Single City Challenge

[Andrrew]

Idea for a challenge: win in RFC via Space Race, with only ever building / owning a single city.
You are allowed to conquer and raze cities, as well as conquer and immediately liberate / gift away.

So far I have completed this (space race) with Spain, Greece, and Japan (all 3 on Monarch).

Thoughts on strategy:
-To get a tech lead, you'll need to settle a TON of scientists. So priority is Great Library and Leaning Tower. Generally the more wonders the better
-Civics are key. You'll want Representation, Bureaucracy, Caste System, and Pacifism. You should prioritize these techs accordingly
-Conquest: depends on civ situation. With Japan I stayed pacifist except for capitulating Aztecs (nice resource base). With Greece, I went on a crazy razing rampage (killing Egypt, Babylon, Persia, India, Rome, and later Turkey, and even harassing Carthage and China). You want to make sure you control the huge extended culture area of your sole city so that you can collect all the resources
-Late game I generally beeline for Computers, although oftentimes I have a huge tech lead so I don't Really need it
-Getting Power is key. Late game some civs will trade Coal with you, otherwise Hydro plant for the river based capitals. Japan has the UB so no need for coal
-To build the spaceship, you want to have Copper and Aluminum. With Greece, I founded my city 1NW (Delphoi) so that I comfortably capture Copper and Aluminum (and even Coal in Asia Minor). With Japan I traded for Coal and converted Coal to Aluminum via the Aluminum Co that I founded with a GS

 

[Space_76]

When I play Single City Challange (OCC) I keep the cities I cannot raze.
So that would be Holy cities like Yerosalem and the spawn of new religions.

I don´t beeline technologies that gives me Holy cities. I wait till other civs spawns them and then I attack.

As the new cities cannot benefit from Settlers they are mostly being used for workers and military units. My start city then focus on wonders.

Money is rarely an issue due to low costs.

 

[Andrrew]

When I play Single City Challange (OCC) I keep the cities I cannot raze.
So that would be Holy cities like Yerosalem and the spawn of new religions.

I don´t beeline technologies that gives me Holy cities. I wait till other civs spawns them and then I attack.

As the new cities cannot benefit from Settlers they are mostly being used for workers and military units. My start city then focus on wonders.

Money is rarely an issue due to low costs.

Hmm, my version (GOG Civ4 BtS with pre-installed RFC) allows me to raze holy cities as well.

Most of my games above are relatively pacifist in any case, so I don't have much army maintenance cost, and once I have a Merchant or Priest settled my gold balance is positive.

Btw, since the original post I have completed China (capital 2E of Aluminum), England (capital 1NW from start), and Germany (wait for Frankfurt flip to use that as capital).
In my set of rules I cannot keep any cities, so with England I gifted away the spawn flip Edinburgh to Vikings.

 

[Space_76]

You are right, I can raze Holy cities - if I want to.
I prioritize Centralism, Redistribuion (for a looong time in the beginning) and Republic.

Can you explain further about:
- Leaning Tower
- Bureaucracy
- Pacifism

Right now I try Holy Roman OCC.

 

[Andrrew]

Leaning Tower and Pacifism each gives you +100% great person points. You want to generate a ton of great scientists and settle them, to compensate for having only 1 city.

Bureaucracy gives you +50% hammers and commerce in your capital, which also helps science as well as wonder production

Again, I’m using ‘vanilla’ civ BtS with the pre-installed RFC mod. You might be using the RFC DOC modmod which has different civic options