The AI seems to have a really bad habit, of declaring wars that they aren't actually prepared to carry out. It is particularly bad with maps that involve a lot of water, as the AI never seems to set up a naval invasion properly. I've seen decently planned overland invasions by the AI, but with naval wars they are terrible.
A recent example.
The Zulu were stuck in a corner of the continent, the two overland routes were blocked. The only civ nearby is me as Authority Persia. I essentially ignored the Zulus, bar leaving an excess scout to watch them. The overload route was blocked by two mountains and a lake in between, and when they get past it they enter flat desert. So fairly confident my scout would be a significant roadblock, and their invasion would take a while. So they need a naval invasion. There is two sets of water. An inland sea, in which there are no cities but the Zulus. Aka zero naval opposition, or need for melee ships. The other is the coastal sea.
They declared war on me, while the majorities of my armies were busy invading someone else. Except they sent their embarked units in the open sea. Allowing me to throw back their invasion with a single trireme, allied city-state and a garrisoned Immortal, holding them back until I built up an army. Meanwhile, they have 4 triremes in the inland sea, doing nothing.
At least that one was on paper, a fairly even fight if the AI hadn't ignored geography.
But in another game, as Egypt, I've gotten multiple declarations of wars from behind tech civs, where they didn't do anything. Even when I had a recently settled city nearby, that was still unwalled and had no garrison since I diverted it to save a city-state ally from a barbarian invasion. Nothing for turns, allowing me to build up and counter invade. The civ by declaring war on me, also plunged itself into unhappiness, since they had been buying 5 luxuries off me, and a whole bunch of strategic resources. And lost two trade routes I had been sending them.
The mid to late game YOLO wars really don't slow my roll as the leader, but the AI does often set itself further back.
A recent example.
The Zulu were stuck in a corner of the continent, the two overland routes were blocked. The only civ nearby is me as Authority Persia. I essentially ignored the Zulus, bar leaving an excess scout to watch them. The overload route was blocked by two mountains and a lake in between, and when they get past it they enter flat desert. So fairly confident my scout would be a significant roadblock, and their invasion would take a while. So they need a naval invasion. There is two sets of water. An inland sea, in which there are no cities but the Zulus. Aka zero naval opposition, or need for melee ships. The other is the coastal sea.
They declared war on me, while the majorities of my armies were busy invading someone else. Except they sent their embarked units in the open sea. Allowing me to throw back their invasion with a single trireme, allied city-state and a garrisoned Immortal, holding them back until I built up an army. Meanwhile, they have 4 triremes in the inland sea, doing nothing.
At least that one was on paper, a fairly even fight if the AI hadn't ignored geography.
But in another game, as Egypt, I've gotten multiple declarations of wars from behind tech civs, where they didn't do anything. Even when I had a recently settled city nearby, that was still unwalled and had no garrison since I diverted it to save a city-state ally from a barbarian invasion. Nothing for turns, allowing me to build up and counter invade. The civ by declaring war on me, also plunged itself into unhappiness, since they had been buying 5 luxuries off me, and a whole bunch of strategic resources. And lost two trade routes I had been sending them.
The mid to late game YOLO wars really don't slow my roll as the leader, but the AI does often set itself further back.
