The elusive enemy capitol

[rafisher]

I would like suggestions for the following situation that
I found myself in:

Late in game (King level): my spaceship is to
arrive around 2017, Babylonians around 2014.
Babylonians have less than 6 cities left. I attack
and "capture" capitol city with a massive attack (using
spies to verify Palace is still in city), but just when my
tank rolls into the city, the capitol has miraculously moved to another city.
I then attack and capture that city but
again, the capitol has miraculously moves to another city.
Finally, on the 3rd try, I manage to capture the city that
has the capitol, so the spaceship is destroyed.

On the next turn, the Russians have launched their
spaceship and it is to arrive at 2013 -- one year before
mine. It is now 2008 and the Russians have two dozen
cities. Given my experience in trying to capture the
Babylonian capitol, I give up since I don't have enough
time to chase after a moving capitol.

Is there a way to deal with this, or is it just another one
of these AI cheats that has to be accepted?

 

[Smash]

Its not a cheat.It cost 1000 gold to instantly relocate your capitol.If the ai has 5k,they can move 5 times for example.Sometimes they will relocate it to another landmass really messing up your timetable.

It will take preparation and planning which takes time which you don't have

 

[starlifter]

You must chase the AI capital, typically until their empire has less than 1,000 gold, since among other things, it takes 1,000 gold to move a capital instantly.

Yours can move too (need the 1,000 gold after your loss, though), if the AI is chasing down and killing your own capitals.

 

[starlifter]

Smash (or Slow Thinker, Sodak, La Fayette, or anyone else), do you know what the other conditions are, particularly in early game, in addition to the 1,000 gold? No definitive answer turned up in a search here or at Apolyton earlier today, when Sekong was asking about it here.. There are mostly "I seem to recall this or that" sort of posts about the subject in all the threads that supposedly deal with it.

 

[Smash]

No I don't know.My first guess would be a certain tech.Obviously they would need Masonry.2nd would be a turn #.

 

[sethos]

In this situation I often use suitcase nukes.
2-3 transports of spies an some paratroopers or partisans (no ZOC!) after nuking should help you.
Paras help even if the city is too far away for them. Let them land on the railroad system and then take the nuked city.
For it's difficult to keep the nuked cities (you're in the core of the enemy empire!) I sell city improvements every turn

 

[Ace]

In the early game, a primary condition for moving the capitol would be to have a SECOND city!!

 

[eyeball]

In the game I am currently playing, the Chinese had NO capital. I guess their capital city got destroyed and the AI never bothered to build a new palace.

 

[Marlos]

Sometimes, it also seems that the AI must have a city of a certain size before they will move their capital there. I've noticed this in several games.

Tough luck, rafisher, unless you have several spies and partisans available (no ZOC problems), I'd say that you will finish second.

 

[KingWilly]

This has been discussed in the Game of The Month Forum also. The GOTM forum has plenty of great ideas and strategies for improving your game.
All Civ2 players should play the GOTM. Play GOTM#18 now. Download it from the Civfanatics Civ2 GOTM page.