Another Absurdity!

[Berzerker]

It's bad enough having 100+ cities and losing cities "culturally" to an AI with a handful of cities, but I lost two cities on the same turn to an AI that has NO cities!
That's right! The AI I have destroyed has nothing but a few ships floating around and I'm still losing cities to them

[absimiliard]

And your strategy suggestion for combatting this is what?

Or are you looking for suggestions? Wish I had some, but I'm afraid I'm as surprised as you.

[Berzerker]

Well, I want this dealt with by the people who designed the game. This must be a bug, not design. Even if an AI with 5 or 6 cities could culturally capture cities from a civ with 20 times the cities, an AI with no cities shouldn't. I don't know how the AI even has the where-with-all to maintain a fleet without a city.

The strategy to combat this? I'm told building city improvements in those captured cities will reduce these cultural takeovers, but I've been doing that. The only sure way is to raze enemy cities.

[La Fayette]

Originally posted by Berzerker
The AI I have destroyed has nothing but a few ships floating around and I'm still losing cities to them

I don't think that an AI civ with no city at all could have ships floating around. Isn't there a tiny hidden city somewhere?

(La Fayette, looking for hidden cities)

[Marquis de Sodaq]

La Fayette, a civ is not dead until it has neither cities nor settlers. Or is it any unit? In any case, a wandering unit with no cities is the remnant of a civ, still in the game.

Berzerker, talk about a sympathetic populace! Are they culturally converting cities you settled, or are sympathizers in captured cities reverting to their previous rulers? If the former, I say ! If the latter, tell us any solution you might find...

Last night something like this, but far less extreme, happened. An Iroquois town is engulfed by my culture radius. It has only the immediate 9 tiles around it, the rest of the area is mine. My adjacent cities (4-5 tiles away) have wonders, cathedrals, universities, the works. What happens? Putzville expands its influence and absorbs 10 of my tiles!

Time to go to war...

[Dimension]

Berzerker:

Your first post says you are losing cities culturally to a civ with no cities. Your second post says again that a civ with no cities is "culturally capturing" your cities. It sounds like you've found some huge bug, but then you say:

I'm told building city improvements in those captured cities will reduce these cultural takeovers, but I've been doing that.

You're talking about captured cities reverting back their original owner. That might be annoying, but it's not a "cultural takeover." Try making sure everybody is happy, even if it means starving the city. I've never had a city revert if it has nothing but Happy Laborers and Entertainers.

[barefootbadass]

It is just a defection, which has a slew of factors affecting the chance. Culture supposedly plays a role in defections, but not the sole role. If a civ is in the game there is always at least a tiny chance that a city will revolt to join it, the primary factor seems(to me) to be citizens of the enemy civ in the city(starve them or make workers to get them out or down to 1), and major culture centers(particularly with a wonder or two) of the opposing civ near it(but not close enough to do a normal cultural reversion).

It's a part of the game that kind of spices it up, kind of like luxuries and resources. At any rate I wouldn't worry about it at all with 100 cities. Big deal. Maybe losing a high production city near the center of a 10 city empire would be a big deal, although exceedingly rare.

[Berzerker]

LaFayette -

I don't think that an AI civ with no city at all could have ships floating around. Isn't there a tiny hidden city somewhere?

Yeah, no cities, I had an embassy and after destroying or taking the AI's cities I made peace and during negogiations saw they had no cities. At first I was looking for undiscovered cities, then after seeing they had none, I started tracking down their units.

Dimension -

You're talking about captured cities reverting back their original owner. That might be annoying, but it's not a "cultural takeover."

Correct, they were reverting, but that's still a cultural takeover - the message I got when they did revert was that the occupants were more enamored with the AI than me

Try making sure everybody is happy, even if it means starving the city. I've never had a city revert if it has nothing but Happy Laborers and Entertainers.

Thx, will try it.

Badass -

At any rate I wouldn't worry about it at all with 100 cities. Big deal. Maybe losing a high production city near the center of a 10 city empire would be a big deal, although exceedingly rare.

If I didn't have a religious civ, it would be driving me even more crazy. At least I can keep switching back and forth between democracy and communism/monarchy without waiting several turns.

[Running Water]

Bezerker...

When you look at the negotiation screen you cannot see the AI's capital (if they have one). So, when you see no cities, it could be that they do have one city and they have a palace built there. To see this, look at your own list of cities in the negotiation screen, and you'll see that they are all there except your capital.

[Paddy]

Yeah,

the dilemmas of being a big bad empire....

The other night the Babylonians stole my big ol' fortress city on the distant west coast, while I was knocking the yanks for a six on the east coast.

I had thought the Babylonians, originally of the far north east, were all but finished from earlier in the same war. And yes, on later inspection, I found that this had to become there 2nd town.

They are not out until the fat lady sings, or is that when the advisor states that they have been removed.

The computer has as many tricks up it sleeves as do we.

Good luck with your battles and keeping hold of your empire into the future.