From a game I played last night, I've learned the lesson in a hard way...

I played on noble setting and my civ has 6 cities on a small map.

I began my conquest against the Mongolians while keeping peace with other nations. I've successfully conquered two cities from them (pop 2 & 5) due to the success of the army I sent against them. (bunch of axeman with city raiding promo and archers)

As I sent my army deep into enemy territory to pillage gold and destroy their infrastructure, the sneak England declared war on me. (Mongolia is to the SW of my nation, England is on my east). Without further delay, I negotiated peace with the mongols and quickly withdrew my army back into my home territory.

At this time, Isabella (england) sent a few horse chariots in rampage mode to pillage the infrastructure near a few of my major cities. My stacked army was busy chasing down every single one of them to stop them from the rampage.

Isabella moved a few of her chariot towards the western cities that I just conquered from Mongols. As I sent my armies chasing after them, I got the first big surprise of the conflict....

A huge English infantry army appeared out of nowhere in the eastern border city of my nation (one closest to them) and began sieging. I had only two archers defending that city (it has city wall improvement). But the overwhelming force slowing ripped through the defense while my army was still rushing back to save the city. One turn away from reaching the city, the defense was overrun.

I thought to myself, it's ok, I will take it back next turn with my superior army... Guess what... THEY RAZED the city down into ruins...

I was left in shock and had to save and quit the game as I needed sleep...

That was a damn nice move the AI just pulled off me... certainly one I would have expected more from a human than a computer.

Afterthoughts

- AI managed to exhaust my army by sending a few single unit charious rampaging across various areas within my territory

- Just before the siege, they moved the chariots that was visible to me towards the west (made me think they were going after those recently acquired cities that are still weak in defense). Then out of the fog, the real strike comes hitting right on one of the big cities near the eastern border. The AI has successfully fooled me into moving my army towards the west a few turns before they expose the real threat.

- Instead of keeping a town they will probably lose in the next few turns, the razed the large city to make sure I won't be able to reconquer it and will lose all the benefits from it once and for all.

Lots of lessons to be leared from this encounter... And I am damn excited to play against an AI that had me fooled and beat me fair and square.

Bravo to the AI programmers in Firaxis!

Please provide any similar experience or feedbacks if possible so we can share them

I'm glad the AI does this kind of thing even though I don't want it to happen to me! I used to do terrorist/pillage attacks all the time in Civ3 to weaken annoying AIs that I didn't want to conquer (at the time).

In my current game one AI negotiated open borders with me. I'd been refusing but since I was about to attack my strongest ally (only other civ on my continent) I thought I should start cultivating a new "best friend." However, I failed to notice her caravel containing a missionary right off the coast of one of my cities. So the AI was smart enough to negotiate open borders and have a missionary waiting, and now I have an inferior religion tainting my capital. Fortunately my religion is strong and I'm about to shift to free religion after my war so I'll actually benefit from it (aside from her having LOS into my capital).

I was saying how the AI in Civ 4 is impressive in the other thread. In my game (on Noble level), I was at war with Germany for only like 8-10 turns, but their systematic, intentional pillaging during those turns left my country totally devastated economically. Now I need at least 30-40 turns to rebuild.

I'm glad the AI does this kind of thing even though I don't want it to happen to me! I used to do terrorist/pillage attacks all the time in Civ3 to weaken annoying AIs that I didn't want to conquer (at the time).

In my current game one AI negotiated open borders with me. I'd been refusing but since I was about to attack my strongest ally (only other civ on my continent) I thought I should start cultivating a new "best friend." However, I failed to notice her caravel containing a missionary right off the coast of one of my cities. So the AI was smart enough to negotiate open borders and have a missionary waiting, and now I have an inferior religion tainting my capital. Fortunately my religion is strong and I'm about to shift to free religion after my war so I'll actually benefit from it (aside from her having LOS into my capital).

Actually the Caravel doesn't need open borders (although I think the missionary does)

Cool. I'll have to check this out once Civ4 arrives where I live.

The most obvious way an AI can fool you is to sneak an army behind your country, get someone (strong) to attack you from another side, then take all the players cities as he/she is busy fighting two (probaly massive) armies at once.

Darn, a new record for old, old, necro...

Nice one West India Man. Good story, but old now.

The most obvious way an AI can fool you is to sneak an army behind your country, get someone (strong) to attack you from another side, then take all the players cities as he/she is busy fighting two (probaly massive) armies at once.

What are you, The Cryptkeeper? :lol:

The OP's last post was in Oct 2005. :)

I got a good one

Dificulty: Noble

Game: Crossroads/Bts

Ok. So I'm playing Crossroads right? I'm playing as the Egyptians I conquered the minor civilization just south of me right K? Next I conquer the Mediterranean island Crete. Then the Ethiopians who are my S/E neighbors attack me (which quickly backfired on him). Next, the second most powerful Civ in the game (india) asks me aide him in a war against my East neighbors (Jiddah). I in a attempt to make allies I say yes and make peace with the Ethiopians and liberate their cities. Then my N/E neighbor (Bohemond) declares war on me, I negotiate HIS N/E neighbors (Mongolia) to declare war on him. Next turn the Chinese ask me to help them with a war on the other half of the world against my own allies (mongolia). I decline. It turns out...

Mongolia= Vassal of China

India completely conquers Jiddah

I make peace with Bohemond (I conquered only one city)

And some random guy SS/W of me becomes my vassal.

China conquers another Civ and then. China (with his Vassal), India, Bohemond declares war on me. And a few turns later, Ethiopia declares war on my vassal.

So my N/E, East, far N/E, Far East, and S/E, Are all at war with me.

It's the year 1550'ish I am being attacked by stacks of Calvary,Trebuchets, and Pikemen (odd combination...) by China I only have 3 cities left. Which are being defended by lvl 3 Cannons and Machine Gunners (with city defender 1-3).
I have given up on counter attacks. The enemy just keeps sending stacks which are getting bigger. I'm currently building West Point in a already supreme military city. And am planning on waiting to attack until I get Assembly Line/Infantry in 10 or so turns. The Ethiopians are within 6,500 gold of commerce victory with 66 turns left.

What I've learned.

#1 Don't sell military technologies just to make "freinds"

#2 Think twice before you accept somebody as a vassal.

#3 If you build a Grenadier and give him city defender then upgrade him into Machine-Gun nobody can conquer your cities. :)

#4 Siege weapons work awsome as a defensive unit. (Stack-Killers)

I guess learned a bunch of stuff I should've learned already.
Anyways, any tips?

Wow, that is colorful. Are those the same colors the Civs have in the game? I've forgotten...haven't played Crossroads in forever.

I agree with all four of your conclusions. Even if the tech cost is equal, I am apprehensive to trade away military advantages.

Also, a warning: NEVER GIVE AWAY COMPASS, OPTICS OR ASTRONOMY UNLESS PANGEIA/NO OCEAN MAP WHEN U HAVE MONOPOLY OR NEAR MONOPOLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

nice story, Mikalo11.

Welcome to CFC! :band: