Trick to get rival city become independent?

[lauchunho]

I want to get control of one of the my rival's cities but currently I don't want to declare war with her. I tried to increase the instability there by sending troops of bandit riders so that the crime rate there rises above 1000. The city does have revolts very often and sometimes rebels, but all of them only appears as a new empire with some soldiers outside the city (i.e. a new empire without a single city). So my plan fails.

What is the trick here? I actually succeeded in other city where was a colony to the rival. Does that matter?

By the way, I have tried spy's actions like support revolt and aid rebel action many times and I just don't want to use "bribe city", which may hurt.

 

[Arkenor]

What do the soldiers that spawn do? They should start at war with the original civ, and usually have a go at taking one of its cities for their own.

 

[lauchunho]

What do the soldiers that spawn do? They should start at war with the original civ, and usually have a go at taking one of its cities for their own.

yes they do, but they always fail since the city is of high defense and guarded by Town Watchmen. The only way that they can get the city is to revolutionize and take control of the city immediately (i.e. declare independence).

Any suggestions?

 

[MagnusIlluminus]

My suggestion would be to use "Bribe City". I don't use it often, but it doesn't seem to produce any significant negative relations modifier.

 

[Koshling]

My suggestion would be to use "Bribe City". I don't use it often, but it doesn't seem to produce any significant negative relations modifier.

Can sometimes also build a city near them, develop it a little then trade it for the city you want.

 

[Hale_9204]

Bribe city causes a war with the civ who owns the city

or at least, this is what always happened to me

 

[MagnusIlluminus]

Bribe city causes a war with the civ who owns the city

or at least, this is what always happened to me

The one time I used it recently (in v28) they did not declare war right away. They did do so about 20 to 30 turns later, but I wouldn't call that directly related. I could be thinking about a different option. I used the one that makes the city be yours immediately. Or was it the next turn? Either way. I did also had loads more Espionage points than they did, and waited (in the target city) for the full allowed time before trying, so that may have made a difference.

Or you can just keep causing revolts, wait until the city forms it's own new nation, declare war on it, and capture it.

Another technique that often works is to go to war with the target nation, capture the city you want and one other, then trade the other city back to them for peace.

 

[Faustmouse]

My suggestion would be to use "Bribe City". I don't use it often, but it doesn't seem to produce any significant negative relations modifier.

Koshling could you deactivate the "bribe" mission in OCC games? It's so annoying if you have a very good game and in the medival they spam spies and success in bribing (even with lots of anti-spy promoted Spies, Anti Spie Buildings an such).

 

[Hale_9204]

the help text says that there is a chance (I don't know how much high) that bribing the city causes a war between the civs. Obviously, I'm so lucky that every time I bribed the city, I was at war

By the way, I found a way that sounds a bit like cheating to me. When you bribe ther capital of a one-city-civ, their units in the city disappear and you get the city without fighting; I think that at least the capital could not be bribed

 

[BlueGenie]

Now see this is exactly why I set 10x costs for espionage things in my own games, spamming City bribing won't work.

Apart form that Faust you just got a very good reason to got to war. Might only be a "chance" of war directly if you do it but if you want there's 100% chance you'll declare war on them if they do it.

Cheers

 

[MagnusIlluminus]

Koshling could you deactivate the "bribe" mission in OCC games? It's so annoying if you have a very good game and in the medieval they spam spies and success in bribing (even with lots of anti-spy promoted Spies, Anti Spy Buildings an such).

You already have an option to do that and more. When you create the custom game, just select "No Espionage" and you'll never have to worry about that happening.

 

[Dancing Hoskuld]

In OCC (One City Challenge) you only have one city and if it gets bribed out from under you then you lose the game.

 

[Praetyre]

Selecting No Espionage isn't really helpful; Faustmouse almost certainly doesn't want to completely rid himself of that aspect of the game, but simply the Bribe City mission.

 

[Dancing Hoskuld]

Koshling could you deactivate the "bribe" mission in OCC games? It's so annoying if you have a very good game and in the medival they spam spies and success in bribing (even with lots of anti-spy promoted Spies, Anti Spie Buildings an such).

It should be possible to do this with some simple XML, if the Espionage Missions are WoC compliant and had the tags about game options included in their schema and loading. I'll take a look when I get back from the doctor.

EditUnfortunately it has the tags for required game options but not the converse ie tags for turning off if a game option is specified.

 

[BlueGenie]

Go to and open Assets/XML/Gameinfo/CIV4EspionageMissionInfo.xml
Find ESPIONAGEMISSION_BRIBE_CITY
Find <TechPrereq>NONE</TechPrereq> under bribe city mission and change to
<TechPrereq>TECH_FUTURE_TECH</TechPrereq>
Done.

Cheers

 

[MagnusIlluminus]

In OCC (One City Challenge) you only have one city and if it gets bribed out from under you then you lose the game.

Selecting No Espionage isn't really helpful; Faustmouse almost certainly doesn't want to completely rid himself of that aspect of the game, but simply the Bribe City mission.

Hmm, yes, in that case I can see that my suggestion was less than helpful. Sorry. I think I had forgotten what OCC stood for.

 

[Praetyre]

@BlueGenie:

That would do it for the whole game, and would have to be redone every revision. Having it as a part of the One City Challenge option would restrict it solely to that option and keep it from interfering with other games launchunho may or may not be running or planning on running.

 

[Faustmouse]

Go to and open Assets/XML/Gameinfo/CIV4EspionageMissionInfo.xml
Find ESPIONAGEMISSION_BRIBE_CITY
Find <TechPrereq>NONE</TechPrereq> under bribe city mission and change to
<TechPrereq>TECH_FUTURE_TECH</TechPrereq>
Done.

Cheers

Thats a nie solution for it, at least as a quick fix, thanks! But still I think it should be prohibited in OCC in general. Also, I think the Pont du Grand (?) and at least one other Wonders needs "at least X cities" which is also a bit annoying.

 

[charlesb96]

Here is a trick to dealing with a very large empire. Do a Soviet Union on them, a Cold War, not a hot war. first you must be in a GA so you can switch civics every turn. Build up all the espionage points on your target. send out your spies, you need several so that at least 2 will succeed. Then change your civic to Anarchism, influence his civic to it, then throw him into anarchy so he cannot change the civic back. It gives +3 unhappiness for ever city over 3, if he has 63 cities, do the math. 180 unhappiness in every city. Then have your spies aid rebel factions in as many cities as you can. He will start getting rebellions and break up like the old Soviet Union. I cut one empire by a third of his cities that way. You can change your civic back the next turn and not suffer much.
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[DRJ]

Here is a trick to dealing with a very large empire. Do a Soviet Union on them, a Cold War, not a hot war. first you must be in a GA so you can switch civics every turn. Build up all the espionage points on your target. send out your spies, you need several so that at least 2 will succeed. Then change your civic to Anarchism, influence his civic to it, then throw him into anarchy so he cannot change the civic back. It gives +3 unhappiness for ever city over 3, if he has 63 cities, do the math. 180 unhappiness in every city. Then have your spies aid rebel factions in as many cities as you can. He will start getting rebellions and break up like the old Soviet Union. I cut one empire by a third of his cities that way. You can change your civic back the next turn and not suffer much.
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Thats not true, you can change civics every 5 turns minimum, in golden age or not.

My approach is usually the pacifist-deceiver type - as AI usually have many units, pick pacifist and bribe them into being pacifist as well - first they have the anarchy then they stay 5 - 10 turns like that then they switch back and have anarchy again.
Also, if you have a different religion, make open borders and spread it to one of the AI city then use it to have your missions for bribe there (much cheaper missions with your state religion present, even more so if you have a trade route to that city) - and after having him bribed into pacifism, bribe him into adepting your religion (which he hopefully has only in few of his cities present), making most of his people unhappy.