Conquered cities should flip the borders to the conqueror immediately

[DoctorStrangelove]

There are lots of defensive bonuses via policies and wonders, but in fact they're best used aggressively in the game as it is. The case is: you have, say, a 50% modifier for friendly lands, then you rush to conquer a city as soon as possible. As the borders flip in the same turn as you conquer a city, the DEFENDING forces round the city are in instant disadvantage, because you now get those bonuses.

So, in my opinion, borders should flip only after the city is not anymore resisting (in Civ IV, the borders turned neutral during that period). This makes counterattacks and retakes more feasible to the defending side.

[tfordp]

I would go a little further than this, and say the only borders that flip are the original BFH. I think it's a bit silly, when you conquer a large city, that it's whole territory flips over. This is pretty wierd, and would never happen. Also, adding to your point, enemy units would still be in thier own territory, even after a city is taken. See Stalingrad, e.g.

[DoctorStrangelove]

I noticed I've made a mistake in the title. SHOULD NOT FLIP, sorry.

[SamBC]

So, to combine the two suggestions, what would happen is:

City falls, goes into unrest. All tiles that belonged to that city become neutral (as in not in anyone's borders). Tiles that were "potentially shared" by this city and another city of the losing civ... dunno, something

When the city comes under full control, the original six hexes flip to the conqueror. The others that went neutral are now up for grabs.

Yeah, I could see that working. Would want thorough playtesting, though, so I'm not sure I'd want them to release it as a change in a patch.

[War Dog]

I agree. I'm using the rush the city strategy at the moment. And while its a very successful strategy if you have the right wonders and/or social policies in place it feels like I'm gaming the system.

I really like the idea of

• Neutral hexes during resistance
• The city reducing its area after resistance, leaving the remaining tiles up for grabs. But instead of reverting to the surrounding 6 tiles I think it should revert to the number of tiles equal to the remaining population with the surrounding 6 tiles as the minimum.

Really good idea. I hope it gets in. This would make city combat and conquering that much more interesting and also more life like.

[DoctorStrangelove]

I'm not sure if temporary neutral borders are easily implementable, but maybe just keeping the borders until revolt is over could be interesting (as remembered per Stalingrad, also Philadelphia during the American Revolution and Rome - which was conquered and reconquered several times in its last years). This would change the balance in favor of the defenders, but I guess that's only fair, and also would make peaceful turtling via wonders and policies a lot more feasible.

[Skipper311]

I would have the borders not flip until the revolt is over. When they do, they keep at least as much as the population. If the population was greater than 6 or 18, priority goes to strategic resources, luxury resources, bonus resources, normal land tiles, normal ocean tiles.

[brxbrx]

yeah that titular mistake made me rage for a sec. besides, there's no reality basis for an automatic flip. the countryside should be the hardest part to conquer/annex