Why did everyone declare war on me?

[culturewarrior]

I'm playing my first game on King with Isabella. I'm quietly expanding on the continent in the early game, settling a few cities and slowly building my defenses. Then one civ threatens to go to war with me unless I hand them Navigation (my freebie Spanish tech); I tried to negotiate down to Iron Working, but they declared war anyway. We start fighting, I'm winning, then all the other civs start threatening war unless I give them Navigation. I tried to negociate, but eventually I ended up with all civs at war against me. I'm still winning at the moment, but I'm expecting the tide to turn unless the AI is really bad at this game.

So how did that happen? How do I keep good relationships with other civs without giving in to their every whims? What makes civs want to go to war with you? Did I expand too quickly while being underdefended? Did they gang up because I was already at war? How does it work in Civ Rev?

 

[Padma]

In CivRev the other civs will usually declare war on you because you exist. Simple as that.

I don't think I've ever played a game where I was on good terms with everyone else for any significant amount of time, no matter how 'nice' I was.

 

[elthrasher]

The AI civs are programmed to be bullies and cowards. If you expand and tech up quickly, before they get their gumption up, they will never bother you at all. If you stay small and are in the middle of the pack in tech, they are all over you.

There are a few key things that will help you get to the point where the AI is no challenge to you. One is an understanding that most of the buildings in the game aren't very useful, especially in the early game. If they come free (like getting Ark of the Covenant) then they are great but hammer for hammer a new settler is almost always better than a new building. Secondly, Code of Laws is your #1 early tech goal (unless you want to go to war right away). Finally, if you reach 10 cities in the first 40 turns (by 0 AD), you'll be permanently so far ahead of the AI, it won't even dream of being able to mount a serious challenge.

At that point the game is basically solved and you'll have to turn to multiplayer to get any kind of challenge.