often get 'taken' by an expanding city.

I keep my culture up and my cities keep expanding thier borders but I cant seem to avoid this.

Are there any tips to avoid this happening ?

More culture in that city - that's really all there is to the border movements. You can also hover over each plot on the map to monitor the relative culture each civ has there, to tell if you're losing ground and need to step up your efforts.

And if all else fails, razing the city that's threatening to take over the plot works quite nicely.

 

[Silu]

Remember that culture vs military is like rock vs paper vs scissors, with the exception that military always wins.

 

[Meatbuster]

Build Hermitage and cathedrals and broadcast tower. Run free speech or even build culture if you have to.

Seriously, if you want oil, this is about war, right? Ya might as well just attack your neighbor soon after you see the oil deposit, and long before you need to build anything that needs oil.

 

[bestsss]

Just a note: building hermitage requires some base culture production, I'd say build theater and hire a couple of artists there.
Hermitage is useful for very intense culture pressure...

 

[wools2]

Yeah - I must admit I always hesitate too much before I eventually go to war ?? The city that lost the oil deposit is cranking out +48 culture/refined per turn. I dont know what more I can build there ??

I do seem to be hemmed in by two powerful neighbors in this game ?? They are crushing me into a small space. Would building a fort on the oil tile help ??

Wools

 

[blitzkrieg1980]

Building all those improvements for culture push to get oil seems wasteful. If going cultural victory, why oil? If not going cultural or diplomatic, why not war for resources? Even if you only grab 2 cities and get the oil in your borders, your goal is achieved.

 

[Polobo]

There are situations where a non-violent was is the best option. Assuming that, if you really want to grab/keep that oil (and it is not in your 4th ring and <= 3rd ring of the opponent) it is quite possible depending on the opponent and their decisions as well.

As mentioned previously:
Hermitage
Globe Theater
1 or more cathedrals
Colosseum, Theater
Run maximum artists possible

Build any other buildings that generate culture

You MAY want to settle any great artists but a golden age or two is also a good use for them. Mix in some other specialists besides the artists where possible to increase your chances of making this work.

Now, if the oil is in your 4th ring it is a LOT tougher due to not getting the free 20 culture-per-turn-per-tile bonus. Unless it is also in the opponents 4th ring in which case you still have a chance.

You may also want to go find another source of oil you can capture if you can't/don't want to spend the resources to maintain the culture war.

 

[Silu]

Colosseums don't generate any culture (except for Greeks), and the Globe Theatre isn't particularly good for culture either. Build temples of all religions in other cities so you can build all possible Cathedrals in the city in question (+ the Hermitage obviously).

 

[Polobo]

I do seem to be hemmed in by two powerful neighbors in this game ?? They are crushing me into a small space. Would building a fort on the oil tile help ??

Wools

Unless you are friendly (maybe pleased depending on the leader) with the one fighting for the oil you are in danger if you cannot take the oil by force.

Building a fort will give you access to the oil just as well as an Oil Well but:
A) the fort can be built sooner (before combustion - instant access)
B) the fort does not give the resource bonus (only applicable if in a city's BFC)

However, a fort will help defend the tile if attacked by units but does nothing for culture. Not sure if a spy has a harder tile on a fort compared to a well (or planes/missles for that matter).

If it comes down to it you can put up a pretty good land fight with non-oil units at which point you make getting the oil your first priority and then build the oil-based units. Since it is on the border artillery and gunpowder units should be able to take the city or two giving cultural pressure without having to worry severely about tanks/airforce. You can still build anti-tank and SAM without oil if you have the necessary technologies. It is the offensive part of the war, not the defensive part, that is difficult/long without oil.

 

[Polobo]

Colosseums don't generate any culture (except for Greeks), and the Globe Theatre isn't particularly good for culture either. Build temples of all religions in other cities so you can build all possible Cathedrals in the city in question (+ the Hermitage obviously).

My bad on the colosseum but the culture from the GT + the extra artists that can be run without having to resort to Caste System is why I suggested it. Aside from a whip-farm that seems to be one of the better uses for the GT.

Without artists Cathedrals and Hermitage has their effectiveness reduces and running Caste System for just this city seems a waste (though it you are running it anyway then I would say skip (or delay) the GT.

 

[wools2]

Thanks to all.

I do seem to lose these culture battles and therefore my resources on a regular basis. As I say, I am hemmed in by the 2 strongest AI oppenents and they are squeezing me dry !!!

I always try and ramp up the culture but lose the culture battle in the long run. its becoming a real pain in the latter part of the game ??

I guess a strategy rethink is needed. I also have taken note of the points regarding victory conditions. I do tend to let the game flow with no real aim as to what I am going to do to win !!!! Another fault to correct I guess !!

Thanks
Wools

 

[Polobo]

It takes a lot of resources to fight and win a culture war. Recent game my capital was losing BFC squares to Isabella's 7th founded city. I had already picked other national wonders for the city and only had access to a single religion. The tiles I lost were not that important but still somewhat annoying; plus it makes you more vulnerable to a surprise attack.

However, she was friendly with me and had 4-5 times my power so war wasn't an option. Instead, I sent my Cossack/Cannon/MachineGun army overseas and started conquering the other continent while my home cities were garrisoned with archers. In short I gave up the culture war on the homefront and instead opened up a military war with someone else who could give me what I needed (land/people) - and with little real threat to my core.

With only three commerce-turned-production cities (razed 15 or so towns) I ended up taking over 3/4 of the other continent (large hemispheres map) due to strategic assaults on a shire and wonder-whore city.

Pick battles you can win and avoid those you will lose; but not to battle at all is - in many cases - going to cost you overall victory. In this case I won by diplomacy since Isabella was friendly and she and I had about 70% of the world's population once my conquests were over. She helped me a lot by knocking down the tech leader on the other continent and Cap'd him (Asoka); who then later broke away just as my Roman war ended so I destroyed Asoka as well.

 

[totalnastiness]

Isn't there a spy mission for spreading culture as well?

 

[Polobo]

Isn't there a spy mission for spreading culture as well?

Only on a city tile; intended to help cause a city to culture-flip to a new owner. If you are fighting for an outer ring tile it is unlikely that you have any hope of flipping the encroaching city.

 

[blitzkrieg1980]

^^^ I've heard on the forums that the 'spread culture' mission is to reduce culture pressure once you've captured the city. I asked about that specifically because I had a game where I was friendly with my neighbor and tech trading buddies but I wanted a city he snuck in on me. I used like 12 spies to "spread culture" effectively, but it never really did much despite the fact that the city was already 41% my culture. It never really went beyond that.

I gave up using that spy mission so I never really fully tested it out (and that was pre 3.17). Have any of you gotten a city to culture flip thanks to the "spread culture" mission?

 

[Silu]

From the 3.19 changelog:

* Fixed bug where culture obtained through espionage was 100 times lower than intended

Don't know if it's of any use even when 100 times higher, though

 

[blitzkrieg1980]

AHA! Got it. Thnx.