I had my best game so far last night, but now a question

[eriadoc]

I played a game on Warlord last night (had beat Chieftain once before). I got off to a nice start and held the tech lead (or right close) the entire game, up to about 1650 AD. I had a great economy. With full sliders, I was at +40ish gpt and had about 1500 gold in reserve at that point. I was 2nd in military force and number one in culture (was playing as Hap). So I'm doing well, and I just knocked off about half of Tokugawa's empire before agreeing to peace for a while, when this bright idea hits me - I should try for a cultural win. Well, I was pretty far along tech-wise and I was friendly or pleased with all AI but Tokugawa. I had founded 5 religions and spread the good word. So I decided, for the sake of seeing what happened, I'd turn up my cultural slider to 80% and neglect tech. I set my 3 most cultural cities to the Culture production setting and started the ride.

There's no way I could have gotten a cultural victory. By 1945 AD, Russia had built all but three pieces of the space ship and I had only one legendary city. I had the top 3 cultural cities in the game, easily, but they were about 76000, 55000, and 45000, respectively. How do you achieve a cultural victory?

[LordShiva]

You need to decide to go for it alot sooner than 1650 AD.

Conquest is more fun, anyway.

[eriadoc]

Originally posted by LordShiva
You need to decide to go for it alot sooner than 1650 AD.

Conquest is more fun, anyway.

That's kind of what I figured the base of the answer would be, but then how do you keep up in tech? Just trade and stay on good terms with the AI? What balance do you try to achieve between tech and culture?

[LordShiva]

I don't

(Never tried cultural before. I like tanks too much).

[Adagio]

To get a cultural victory you have to decide it very early. Also try to do everything you can to get all religions (holy city is not neccesary, but usefull). Spread all religions to all your cities and build temples of all religions in all cities (so you can build the cathedrals in the 3 soon-to-be legendary cities)
Try to get some great artists, and use their powers on these 3 cities (in the early game as a super-citizen, but later as a culture bomb)

Also try to go for free speech ASAP (100% culture boost)

[Alex]

If you're aiming for a cultural victory, be ready to play the espionage game, you need to destroy the spaceship parts in enemy cities.

[Vynd]

I have won a couple of cultural victories. As with everyone else I recommend against trying for this starting in 1650.

Picking three cities early on that you intend to make into Legendary culture cities is essential. Most likely they will have to be chosen from out of your first four or five cities, because you'll need to emphasize building cultural improvements in them early on.

Religion is key. You need as many religions as possible spread throughout your empire. At least three, more if possible. They generate culture and allow for buildings that make even more culture especially the cathedrals that boost culture output by 50%.

Wonders that generate a lot of culture are also very imoprtant. You will want some of the early wonders that generate lots of culture. And you will want as many as possible of Broadway, Rock n' Roll, Hollywood, and The Eiffel Tower as they are all excellent at boosting culture. The Hermitage and Globe Theatre national wonders are also very good culture boosters.

Get to Liberalism as quickly as you can manage it and set yourself to Free Speech, the civic that doubles cultural output throughout your empire. Then concentrate on working your way to Mass Media. This will enable all of the late-game culture boosting wonders and, if you don't get the Eiffel Tower, broadcast towers. Once you have Mass Media, stop researching and pour as much money into the Culture slider as you can afford. Or concentrate on cash, rush-buy any remaining culture improvements, then go all-culture. Set your 3 cities set to produce culture.

Do all of this right and you can easily be producing 400+ culture per turn in a city once you go over to culture full-bore.

Lastly, generate as many Great Artists as is practical. I recommend against using them as super specialists. Save them until the end game and use them for +4000 culture in whichever cities need it to push you over the top. Using them as superspecialists is unlikely to equal the 4000 culture unless you do it very early in the game. And that early on it can be hard to judge which of your cities will need help the most. Put the superspecialist in the wrong city and he's essentially wasted as you watch the city he is in blow past 50k culture while city #3 is way back at 30k.

[RedSox7]

I am interested in trying for a culture victory at some point. Does the amount of culture needed to achieve victory vary according to map size like it does for domination percent? (I apologize for hijacking)

[GeoModder]

No, it only varies to speed level.
Quick --> 25k
Normal --> 50k
Epic --> 75k

[Nikolai]

And what about Marathon?

[Tattila the Hun]

150.000, I seem to recall.

[_BuRjaCi_]

This strategisning si good and fair but the truth is that the evil communist colledge-know-it-all-hippies are to blaim for your failliur.

Seriously thoug you should have hoarded holy cities and adopted free speach as soon as possible while building a well planned culture bomb city ( hermitage), since I usualy always get a legendary ratin on my largest industrial city and capital.

[padillah]

Originally posted by Vynd
...
Lastly, generate as many Great Artists as is practical. I recommend against using them as super specialists. Save them until the end game and use them for +4000 culture in whichever cities need it to push you over the top. Using them as superspecialists is unlikely to equal the 4000 culture unless you do it very early in the game. And that early on it can be hard to judge which of your cities will need help the most. Put the superspecialist in the wrong city and he's essentially wasted as you watch the city he is in blow past 50k culture while city #3 is way back at 30k.

But, remember they produce BASE culture. So they produce +12 culture, the cathedrals up that by 50% (to 18) and Free Speech ups that by 100% (to 36) per turn for one specialist. It would still take 112 turns to make the 4000 but thats with only those two modifiers. I've had cities with +400 to +500 culture.

So, yes you do have to save your resources but you should put at least one in each legendary city as early as possible.

The rest you can save and culture bomb because by 1200 A.D. you are never going to catch the 4000 culture from the "one-shot".

Tom P.

[CreepyD]

my first culture victory I only decided to try for it after about it said '100 turns left'.
I must have been lucky cos I had all religions in my cities, loads of cathedrals, wonders etc
I checked my biggest 3 culture cities and worked things out - had to get my culture to above 350/turn to make it.

It wasn't hard getting it up with artists, a couple of culture bombs in the smaller one.. it was balancing things between the 3 cities that was hard to work out.
My capital was gonna make it without extra trying.

That wonder that gives every city a broadcast tower - invaluable. had it way b4 getting the tech for the tower itself.

In the end I won in 2048 (2 turns left!)

oh and I think i had space race victory off (that one sux - game ends so suddenly and u dont feel like anyone actually won)

[Adagio]

Originally posted by CreepyD
That wonder that gives every city a broadcast tower - invaluable. had it way b4 getting the tech for the tower itself.

The Eiffel Tower

Originally posted by CreepyD
oh and I think i had space race victory off (that one sux - game ends so suddenly and u dont feel like anyone actually won)

I agree, the space victory doesn't really feel like you accomplished something, it feels more like "if you can't get the other victories, then there's always the space victory to win" instead of "OMG!!! I'm teh aws0me, I got to AC, I'm so 1337"