Good alies

[Comrade Pedro]

Will the alliances with nations are profitable, both in tributes and in war?

 

[funxus]

I seldom Sign an alliance with the AI, but I know that some people base their whole games on good allies, especially Early Landing Games.

 

[marste]

Alliances are generally useful in later games I find, especially if your not one of the superpowers. Very useful for sharing technologies and getting money, etc.

 

[ElephantU]

If you are playing One City Challenge or Early Landing, an alliance as early as possible allows you to beg for gold and tech gifts repeatedly if you are lower in Power Rating. In the 1000BC to AD1 range I often crank the research down and go all out for RushBuying caravans for key wonders, with more than half of the gold coming from alliances. The earlier you get an alliance the better, as when the AI meet and start wars they will often demand something in return for your refusal to make war on their enemy. If you are getting a tech per turn this is not difficult but otherwise can be very annoying.

 

[EquinoxOmega]

I usually avoid allies except in greates need because on higher levels I'm too often forced into a war that is not in my purpuse and my allies seldom help me enough in my wars.

 

[rrhal]

Allies are good for a few techs. Its also nice to have one civ not hating you some times. Otherwise they just get you into wars that you don't want.

 

[Conrino]

I find that wars were the A1 pledges its "utmost" help, they ussually just sit there, and may attack units that pass near there territory. Otherwise, they do not do much at all, and are inactive.

 

[bkwrm79]

I've found alliances useful in the early game if I want to concentrate on expansion. On the world map, as the Americans, I either wipe out the Aztecs or ally with them. If they're my allies they may take one or two city spots I wanted, but basically I don't have to defend against anything other than Barbs at first, and I grow fast.

I've also had some very long-term alliances. One game on the European map as England I allied with Spain very early, helped protect them. We colonized North Africa and the Mediterranean together even though the AI almost always ignores North Africa. It was weird, our cities were intertwined (England-Spain-England-England-Spain...). If our alliance had ever broken up we'd have both been screwed, but it lasted until my spaceship victory. The fact that our territories overlapped so much meant that we both sent units after Barbs.