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**Verrucosus** · January 5, 2006, 04:00

Given that we need lots of culture, but only in three cities, this is my current, but still tentative approach:

- The decision which cities are to strive for legendary status must be made early, but not too early. I'd say that strategy in the ancient era should focus on solid expansion and choosing culture cities can wait until you get beyond Alphabet.

- Once that phase has been reached, research should focus on wonder prerequisites and any Wonder that is not needed in a specific place should be concentrated in the intended culture cities or, if you plan to use an artist factory, even just two of them. For that reason, the wonder factories should be able to reassign workers to mined hills for rapid construction.

- If one of the selected cities has a high food surplus, it could be used as a Great Artist factory. (I was not that impressed with my first attempt, but, in that game, I had diluted the effect by allowing great scientist production in a different city.)

- Getting (not necessarily founding) and spreading various religions is very important. All religious buildings generate culture, but with the high base output in our culture cities, the 50 % bonus from cathedral-type buildings is most important. In that context, we need at least nine cities to be able to build the cathedral-type building of each religion in the culture cities.

- I would argue for high-speed research, because the branch leading up to Mass Media contains too many culture boosters to ignore. All cities get broadcasting towers and Broadway, Rock 'n Roll and Hollywood can be fairly spread between the three culture cities.

- Before these late-game techs have been researched (and you can get there while ignoring quite a bit of the higher tech tree), I would argue against raising the culture rate above 20 % or (if you don't need culture to push borders) at all. The culture rate boosts culture output in your target cities (which is nice), but also in your other cities (which is wasteful, because you need science). In my opinion, getting the technologies to build the cultural buildings is more important than raising culture output from commerce until the endgame. This applies even more to golden ages which affect the entire empire.

- The endgame begins when you have obtained Mass Media. You can now raise the culture rate to 100 %. The commerce converted into culture is magnified by all the multipliers you have built and the path to victory is swift - if somewhat boring.

Because of the cautious use of the culture slider in this approach, a large part of the culture will be produced only in the endgame. In my two attempts so far, my culture cities only had around 30.000 culture (normal game speed) before I raised the culture rate.

**johnmcd** · January 5, 2006, 06:22

When to stop research to switch to 100% Culture ?
- Once you have Radio for broadcast towers or Assembly Line for infantry and factories for better ‘build culture’/ emergency troop building IMHO. There is no reason not to once you have Drama though, if your cities are relatively safe from invasion and you have the other techs you might find useful for cathedrals and the like. There is always a big cultural pay off round the corner, but few if any, compare with 100% culture.
When to touch the slider the first time ?
– I have either 100% science (or as close to) or 100% culture (or as close to) as possible? Generally, the extra culture acquired by having a quiet 10% or whatever ticking away has no value until the ultimate win so building it early provides no gain. On the other hand, getting a tech early can yield immediate benefits.
Does a Great Artist City make any sense?
– I suppose it depends how well you’ve done with your wonders and the like, are you piling up culture fast enough to win anyway? If so, they you probably don’t need one. Piling up culture fast though normally has recourse to artist specialists so you will spawn them now and again anyway. I think the culture win is basically a race to the end of the relevant techs followed by 100% culture. The sooner you can turn on 100% culture the better so getting academies and stuff not only gives you a handful of points, it also helps you achieve 100% culture sooner.
100% culture Golden Ages just pwn ?
- Golden Ages pwnzor, whatever you were doing, keep doing it and it’ll happen faster.
How many Golden Ages can be exspected ? 2 ?
– Dunno, I never normally go for them. They happen with the Taj Mahal and otherwise I’ve always got a pressing need for the great fellow elsewhere anyway.
How many commerce do these cities generate ?
– Depends what else is there. An early wonder city may well be production heavy and not commerce based at all.
If commerce is important, how are techs like Printing Press to be evaluated?
– It’s great, whatever the game, more commerce is never bad.
Is the Creative trait worth anything ?
- Worth something, sure, but Industrious will probably yeild more wonders for you and financial more culture in the long term. I think creative is really a trait for the aggressive players.
What state religion to choose ? Early one ? Wait til Philosophy or Code of Laws ?
– Depends on who you are of course, I’d grab an early one myself, but that’s my strategy anyway, the only one you can really be sure of getting otherwise is Chrisitanity, and then only because of a massive detour.
Great Artists with multipliers ? Bomb GA's or not ?
– Bomb in the late game, supers in the early game.
Try to use specialists ?
- eh?

**Cort Haus** · January 5, 2006, 08:56

I think a strategy that includes the 'Broadway Branch' and Infantry defenders is a lot better than the crude 'Rifle 'n Rush' strat that was posted over at CFC, and relies on defending against tanks with a ton of Rifles late on.

I've only done a CV once though - by accident as Saladin on a Prince Ice Age map, where all the forest came in handy. I noticed that no-one was founding religions, so I went and got the first three then decided to try a culture game. Early temples all round for early cathedrals when added to wonders, libs & monasteries gets a good foundation. The earlier these go down, the sooner it doubles, and the more the multipliers get to work on.

I didn't use that many Gt Artists - about 2 supers early on and 1 spare for 'balancing' late on that I never used. Great Engineers for the wonders were handy. My 3 cities were all coastal and large, so lots of commerce-culture from trade routes helped.

**Common Sensei** · January 5, 2006, 10:11

If you are a Spiritual civ and you are attempting to found three religions (including early ones), one thing to consider is trying to spread where the holy cities end up in your core cities as opposed to keeping them all in one.

With Free Religion (and less usefully, Paganism), all religions generate culture. A holy city produces +5 culture per turn, and with a shrine, this becomes +9.

**gentle** · January 5, 2006, 10:28

savegame

Well, I think I post a savegame of mine. If you hit end of turn, game will be won with 14k pts.
Interesting in this game is maybe the techtree.
I didnt research mass media and now would skip medicine too.Not sure about democracy and emancipation.
Problem that arised here is that my prime city has nearly 100.000 culture which is a bit overdone. If culture would have been distributed more wisely,I guess it could have speed up the game significantly.

@ verrucosus:

I guess 2 of 3 cities which have to become the culture ones will be the ones where one manages to get the early wonders (like pyramids or oracle...). 3rd city can wait, but should be a commerce heavy one then,imho.

I am not convinced about a GA-factory too, but am still unsure.

Agree on other points.

@ johnmcd
quote:
I think the culture win is basically a race to the end of the relevant techs followed by 100% culture. /end
Thats my approach atm but I feel I am missing out sth.
I feel that constantly generating some culture might be worth sth or if not via slider using more artists help to speed up. Its not about winning for me, but winning faster.
Sure, Space ship wont land pre1000AD anymore...*sigh good old civ2*
ok, have to try out that thing...

@common sensai

I will use a state religion for organized first later for pacisifm ? I use +5 only very early to expand to fat cross.

**The keeper** · January 5, 2006, 10:53

Do Obelisk disappear after calender? I have never built one, just stonehenge.

**Common Sensei** · January 5, 2006, 11:58

Originally posted by gentle

@common sensai

I will use a state religion for organized first later for pacisifm ? I use +5 only very early to expand to fat cross.

Later in the game, it's probably better to run Free Religion instead of Pacifism. Other civs become "jealous" of your culture (read: the game is trying to prevent you from winning as you start getting close), especially Aggressive ones. Free Religion can stem the tide of this a little, diplomatically, by removing the penalties from differing religions. It also improves research by 10% until the time you go all culture, and gives a happiness bonus based on religious diversity. Finally, all of your religions (and their holy cities if you founded the religions) generate culture.

**gentle** · January 5, 2006, 13:37

Well,...yes.
I do not run pacifism though in the late game (it just doesnt pay off) but theocracy for the +2 XP but this is of course situational.
I guess Free Religion is indeed the obvious choice.

**afrodius** · January 5, 2006, 15:49

If you are going for a cultural victory do whatever you can to aquire all the religions even if you arent the founder. In addition to the extra culture you get from the extra temple and monastary imps, having 6 or 7 cathedral imps in your culture cities will make a HUGE difference. If you cant get them all before scientific method comes along, then consider switching to org rel for a while to spread the new religions a little easier.

**Yosho** · January 5, 2006, 15:58

Originally posted by The keeper
Do Obelisk disappear after calender? I have never built one, just stonehenge.

No, they don't. So, IMHO, they're generally worth building early, while you still can, even if you're not neccessarally going for a culture victory.

For that matter, all buildings that produce culture (monesteries, ect) still keep producing it even after the building becomes obsolete.

**johnmcd** · January 5, 2006, 16:22

They dissapear if they are Henge ones but if they are actually built you keep getting their single 'ancient' culture point.

Absolutely agree with the 'get all religions' comment, in my best culture win I was waging war to take cities so I could import their faith.

**gentle** · January 5, 2006, 23:12

Ok, dealing with research....
Explanation:
Each GP grants techs according to a value which he applies to the tech. The higher the value, the more important the tech is for him (10highest).
With "Interference" I mean techs one maybe does not have, but the GP values it higher than my desired tech.This means he won't give it to me...*no comment*....well, stupid AI ^^.
A GP gives about 1000beaker.
I am not quite sure with prereqs off hand, so it may be that some intereferences do not apply cause of missing prereqs.

Note: Flame me for the hut remark =P

My guy is Saladin PHI / SPI

Tech__________Granted by_____Cost___Interference
Mysticism______Starting
Polytheism
Mining_________Hut
Bronze________Hut
Masonry_______(Hut)
Monotheism
TheWheel______Starting
Priesthood
Writing
Alpahbet
Literature
Drama

GPs get interesting now
Oracle Grab: usually Philosophy for me
Of course I traded some techs after Alphabet.

Philosophy___Scientist8______800___Optics8/Mathematics10
Mathematics__Scientist10____250 (too cheap)
Currency_____Merchant10___400 (too cheap)
*CoL________Prophet7______500__Theology10/DivineRights10
Theology_____Prophet 10____500
CivilService____Prophet6_____800__Theology10/CoL7
Nationalism___Artist6_______1600__Music10/DivineRights8/PrintingPress6
Paper_______Scientist7______600__Optics8/Compass7
**Education__Scientist9______1400_PrintingPress9
Liberalism____Artist5_________1200_DivineRight8,Mu sic10,Monarchy9,Horseback5

Info:
Divine Rights__Prophet10_____Theology10
____________Artist8_________Music10,Monarchy9

*Merchant will give it too with interference by Metal Casting6 and Currency10.

**He gives Education if he may choose (as far as I remember).
Seems that he gives the more expensive tech (Printing Press 1200)

Research must include Theology,Music,DivineRights.
Do not be able to research Optics,Compass.
Note: Grab Music with an Artist to get an Artist.Music is a free tech.
Idea of Great Artist city is crap when planning to techburn GPs.
---
On Noble I manage to get 8 GPs til 1AD.Usually I rerolled them for Engineers to build wonders (flame me^^).Maybe Liberalism til 1AD is possible when tech burning some of them and then grab Nationalism.
Would be a nice try...guess I know what I am doing on weekend ^^ (though my gf already suspiciously looks at me when I turn on the comp.guess i will persuade her that her last Final Fantasy approach wasnt accurate enough =P).

*******
Source:

Great People Tech Prefences

http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=140952

Edit: My original article (at bottom) is obsolete after lots of community research into GP tech preferences. Thanks to notagoodname from the civ4 multiplayer ladder site for putting this new article together. In the game great people have a list of techs and a preference for each tech (no...

**gentle** · January 6, 2006, 00:55

also edited initial post

**El Conquistador** · January 6, 2006, 05:59

The thing I hate about cultural victory is that it makes me choose Catherine of Russia as a leader and I don't want to choose her. I want her to be one of the other civ's leaders. That way she can tease me with those naughty comments of hers.

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Cultural Victory: Discussing the basics

Cultural Victory: Discussing the basics

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