"No culture for you!", "Revolution calling" and other questions

[Dr. A. Cula]

Ok, maybe this has been discussed before, but I don't have the time to look.

First, in my last game (playing as the Germans), I decided to change some of my game-playing habits and keep playing even if I lose the race to build a wonder (as usually quit when it happens). So I went to war with my neighbours and captured 7 (seven) wonders. They have the regular benefits, but they don't generate culture. One of them even flipped back the turn I managed to rush build a temple to have some of my own culture in there. Fortunately, I was still at war, so I took it back.

The second question is also culture related. I started on the same continent as the French, Russians and English, between the French and Russians. I had been at peace with the Russians for about 200 years when I decided the French had too many wonders and I needed them. The war lasted long enoug for the Egyptians (on a neighbouring continent) to declare war on their own (they even broke a trade deal where they were getting 2 of my luxuries for 2 of their own, plus some techs on both sides). During this war, I also switched to Republic. As soon as the anarchy was over, war weariness appeared. One of the newly conquered French cities flipped back and I had to take again (2 wonders), and (this is the surprise) one of the formerly Russian cities also flipped. I had been at peace with the Russians for centuries and I had a temple and a colosseum in there, plus some German citizens. What happened?

My third questions concerns revolutions. I know that Civ2 had a system where anarchy would and only at predetermined times, regardless of when you started your revolution. Does Civ3 have the same system or is something else in place? This happened to me twice: first, when I switched to Republic, anarchy only lasted about 2 or 3 turns, ending when I managed to bring a Great Leader from the front line to Berlin, where I was building Sun Tzu's Academy. I rush built it and anarchy ended the same turn. I would have thought this was a coincidence, but it happened again when I switched to Democracy, in the same way: I rush built a wonder and anarchy ended.

Unfortunately, I didn't think to keep save games from when these things happened. I was too busy achieving the goals I had set for the wars I had started and couldn't get silly little things like war weariness get in the way of my conquests.

So, any help would be appreciated.

[aaglo]

#1: Yep, captured (via battle or culture flip) wonders don't generate culture for your cause, you only get the bonus effects from wonders.

#2: I believe your war wearines and your overall culture compared to the french and the russians affects this. Check your foreign advisor to see how do other civs see your cultural strength. If they are disdainful of your culture (or your civ is in awe of their cultures), you're in trouble... You just have to build lots of temples, cathedrals, libraries, universities and - naturally - wonders.

#3 The length of anarchy depends on few factors.
- the civ specific abilities: If your're religious, the anarchy lasts only 1 turn, no matter what
- the number of your cities/population. The more population, the longer anarchy
- the length of your previous government type: the longer former gov, the longer anarchy (I'm not sure about this though)

[Datajack Franit]

If you're playing as the Germans then rush libraries and cathedrals as hell

[Dr. A. Cula]

Thanks for the replies.

aaglo:

#1: Well, at least now they're mine
#2: It must have been war weariness. The Russians were never my cultural equals, and the only people who are disdainful of my cultural achievements are the Indians, half way around the planet on another continent.
#: You're probably right. I started expanding at the middle of my republican period and switched to democracy as soon as I got it then kept expanding. This is a huge map with a lot of water, and I am still 3rd in teritory.

Datajack Franit:
Actually, I built universities before cathedrals.

[Alex]

I did not know that the more population you have, the longer the anarchy is... Interesting info.

[Arrian]

There are many factors involved in the culture flip.

One of the most important is the presence of foreign citizens in your city. In this case, Russian citizens. Each one of them represents a small chance of a flip, which is modified by other factors such as the overall ratio of your culture to Russia's, which civ had the most culture in the city in question, if any of the squares within the city's 21-square radius fell within Russian territory, and relative distance to Russia's capitol vs. yours. Troops you have in the city will help prevent the flip.

It's a pretty complex formula. The easiest part to deal with, in my opinion, is the foreign citizens. I know it's not a nice thing to do, but whenever I capture a city (by conquest or flip) that I think has even a remote chance of flipping, I will starve it down to 1 population or poprush stuff (or buy workers each turn until it drops to size 1, if you are in a gov't that allows rushbuying instead of poprushing). Then all new citizens will be of your nationality, and you only need to assimilate 1 foreign citizen.

-Arrian

[Konquest02]

Originally posted by Arrian

I know it's not a nice thing to do, but whenever I capture a city (by conquest or flip) that I think has even a remote chance of flipping, I will starve it down to 1 population or poprush stuff (or buy workers each turn until it drops to size 1, if you are in a gov't that allows rushbuying instead of poprushing). Then all new citizens will be of your nationality, and you only need to assimilate 1 foreign citizen.

-Arrian

Your citizens not working on tiles are enternainers by default. I usually change them to taxmen. Starvation and taxes, that will kill those pesky foreign citizens!

--Kon--

[Konquest02]

double post... sorry

[Stuie]

RE: Revolutions...

The length is predetermined when you initially go into Anarchy. The wonder building must have been a coincidence. If you look at your Domestic Advisor, she tells you exactly how long your Civ will be in Anarchy (click "more..." until you get to the right message - something about "Our civilization is in anarchy. We should have it under control in x turns.")

[Strakorfsky]

If you are going to be a conquerer, always be religios or you're gonna have problems with newly captured cities and governments for war.

Getting rid of foreigners is for-most. I ussualy play as Aztecs for its religious and military atributes. I mean, the ability to switch to despositism or communism and pop-rush those foreign people is invaluable to a war-like person.

Also,city flipping is a problem if you don't develop a group of at least 3 temples and a capital building. Having about 5 temples befor it hits 0 a.d. is the bare minimum for a war-like civ.

-Ron

[Dr. A. Cula]

Re: culture flip

Well, this saturday I managed to play a little more (actually, a lot more), and decided to eliminate the Russians (I had my Forbidden Palace in the middle of their territory from a very early conquest, and it was a shame to let it go to waste). When I took their last city, my advisor said that we had eliminated the "glorious Russians"... Talk about neglect: I allowed everybody to get ahead of me (culturally) in this game.

Also, I don't like to starve my citizens. I prefer assimilation. "Resistance is futile" and so on... It usually works for me.

[bongo]

I will only starve cities if it is absolutely necessary(to prevent a flip). When you eliminate a civ(like you just did) starving is not necessary as they can not flip back anymore. You need to study the mechanics behinds CF to avoid them, or lessen the damage it does. Number of foreign citizens and overlapping city radius is the most important factors. So starving are most effective when your cities are some distance away from enemy borders.

[steven8r]

I once captured a Japanese city 3 times in one game. I captured it and it fliped, (wash, rinse, repeat x3).

I finally became so disgusted with losing all of my military units that were garisoning the city that I captured the city a fourth time and razed it. Then brought in my settler and started a new town.

This is a pretty good strategy to keep from losing towns back to their original civ. You also get lots of slave labor to boot.

One more note: Cities will not flip, nor do you have to worry about the 'resistance' when you take a civ's last city.

[Stuie]

Originally posted by steven8r
I once captured a Japanese city 3 times in one game. I captured it and it fliped, (wash, rinse, repeat x3).

I finally became so disgusted with losing all of my military units that were garisoning the city that I captured the city a fourth time and razed it...

Wow. I guess I'm not as patient as you are; one flip, I'll take it back and raze it.