Ways to not raze?

[Shadow_Cougar]

Current game - standard continents.
Situation - all civs had started a feeding frenzy on the Germans, the most distant from my civ. I decided to finish off the French (5 remaining cites (1 oil, 1 rubber, 1 coal - I only control one each of these.)

I razed 2 cites, but the remaining three are well placed. Unfortunately, these are very unhappy citizens (whip AND draft unhappiness). I can make these cities fairly productive, but how do I keep them from staving to death? I could just let them starve and readd workers, but I hate being wastefull. I had settlers available, but since these are the final cities, I thought I would try something different.

[Qilue]

Conquered cities will never be prime real estate no matter how delicate you are when capturing them and a period of rebuilding always occurs. Yes it is a waste, but rush building is generally more productive than starving as an imediate use for the population.

As the old saying goes, you can't make an omelette without breaking some eggs.

[Shadow_Cougar]

I can't pop rush and I don't really expect them to be happy, I am just trying to save their miserable little lives. I am worried that if I add workers to the city, they will just be unhappy because it is too crowded (size 4 and 5) all entertainers and in cities next to rivers/lakes.

Each added worker could support 1 lazy whiner (irrigated grassland with RR), but who would want to live in the city anyway?

Well, I guess it is like they say, "France would be a pretty nice place except for all the French people living there."

I was thinking that since the 1.17 patch had made changes to prevent cultural reversion (with sufficient military force), that maybe there was a way around the "whip memory" I inherited.

I want to keep the city around to build the culture faster. Civs are already trying to get my territory map and muscle in on my borders. Guess I need a couple more "pirate fleets" hanging around to discourage visitors.

No, I won't use the privateer in my stack exploit.

[Arrian]

Once the AI gets its grubby hands on Nationalism and Communism, capturing cities is generally not worth it, unless you can blitz them (attack and take from 3 squares away - if you end your turn within 2 squares of the city prior to attack, it is considered a front line city, and they will draft in response to the threat).

The key is 3-move attackers. If you have Cavalry (pre-infantry, of course) or Modern Armor, then you can mass large numbers of them out of "threat range" so the AI doesn't go crazy with the draft. Then it might be worth keeping captured cities. Pre-nationalism, it's not as big of a deal, because they can't draft (they will, of course, whip) and because you have plenty of time for the city's unhappiness to wear off.

-Arrian

[Ethelred]

Originally posted by Shadow_Cougar

No, I won't use the privateer in my stack exploit.

That exploit seems to be gone with 1.17f. I use Privateers a bit like I do submarines, to spy on the other civs. Now I notice the AI no longer attacks the privateers untill they get Ironclads.

With Ironclads they will beline for the Privateers but as soon as I put the Privateer with a Battleship the Ironclads changed directions, clearly thinking survival was the better part of valor on the High Seas.

[Zachriel]

Re: Ways to not raze?

Originally posted by Shadow_Cougar
Current game - standard continents.
Situation - all civs had started a feeding frenzy on the Germans, the most distant from my civ. I decided to finish off the French (5 remaining cites (1 oil, 1 rubber, 1 coal - I only control one each of these.)

I razed 2 cites, but the remaining three are well placed. Unfortunately, these are very unhappy citizens (whip AND draft unhappiness). I can make these cities fairly productive, but how do I keep them from staving to death? I could just let them starve and readd workers, but I hate being wastefull. I had settlers available, but since these are the final cities, I thought I would try something different.

I appreciate your concern for the new citizens of your empire. Set the mayor to allocate labor. Yes, many will starve, but in the long run establishing order is more important, and will result in less suffering. Rush the temple, even force-rush if necessary. Then rush the cathedral. Total outlays shouldn't be more than a few hundred. With these in place, the city will return to normal quickly.

[Shadow_Cougar]

Update

Well, I mostly saved them. I traded for another luxury (6 total) and rushed the temples (3) and add the JS Back effect (+2).

Two cities lost a citizen due to starvation. One was still so bad that an entertainer was required.


3 content and 1 entertainer
2 Happy, 2 content
1 Happy, 2 content

I add a settler to the happiest city and it went to 3 2 1

These are some seriously annoyed folk. The last city isn't a concern. It can't grow fast enough to worry me (hill/mountain/coast). The largest could be a problem, it has 6: 4 food tiles and 1 5 food tile.

Hmmm... Germans have wine... I don't have wine... Let's go invade.

Hey there are people who believe that the only reason people invade Russia is for Vodka. They have a point. what else would make sense?