Attack Colonies or not?

[Gliese 581]

I usually attack the other colonies even if it's not right away. They are not useful like natives, and you can actually keep the cities you capture. You don't even have to pay off/anger natives to get good lands if your neighbor already claimed it for you...
I've always found it ridiculously easy with a few cannons, but then again I have usually played on the easiest difficulty. I just wish the REF was as dumb as the other colonies were...

The difficulty level makes no difference at all.

 

[Andvare]

The difficulty level makes no difference at all.

Well, the natives are a bit easier to anger on the higher levels, and treasure from ruins are more scarce.
And the REF is a bit bigger, but all in all, I don't find the increase in difficulty impressive.

 

[rf900]

Appart from been very easy to attack fellow europeans is there any reason not to do it?

It seems that the game forces you to be aggresive like Civ4, there are very few benefits about been friendly with them (none that I can see). Do they help you after revolution if you are friendly?

 

[Andvare]

Appart from been very easy to attack fellow europeans is there any reason not to do it?

It seems that the game forces you to be aggresive like Civ4, there are very few benefits about been friendly with them (none that I can see). Do they help you after revolution if you are friendly?

No reason not to do it.
Well, you could trade with them a little I suppose, probably only be worthwhile after your DoI, if they haven't suicided themselves on their own DoI.

 

[Gliese 581]

Well, the natives are a bit easier to anger on the higher levels, and treasure from ruins are more scarce.
And the REF is a bit bigger, but all in all, I don't find the increase in difficulty impressive.

He was talking about attacking the AI colonies specifically but as a sidenote,
I hadn't noticed that the REF is any different from level to level at the start of the game. It grows faster on higher levels once you make bells..

 

[Beld]

I had a great start where I could have 3 coastal cities inside of this little bay area that could be defended by a stack of boats at a 1 square passage (thus delaying or making impossible the man-o-wars helping in lowering the defenses and potentially forcing REF to make a death march across forested mountains to my cities)

Things were great, then England settled on the entrance of the bay and suddenly I could not pass my boats through to get to europe! Oh No!

I attacked and destroyed their two cities and captured a worker and a colonist.

It was quite the boost in my early game. So I'd say attack!

I also have a frigate now harrasing the spanish nearby. I have to say, running that sort of interference is underrated. I'm way ahead of my neighbors and I've stopped several stacks of guns and tools from reaching their hands.

Attacking the colonies is a great strat if done right.