Acquiring Enemy Cities

[drewby]

Sometimes when I am attacking an enemy city and I have defeated all of the enemy units, the city ends up destroyed (even though I have not been given the option to keep it or destroy it). Is there a way I can keep it from being destroyed? Thanks.

[Arrian]

A size 1 city with no culture will automatically be razed. Nothin' you can do about that.

-Arrian

[drewby]

Thanks.

[The Rook]

Related question

Does aquiring cities from my allies through cultural expansion tick them off?

[hooded]

I don't think that acquiring a city through a cultural takeover makes them mad... but if your culture is higher than theirs they will be 'jealous'. Some Ai civs will be jealous of anything you have thats better than what they have themselves.

[Skanky Burns]

Acutally, I think it actually does tick them off if you keep thier city. I've had the AI declare war soon after such an event, but it may just be coincidence.

[Shadow_Cougar]

If your enemy have the draft, you really don't want the city anyway. they will be so draft unhappy, that the city will never be productive. Even with luxuries, temples and catherdrals, they can still be unhappy, nearly forever. As slaves, they will still be unhappy if they get added to another city.

[drewby]

What do you mean by "the draft"?

[Caligastia]

If I bribe an enemy city or aquire it through diplomacy, is there an unhappiness factor the same as if I had taken it over militarily?

[Arrian]

Drewby - Once you discover nationalism, you can draft troops in your cities. I causes unhappiness, and you get a conscript (2hp) unit of whatever your best defender is (rifleman, infantry). I advise against using it except under the most dire of circumstances.

I don't think that the AI gets mad about culture flips directly. Indirectly, however, I think they can. Let's say you gain a border city from the Zulu, currently "polite." This border city has 2 incense w/in it's borders. You have just gained two luxuries, the Zulus have just lost them. The AI will often get "annoyed" with you if you have a bunch of nice stuff they don't - ever notice that? Thus, the shift of those luxuries may effect relations, and the Zulu may end up attacking you. Trading luxuries to the AI (even if they pay a pittance) is a great way to improve relations and forstall an attack.

-Arrian

[Thrawn05]

Re: Related question

Originally posted by The Rook
Does aquiring cities from my allies through cultural expansion tick them off?

Not really. They only get furious if you take that city that you got through culture and abanden it (you make all taxmen, and build settlers). The english went to war with me because I did that to a city that they lost to me.

[Arrian]

Oh yeah, Thrawn, I forgot to mention that. Each city has a "cultural memory." Let's say that the Zulu city in my example had a temple in it. It had produced 50 culture. Then it flips to you. The 50 culture remains, but any new culture will of course be yours. If you disband the city, however, the 50 culture is destroyed, and the Zulu will be "furious" about it. The AI reacts as if you razed a city of theirs.

-Arrian