Using culture to take cities - Is culture even inside boundaries?

[mote]

Great game!

Every civ has settled north of me in Canada (by 500ad! I guess Viagra was discovered in 500bc?). I would like to secure my continent from easy invasion, but I don't want to start WW1 and have eveyone on the planet hate me.

So, I'm planning on a cultural invasion. I was wondering, is culture evenly distributed within your boundaries, or is it only the culture of the nearest cities that have an impact?

From the manual and strategy guide, it appears to depend on your method. However, it is never explcitly outlined.
-without propaganda, the manual seems to imply it's the nearest city that influences whether they shift.
-with propaganda, the guide says, "whether their culture is in awe of you (total culture score) will increase chance of success."

So if I want to avoid propaganda, I need to pump up the culture of my northern canadian cites? Just want to make sure.

Thanks!

 

[Peteus]

I don't know for sure, because there isn't any evidence, but I have overwhelmed two cities in my first game (circa 1800 now), and they were off my main continent, near captured cities which were size 12, but didn't have a lot of culture. Meanwhile, the Indians have expanded onto my home continent, and have a city next door to my capitol which has survived since the days of triremes - and my capitol just bumped over 10,000 culture!! So that suggests that the near city doesn't play a huge part.

Related note - I said in another post that I'd never seen an existing border contract, and thought that they filled in on a "first come first served basis." I need to revise that, as it's only partly true. I have seen borders contract now, but only when a high-culture city has expanded to radius 3, and a neighboring rival expands to radius 2. If the contested squares are within the workable radius (2) of one city but not the other, the city that can work those squares will get them it seems. That gives you a way to plant a colony within an enemies borders, to acquire a key strategic resource or luxury, by dropping a city next door to it. I'm not sure about building cities inside the enemy's borders, but I'm about to build one just outside the Babylonian border to scam a silk deposit.

 

[Genghis Sean]

I was playing my first Civ3 game last night. I had some early trouble with the Japanese swarming through my territory until I fortified the border. Then I was at peace with everyone, building up the infrastructure and doing research, and suddenly one of my cities switched over to the Indian side! I looked at the manual and the strategy guide and neither offered a decent explanation. The city is on the opposite side of my territory from the Indians. It has never been owned by the Indians. I had been building culture in the city, and I had a lot of luxuries connected to it.

The books seem to indicate that this only happens with cities that are near the other civ's border, when there's a particularly well-cultured city across the border. In any case, isn't this an act of war? Can I parley with the Indians and demand return of my city? How does this work and how can I prevent it?

 

[mote]

It's not an act of war (which is exactly why I want to do it). You can't parlay for it other than thru normal routes. Even if you did get it back, it seems it would likely switch again.

Remember, culture is cumulative. If you had _just_ built a bunch of culture-related buildings, they would still be weak culturally.

Also, luxuries are great for happiness, but I don't think they add to culture.

That a city on the _opposite_ side of your nation switched over is odd (remember, borders go over water, so perhaps that's how it happened?)