How the hell....

[Dynomutt]

...do I keep the AI civs appeased? Seems there is no way to win.

As an example, one civ wants me to break off trade with another. Breaking off trade with the other will make them mad. If I tell the first civ "no way", they get mad. So I am stuck. WTH?

I also keep reading about trading techs with the neighbors. Fine and dandy. They often don't want to trade their techs with me, even if they are "pleased". Seems like I read everyone else's story and their neighbors are so wonderfully friendly and giving, while my neighbors are tight-wads and pissy. What am I doing wrong? What if I have nothing to trade with the other civs, how can I keep them off my back? Every story I read here makes it sound so easy.

 

[warpstorm]

You can't please everyone. Pick your friends and your enemies.

 

[jimkirk]

just build up your army and whackamole them .. bring them to their knees
and make em beg you for peace ...lol

 

[Psyringe]

Pick your friends. If you try to be friendly with everyone, then you may end up with no one liking you, because your possible friends may grumble because you're "trading with our worst enemy" etc. Look at the diplomacy screen and try to identify a block of civs which stay friendly with each other. Send some gifts and try to become part of this block (having the same religion helps a lot). Once you are, treat your friends as *real* friends. Give them something for free if they ask for it. Join their wars if you can manage it.

 

[opticaljim]

I guess you can say this is one way in which the game mimicks real life. I mean, there isn't a single country in the world that can say everyone likes them. Picking your friends and staying with it is great advice.

 

[irie-mon]

I guess you can say this is one way in which the game mimicks real life. I mean, there isn't a single country in the world that can say everyone likes them. Picking your friends and staying with it is great advice.

Canada? Switzerland? Iceland?

 

[Psyringe]

Canada? Switzerland? Iceland?

Erm ... no.

I won't go into details here, because mentioning criticism about any nation is easy flame fodder in forums like these.

But just google for "criticized [country]" or something similar to find out that no country is universally loved by all others.

 

[irie-mon]

Of course there are individuals who dislike certain nations for whatever reason, but there are countries that have no enemies.

 

[Psyringe]

Okay. And are these countries in the position to "win"?

Okay, this isn't a fair question, since the world is no game (no debate about this please ). For example, Liechtenstein has no enemies because not many people care about it (if they even know that it exists). However, if you want to become one of the leading powers of the world (which I see as equivalent to get into a winning position in Civ), then you will make enemies, whether you want it or not.

 

[Jimbo30]

If you never trade with anyone (inc open borders) then you might go a game without getting asked to cancel deals with someone. I'm sure Tokagawa has got it figured out to a T by now.

 

[irie-mon]

I don't think there should be an easy way to get all the AI civs to like you, short of destroying all your enemies (but that isn't always easy). At first I hated how the AI civs would declare war on you suddenly. Now I always prepare for it, and it's a lot more fun now.

 

[calyth]

You'll have to choose who you befriend and who you'll treat as enemy. Dealing with the AI prompted screen usually lets you befriend one and alienate one pretty quickly. If you "friend" asked for help, you might be able to get something in return (I manage to get the Chinese gift me coal in return).
At Noble or above you'll always have enemies. They can come in handy if you're in a war, or preparing for one.

 

[opticaljim]

"Keep your friends close and your enemies closer." - The Godfather

Sometimes you just have to be every bit the snake they are. Friends in Civ IV are temporary anyway, since there can only be one winner. Appearing to have good relations just lessens the probability that they are going to attack you.

 

[Sim-Liver]

In answer to the original question... I usually make friends with the civ I want something from later (tech, city, or to use as bully) so then I just give them something now that they could really use later like Iron or Copper for warring on a civ I ask them to fight with later.

If you plan on fighting them because they are invading your territory with little 1-2 cities then give them something to war with like iron then when they are "Pleased" or "Friendly" status with you (the time needed for this sometimes take several turns) ask them to go to war with some other bigger country that could easily wipe them out, they do it every time.

Now in the meantime I just go make peace trades with the civ they originally "hated the most", and begin using missionaries to get that civ to become more like mine spritually, (this gets them off my back for several hundred years if not almost to the very end of the game) ((especially if I get them to convert to my religion)). Making peace with every civ can happen if you give, give, give, (I usually save the technology giving for civs that just will not be changed over to liking me after several offerings of basic stuff like cow, pig, corn, wheat)... in the meantime plan that one or two of them will come a knockin with big guns later in the game (usually around the late 1980's or later) and setup your deffensives. There's always one civ that after I make friends with them all game long finally comes out and says that they are going to war with me because of my dealings with "said" civilization that is there "worst enemy".

This drags the game out longer and your score will take a hit for the extra time involved but you get to win with space race or even diplo/culture if you play right.

btw: Diplo/culture games are the most difficult to win since you really have to plan ahead 2-3 thousand years and work harder with each and every civ. but the scores usually are around 10-12 thousand or more for a good game (at least for me).

 

[Junuxx]

There is a way to make everyone like you.

Get all the religions, and make sure everyone gets your religion + Theocracy.

 

[Junuxx]

Friends in Civ IV are temporary anyway, since there can only be one winner.

Long live perm alliances!

Junuxx/Asoka/Genghis Khan has won a Space Race Victory!!!

 

[Dynomutt]

OK...thanx for the tips on the diplomacy thing, frorm everyone. Brings me to my next question from my original post:

How do you get the other civs to trade techs with you? The way some make it sound, it is routine and easy, even on higher difficulties--something you can take for granted. Seems like I get a bunch of tightwads all too often. Ideas about this?

 

[Psyringe]

You basically work your way up towards them. The more they like you, the more likely they are to trade you their techs.

Start with Open Borders. If you cant get Open Borders, thow some gifts at them. Having the same religion as them helps immensely. Gift them some resource for free to further enhance your relations.

Trade with them, and if they approach you, do what they want unless that's extremely harmful to you (like when you have two friends and one asks you to declare war on the other; however such a situation is very unstable and should be prevented if possible).

 

[Sim-Liver]

You basically work your way up towards them. The more they like you, the more likely they are to trade you their techs.

Start with Open Borders. If you cant get Open Borders, thow some gifts at them. Having the same religion as them helps immensely. Gift them some resource for free to further enhance your relations.

Trade with them, and if they approach you, do what they want unless that's extremely harmful to you (like when you have two friends and one asks you to declare war on the other; however such a situation is very unstable and should be prevented if possible).

Psyringe is correct with that statement, and I would also add that if "ANY" civ attempts to get you to go to war, simply say politely "no" then give them a freebie like cow or pig. This usually holds them off for several if not many turns during which you can give them some more of the same "basic" goodies to appease the beast in them. I kept 16 civs on standard/noble off my back for almost the entire game by just giving them simple stuff (a few needed techs) and never going to war with them. Only in the last 25 turns did one of them decide he absolutely needed to fight my civ. unfortunate for him I had built up a considerable amount of nukes, so he went Bye-Bye very quickly.