I'm trying to find the formula for city absorb cost which I have not managed to do yet, however what I have found may still be of use and if anyone want they can try to help, I used this game for testing purposes: auto-save 2191.ctr

Anyway what I have found is city absorb cost seems to be based on 3 things:

• Number of territories the absorbing city have
• Number of districts the absorb target have
• The industry cost of any infrastructure one city have that the other city don't have
• Also influence cost is always half the money cost, I use money but if you want to know the influence cost divide my values with 2.

• Number of population in the cities
• National ceremonies made by each city

• The absorbed city is removed from the game and all is territories become parts of the absorbing city, with the absorbed city's city center becoming an administrative center.
• The absorbing city get all infrastructure the absorbed city had that it was missing.
• The absorbing city gain all population of the absorbed city.
• National cermonies made by the absorbed city is lost.

Really like that

Krikkitone wrote:

Really like that

Thanks, I wrote it

Thank you for the insight into the cost of Absorbs. . . I don't find it possible to use them the way I'm playing the game. I don't even consider it until late game - for example:

    I've only 162 turns left and was considering absorbing a city without much infrastructure into one fairly complete.

    My absorb cost is 601,000 influence 

    I am gaining influence at the rate of 970 per turn, but still have four territories to link to cities so I can expand. 

So, I could absorb the city in about 620+  turns but of course, the cost escalates on some logarithmic scale.  

This is just ludicrous, please review the cost calculations. I'm playing as a single-player, on the town setting, with 4 AI opponents.