what do you do with conquered land?

[Eric The Fish]

I was just wondering if anyone had any ideas how to best optimize the use of conquered lands. For example, I (Persians) just conquered the French. Most of the formally French cities are so overly corrupt that nothing can be built there. I've already built the forbidden palace (near the former french border) and there's still areas that are too far away for it to have any effect. I was wondering what ideas are out there (other than reverting to despotism and pop-rushing improvements).

 

[LaRo]

A) You could have razed all this cities

B) You don't use this cities for you production. You keep them only for their citizens and for the territory's score.

C) ?

 

[Steve]

Eric,

I had some of the same probs. and a post in another thread contains the answer, I think. I haven't tried it but I'm going to next game I start. Apparently you can go into edit at any point in the game and change the optimal # of cities. This will take care of that "one shield" problem, I hope.

 

[IronicWarrior19]

There is a way of squeezing a little production out of these cities. You can maximise food in the city, to try and support as many tax collecters or scientists as you possibly can. They still generate taxes and science regardless of the corruption level of the city. Not ideal, but you can add a bit to your productivity that way and make them more useful, a city producing 5 gold and 1 shield is better than 1 gold and 1 shield. Imagine 10-20 of those, that's 50-100 gold extra per turn right there.

 

[ombre]

Try to draft citizen and then disband the unit it helps with the production, but makes unhappy citizen for 10 turns...

 

[Steve]

IronicWarrior,

Good point.

 

[Bogatir]

If I have to go into ‘conquest’ mode early on (say, because the pesky Zulu are nearby), I always wait to build my Forbidden Palace in the newly-conquered lands – usually by expending a Great Leader. This gives the conquered lands a huge boost. In some games, with good timing, I’ve found that’s like doubling the size of my useful empire in just one turn.

(Of course, in my last game, despite my best Aztec efforts, I didn’t get my first Great Leader until 1450 A.D. I had to actually spend like 60 turns building the darned FP. That sucked.)

Otherwise, IronicWarrior’s technique is about it. You can eke a few shields out of cities that aren’t too remote by rushing improvements like airports and police stations, but it’s usually not worth it.

After I’ve staked out my basic territory and built a Forbidden Palace in my favorite conquered location, I generally don’t capture many cities. I’ll only take cities I need to get at strategic resources and/or luxuries or for use as remote bases against another civ. Otherwise, I raze enemy cities and take home the workers to do my bidding.

Sometimes I leave enough of the rival civ standing to pay me a hefty tribute, and sometimes I just get rid of them completely. Aztecs are moody like that.

Cheers.

 

[levasseur227]

I've found that I often will only conquer my own continent. I then just concentrate on winning the game by some other method. Usually Space Race is the one that works out first. It isn't what I WANT, I would love to have an empire spanning 2 continents but as we all know, that is nearly impossible. (That is my gripe about the game.)

My recommendation is that even if you are fighting on some other continent, save one city as a base, and raze the rest. So the other guys come in and build cities there, they won't be of much value to them, they will be small, 1 shield cities for them just as they are for you.

I don't really worry about score, I can't beat the game on the hardest level yet, so there is still a challenge in THAT arena, rather than trying to get the highest score possible. If you worry about the score, or you like keeping cities...I really like Ironic's Idea about the tax men and scientists...

 

[donsig]

I use conquered cities as an integral part of my 'country'. Sure, at first they are only 1 shield/1 gold producers with all else going to waste and corruption. It takes a long time to build an improvement one shield at a time spending a little gold here and there on these cities can be worthwhile. Especially if you're buying improvements that produce culture points. Your borders will expand and the chance the conquered city flips away from you is reduced.

Aside from helping to boost your score these cities can be used to build workers and/or settlers if you need them.

Also, by letting these cities grow (even if it means investing in an aqueduct) eventually they will reach the point where they are producing two or three good shields. (Sure, there may be another 10 shields going to waste.) This doubles or triples the rate at which these cities can build things.

This requires patience. It may take 100 turns. Remember Rome wasn't built in a day.

Remember your 'core' cities around your capital will be doing the builk of your country's production. They will have to build the garrisons and raise the revenue for the conquered cities.

The placement of your Forbidden Palace is an important choice. If you want to expand onto a second continent perhaps your FR should be built over there. Another tactics would be to build a palace (i.e., move your capital) to the new continent. The downside here would be two-fold: your old core cities should lose production and you'd also lose culture points for your old palace.

 

[Zachriel]

Originally posted by levasseur227
I've found that I often will only conquer my own continent. I then just concentrate on winning the game by some other method. Usually Space Race is the one that works out first. It isn't what I WANT, I would love to have an empire spanning 2 continents but as we all know, that is nearly impossible. (That is my gripe about the game.)

Continental invasion is not only possible, but doable in most dominant positions.

http://www.crowncity.net/civ3/BeachHead.htm

 

[Radegast]

Conquered Cites with ultimate corruption i.e. 1 gold/shield.

This is my plan for captured cities, assuming FP already built elsewhere and map/city liimit reached.

If the city won't produce anything due to so much unhappiness, common in 1.17f given the AI propensity to rush/draft, then produce a worker asap, and resettle the city spot if deired.

For cities that are not totally unhappy;

1) Remove Resistance
2) Sell any captured improvements except maybe barracks/aquaduct/marketplace depends on location.
3) Rush temple for the border expansion
4) Produce Worker every 10 turns
5) Maximise food production and grow to size 6 (or 12 if aquaduct/river) either by natural growth or by worker influx
6) Set food production to grow every 10 turns
7) Turn the rest into specialists
7) Keep streaming workers for the rest of time

If you don't have the money to rush all those temples then take troops produced in your core cities and disband them in the captured ones. Sure this reduces your army but by the time you hit the corruption limits, your army should be large enough for most purposes. Arty is good for this, 20 shields each, so two arty and say 70 gold gives a temple. And obviously don't do every city at once, do the ones that consolidate you territory best first.

You can NEVER have enough workers especially if you use automated pollution clean-up, the automated routines are very inefficient in worker allocation. Even if you really do have to many wotkers sell some (back) to rival civ's, join cities for the poulation points or just use them as border guards.

I do this last one a lot, I'll often wan't to war against one neighbour while keeping peace with another. But the AI will insist on trying to cross my territory, especially if he has an enemy on the other side. Oh yes, they probably leave when asked, but like the proverbial bad pennt, they'' keep turning up. And why must I ask every turn.

 

[IronicWarrior19]

I too have had large conquered 'colonies' on other continents. You need forbidden palace to make them very useful though, unless they're taxman cities.

 

[Joe R. Golowka]

I always set cities with max corruption (1 gold/shield) and no hope of changing that with a courthouse or something to build wealth. Thus many conquered cities end up becoming basically tributaries to my treasury.

 

[MummyMan]

Mod the game so that religous and educational improvements decrease corruption like a courthouse, it takes a while for cities to kick in, but it's worth it.