Frustrating Caesar

[Pengu]

Started an emperor game and got a pretty good start. Then I met Julius, Monty, Shaka, Hammurabi, Capec, Brennus. Julius was really close and between us was a really good spot with horse, corn, marble. So I rushed out and settled and then built SH there.
Capec is to the SW and Julis to the NW and my land is pretty small. So I settle as fast as I can to block Julius off. I am doing well and Oracle CL but with Monty, Shaka, Brennus in all in different religions I dare not pick side or join Conf. The problem is that Caesar gets pissed about borders quickly. He only has like 3-4 cities but he has iron and is amassing lots of armies by the border. So I see this and build walls and archers in the cities so there is no chance for him to take any cities. And 500 BC he declares. I bribe Monty in on him. Now the frustrating part. Despite Julis sending in wave after wave with prets, HA he gets totally annihilated. But he just refuses peace no matter what. He insist on getting on of my cities despite me being stronger having more cities. He doesn't care if he loses 30 units and me 5. he just continues on coming insisting the city. This cost me a lot in tech as this war is slowing me down considerably. I finally give him Cal for peace. Then 15 turns later he declares again with no chance of ever taking a city. But meanwhile Monty is growing into monster capping Ham and being no 1 by a mile. My game is ruined as Julius with his 4 cities still demands 1 of my 10 cities and it would cost me a fortune getting into medival war.
Never had this problem where an AI loses huge amounts of armies and still just refuses to ever stop the war. And just as soon as he can go at it again after peace he declares

 

[Handel]

A close Rome is very bad omen. So destroy the iron, build zillions of catapults and annihilate/vassalize him. Elephants can help too if you have ivory.
If this doesn't help and the maceman are not close then start a new game

 

[diagonale]

Well, if it is frustrating you and screwing your plans, then it's playing good. I can't help but think that building two wonders is quite audacious with the band of warmonger you got there. Even if you play with random personality their unique units proven to be dangerous.

I can't say for sure without viewing the board but I guess on such situation I'd emphase on a military path: guerilla archers, then few forest/choc axes on critical point, then flanking horse archers, then guerrilla arbalester. I think that waiting for an attack, destroy army on your field then counter attack with care of back-stab would be a good military approach here.

If you really plan on a wonder then great wall seems more appropriate here for the +100% great general points for battle on your land.

Well, that's just a spare idea maybe it would not have been appropriate to the board you got.

 

[Pengu]

Well, I wasn't all set for war. I had taken good land, enough for 10 decent cities and was planning to cavalry stomp as I usually do unless I need more land.
And what bothers me is that normally when I have like 6+ longbowmen in my border cities the AI always comes crawling for peace after losing 20 units.
But this idiot was deadset on demanding a border city he had no chace taking and being one of the weakest civs. I had ivory and horses so I should have killed him with elephants if I knew he was going to be this frustrating.

But I teched differently and wanted to win lib.
But 100 turns of constant war is just ****. I just don't see what he is trying to accomplish. He has half the amounts of cities, only prets, horse archers attackng with less than 10 units at a time and I have walls and 5+ longbow in each city. Never willing to negotiate peace but deadset on getting my towns for free.

 

[schadenfreude]

Did you save the start? Sometimes the AI seems to act in a desperate fashion because it knows it won't win anyhow. Maybe you could replay and attempt to elephant stomp him down. I hate "irrational" AI behavior, but it does keep the game lively and replay-able.

I will defend building SH. Sometimes if you have stone, SH or the Great Wall is the cheapest way to get a border pop in your second city.

 

[Seraiel]

imo the demand for a city is a bug in the evaluation of a cities value. normally you can simply offer him 50-100g for peace and get it for that.

 

[bhavv]

A close Rome is very bad omen. So destroy the iron, build zillions of catapults and annihilate/vassalize him. Elephants can help too if you have ivory.
If this doesn't help and the maceman are not close then start a new game

Not really. Axemen still beat preats, and even more so than being attacked by Axemen instead. If youre close to rome, all you need is Combat 1 (and shock if you are Agg) Axemen and city walls. Those Preats will be weaker at attacking and defending your axes than other axes would be.

 

[Pengu]

The reason I built SH was cause I wanted culture protection from him in my 2nd city.
And of course free border pops is nice too.

Well, I tried every thing else but he was hellbent on getting Citzen Itza. I tried money, I tried Mono, I tried Monarcy. Rejected them all. Finally he agreed on Cal, just to built Mans and declare 15 turns later, demanding the same city again.

The thing is I have no metal, and I had to rush out towards him cause those border cities have horse and ivory. Just never occured to me I had to kill him, since he has few cities, not great land and normally when the AI is losing lots of units trying to attack they are even willing to give ME gold for peace.

 

[Handel]

Not really. Axemen still beat preats, and even more so than being attacked by Axemen instead. If youre close to rome, all you need is Combat 1 (and shock if you are Agg) Axemen and city walls. Those Preats will be weaker at attacking and defending your axes than other axes would be.

This is exactly the OP complains. He has no problem defending from the prets. He has problem Rome doesn't agree for a peace and due to the non-stop war he is lagging behind in techs. So what I wrote if the Rome doesn't want peace the only other way is to kill/vassalize him.

BTW once I had similar problem with Justinian.