What's wrong with my influence?

[Rodrig0]

In my current game, I built a city close to another egyptian settlement, 4 tiles away. I built culture first, to expand my influence and reach a tile with spices. But then I forgot about it, the egyptians built more culture than I, and eventually their influence grew more than mine and took MY spices

View attachment 221046

I built a university in Middleburg, and now it has 239 culture points and 9 culture p/t, while Lisht only has 232 and 5 culture p/t. Why is their influence still larger than mine?? I was hoping for some peace with the egyptians, but it seems Cleopatra has doomed her people using her cheap egyptian tricks...

 

[Tone]

IIRC borders only change if a city has a cultural expansion somewhere on the map. (i.e if a city's culture gets to 10,100,1000,etc ). If you don't fancy declaring war why not build some culture in Bodo? (It will claim that iron mountain anyway so won't be wasted if I'm wrong!)

Edit: I see that is what you are doing anyway!

 

[geishapunk]

Thats not 100% true! Borders do change without a cultural expansion, but it won´t do it in this example, thats right!

 

[Optional]

IIRC borders only change if a city has a cultural expansion somewhere on the map.

Perhaps as a rule, but I've certainly seen this a lot: An AI settler pair just beats me to a spot, but as I have nowhere else to go, I settle down as well, 0x0 with the AI. Uncomfy, to say the least. The tile inbetween us stays with the AI, of course. In this situation I'll build a temple or library straight away. At the moment it's built, I'm getting the tile inbetween; I don't have to wait until my borders expand. (On Demigod you can still do this, but you'll probably get outcultured, outflipped or beaten the crap out of you if you attempt this on the highest levels).

 

[Lord Emsworth]

Sometimes changed borders are just not updated straight away. Maybe that is what happening here and the problem is gone the next time you load the game?

 

[Rodrig0]

IIRC borders only change if a city has a cultural expansion somewhere on the map. (i.e if a city's culture gets to 10,100,1000,etc ).

I know what you mean, but look at the cities... both have more culture than 100 and less than 1000, so the influence of both should be 2 tiles away. So there should be 4 tiles between cities. Because there are only 3 tiles, only one city will have its 2 tiles influence. And that's the one with the most culture.
If I had to wait for 1000 culture, at 9 cpt it would take 90 more turns to expand again! The game will be over before that. A bullet in the head of her lone defender is faster.
Fortunatelly, it wasn't necessary...

Sometimes changed borders are just not updated straight away. Maybe that is what happening here and the problem is gone the next time you load the game?

It didn't change as soon as I reloaded, but it did change a few turns later. I recovered my species and everyone was happy... well, except for Cleopatra, but at least she lived! That's something, no?

Uncomfy, to say the least.

The very very VERY least! I've done it many times. Some times you just gotta have that spot. Damn the AI, why can't it have the slightest respect for city placement?? So you just settle there, cursing the AI, your luck, and anything else you can think of. You pretend you're all right, but I know how it is... you can't think of anything else but that spot, it ruined your game! You check that annoying neighbor at the end of every turn with a grudge in your eyes ¬¬ You begin your turn hoping to hear your advisor tell that the city flipped. But he remains silent. Hatred grows. Armies gather in aticipation. The only thing in you mind is vengeance. The only thing that eases your pain is the thought of the moment you will raze that abomination, that stain in the face of your empire...

Yeah, we could call that "uncomfy"

 

[Optional]

yeah, that's what I meant.

 

[Gamemaster77]

What is the affect of having a city right next to another in a culture flip.\/\/

 

[Optional]

What is the affect of having a city right next to another in a culture flip.\/\/

Are you asking what's happening when two of your own cities are spaced 0x0, and one of them flips? Then you get to keep the tiles inbetween.

 

[Lord Emsworth]

Not necessarily. When neither of them has culture, the founding date should serve as a tie breaker. And that could give the tiles to the flipped city.

 

[Gamemaster77]

I'm asking if putting a city with the 0x0 placement by an enemy city really does alot more than
0xxx0

 

[Bartleby]

One of the factors affecting flip risk is the number of "fat X" tiles controlled by your enemy, so it does make a difference.