Cultural Victory... Anyone manage this?

[Genghis John]

For the last three games (on warlord), I've been trying to win by cultural victory. I'm playing the babylonians, and come near the end of the game, I'm usually not even close.

In this game, I've built as many wonders as I could in my capital city: (colossus, great library, hanging gardens, bach's cathedral, sistine chapel, newton's university, shakespeares theater, universal sufferage, theory of evolution) Currently working on Hoover dam, heading into the modern age.

So far I've built temples, universities, libraries, battlefield medicine, espionage agency etc. etc. too.

It's in the early 1900's and I only have about 14,000 out of the 100,000 culture points to win. This is by far the best score I've gotten so far.

Has ANYONE won a cultural victory? If so, how?

GJ

[Kekkonen]

I've had the same problem. I've been absolutely dominant in culture in all games I've won, but I've never been anywhere close to a cultural victory. Then some people say they get a cultural victory "by accident"... no idea how that is done (well, maybe if you play on a huge map with lots of dry land, so you can have loads of cities churning culture points, but even then it's going to be a pain).

[Ruiner]

You may want to try building more cities. I've been sticking to the lower levels, but have always had 75000+ culture by the end. I realize you put etc. etc. after listing your improvements, but you are building cathedrals and ALL improvements with culture? The key is also to start as early as possible, to prevent the AI from colonizing your continent later if for no other reason.

My 2 cents,

Adam

[Genghis John]

Hmm...

Yes I've built all all of the cultural improvements I could, and at the earliest feasable time.

AFAIK you need to have 100,000 culture points in ONE city. If that is not the case then Yes, I guess I just should build more cities and fill them with improvments.

anyone know if that's the case?

GJ

:EDIT:


AHA! Just looking at the Civilopedia, you only need 20,000 points in one city, or 100,000 points in your whole civ (and have that be more than twice any other civ's culture). Looks like I'm pretty close after all!

:EDIT:

AHH! Cultural Victory is MINE! The fair city of Babylon will be remembered in song and story for all time!

Well, my score sucked, but think I did OK considering my main land mass had no iron, saltpeter, coal, rubber, or oil.

[mcrisler]

Actually, I was on route to a Space Victory when, lo and behold, I received a Cultural Victory. I was pretty amused at the victory screen.

It was my third game on Civ 3. I was playing with 5 civs (including myself) on Warlord. I had crushed the Romans earlier on and left them with 5 cities on my continent, the "vassal" state idea. All the other civs were on different continents. I jumped out to a commanding tech lead then started selling the other civs my techs for 35 or so a turn. I had bulit every wonder before they could start it. I paid for all my city improvements with the money coming in from other civs.

I think you have to be dominating the other civs to get a cultural victory.

[eMarkM]

I haven't won a cultural victory myself, but keep in mind that culture points are cummulative. The earlier you build the culture improvements the more points that rack up over time. So build the cultural improvements as soon as they become available so those points add up over time.

I tripped over this concept with city revolts. I wondered why captured Babylonian cities would revert when I had reduced them to 3 cities to my 20. I figured I must be "out culturing" them by now, but it was their cummulative score over the turns that was still beating me. It took time to overcome that.

e

[Thoth]

Another reason to get your culture improvements in early:

100 turns after being the culture value of a building/wonder doubles.

[Dis]

yes I got it. I think I had around 30 cities, maybe closer to 35. Many of those I took from the ai through ancient age war, only 8 were my own.

this was on warlord btw, not sure if it makes a difference. By the end of the game I was accumulating about 400 culture turn without building anyting. Not sure how that works though. I eventually hit 100,000.

getting 20,000 in one city seems damn hard though. Maybe you can do it with your second city since it can start work on Palace to get a jump start on wonders (but you capitol can't start work on palace)

[Bblue]

There are 2 ways to achieve cultural victory. First, you can accumulate 100,000 culture in your entire civ or you can get 20,000 culture in any one city.

I managed to get a CV the 20,000 point way. Regent, Standard map size, "Continents" with 50% water coverage, 8 civs' France. Won in mid 1800's (I believe 1860ish).

Was (and still am) getting used to the way the game works, so I know I could have done much better (or at least higher difficulty).

That said; however, I had an almost perfect set up for it. 2 large continents seperated by sizeable oceans with 4 civs each, that didn't have contact with each other untill at least the mid 1400's!! (I am now a FIRM believer that the AI really doesn't 'know' what is beyond it's explored borders) I visited the other continent early, got contact, and NEVER EVER traded my maps or contact with the other 3 civs that shared my land mass. This slowed down the tech race some since the AI civs couldn't trade freely (except through me and I charge a hefty price)
I also had very good resource squares with a fair amount of trade goods. So most of the game I just set back and used Diplomacy and trade to regulate the other civs (HA! saltpeter!! Indians are not worthy of saltpeter.... neither are my neighbors the Russians )

My capital city, Paris, was also almost perfectly located 40% hills and forests, 60% Fertile Grassland , cattle then later some coal... but most importantly it was on a river. Being on a river allowed me to 'pod boom' (increase my city size by adding workers, btw 2 workers build faster then a settler) Paris to size 12 VERY early in the game. From there I bought every improvement I needed (money from trade) and Paris only 'built' wonders. Paris had most of the wonders, but no 'port city wonders'. Those were built in some of my other cities anlong with a few others I had to build to keep away from the AIs, when faced with a choice of multipule wonders to build and not being able to complete them all in Paris, I choose the ones with higher cultural 'output'. The AI CIVs ended up with only the Oracle the rest were mine, although I only got to build one of the modern wonders (the UN) before I won.. actually barely made it into the modern age before I won.

Will probably never see such a nice setup like this agian However pulling this off I got a good feel how to approach a cultural victory and I know it will not be my last


Final Cultural Score:
Paris 20,000+
France as a whole: 79,000+
Total number of French Cities: effectively ~10 (I finally took over 'MY' contient in the last 20 turns or in order to rid it of those non-gun toteing pansies... They were geting annoying always wanting saltpeter in a trade :P)

[Tingkai]

I scored a cultural victory while playing the second easiest level. It was actually annoying. Out of the blue, the game suddenly announces that I've won. But, there were still a lot of techs that I wanted to discover. I have now switched off the cultural victory condition.

[Thunderfire]

Cultural victory makes it nearly impossible to win via
space race. I usually win a cultural victory shortly after
I get tanks.

[SanPellegrino]

Originally posted by Thoth
Another reason to get your culture improvements in early:

100 turns after being the culture value of a building/wonder doubles.

That is nearly true, but it is not 100 turns, but 1000 years. So if you build 2 temples very early, they churn out 4 points each a few turns later, when the game is still running in 40 year steps. You get a huge cultural lead.

[deafhawk]

interesting, the 1000 years thing, if this is true. Seems that you should try to build all your cultural buildings while you still have 50 or 100 years betwen turn. No wonder then in my previous babs civ cutlural viictory game, the temple, the very first thing I built in my first city, force-built asap, got age bonus so soon!

By 1924 warlord, small map, I accomplished cultural victory from my capital city reaching 20,000. It was producing 101 cultural points per turn by then! I have the save game if anyone wants to look at it. My civ was going to hit 100,000 points in another few turns too. It was like 600 points per turn by then. By 1860s i have already won diplomatic victory, reloaded, then won spaceship victory, 1866, then i reloaded and see if I could win by cultural victory and I did. The cultural victory screen is the best I tihnk of all.

Now if I was to try for another cultural victory, I would try more to keep out of wars. I was at war for like total of 50 turns or so and this hurt my culture and delayed the vcitory. War half the cultural points you generate per turn. You need serious arse kissing skills and this is really what it is about, making people like you. I will pick the babs again. They rock for cultural dominion. you can not really beat the cheaper cultural buildings. Make temples first build and force build them asap when you can in your cities. Research asap to literary so you can start building them asap as it is certainly clear that building them really eary are imporant. They are like double the temples in cultural worth. Build the Great Library, the Hanging gardens, the Oracle, and I think they pyramds in this order or close. They are the most highest cultural producing wonders. You can much ignore other ancient wonders. Okay to keep it simple, look at civopedia to see what avaliable wonders that produce most cultural points and build them asap but after you finish other cultural buildings available first so you can have them producing for you now.
after literary, beeline for monethism for cathedals maybe delay for mysticism and monachy so you can buld the oracle and thehanging gardens. but after go for monethism fast then after that, education. get those cathedals and universities built asap. money is no object if you are savvy about trading stuff and petty good about building up your cities. Rush and rush even in one shield producing cities. Think this way, you are converting money into cultural victory. DO not have spare cash just sitting there, use it! and did i say it, keep out of wars!! SMILE when civs trample your borders all the time. Sometimes war is necessary to "prune" tho but you should prepare very carefully and hit very hard with all you got and take a city and sue for peace asap, even if that mean giving back the city. Short war! Definitely do not get in military alliances or mutal protection, they last 20 turns and that is a long time unless you want bad rep for breaking them and inviting more trouble in future. Do not neglect your military, build warriors if you have to. AI respects you more when you are "strong" or "avearge militarily" even tho your army are all warriors.

Well that's all I can think of for cultural victory strategy.

[MarshalN]

I am on my way to a cultural victory, I think in my capital city. It's still a bit early, 1380s or so, but my capital is nearing the 10k culture point, and making 50 culture a turn already. It'll be higher soon and I am quite confident I will hit a cultural victory soon enough. From the looks of it, it might be the easiest way to win.

The key is basically -- stay out of war, and build as many cultural buildings as you can. The war part is not only essential for cultural accumulation, but also because you're not wasting valuable shields buildings units. It makes a big difference. Let them be nice to you, and be nice to them as long as they don't bother you too much, and use democracy.

[ICMB]

I just had my first cultural victory last night after a couple of Diplomatic victories (which I've since turned off) and some Space victories.

Oddly, I didn't need what people here are stating are the requirements. I got the cultural victory when one city was over 10000 culture and then I got 100000 total culture.

This was an unusual game, as I was playing on Warlord in a huge map, with only 5 total civs. As such, by the time I had my cultural victory, there was still unclaimed land on both of the giant continents. I had something in the order of 70-80 cities spread out across the world, with the forbidden palace on my original continent and a new palace on the larger continent to the east.

My capital city of Delhi had 7 wonders in it when the cultural victory hit in 1820. I think my tendency to build a defending unit followed by temples/cathedrals in each city almost immediately helped bump my culture higher, as did the ridiculous number of cities.