Preventing someone from winning a diplomatic victory?

[Maxx2008]

This is in the normal Civilization IV, not in any of the expansions. I am playing a game on Noble, as Roosevelt, everything is at default, and I am leading by score. The other leaders left are Tokugawa, Mao Zedong, Genghis Khan and Montezuma. Tokugawa is bound to win a diplomatic victory sometime soon probably, because everyone except me voted for him to hold UN elections. I want to stop him from winning but I don't know how. I was thinking of destroying Japan, but that would probably take too much time. Liquidating the other civs might actually be easier, as they are weaker and closer to me. Or maybe I should go for a space race? I am already building a few parts but I don't think I'll make it.

Please help me out here. I am often encountering this problem.

 

[MrCynical]

Depending where it is, you could try burning the city with the UN. This won't make you very popular, but it sounds like the other civs don't much like you anyway.

 

[Maxx2008]

Oh, forgot to add, I built the UN, and now it's used against me.

 

[madscientist]

I gotta agree. DOW on the AI with the UN and raze the city if you can. If you built it then start eliminating the other AIs and fast.

 

[KMadCandy]

if you own the city where the UN is and don't want to lose and raze it, options are different of course. here are some that don't involve war; they do require time tho, and it doesn't sound like you have a lot of it.

if the other civs like you some, but like him more, look at why they like him. if it's due to wise civics, see if you can get one of out of the favorite civic. only one has to switch for the + to go away instantly, and sometimes that's enough by itself, vote changes overnight. civic swaps like this are a lot easier in BtS since you can use spies rather than bribe. works best if you have cristo redentor. if it's toku using X's fave civic and you're not in it, switching toku out and putting yourself into it might be enough; the +wise civics bonus takes a while to build up tho so you might not have enough time. it's a thought.

same theory can work for religion. it won't work if the wise civics are coming from forced UN civics, and if you're getting +wise civics with the voter too be sure to change toku out of it not the voter . sometimes simply changing to their favorite works (given enough time for the bonus to build up), even if toku's not in their favorite, if they like you almost as much without it. often that can't be worked out because some voters have different faves in the same column.

if you're trading anybody who's voting for him resources that boost their population, cut them off of course. if they're trading you stuff you need, try to pay them gold instead; if you offer them enough they'll eventually go for it in my experience, but they won't name a price in just gold, you have to keep naming one until they agree.

good luck!

 

[Echo of Celts]

I actually had a problem like this once, in Warlords.

I built the UN, and was good friends with half the world, the problem was Louie, a friend of mine was my UN rival and was getting all the votes.

He was inching closer and closer to a Diplo victory each vote (he was also the secretary general)

So I decided to put an end to it.

I picked the one person voting for Louie who was the least liked, in this case the Incans. They happened to be far away from me, so I took the bulk of my navy and army, sailed around the world and seiged Cuzco from the sea, captured it, pushed into Incan territory and vassalized them.

This removed enough support from Louie to take the pressure off a diplomatic victory. Incedently, I was forced to invade Louie later on to prevent him from achieving a Space Race victory.

In the end I had enough votes from my vassals, one of which was Louie, to win a diplomatic victory.

So my advice, pick the weakest, least liked person voting for the other person and take them out.

 

[Gooblah]

I assume all of the Civs are in the Modern Era. Here's some ideas;

Like you said, conquer the Civs near you; Find out who has the largest population, etc, etc, then attack them. Keep every city. Tech to Biology, and don't trade it, as it gives an extra +1 food per Farm, which can translate to 20 more pop through out the Empire. After building your Army, which should consist of Tanks/MAs, Gunships, Infantry, Artillery, and Marines (if you're doing an amphibious assault). A Navy is required (duh) when ampibiously assaulting. Do some conquest, but if you don't have enough votes to have an impact in the election (i.e, your votes are essential for any AI to win), use your Biology Farms to victory by building them everywhere.

 

[r_rolo1]

Boost your pop and/or find a way to reduce your oponents one. Corps and Espionage .....

 

[Brad55]

Nukes...........

 

[Maxx2008]

Thanks for the great advice, guys! I'll try this.

Also I noticed that Mao has a "You have signed a Defensive Pact with our worst enemy!" minus, but he's Friendly and Pleased with everybody?... I have a Defensive Pact with Toku.

 

[KMadCandy]

it's probably "you have signed a defensive pact with our rivals" or something like that, i've never seen one for worst enemy. the deal is that when you sign a DP, your power grows and they get scared, so they hold it against you. if you sign a DP with them, then that negative goes away, but the others might get madder at you .

it's kind of odd, it doesn't go by a direct logical progression (where the first DP would be -1 with everyone, second is -2, etc). sometimes the first one is -2 right away, i think that's due to when you + DP partner have a ton of power relative to the other civs; i found out the other day that's the reason why the "we fear our rivals becoming vassals to your empire" negative varies. for DPs, often you'll get a negative for the first one but then when you sign another it's a "freebie", the penalty doesn't increase until you sign a third. it's kind of wacky.

it has nothing to do with how much the others like or dislike the person you're in the DP with (or how much they like you, for that matter). if they're going to be resentful of the DP, then they're going to, even if it's with their best friend. the only way to get rid of the penalty is to break the DP, or to sign a DP with the folks who resent the existing one. anybody in a DP with you doesn't resent the other DPs you have.

 

[bestbrian]

You got a DP with Toku? I didn't think that cranky sob talked to anyone. Oh, and to answer your question, someone's going to have to die.

 

[Gliese 581]

The idea of Tokugawa getting a diplomatic win makes me smirk for reasons I can't begin to fathom.

 

[Maxx2008]

Meh, I tried destroying Mongolia but didn't make it in time. Destroying China or the Aztec Empire is harder because they have DP's with each other, and nobody even THINKS of going to war with Japan.

I'm just going to begin a new game.

 

[AlessioCerci]

Nukes...........

And then some more nukes. Remember population = votes

 

[bestbrian]

The idea of Tokugawa getting a diplomatic win makes me smirk for reasons I can't begin to fathom.

I've now seen everything.

 

[Echo of Celts]

Meh, I tried destroying Mongolia but didn't make it in time. Destroying China or the Aztec Empire is harder because they have DP's with each other, and nobody even THINKS of going to war with Japan.

I'm just going to begin a new game.

Doesn't sound like your war machine is oiled enough. Nukes

 

[Gozert]

You run at them screaming bloody murder and cut them in twain with your axe.

Or ICBMs.