The power of a Citadel

[snarzberry]

I've had an aluminium tile stolen by an AI culture bomb. I've played quite a bit less than ColinTH, about 700 hrs, but this is the only time I can remember it happening. You'll probably only notice it if the AI jags an actual sensible, or at least interesting, use of the CB. It's probably happened other times but the choice by the AI was just something random and useless to them and you don't even notice it.

 

[ColinTH]

Thanks MaDdjinn and snarzberry. 1,500 of my civ5 playing hours have been spent on archipelago which could help to explain why I have never seen the AI culture bombing! It's good to know that they are capable of such an action.

EDIT.

If the AI intended to counter culture bomb and they moved one space next to the Citadel that would be end turn, their GA would then take damage, would a damaged GA be able to perform it's task (their workers do not work when damaged)?
Maybe it can perform the task from within the City?

 

[chazzycat]

Ok one thing I don't get after trying it over the weekend. Doesn't it only damage them when you are at war? How did they not just kill your warrior? It ended up working ok for me, it was helpful, but it wasn't a huge game changer. It killed a few units but in the 4 turns it took that unit was always a cannon and it kept bombing my defenders. They came after it pretty hard with elephants and eventually took & pillaged it. I wasn't able to take the capital until artillery came around a bit later.

I never had it operational during peacetime. Does it work if you are at peace with that civ? If so it would be a lot more useful but probably an exploit.

Anyways, it's a pretty good game, I just reached 1st in land after taking Siam but the Indians are absolutely ridiculous. Their capital is size 45 in the 1700s and they have mech inf...am about to get B-17s, we'll see how it goes.

 

[ColinTH]

Ok one thing I don't get after trying it over the weekend. Doesn't it only damage them when you are at war?

I would have thought that if you managed to build a Citadel right next to their Capital after culture bombing first, then you would be at war! EDIT - Oh sorry, I have just got back from the pub and am slightly drunk, I can now see you were at war and you were asking a question. I don't know the answer, I would imagine there would be no damage!

How did they not just kill your warrior?

My warrior was levelled up as much as possible by the time I plonked it in the Citadel, I had been at war for 250 turns!

It ended up working ok for me, it was helpful, but it wasn't a huge game changer. It killed a few units but in the 4 turns it took that unit was always a cannon and it kept bombing my defenders.

Because my other captured City was so close by and had a road connection, I kept swapping units from City to Citadel. I think my circumstances were very different to yours.
Thanks for the feed back - Good luck in future games.

 

[chazzycat]

It was still fun, thanks for the idea! I think I could have executed a bit better. It was useful enough to use it again in different circumstance.

 

[zyx]

I once build 6 fortressess next to the enemy's capital and brought my cannons in position. It cost me 2-3 GA though. And sometimes the cities are really that close to one another, that you might just use 1 GA after capturing the neighbouring city.

I really miss cultural flipping from Civ IV! That was even more fun!

 

[ColinTH]

I started this game with a plan in mind.

1 - To get a culture victory on Deity even in the CHEESIEST manner imaginable.

2 - To compare a victory time with One City as opposed to two, three, four and then five Cities. To accomplish these targets, I knew it would have to involve stagnating the AI civ thus enabling me to build all the Wonders in one City (they don't build any when they are loosing military units from the offset, and their Cities are under threat).

3 - This is going to take me about Eighty hours to complete, but I for one will be very interested to see the outcome. Mathematicians like vexing would be able to give me an answer, but I don't understand all the mathamatical jargon, anyway I am a "sad old git" and I enjoy doing things like this!

As a side note - I didn't expect to be able to build a Citadel right next to their Capital, and I certainly didn't expect their units to die after four turns.

I have no advanced options enabled, no world builder and no mods. When I have finished all of this I might try the same with Policy saving enabled!

I fully realise this is a totally ridiculous way to get a Deity culture victory, and in my own mind I don't count it as such. I took this as purely experimental to find out just what it would take to get one in normal circumstances!

Game with One City.

Finish time July 1908 - City size 35 - Total culture 665 - Total Science 300 of which only 48 from three City States (I had the Patronage Policy Tree).

Breakdown of Culture -
Capital - 549 (this would not be possible without "all" the wonders).
2 puppets - 18
Excess happiness - 20 (I could never have got the wonders to have this much excess happiness in normal circumstances).
City States - 78 (under normal circumstances I couldn't have competed to be Ally to these unless allied first and then at war for the whole game)!

I built seven Landmarks and before they were placed I had Moai's in those locations.
I built every World Wonder as far as the Science took me, however I didn't build the Sydney Opera House (it came just too late).
The two puppets refused to use hexes where I built a Moai, neither of them built a temple and the only reason they had us much as eighteen culture between them was because I completed the Honor Policy Tree.
I would guess I was taking out a barbarian every three turns for the duration of the game, this would have made a difference but to what extent I couldn't really say (I took honor first).
This is what I have learned -
No wonder I havn't been able to win a culture victory post patch with one City playing non aggressive!

Four City game (started building the other three from the time of the screen shot)
Finished - Jan 1903
Science 558 (nearly double)
Culture - 1041
Capital 631 (Sydey Opera House is the difference).
3 Cities 299
City States 78
Puppets 17
Excess hap 16
I probably should have played from the start, but I can see what the difference would be if I took the correct Policies at the correct times! Using Policy Saving would also make a big difference although for me it is a last resort.

note - This has been an eye opener for me and I hope it might be useful for atleast one other person.

EDIT:
Added screenshots

 

[Dermo]

A couple of Quick questions. Sorry if these have been discussed elsewhere.
Does the citadel have to be manned for enemy units to take three damage?
If not, does an enemy unit take damage if it occupies the tile the citadel is on?
If an enemy is adjacent to two citadels do the effects stack?

I ask because in my current game (Highlands map) I have a bottle neck into my territory one tile wide and two tiles long. I'm thinking of building citadels in both tiles to let enemy units wear themselves down to nothing

 

[chazzycat]

- it doesn't need to be manned.
- it does take damage if on that tile
- they will pillage it. So put a unit in there.
- not sure on stacking effect (good question)

 

[ColinTH]

I once build 6 fortressess next to the enemy's capital

It's a terrible shame for you that the tiles are not Octagonal instead of Hexhagonal !!

 

[zyx]

It's a terrible shame for you that the tiles are not Octagonal instead of Hexhagonal !!

My workers were bored and I had never before built a fortress.

I once culturebombed around a capital, so that the rival civ had no traderoutes.

Sometimes it is really great fun to do silly things.

 

[Gilgamesch]

-
- not sure on stacking effect (good question)

Yes the damage, dealt by citadels , is cumulative.
Its bad(for the enemy) when you have a wall of citadels.

 

[chazzycat]

Good to know, thanks!