India?

[Zenosaur]

I notice that alot of people here dont really seem to like India. Why is that? Is it just the AI India that you hate or is it India in general/

 

[Ansar]

Actually India is one of the most popular civs in the higher levels, especially Sid. Mostly because of the commercial trait, which lowers corruption, and nothing bad about having early culture. And the War Elephant is a monster considering it doesent require any resources, so quick destruction, plus it has one extra life.

 

[Pentium]

I can answer for myself: I don't like AI India because I've been backstabbed by Ghandi many times.

I never really tried India on levels higher than Emperor, because they're not agricultural. But they are a good civ, maybe I should.

 

[Labtec600]

I used them for a culture win. Go figure.

And the War Elephant is a monster considering it doesent require any resources, so quick destruction, plus it has one extra life.

But it does require Ivory doesnt it?

 

[Ansar]

No...at least I dont think so.

 

[adog]

No, the War Elephant does not require Ivory.

 

[gmaharriet]

Is it just the AI India that you hate or is it India in general/

Absolutely just the AI India. The AI Gandhi, as Pentium already mentioned, is always backstabbing. He is also the leader most likely to nuke you if he can...not at all like the peaceful resister he was in real life. I admired the real Gandhi, but Firaxis made him into someone completely different.

 

[AutomatedTeller]

The war elephant requires no resources, at all. Not ivory, not anything.

It's effective for a long, long time, as well.

Religious means that India can switch to whatever government you want, too.

 

[Marsden]

Absolutely just the AI India. The AI Gandhi, as Pentium already mentioned, is always backstabbing. He is also the leader most likely to nuke you if he can...not at all like the peaceful resister he was in real life. I admired the real Gandhi, but Firaxis made him into someone completely different.

Well, don't forget, if AI Gandhi in the game really was like the real Gandhi (almost) everyone would take advantage of him (including me).

I think the AI Lincoln seems a bit out of character at times, and St. Joan d'Arc also, I'm guessing, is as well.

 

[Dreadnoughtt]

Everyone says the AI India backstabs. Wow thats surprising, I never had Ghandi extort me, not even once.

I've had the Sumerian AI extort me twice, but that was when their attitude was annoyed. I should set the Indian AI more often and see whats happening.

Also, in a game I just beat at emperor, Joan d Arc randomly attacked me. And I had not so friendly encounters with Lincoln. But I think the civs with a aggression level of 2 or less (such as Sumeria, India, France) wont attack you if their attittude is polite towards you.

 

[Heretic_Cata]

I think someone in the firaxis staff must hate Gandhi. Ever since Civ1, Gandhi and the Aztecs have been the nuke-trigger-happy civs .

 

[Bartleby]

I used India recently for an Always War Monarch game; I pre-selected all the aggressive civs for opponents and went bashing them. It was great.

 

[jb1964]

Love India. Comercial traight is about my favorite but I understand that Ag is more powerful.

Not had the negative experience w/ Gandhi that other are reporting. But com eto think of it, he hasn't shown up as an opponent all that often. I normally go random.

 

[garyg]

Gandhi came as close to taking me out as any AI ever has by sneek attack.
He was my neighbor to the east, my trading partner for luxuries and my ally in a war with my neighbor to the West. I bribed him into a military alliance so I could pull some troops from his border and concentrate on the West. As soon as I engaged the enemy I loose my luxuries and stacks of Indian cavs take my lightly defended outer cities and pour into my undefended (I was a Republic) cities. I lost seven cities, had massive rioting and a war on two fronts. Gandhi payed dearly but it was nip and tuck for a couple of turns. When the dust settled I had to admire his timing. It was one of the few times the AI acted like a real player.

 

[Beorn-eL-Feared]

Well guys Gandhi has lowest agression level, so I don't see how you always feel so bad about him.

And it's been a while since I've seen a nuke, I should play more civ

 

[Ballazic]

ya its the passive agressive ones that you really have to worry about.

also india rocks, in the dinobarb scenerio

 

[Cheezy the Wiz]

Gandhi came as close to taking me out as any AI ever has by sneek attack.
He was my neighbor to the east, my trading partner for luxuries and my ally in a war with my neighbor to the West. I bribed him into a military alliance so I could pull some troops from his border and concentrate on the West. As soon as I engaged the enemy I loose my luxuries and stacks of Indian cavs take my lightly defended outer cities and pour into my undefended (I was a Republic) cities. I lost seven cities, had massive rioting and a war on two fronts. Gandhi payed dearly but it was nip and tuck for a couple of turns. When the dust settled I had to admire his timing. It was one of the few times the AI acted like a real player.

I too have been comletely caught off guard by an AI betrayal. It was on a world map, and I was Russia. America demanded something rediculous, so I refused it, and they declard war on me. They didny do anything to me, but they conned Persia into a MA against me, and they COULD do something. I had to pull all my troops out of Western Europe to go deal with the stinkin Persians down in the Cacausus, and no sooner do my armies ( the unit) arrive in Anatolia than somewhere around 50 French cavalry com roaring across my borders. They definitely pushed all the way to Moscow before I stopped them. It was such crap and I was so angry, but it was a disturbingly Barbarossa re-creation, and now I understand why the Ruskies has such a tough time with Germany catching them offguard. Of course, they weren't fighting a too front war, either.

In that game, once I took back my cities I lost, I pilliaged every single French city, and built my own cities on top of them, just to spite them.

 

[Virtual Alex]

I have vivid memories of playing civ2 when I was still small and played on prince. Everytime Ghandi was in a game with me I was scared because I knew it was only as matter of time before I saw this.

"India demands (absurd amount of money), or we will crush your pitiful empire"

"OUR WORDS ARE BACKED BY NUCLEAR WEAPONS!"

And peace with ghandi isn't possible. He will betray you always.

 

[axehaxe]

Ghandi is neither a suitable AI nor a suitable choice of civ. I remember his aggression rating being only 2 stars out of 5 but its really 5 out of 5 - I kid you not. He will always be the first one to ditch an ROP with you for a military alliance against you. Empty cities = Ghandi takes them all in one turn.
He will even MA against you while you have an MA with him against another civ. So bottom line is: Don't have India in your games.

Reason I won't ever play as India is because the Religious trait becomes garbage from Emperor level up. That is because the AI's anarchy period decreases to 2 turns once you start playing deity level. Also saving 13 turns in an entire game for a trait is simply not worth it IMO (I switch twice usually). I would much rather have an empire of metros for a trait instead or cheap libraries for a trait instead for example.

So on harder levels I like Greece, Maya, Sumeria (less desirable), Vikings (stopped at emperor for me), or if you are REALLY into arch maps go for netherlands.

 

[azzaman333]

India does have one helluva UU though. War Elephants are Middle age tanks!

People hate India because Gandhi tends to be an unstable, psychotic, nuke-weilding maniac who cares not for you or another nation or even a tree.