The Capturing of Cities at Pop:1

[GhostQ]

Does anyone know what is the ruling to capture a city of pop 1?
U sometimes capture and sometimes destroy them. U destroy newly built cities and keep older ones. Does it rely on the culture rating? Thats what i am guessing coz u always capture capitols even when they r at 1 pop. I used to capture old cities with pop 1 too.

 

[Brutal]

The rule is if the town has expanded its boarders by culture and its captured it will not be destroyed. But if it has no culture a size 1 city will be destroyed when you sucessfully attack it. What I hate is when a city is size 2 or 3 then the enemy civ pop rushes a unit in the city bringing it down to size 1 now not only do I have another unit to fight the city will be destroyed

 

[Gordono2]

I think that if the city does not meet one of two minimums it will be destroyed: The city must have either Pop greater than one or city improvements.

 

[shuttleswo]

Only size 1 cities get razed, if it's size 2 or more you get the option. It doesn't matter WHO generated the culture, as long as it once had culture you get the option. you may have noticed that your cities 'remember' their culture, even if you re-conquer a city you lost in 400bc in 1900ad your culture level is right where it was in 400bc so the game has to preserve that culture for you throught the game.
As an example say france built a city and a temple, then the zulu conqured it, but didn't get to build culture in it. A few years down the line you invade and would get the choice (assuming it's still size 1) to raze or keep even though the city has no zulu culture because it still has french.

I've verified that there is one exception to that however, if the city's culture belonged to a civ that has been completely eliminated (say the zulu completly wiped the french) the old french city will be auto razed if conqured again at size 1.

a city can still be razed if the improvements in it haven't generated culture (barracks or granery) it's all about culture.