I have such an issue with pushy civs it gets me in trouble more than I need to be. When they demand something for nothing I rarely give it to them unless I know they'll crush me in a war.
As a result, I've started anticipating and planning for wars on my turf early in the game. I let them, even stronger civs, declare war and come to me. It's easier to defend than attack. Then I take as many units as they send (since this is early it's usually not an overwhelming amount).
Generally I've found that if a civ loses an appreciable number of units without making any progress (taking any cities) they will be amenable to peace. Sometimes, if I can, I'll scare up an invasion force and take/raze a city. Then I might get something in a peace settlement but that's secondary to costing them units and giving up no gound.
This allows me to develop more completely while only one or two cities produce fighting units for everyone. However, it's a trade as those will likely be my best two cities and a feisty neighbor can sometimes cost me a shot at an early wonder or two.
As a result, I've started anticipating and planning for wars on my turf early in the game. I let them, even stronger civs, declare war and come to me. It's easier to defend than attack. Then I take as many units as they send (since this is early it's usually not an overwhelming amount).
Generally I've found that if a civ loses an appreciable number of units without making any progress (taking any cities) they will be amenable to peace. Sometimes, if I can, I'll scare up an invasion force and take/raze a city. Then I might get something in a peace settlement but that's secondary to costing them units and giving up no gound.
This allows me to develop more completely while only one or two cities produce fighting units for everyone. However, it's a trade as those will likely be my best two cities and a feisty neighbor can sometimes cost me a shot at an early wonder or two.
