Why are some cities automatically razed?

[Maharajah]

With most cities, when I kill the last defendant the mil advisor asks me if I want to install a new governor. But with some, the city is razed by itself and I'm left standing on a pile of rubble.

It's particularly frustrating when the city is close to a resource/lux and the whole idea was to get at it. Being in midst of war, I can't leave my units around waiting for my settler to arrive. By the time I rush a settler there, somebody else has already settled.

Is there some rule as to which cities will be left standing and which automatically destroyed when you attack them?

 

[DaveMcW]

Population >= 2 or Culture >= 10

Culture is remebered from any civ that owned the city.

 

[Maharajah]

OK, that makes sense. I remember a couple of cities that recently got razed had pop 1.

 

[Offa]

You can ( I believe) recapture your own towns even if they have no culture and are size one, provided the citizen is yours.

 

[RandomInsanity]

no buildings counts too i think, although not many size one or two towns have buildings

 

[Ansar]

By the way, how come sometimes you keep stuff like harbors?

EDIT: When you capture a city I mean.

 

[Hunter Noventa]

By the way, how come sometimes you keep stuff like harbors?

EDIT: When you capture a city I mean.

I think only buildings that generate culture are lost for the most part. Not too sure on it though. Everything else must have a set chance of being lost.

 

[Ansar]

Well, its only happened to me with harbors and barracks. Never gotten anything else.

 

[Invisible Rhino]

I've gotten aquaducts, banks, etc. Pretty much any building that doesn't make culture has a good chance to not be destroyed.

 

[Tone]

I think that aqueducts and hospitals always survive. It is certainly true that these buildings survive a city's capture if they are needed to support the population. I've never seen one lost through bombardment either and you cannot sell them so I guess that they are indestructible!

 

[Tesuji]

I've noticed it keeps at least 'required' buildings. So aquaduct will always be there for cities with pop > 6, hospitals when pop > 12. Sometimes others are kept as well, I'd be interested to see some info on this by someone who 'knows' instead of guesses.

And you get wonder-generated buildings of course...

 

[k-a-bob]

I know aqueducts and hospitals survive, and I know all culture buildings do not.

I am not sure about other buildings - but I seem to recall taking a town that had a harbor and after my occupation, it did not - BUT, I am not 100% sure about that.

 

[CoolioVonHoolio]

i usually just raze cities unless they have something good in 'em like a wonder. cs ill follow up with an army of settlers to re-settle the spots.

 

[NintendoNut]

Here's my question: If a city is auto-razed, do you get a rep hit?

 

[Ansar]

ill follow up with an army of settlers to re-settle the spots.

I ca never do that, I always ignore re-settling the spots. I take and starve.

 

[k-a-bob]

Here's my question: If a city is auto-razed, do you get a rep hit?

not a rep hit - but an attitude hit.

 

[CTM]

I've never seen one lost through bombardment either and you cannot sell them so I guess that they are indestructible!

Actually, I just recently destroyed an Aqueduct bombarding a city in the Ancient Era with catapults in a game I've been continually playing.

 

[namliaM]

Was that in a city with pop > 6??

 

[CTM]

Yes, the city was a size 12. However, Tone was arguing how aqueducts and hospitals always survive, when I know for a fact that they do not. I've destroyed hospitals in past games through bombardment as well.

 

[Xerol]

Well, when you actually move a unit into a city and take it, the growth-enabling buildings (Aqueducts, Hospitals, and any other unit with the "Allows City Size X" in the editor) remain. Barracks always stay, markets usually do, although I don't know what the requirement is for that. Other than those buildings, it seems like half of the remaining ones are destroyed, unless one is required for another (i.e. if a city has a market, bank, and stock exchange, only the stock exchange will be destroyed), although if any give culture they are automatically destroyed.