Get bullied by AI :(

[Veteranewbie]

I am playing on monarch and regent level, I like to play it on a standard map and mostly the rest are on random, and I like to play 3 - 5 opponents.
But I always get bullied by the AI from the start. I always expand and build tons of settlers, but when I find the AI opponents and then we try to squish our cities together, normally I always keep 1 or 2 squares to let my cities to expand better later in the game, but then always send a settler and warrior to walk across my area to expand on those 1 - 2 squares between my cities. And then he keep sending military into the city and i cant assimilate him. If i tell them to piss off they just declare war and overrun me (especially on the extremely unfair way of war in this game)
But then if i start an early war, my army is unable to wipe them out early (again... coz the war in this game is unfair) Then I have to keep building soldiers and then other AI simply suppass both of us. And later on he just wipe us out.
Again, if I follow peaceful route, AI always bully me, they keep ask for tribute, and then they like to gang up on me, even i voluntary give them tribute. Once I play a game against Russian and German, German ask for tribute and i refuse to give, then German declare war on me. And lateron Russia ask for tribute and i give in to her. But later on she still declare war on me.
Can some pro teach me some way to take the bullies donw?

 

[effb]

I think the answer is you need to maintain a bigger military. That way, the AI doesn't bully you as much because you can fight back. Like real life I guess

 

[werdhertz]

I dont think war in Civ3 is unfair.... War has always had a degree of diplomacy along with the fighting in all conflicts of history, thats kinda like it is in Civ3. If you cant take the big guys down, dont piss them off by tellin` them to get off your land. Let them go through, possibly either 1)Signing a right-of-passage agreement and making a friend or 2)Let them go through, and when their military is at a distance, declare war, or something to that affect!

As for always demanding tribute, they demand a tribute when you are weaker than them. Check your military adivsor and view the different Civs to see if you are weak to them all, or just to one, etc.

 

[looper]

I agree with my canadian friend above.

This is how I handle them: I keep building settelers and try it fill them all over the map, sometime even they are far away from other cities, but on gooooood land(by that I mean grass land and river and what not). like you did, I will leave some squares between cities inorder for them to grow later on.
Now the AI is going to send settelers and military units to build city between my cities. THAT IS FINE, let them do it!!!! you know what, since I have built cities on good lands, they have only desert and montains to build their city in my place. THEY ARE doing the terrian developemnt for me, and I will conquer those city later in the game and thanks to AI, the roads are built and fields are irrigated.
Now when you build enough cities, usually for me, there is no where else I can put a single setteler. I am done with expension. I will start build temples to connect all my cities.
Right after temple is done, I will start to build the best offending units, most of the time, Riders for chinese, Knights for other civ. sometime it coud strech into calvary units. when I have enough of those babies, I will start to kick asses, I meant by saving and reloading, these babies can kick all AI's asses.

About those cities that were build by AI in your territory, they will either be culture conquered by your cities, or military conquered by your riders, knights, or corssacks.

Now you will ask, what if they bully you before you have the stong army? for me, I try to give them gold, if it cant work, give them what them want. if they still declar war on you, fine, use your spare man to defend, some warrior or house man to kill their units on the way. however, DO NOT enage a lengthy warfare, not worthy it, try to peace in 5-10 turns, as soon as they "aknowlage your envoy". At regent and Monarch level they are not strong enough to really kill you in early battles.