Really annoying and broken game mechanic

[Tobiyogi]

First of all, I have to admit that I always have a hard time with "injustice", to make it more dramatic than it is. And Civ 4 is usually quite of a challenge for me, because the AI gets so many advantages. But this one here really annoys me and I would like to understand what's going on?

So here is the situation: I take a city from Shaka, after the pacification I build up for maybe 10-12 turns, granary, library, all that stuff. Then I keep on going for conquest (it's Always War) and leave the city too lightly defended - so he takes it back. After his re-conquest, the city is immediately pacified, has 40% cultural defense and there is a fresh longbow inside (everything in the same turn). The population dropped from 5 to 4. Next turn, my stack is now standing in front of the city, the pop drops from 4 to 3 and he got another longbow??! How is this possible?

So in the first place, I don't remember that I ever had an immediately pacified city, no matter if conquest or re-conquest. Maybe it happens from time to time? It was a little city with very little cultural influence by the way.
Next thing, where came the first longbow from? I often saw an AI taking back a city and getting straight away a new archer unit inside. Those archers did not move with the stack, because they are not promoted yet. And last but not least, how can you get another longbow for 1 pop so fast, while the overflow has not even gone into the production bar? And what overflow if he cold-whipped the first longbow? Did he even whip the first longbow or is this a "gift"? Because the first lost citizen is probably due to the re-conquest, right?

 

[6K Man]

The instant pacification is a real thing - it's rare that I lose a city and get it back immediately, but if I have most of the culture there, it pacifies immediately and the culture returns. Happens for the AI all the time (or more than it should, anyway - I get sloppy with my defense sometimes).

The shenanigans about Archers/Longbows appearing the next turn, I don't know about.

 

[lymond]

That works for the human too on recapture...depends on culture and time occupied. The recapture happens IBT (in between turns) and the AI can take action IBT. Not sure what actual pop was in city before recapture but AIs can whip stuff IBT on their turn.

 

[Tobiyogi]

I have probably also seen instant-pacification but the threshold seems much higher for the human. I remember games where I went for culture and lost a city with a decent cultural output and there were still 1-2 turns of revolte.

How does IBT action work? If i re-take one of my cites, and let's suppose it is instantly pacified, then it is on my turn and not in-between-turn, right? So i can act on my turn and I could cold-whip a unit if I wanted. Where is this "in-between"-space here...?

I am not sure though if AI really cold-whips those units because they do not spend nearly as many citizens as I would have to. But I should watch this more closely.

 

[lymond]

Well Ai actions are IBT.

Keep in mind that AI gets bonuses per difficulty too so their production costs are less

 

[Anysense]

Its just that AI produces much more culture than human. Deity AI has ridiculous discounts, so 1-pop coldwhip longbow is possible. Also, on normal speed at 5 pop there may be enough hammers to simply build a longbow in 1 turn and the city shrinked.

This IBT thing can be very useful actually. Got an unexpected DoW? Whip a longbow and he will be ready before AI makes its next turn.

 

[Tobiyogi]

This IBT thing can be very useful actually. Got an unexpected DoW? Whip a longbow and he will be ready before AI makes its next turn.

Maybe it is just a matter of definition. For me this is normal that a unit which I finish at the end of my turn can already passively defend before it's my turn again. I wouldn't ever have called this IBT, but technically, it is in between.
Speaking of this, does it also work to automate promotions just for this moment, in the hope that the new longbow gets CG promo before he is attacked? (when you're really in the pinch...) ?

 

[lymond]

If you have auto-promo option on - which I never do - that would occur IBT. I've no idea how the game decides the what promo to assign or if it is just random.

 

[Tobiyogi]

I just tried and it gave my Longbow Combat 1. It was not in a tight war situation though. Better not to rely on that. In general, auto-promo would take away one of the most interesting parts of the game.