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**Fleme** · January 31, 2008, 14:31

My way to a cultural victory

I guess I'll start it off.

I started the game anxiously, it being my first in the Tri-League and all and although I generally don't like Sitting Bull as a leader I decided to make it a good one. So, I start the game off and find what I think to be a poor starting location. Oh well, I think to myself that the AI will probably be hostile, given the Aggressive AI option so I move my settler to the grassland hill that's open and next turn settle Cahokia. My warrior goes on to explore the surroundings. Turns out Cahokia was founded on a good spot since a marble is revealed to the east and later on also a copper source appears. As a minus side the city is founded on Uranium but I won't know this for a very long time.

Thinking of ways to win the game I find the Americans. Shortly after I find the Americans again and then again. Great. I somehow think that the Americans form a team and wonder how the heck am I going to win the game now. Later on I do discover that they're not in a team per se, but sure act like it. So, let's rewind. After finding the three Americas I think that there's no way I'm going to win this through conquest. Early warring is also out of the question since I absolutely hate the Dog Soldiers and I'm not going to be like AAHZ and wage wars with Archers. So, I come up to the conclusion of playing a pacifist all the way to the end and here's how it went:

My explorer discovered that the terrain surrounding me is in fact inferior to those of the americans and especially one spot up northeast, almost next door to Lincoln made me interested. The spot hosts a river and 4 resources; Cattle, Horses, Gold and Rice. Now, here's where the gamble comes in. I send my settler unescorted because I feel I don't want to lose any turns and perhaps lose the spot to Lincoln or Washington. Settler makes it and my exploring warrior becomes the garrison for this newly found city in the middle of the Americans. The city is called Poverty Point (name misleads!) and is 11 tiles away from Cahokia, diagonally to the northeast. Like I said, a gamble. My third city I found on the end of my peninsula alongside the resources found there. It's called Mound City. These three cities are the ones I settle and decide to aim for a cultural victory and it is not until very late into the game that I will settle another city.

With my cities founded I already start at a handicap seeing the locations of the Americans. Lincoln for one makes me jealous with his lakes with special resources but I'm not going to do anything about it. I set as my goal to be as good a buddy with the Americans as I possibly can and hope they won't go after me or each other, putting me in an awkward position. I adopt the American faith, Buddhism, as soon as it spreads to my lands and start working on my cultural victory, which starts to look like a lost cause judging by the speed at which the Americans and someone else (later to be found English) are building wonders. Since I have marble I manage to get the Oracle and the Temple of Artemis. I use the Oracle to get Code of Laws and found Confucianism in Cahokia. I have no intention of converting. With only 3 cities and the ToA I'm able to run the slider at a minimum of 90% all the time and once I pop a Prophet and build the Kong Miao I have no more monetary worries and have the slider at 100% Research. As for other early Wonders, Cahokia also constructs the Pyramids, the Stonehenge and in Poverty Point I build the Hanging Gardens. The Americans have the world divided between themselves and so far no aggression between anyone. At this point, I'm popping great people like crazy, majority of which are Prophets. One I use to build the Kong Miao as I mentioned earlier and a majority of the rest (6 Great Prophets) are settled in Mound City, boosting it's production and my gold income greatly.

Game progresses and the middle ages are really dark for the Native Americans. I don't get a single wonder and my faith in a cultural victory falters since in order to keep up with the techs atleast to some extent I cannot change my research allocation towards culture. My army at this point is 1 maceman, 2 longbowmen and 1 dog soldier. Yes, really. Game goes on.

Renaissance and the Industrial ages brought very little change. I couldn't keep up with techs so I didn't get wonders either. Through a stroke of luck I did manage to build Versailles in Poverty Point which was of course nice. The culture of Cahokia is getting strong and the city of San Diego 5 tiles to the north decides to go native and my empire grows by one city. As soon as I discover biology I also settle a city 3 tiles northeast from Caokia to build my National Park in (there's 7 forests). Empire size 5 cities. I'm so very glad that it's a small map so I can get cathedrals up. Both Poverty Point and Mound City have a Buddhist Stupa and a Confucian Academy in them ever since I discovered Music and could construct them so their culture is also developed quite nicely up to this point. Also, Poverty Point has the Hermitage so the culture is outdoing the surrounding Americans easily. The first and only military conflict of the entire game occurs as one of the Americans (don't recall which one) declares war on the English. Both sides make a General, no-one loses a city and peace is signed.

Moving on to the modern times, I miraculously happen to get my hands on techs that I so badly wanted (Electricity, Radio, Mass Media) before the wonders were constructed and promptly used my Great Engineers to build Rock n' Roll, Hollywood and Broadway. Culture! The English built the Eiffel Tower but I didn't mind that so much since I had only three cities to build broadcast towers into. At this point it is pretty much clear sailing and I turn my slider around, pushing it to 100% culture. Turns roll by and in 1943 I win a cultural victory with a score of 13000 something (don't remember the exact number).

All in all quite an uneventful game. Took me 1 hour and 3 minutes according to the replay. The single most peaceful game of CIV I've ever seen.

**RobWorham** · February 1, 2008, 02:22

Nice write up Fleme!!!

Thank you.

**Fleme** · February 1, 2008, 12:42

Now make with the standings!

**RobWorham** · February 1, 2008, 13:55

Done!!!!

**Zoid** · February 1, 2008, 14:15

I didn't finish. I started good and led the pack up until 1 AD. The I dropped like a stone until I was dead last and trailing 300 points to Lincoln in the lead. I gave up the game in 1100 AD or so, because I wasn't going anywhere and I couldn't figure out why...

I think this was a very strange game...

**Fleme** · February 1, 2008, 14:31

Puhh, I knew I lost but had no idea that I lost that badly

GG@Winners

**RobWorham** · February 1, 2008, 14:42

Keep chipping away and you'll be at, or near, the top in no time!!!

**Zoid** · February 1, 2008, 14:48

revisiting the game shows that I probably abandoned this prematurely. I wasn't more than 82 points from second place. A careful campaign against Washington could've given me the leg up I needed to tackle Lincoln...

Oh, well. There's always game 8 to finish...

**Nugog** · February 1, 2008, 19:00

Re: My way to a cultural victory

Originally posted by Fleme
I somehow think that the Americans form a team and wonder how the heck am I going to win the game now. Later on I do discover that they're not in a team per se, but sure act like it.

I did think about teaming the American AI's up - but with the research bonus etc etc - it would have been too brutal.

**CharonJr** · February 2, 2008, 07:12

Hi,

very nice

I am playing too many Civ-games at the moment to recall exactly what I did, but I think dog-rushing Lincoln (? - whoever the guy was right to our east) was the key.

I took his worker early and denied him the copper, due to this it was fairly easy to grab myself a 2nd capital.

On Prince the AI gets no archer in its capitals which surely helps (Monarch is another story due to this

).

Being close too 90% wins on Monarch now surely helps with a game on prince, too

CharonJr

**Nugog** · February 2, 2008, 07:51

Originally posted by CharonJr
very nice

Thanks.

Originally posted by CharonJr
Being close too 90% wins on Monarch now surely helps with a game on prince, too

CharonJr

So - how are you on Emperor?

**Robert_Luis** · February 2, 2008, 13:21

My "diplomatic" victory

I started my first city Cahokia right there, where the settler was. It seemed quite a good place and later (after resources were revealed) seemed even better. My warrior set out to explore the world and the city started producing worker. Scientists started working on hunting technology (I am not sure of the english name, I play in french) so that worker could build pasture on the cows and than on bronze working, so that the worker could chop down the forest and speed up production. Bronze working revealed bronze next to the city and a mine was build right after the pasture.
My warrior met Washington. He was quite close (what a surprise on a small map). I decided to expand in his direction to grab as much land as possible. The city was quite effective now with pasture, mine and a chopper (wood-chopper). I went for a settler (in between worker and settler I was building barracks) and founded Poverty Point in 2400 BC on the Central river springs = in between Cahokia and Washington, closer to Washington. On the replay I see I was the firs to build second city. Only in 2120 did Washington settle Philadelphia. My next city was then again on the central river, north of Poverty Point ... and next to Philadelphia. No way, Washington!!!
Fourth city I founded on the tundra forest river close the southern coast. It was to grab furs and gold there and so it had to be 1 tile from the sea. I had no city on the coast and quite resigned on the sea, ships and so on.
I produced some workers, researched technologies so that they could work (road and marble) and then researched Mysticism and archery. I produced some archers and felt that my cities are quite safe with these guys. And the dog solders were so cheap! I also managed to build Temple of Artemis, but mainly focused on military.
Next I wanted to cut off washington from south and grab the peninsula with ivory. I found however, that he already founded Chicago there. At this moment I reevaluated my position. All the time I was getting ready for future onslaught from bad guy - the aggressive AI Washington. Now with all my dog soldiers, it came to me, I am to be the bad guy. I went for iron working, founded iron city north of Cahokia and produced some swordsmen. Than I accumulated a small army (about 15 units, but only 2 or 3 swordsmen) in Poverty Point and in 150 BC set out for Washington. It was like shooting a sitting duck (not Sitting Bull). I expected to burn a third or half my stack on the city (the army was without catapults), but lost only one unit. In 100 BC Washington, the holy city of buddhism, was mine. Than I set out for Chicago (peninsula SE of Washington with ivory) but this city was founded on a hill. After I lost two units and the defending archer had still strenght 3, only one city garisson promotion more, I thought again and turned my stack back. I went north and conquered two more quite recent cities along borders that had a weak garisson and not yet much built up ramparts. The campaign was quite easy. On the replay I see, that while I was conquering his cities, he conquered some barbarian city in the north...
In 150 AD I made peace with Washington and focused on consolidating my realm. I had now 9 cities and my economy crumbled a bit. During the war I also pilaged systematically farms and mines and without this income my research would stop. I stumbled backward a bit, but then my cities grew, huts evolved to villages and everything got going again. I spread buddhism to all my empire (before I conquered Washington, my cities were mostly agnostic), built courthouses and waited, till I get construction (and catapult). The rest of the millenium was quite calm. I have founded one more city on the north, but stayed on the continent. Lincoln and Washington colonized the small islands in the southern seas.
Than I finally got catapults and macemen, declared war on Washington in 1260 AD and went for my Chicago with ivory. In 1300 it was mine and my army again turned north. Washington's realm was quite narrow strip (generally one city wide) across the continent from north to south (Chicago), squeezed between me and Lincoln. Now that I was taking over Washington's land, I first came into direct contact with Lincoln. I was a bit afraid he would come to Washington's help, but he was not concerned about Georgie's fate. In all I took 4 Washington's cities and in 1420 AD left him lingering vassalised with two cities in northern tundra and one city on some southern island.
After the war I again turn inward consolidating my empire. I had now three religions at my disposal and so focused on spreading them to all my cities. I had plenty of military units, but they were not exactly brand new. I waited till I get technology for riflemen, not wanting to spawn more inferior units. I was already planning to get rid of Lincoln, who did not like me.
Ooops! In 1620 AD Lincoln declared war on me and caught me quite unprepared. Right about the start of the war I finally got my hands on riflemen technology, but I did not yet have any. There apeared a big stack of cannons heading for Houston. Houston was a border city next to Washington, which was my designated money city (holy city of buddhism, Wall Street) and I got a bit nervous. However his cannons were the strongest units he had. They were acompanied by archers, crosbowmen, macemen, elephants, one or two musketmen. I had units plenty and decided to stand firm untill riflemen come to help. Not a good strategy when faced to a stack of cannons. I moved about 10 or 15 units to Houston, even upgraded two or them to riflemen. Then the cannons started pounding and I lost Houston and all these units in 1640 AD. It was quite a setback. If Lincoln moved on west with his stack, he would probably manage to take Washington and I would be realy pissed. He also started some small offensive further north where we were a kind of even with units involved. He conquered one of my (originally Washington's) cities and I immediatelly got it back. He almost conquered it again but then some my slow elefant enforcements saved the day. Then I burned one of his cities that was two tiles from my designated military production city and competed with it for good tiles. All in all this northern bickering prevented me from moving hastily my northern troops to Houston and thus saved them ...
Once I decided the situation was realy serious and got my military production running the tide turned. There was a steady flow of one or two riflemen or cavalry to the eastern front per turn. They were taking positions on hils and in forests around Houston and Lincoln was killing them. But it cost him dear. He lost two or three units killing each my rifleman. He could not afford this war of attrition while I could (I would think Lincoln should know this...). By the end of century I prevailed. In 1680 I took back Houston and in 1700 I took first on Lincoln's cities (I already burned the one mentioned before). I was then going on steady, but slowly. Technologically I went for infantry, which I got soon, but as for siege I was stuck with catapults and trebuchets, and even those I started producing a bit late. I captured further cities in 1755, 1775, 1780, 1795, in 1806 I captured his capital and in 1814 I took his last city on the continent. I accepted Lincolns capitultion and left him live vassalised on some southern and northern islands.
After that the game was a bit uneventfull. I consolidated conquered cities again, I have build Mining company and Sid's Sushi and spread them to all my cities. My production and population skyrocketed. By the end od game the companies were giving me +26 production and +15 food in each city for about 30 gold. I colonized the big island on the northwest because of the nice resources for my companies it had. I have build Pentagon, Broadway, Rockenroll. Then I built United nations and in 1874 I let there be a vote on diplomatic victory. Roosevelt voted for himself. I, my vassals and Elisabeth voted for me. I won comfortably. I do not know, why Elsabeth liked me so much and voted for me. But when I counted votes, I found out I did not need her votes anyway. My votes and my vassal's were enough. Even if I did not win diplomatically, I could have achieved domination quite easily. With all my production, Roosevelt was no match for me by this time.

All in all the game was fine, maybe a bit too easy (especially compared to game 6). When there are resources, the companies are a bit too strong.

**RobWorham** · February 2, 2008, 15:08

Nice work Robert_Luis!!!

**Chuckman** · February 3, 2008, 00:48

I had thoughts about talking advantage of Totem Poles and use an archer or longbowmen push somewhere along the way. Didn't quite work out.

Cahokia was planted immediately. Got Stonehenge 2000BC. Poverty Point was founded to the Southeast in 1040BC north of the river. This was the same year that the Barbarian city of Angle was founded north of Cahokia. I would capture this city in 650BC with archers. Mound City went up on the coast east of Poverty Point in 25BC. Chaco Canyon went up on the coast West of Cahokia in 600AD. I made my first civic sweep in 740AD, switching to Hereditary Rule, Vassalage, Serfdom and Organized religion.

Washington declared war on me in 1090AD. His initial attack stack was 4 swordsmen, 5 chariots, 4 catapults, 2 longbowmen and 1 spearman. I had just been focusing on infrastructure but was able to sally forth some longbowmen from the nation and planted them on the forested hills outside Cahokia which I named Big Round Top and Little Round Top. Washington unsuccessfully assaulted Little Round Top. Washington sent 2 more assault waves against Cahokia before I was able to turn the tide. I captured Atalanta to Cahokia's NorthEast in 1480AD. With war weariness setting in, I chickened out and didn't push onto Washington. That may have been a mistake. I made peace with Washington in 1525AD.

At this point becasue of my military focus I had fallen behind in technology (all the Americans are quite friendly with each other.) I realized my only chnace would be a cultural victory. It was going to be a challenge. On turn 208 I only had Cahokia at 3499, Poverty Point at 451 and Angle at 339. Fortunately I had built my only other World Wonder the Sistine Chapel in 1390AD. In 1675AD I constructed Mesa Verde to the SouthWest of Poverty Point along the coast to take advantage of the fur, horses and crab. Snaketown went up on the little nook of coast between Chaco Canyon and Angle that wasn't being worked by anyone.

I signed a defensive pact with Roosevelt in 1842AD when he asked. the UN declared Free religion in 1923AD. I made my next civics sweep in 1925AD adopting Free Market, Representation, Free Speech and Emancipation (I had just finished researching Democracy.) I built Creative Constuction in Angle in 1940AD. The Aztecs broke free from Lincoln as a colony in 1941AD

The love fest among the Americans crumbled in 1968 when Roosevelt declared war on Lincoln. That of course nullified my defensive pact. I stayed out of things. The war ended quicly as Lincoln captured Roosevelt's capital with several turns.

Meanwhile I had founded Civilized Jewlers in 1974AD and Sid's Sushi in 2018AD both in Angle. I closed out the Cultural Victory in July 2021AD (turn 443); Cahokia 63408, Poverty Point 57855 and Angle 50749.

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