Sardinia/Corsica black hole?

[blizzrd]

I've never been able to get my culture to cover the southern tile of the island that is (I think) supposed to represent Corsica/Sardinia, regardless of how much culture I have coming from Spain/NorthAfrica/Rome.

Is this hard-written into the code somehow?

 

[onedreamer]

yeah, it's the same with Crete.
The only problem is this (which I wish Rhye reads and thinks about it). I once settled Caralis with Carthage but could never get to use the sheeps on the island even if I had more culture than Rome in that tile. Hence settling Sardinia has sense only if it is Rome to do it -but this actually doesn't have much sense since the city of Rome likes that tile ^^ - or if Rome has collapsed, although I am not sure about this, and in this case you might as well settle in Rome's place itself or take the city.

 

[jessiecat]

If I'm playing as France I always put a city there ASAP as it helps to flip Rome early in the game,
esp if i've already flipped Milan. Otherwise there'd be little point.

 

[AnotherPacifist]

If I'm playing as France I always put a city there ASAP as it helps to flip Rome early in the game,
esp if i've already flipped Milan. Otherwise there'd be little point.

That's truly a remarkable idea...using a city that will influence Rome about 1-2% of population, and this should be enough to cause it to revolt from time to time and maybe even flip (although very unlikely though, right? due to the major culture from all those world wonders in Rome). Has Rome ever flipped to you before, jessiecat? Or are you getting a lot of revolts due to strong Roman culture?

IF that actually works, founding a Cretan city might make sense too (to flip Athens), although you'll probably get sunk on your way there by the Byzantines.

 

[Samson]

I believe this is to do with the way culture expands from a landmass in civ generally. You cannot spread culture to a tile that would not be workable if there was a city on every tile of the landmass.

 

[Churchill's Hat]

That's truly a remarkable idea...using a city that will influence Rome about 1-2% of population, and this should be enough to cause it to revolt from time to time and maybe even flip (although very unlikely though, right? due to the major culture from all those world wonders in Rome). Has Rome ever flipped to you before, jessiecat? Or are you getting a lot of revolts due to strong Roman culture?

IF that actually works, founding a Cretan city might make sense too (to flip Athens), although you'll probably get sunk on your way there by the Byzantines.

Maybe as the Turks, it could work better, though Rome might already be conquered and Athens isn't too hard to conquer as Turkey (though it would allow you to direct your forces elsewhere.

 

[AnotherPacifist]

Maybe as the Turks, it could work better, though Rome might already be conquered and Athens isn't too hard to conquer as Turkey (though it would allow you to direct your forces elsewhere.

With the Turks it's less attractive since you can usually capture Athens once Constantinople is collapsed, and Turkey already has too many small cities crowded in Asia Minor. With the Corsican city and Spain/France/Vikings, you can just build a city there and if jessiecat's technique works, it'll save you from having to conquer all those Roman superpromoted longbowmen and pikemen.

 

[blizzrd]

So has anyone actually got an answer to my question though?

 

[jessiecat]

That's truly a remarkable idea...using a city that will influence Rome about 1-2% of population, and this should be enough to cause it to revolt from time to time and maybe even flip (although very unlikely though, right? due to the major culture from all those world wonders in Rome). Has Rome ever flipped to you before, jessiecat? Or are you getting a lot of revolts due to strong Roman culture?

IF that actually works, founding a Cretan city might make sense too (to flip Athens), although you'll probably get sunk on your way there by the Byzantines.

You obviously didn't understand what I said. It's a 600AD start. In 820, when I found Paris,
Rome has already collapsed. I capture Mainz from the Germans. I capture Milan or it flips to me.
I then found Ajaccio on the island. With my strong cultural expansion the independent Rome flips
to me inless than 10 turns. Maybe it would flip anyway if I didn't found on the island. But it seems
to help as Rome is surrounded on 3 sides by French culture. And yes, I've done it several times
on Monarch. The last time I did was when I won the UHV in 1768. So what exactly is the problem?
Maybe it wouldn't work on a 3000BC start. Who knows? But why would I want to play as France
on a 3000BC start anyway?

 

[Metal Alloy Man]

yeah, it's the same with Crete.

It's definetly hard written into the code, blizzrd.

 

[AnotherPacifist]

You obviously didn't understand what I said. It's a 600AD start. In 820, when I found Paris,
Rome has already collapsed. I capture Mainz from the Germans. I capture Milan or it flips to me.
I then found Ajaccio on the island. With my strong cultural expansion the independent Rome flips
to me inless than 10 turns. Right? And yes, I've done it several times on Monarch. It seems
to work for me every time. The last time I did was when I won the UHV in 1768. So what exactly
is your problem?

I don't have a problem (I wasn't being sarcastic when I say it was a remarkable idea). I've founded Ajaccio with the 600 AD start before but I've never flipped Rome. Less than 10 turns seems somewhat impossible to me (I have flipped Milan as France before but not until after 1100's). Obviously you're playing Milan and Mainz (i.e. not the most recent patch) so maybe things have changed since then. If it works for you, so much the better.

 

[jessiecat]

I don't have a problem (I wasn't being sarcastic when I say it was a remarkable idea). I've founded Ajaccio with the 600 AD start before but I've never flipped Rome. Less than 10 turns seems somewhat impossible to me (I have flipped Milan as France before but not until after 1100's). Obviously you're playing Milan and Mainz (i.e. not the most recent patch) so maybe things have changed since then. If it works for you, so much the better.

I'm sorry to sound sarcastic too. But it has always worked for me. And I am playing on 1.181 which I thought was the most recent. I usually declare war on Germany as soon as it spawns and capture Mainz when it flips to them using all my axemen and swordsmen, leaving 1 archer in each city.
I make peace with Germany a few turns later and capture Milan with my spare axemen from Mainz. Founding Ajaccio comes a few turns after that. Depends how fast I can whip a galley in Marseilles. By the 1200's Rome has always flipped to me. When I said 10 turns I meant after I found Ajaccio.
I'm surprised people think it's remarkable. It seems to work every time. It could be that I tend to whip
forges,then culture buildings and research Drama so I can set my culture to 30% early to get as rapid cultural expansion as I can

EDIT I wish I had so much success with most of the other civs.

 

[blizzrd]

Milan or do you mean Venice? This change was made in the second-to-last patch (1.180).

From the Release notes on the Wiki:

<snip>
v1.980/1.480/1.180
CHANGES
- New Roman goal, that kills the exploit°°
- Ziggurat is the new Babylonian UB
- Milan replaced by Venice in 600 AD start
<snip>

 

[AnotherPacifist]

Yes, Mainz is now Frankfurt, and instead of Milan, it's Venice now (with double promoted longbowmen/pikeman), and Rome has 2 double promoted longbowmen/pikeman. Milan used to be just defended by a measly archer.

 

[onedreamer]

If I'm playing as France I always put a city there ASAP as it helps to flip Rome early in the game,
esp if i've already flipped Milan. Otherwise there'd be little point.

uhm, how can you flip Rome with a 1 hammer production city ?

 

[jessiecat]

uhm, how can you flip Rome with a 1 hammer production city ?

I didn't say Ajaccio flips Rome. It gets flippped eventually by the expansion of cultural boundaries.
Ajaccio just seems to help, that's all.
And as far as the version I'm playing. The rest of you are right. My best wins as France came before I downloaded the latest version. I must try that again.

 

[onedreamer]

so if you settle there as France Cagliari is called Ajaccio ? Funny

 

[Lone Wolf]

And what was the reason for these black holes anyway? To annoy you?

 

[jessiecat]

so if you settle there as France Cagliari is called Ajaccio ? Funny

Maybe it was Cagliari. Whatever? Anyway I've just tried it on on the latest unblocked version
and it is very different. Milano is now Venezia. And Mainz isn't Frankfurt but something called
"Bona Mansio". Even when it flips to the Germans it keeps that name.
I tried the same tactics. Took Bona Mansio easily but Venezia was defended by 2 longbowmen,
a crossbowman and a pikeman. So no chance in taking it with a couple of axemen. Anyway, no
matter what I try it won't flip. Suddenly it's captured by the Germans who soon collapse.
But it still won't flip as the cultural boundaries of Rome go right to Marseilles.
Later, about 1400, Rome is captured by the English. Can you believe that? With 3 galleons full
of troops. An amphibious assault? I thought the AI couldn't do that. In the meantime the Dutch
have built Notre Dame just before I could, so I can't even go for the UHV. And I've been in a
constant war with the Spanish as well.That's it. I quit.
You guys are so right. Conditions have really changed in the latest version.

 

[Lone Wolf]

And Mainz isn't Frankfurt but something called
"Bona Mansio". Even when it flips to the Germans it keeps that name.

Strange, it does change in my version and it should change:

elif (sName == 'Francfort' or sName == 'Bona Mansio'):
city.setName('Frankfurt', False)

Suddenly it's captured by the Germans who soon collapse.

As usual. What's wrong with 600AD Germany?