A HUGE issue I've run into: The AI starting right next to you on large maps..

It's the dice you roll. Sometimes you get the chance to of wonder whoring without decent real estate being taken up, other times you must make that choice...

I'm like the OP who likes to wonder whore and doesn't like having civs near me early on, but it's not an issue it's a game play feature.

I've been playing Earth maps recently. If you're lucky, you'll start in North or South America all by yourself, and have a whole continent to play in. Otherwise, you'll start over in Eurasiafrica with everyone else. Just adjust your strategy based on the situation.

I love to wonderwhore too. But wonder addiction can be dangerous to your (civ's) health, and wonders aren't necessary to win the game. Which is why in my latest game, I tried my hardest to restrain the temptation to wonderspam, and instead went for rapidly founding new cities. It seemed weak at first, but paid off later on. Try not to be so obsessed with wonders.

phillipwyllie said:

It's the dice you roll. Sometimes you get the chance to of wonder whoring without decent real estate being taken up, other times you must make that choice...

I'm like the OP who likes to wonder whore and doesn't like having civs near me early on, but it's not an issue it's a game play feature.

Click to expand...

A huge map doesn't seem to me like the best map to be trying to build a lot of world wonders on even if all the opponents are far away due to all the extra competition.

You may have trouble succeeding in building the Great Library even on Prince on a huge map.

In fact, it's the maps smaller than standard that are the best if you want to build a lot of wonders. (With default number of AI opponents for the map size)

About the wonders, a funny thing: my gf is playing Anno 1404, which is quite a complicated game, and the "wonder" which is the cathedral is the most expensive and difficult thing to build, because money, nobles, various chains of supply are needed.
In CIV it's almost the opposite: wonders can be built even if the civ is weak. But you'll pay the price if your military is small and battering rams are approaching your borders.

One thing I've found which is exasperating is that the AI will always see to expand towards you. I'm playing a game now where Arabia ignored better city locations on his empty east flank to settle a city right in my face.

Long story short, there isn't much Arabia any more, just the eastern Aztec territories.

GoStu said:

One thing I've found which is exasperating is that the AI will always see to expand towards you. I'm playing a game now where Arabia ignored better city locations on his empty east flank to settle a city right in my face.

Long story short, there isn't much Arabia any more, just the eastern Aztec territories.

Click to expand...

Makes sense, right? If you want to maximize your territory, settle towards the others first, so that they don't settle there before you do. Then you settle the empty uncontested land in the other direction. Of course, it leads to conflict, but it is not a senseless thing to do.

If the AI is doing what a human player would do, then that's a good thing.

LoneRebel said:

Makes sense, right? If you want to maximize your territory, settle towards the others first, so that they don't settle there before you do. Then you settle the empty uncontested land in the other direction. Of course, it leads to conflict, but it is not a senseless thing to do.

If the AI is doing what a human player would do, then that's a good thing.

Click to expand...

Yup, but it's much more likely that he made the mistake* of signing an embassy too early and showing the AI all this good land in its capital.
* Or not; doing this deliberately but leaving a military unit can be a great way to get a free worker (from the AIs settler)

Yes, but it's probably not smart for an AI with 1/2 my military power to go pissing me off, either... Further, we're talking about them settling some 'good' territory when there's some 'awesome' territory the other way. I get that it could be a strategic play to deny me some land, but there's just such an opportunity cost in not going the other way.

It's like when AIs that are getting thoroughly trounced start getting cheeky about their peace settlements. When they had two-three cities left and a stockpile of gold, they would offer it all. Now that they're down to one, they won't give you a single coin to spare them. I might have let them live if they'd given me a paycheck, but now I know they'll persist just to annoy me with denouncements, congress votes, and Prophets they somehow still pop out.

Advisor: Sir, we found another civilization 8 clicks from our capital!
King:Great! Stop building this useless settler. Send some warriors and free city from enemy oppression

Just saw this again today. Persia is nowhere near me and decides to pop a city right next to me.

There's definitely something going on here.

Its a known problem with the map scripts that there are not much more good city locations on a Huge map than there are on a Normal map. Its mostly empty land with a sheep or cow roaming around... hardly a place you want to settle a city.
And if you find a luxury its always of the same type you already have.

Play the Communitas map instead. It actually works.

CivAddict2013 said:

Just saw this again today. Persia is nowhere near me and decides to pop a city right next to me.

There's definitely something going on here.

Click to expand...

Eh. That is not the AI starting next to you, that's a distant AI founding a city next to you, which is something else entirely.

If someone does that to you and the city's in a good place, then maybe you should just take it.