Fast Cultural Win

[Blaupanzer]

If they threaten (see example above), just take out two of the cities. They seldom have the depth for five cities to be making a run. Plus they will turn down their culture rate to effectively engage you in combat. Or ineffectively engage, as the case may be.

[mkorin]

Blau, 593 was 1971. As I went to my hall of Fame to get the date, I noticed a cultural win at 1963. Thus my initial topic of how fast it can be done is still interesting and unanswered.


As to the AI culture wins. I have seen it and I've seen them get close. However, if you're paying attention, it is relativly easy to stop as others have said. However, if you're not paying attention (as I've done). The AI will go for and win a culture win. PACA II goes for it often in my experience.

Mike

[Blaupanzer]

Right, Dutch, Incas, and Mayas plus Ghandi are not above taking a run at it. Any others who seem built for it?

Mike, your wins (and losses if you retire) are installed in the HOF by "normalized score." These entries indicate the date the game was won (stopped). Look in there when you get a chance -- most likely be in the Renaissance/Early Industrial period, quite probably in the same decade. Most of us compare wins based on that date, which is in the upper right corner of your screen all game.

[wodan11]

Originally posted by mkorin
Blau, 593 was 1971. As I went to my hall of Fame to get the date, I noticed a cultural win at 1963. Thus my initial topic of how fast it can be done is still interesting and unanswered.

I concur with Snoopy... early 1800s is a well-done game. I'm not sure the 1700s are possible but I wouldn't rule it out.

[Blaupanzer]

Haven't been able to pull off a cultural win until the 1900's yet, even if focused on. I often keep it as an alternative in my head, but don't do the early stuff like max spam religions and monasteries, spread wonders around, undsoweiter. But even when I do do these things, it tends to be 1905 - 1930 before I finish on Epic. Hey, a win's a win, but that's a lot of playing for what feels like a kiss from my sister. I mean how many musical note manufacturers ever actually ruled the world.

[Loxy]

1)
I had a nice monarch game once with Justinian. Three big continents.

I managed to box in the other three AIs on my continent and grabed all the land around me which was not that good quality but quite A LOT

After teching in front of the other AIs and wiping them off of my continent I thought that was it but noticed that Huayna Capac was shooting up in culture and on a VERY fast route towards a cultural win

So I had to build up a big navy, load them up with infantry and cannons and go all the way to the other side of the globe to raze his big three cities

I felt so bad when I razed his capital which was over size 20, double holy and loaded with wonders such as the Great Libary, Pyramids and other nice stuff

But after that I had an easy time

2)
In my Game last night I was the Maya and quite good. Only my neighbour Ragnar (with whom I shared a wonderfull continent with after he killed Hatshipuh and I killed Huayna Capac) was equal to me in size, teching speed and Power... until he decided to go for cultural win... stupid dimwit... 30 turns later I invaded him with a massive army and took his biggest five cities before vassalizing him.

After that i bullied him so much that some time later he declared war on me... poor guy... that was his final word for that game... `cause I wiped him off the continent ant took his last seven cities in a handfull of turns

Never mess with a master whos military strength is three times bigger than yours... lesson learned

[Jonny]

Originally posted by rah
I've played a lot of SP games and I've never seen the AI anywhere near a culture win. I'm usually a conquest guy and I wonder if that has any influence. What type of maps encourage the AI to lean towards culture? Islands? (which is one of the few maps I rarely play.)

I once saw the AI almost get to a culture win; it was on a tectonics script map, IIRC, and epic speed. I was off minding my own business, going for a SS victory after having had a not-so-great start. Then I get the message that Darius has a second city reach Legendary culture, then I see that his third isn't far behind - and producing 400-500 culture/turn.

My ship arrived 1 or 2 turns before he was to hit 75000 in the third city... and that was only because I had sent a stream of spies to destroy temples/library/whatever in that third city.

[Blaupanzer]

The AI monitors the possibility that I might get a cultural win. I just had an SOD show up on my doorstep with over 100 units from a distant neighbor on a large continent in big and small. My 10 cities contained 60 units for defense, not nearly enough. Another SOD of 25+ units followed the first 3 turns later. He also had 3 vassals to my one; each of the three being stronger being stronger than my one. I was at least 100 turns from cultural win in 1600's, and I thought I had it made. I had over 1/2 of the world's wonders and had a good tech lead but had not emphasized military techs. Shame on me. I lost, of course, although taking many of his units with me. My spies told me that even with those two SODs and a stream of reinforcements headed to the front, many of Shaka's best units were at home where every city was defended at least 4 deep. Soon, Shaka had most of the world wonders, and I had to resign. 125 units to spare was twice the size of my whole civ's army and I only had a slight tech lead. (I had knights and had begun building musketmen when he showed up with neither. At those odds he didn't need them.

When playing, it pays for the player to do such monitoring. When in doubt, capture rather than build that wonder. "Must build more troops," remains the mantra, even when Huyana Capec, and especially if any of the aggressive-trait civs remain and thrive in the game.

[Garth Vader]

Originally posted by wodan11

I concur with Snoopy... early 1800s is a well-done game. I'm not sure the 1700s are possible but I wouldn't rule it out.

Yeah I think 1820's to 1870's have been where my wins were. I did one earlier, but I think it was an advanced start.

[johnmcd]

If you are isolated enough to use cathedrals to drive the culture you can pretty much knuckle down at Music, assuming you have three religions or so in evidence.

I haven't gone for a cultural win since BtS came out though so I don't know if that makes much of a difference. Ethiopia's looking good for that sort of super early push though I'd say.

[Metaliturtle]

See what I can do here... Going to try for the early culture win!

[Metaliturtle]

bah, I wanted to do a really funny picture of me winning right away in 2000 BC with some WB help, but I had culutural victory turned off!

[Blaupanzer]

As folks say with the lottery, "In order to win, you have to play."

[Theben]

Originally posted by Metaliturtle
bah, I wanted to do a really funny picture of me winning right away in 2000 BC with some WB help, but I had culutural victory turned off!