While this may be a consideration in multi-player, I've seen some stronger play by the AI since 1.2.2 patch which brings this to the top of my mind.
I've played Civ3 through Civ6 and BERT before Civ7 was released. The victory conditions are all slightly different across the franchise, so that meant that when the human player is behind, different countermeasures must be taken to avoid losing if the AI is ahead.
For example, in Civ3, it's possible to sabotage the construction of space ship parts to prevent a spaceship victory. It's possible to conquer key cities with wonders (a key source of culture) to prevent a cultural victory. By building the UN wonder, the human player controls if/when votes are taken for a diplomatic victory.
Similarly, in Civ4, controlling the Apostolic Palace or UN gives the human player a lever for stopping a diplo victory. IIRC, one can destroy spaceship parts before it is completed or conquer the capital city to defend against science victory.
Civ5 allowed a player to steal / suze city states to prevent a diplomatic victory. In all of these, simply holding onto one's territory and capital is enough to defend against one of the military victories. In all of these, conquering / eliminating most of an AI player's empire would prevent them from winning.
Civ6 introduced some more variables. Yes, holding onto one's original capital is key. Yes, holding onto one's own religion prevents a religious victory. But it's possible to win a Civ6 diplo victory with only 1 or 2 cities, since the points stay with the civ that earned them; total elimination is required, if one can't try to snipe victory with the Statue of Liberty. Cultural/Tourism victories depend on a murky calculation. Using spies (or troops) to destroy Spaceport districts is one defense, while building a faster spaceship is good offense.
Civ7 Military: Take over settlements faster than they do, but legacy points can't be reduced. If a strong AI player has a weak neighbor nearby, the human player will need to attack directly. This victory path is the most clear for Civ7.
Civ7 Cultural: Yes, it's a race to get artifacts, but once an AI gets enough artifacts, I don't know of a way to know if they have started building the Worlds Fair, or where. Conquer their cities that have museums? Suppose that's possible...
Civ7 Science: Build the projects, which ticks the boxes. Once a project is built, it can't really be destroyed. Perhaps conquer the cities with Aerodromes? Can a city with a damaged Aerodrome still build one of the projects?
Civ7 Economic: Also a race, to accumulate Railroad Tycoon points faster. Pillaging a factory or conquering a settlement can reduce the rate of accumulation, but the points can't really be reduced. Once the bucket is filled, how do I see if an AI is sending the Great Banker on its journey? How do I see the progress? Can the GB be stopped?
I've played Civ3 through Civ6 and BERT before Civ7 was released. The victory conditions are all slightly different across the franchise, so that meant that when the human player is behind, different countermeasures must be taken to avoid losing if the AI is ahead.
For example, in Civ3, it's possible to sabotage the construction of space ship parts to prevent a spaceship victory. It's possible to conquer key cities with wonders (a key source of culture) to prevent a cultural victory. By building the UN wonder, the human player controls if/when votes are taken for a diplomatic victory.
Similarly, in Civ4, controlling the Apostolic Palace or UN gives the human player a lever for stopping a diplo victory. IIRC, one can destroy spaceship parts before it is completed or conquer the capital city to defend against science victory.
Civ5 allowed a player to steal / suze city states to prevent a diplomatic victory. In all of these, simply holding onto one's territory and capital is enough to defend against one of the military victories. In all of these, conquering / eliminating most of an AI player's empire would prevent them from winning.
Civ6 introduced some more variables. Yes, holding onto one's original capital is key. Yes, holding onto one's own religion prevents a religious victory. But it's possible to win a Civ6 diplo victory with only 1 or 2 cities, since the points stay with the civ that earned them; total elimination is required, if one can't try to snipe victory with the Statue of Liberty. Cultural/Tourism victories depend on a murky calculation. Using spies (or troops) to destroy Spaceport districts is one defense, while building a faster spaceship is good offense.
Civ7 Military: Take over settlements faster than they do, but legacy points can't be reduced. If a strong AI player has a weak neighbor nearby, the human player will need to attack directly. This victory path is the most clear for Civ7.
Civ7 Cultural: Yes, it's a race to get artifacts, but once an AI gets enough artifacts, I don't know of a way to know if they have started building the Worlds Fair, or where. Conquer their cities that have museums? Suppose that's possible...
Civ7 Science: Build the projects, which ticks the boxes. Once a project is built, it can't really be destroyed. Perhaps conquer the cities with Aerodromes? Can a city with a damaged Aerodrome still build one of the projects?
Civ7 Economic: Also a race, to accumulate Railroad Tycoon points faster. Pillaging a factory or conquering a settlement can reduce the rate of accumulation, but the points can't really be reduced. Once the bucket is filled, how do I see if an AI is sending the Great Banker on its journey? How do I see the progress? Can the GB be stopped?
