Invade thee enemy

[Grishnash]

Greetings, again!
I have played many a RFC, and I've noticed something in all my games... That is, the computer doesn't like to invade.. At all!
I have played many times as Ethiopia and been to war the same amount of times, but every time it goes like this: "The isn't big enough for the two of us!" War. Ten turns later, without one battle, peace is made and everything goes back to normal! Ahh! I've played other civs and found the same thing in most of them, (China always gets attacked and invaded by Mongols!)

This takes away a lot of fun, right now I'm playing as the Ethiopians and had the Arbs go to war with me, without any battles (aside from two in the Red Sea when they tried to destroy by fishing boat) a few turns later we made peace! They didn't even try to invade! Not even a army build up in their lands!
Before that two europeans civs went to war with me but I didn't even SEE them before peace was made. (which, by the way, sucks!!!)

Is their a reason for this? Same thing for NAmericans, the only time I got attacked as NAs were by the explorers looking for gold! Then by a whole lot of ships but never did they really INVADE me (Now I have huge NA empire from Mexico to Canada and reaching for Alaska and took over washington)

I think it's with RFC... ? The AI need to be made to Invade far away lands more, (Or is it because I'm powerful? nah...)

 

[AnotherPacifist]

The only civs that routinely invade are Germany (who attacked my Ethiopian Egypt because Mali was my vassal), Russia (1-2 stacks of curassiers/cannon at most and then they turtle), Aztecs (surprisingly effective naval invasions especially when I'm their master), Vikings and Mongolia. Everybody else makes peace ASAP (Netherlands especially).
It's actually good so that all the New World civs can build minimal troops until their tech's caught up with the Europeans.

 

[thadian]

want invaded? play as greece or egypt.

 

[Grishnash]

It's not that I 'want' to be invaded (Duh!) but I think it's kinda of weird that Ethiopia never has to worry about their UHVs if they just build cities around where europeans would build, even let the natives build their cities, the europeans don't even attack them! I don't want to have to play greece just to get attacked! That's sad!!!!!!!!

I don't think Germany ever even goes to war with me, ever.

I think the europeans should be like made to attack the NAs and the Africans (at least in 1880AD)

 

[gash]

Maybe it is because you have a large empire? Although I've only played as India and Spain, I have noticed this but at the same time can attest that what you are saying isn't necessarily true. Playing as India, I was actually invaded by Persia. Playing as Spain, though, I can attest that when the Arabs and Egyptians declared holy war against me, it turned out to be a phony war on the Arab front (I did create a blockade, though), and I did all the attacking on the Egyptian one. Furthermore, on regular games, I've also noticed that my "allies" which I bribed to go to war never invaded either. I guess there are factors built into the game that determine the invasion capabilities of civilizations. I suppose it depends on whether civilizations are actually aggressive, whether the participants will actually be forced to fight, and whether or not the civilizations in question really want to go to war or if they are just making a statement.

 

[Zdarg]

It's old, well-known problem: AI in RFC is too afraid of attacking cities.
Generally, I take it as blessing, since otherwise non-agressive UHVs would be much harder to achieve, but sometimes it's boring.
Still, there are two exceptions: some particular cities are likely to be attacked, such as Mediolanum (as France in 3000bc start, I tend to be invaded by both Germany and Spain just because I control Milan). And if you are involved in big war at one end of your mpire (and most of your troops are there), your neighbour from other side is likely to invade.

 

[AnotherPacifist]

It's very frustrating when you point out to your vassal the most obvious strategic city they should capture (e.g. Mali should capture Mbanza Kongo or any north African city; Khmer should capture Pagan first, then Macau or Guangzhou; Incans should do Caracas or Montevideo), they invariably just sit there even I after I give them rifling or assembly line. On the other hand, Aztecs I have to hold back because they might get their UHV if I point out European targets in NAm.

 

[blizzrd]

The only civs that routinely invade are Germany (who attacked my Ethiopian Egypt because Mali was my vassal), Russia (1-2 stacks of curassiers/cannon at most and then they turtle), Aztecs (surprisingly effective naval invasions especially when I'm their master), Vikings and Mongolia. Everybody else makes peace ASAP (Netherlands especially).

I regularly see Rome amphibiously invade Greece.

 

[kbk]

Well, you get a lot of phony wars in RFC, but then you can be thrown completely off guard when they give you the real thing. 19 times out of 20 you won't see anything cross continents, and 9 times out of 10 you won't see any real troop advances even within the same continent. But those one out of 20 or one out of 10 times can be really astounding.

I was on a Russian Monarch UHV attempt. Everything was fine up until 1940. All I had to do, or so I thought, was hit enter 10 times. Germany declared war on me, and I thought "so what?" They have 3 tiles of culture to get through and they don't even have oil for tanks. But, just to be careful I fortified my Western cities with 6-7 infantry each.

Well, Germany knew what they were doing. They felt it absolutely imperative that they reenact world war 2 to the point of recreating Stalingrad. They threw 40 (Yes, 40) infantry at one city. It took them 3 turns to get there, and they were all weakened by General Winter. They lost 30 infantry, but they completely ruined my UHV. It was amazing. If only they realized to be completely accurate, they had to lose the battle of Stalingrad.

 

[Zdarg]

I've just seen Spain taking Inverness (in 1580). They were not in war with England, so I guess the city was independent somehow.

 

[blizzrd]

They lost 30 infantry, but they completely ruined my UHV. It was amazing. If only they realized to be completely accurate, they had to lose the battle of Stalingrad.

Brilliant!!

 

[s09119]

I played a game once with a Greek Byzantine Empire, stretching from the tip of Italy all the way over to the tip of Carthage. No one attacked me for years and years... and then all of a sudden the Chinese come out of nowhere with war. I figure "eh, I'm the most powerful empire in the world, what can they do?" And nothing happens for 9 turns...

Just before I'm about to sue for peace, though, this fleet of triremes shows up and completely WRECKS my Arabian-side forces. And a little while later, their LAND TROOPS arrive via India, and I'm talking just a mass of catapults, macemen, all the things that go bump in the night... needless to say I was wiped out. I had never actually had to defend my eastern border, and all my troops were in the middle of border wars with newly-formed France and Spain.

 

[AnotherPacifist]

How the heck did you piss off mighty China so bad? Didn't switch to free religion?

 

[blizzrd]

It could have been one of those spontaneous AI declarations of war when you enter a Golden Age?

 

[Virdrago]

The only civs that routinely invade are Germany (who attacked my Ethiopian Egypt because Mali was my vassal), Russia (1-2 stacks of curassiers/cannon at most and then they turtle), Aztecs (surprisingly effective naval invasions especially when I'm their master), Vikings and Mongolia. Everybody else makes peace ASAP (Netherlands especially).
It's actually good so that all the New World civs can build minimal troops until their tech's caught up with the Europeans.

Babylonia (when it stays alive) actually attacks its enemies. I've seen them take out Persia, and push back Arabia more than once. If they're still around in 1300, they can even take Turkish cities sometimes!

Other than Germany, Aztecs, Mongolia, or Japan (once in a while) though, almost everyone else turtles in my games.

 

[monolith94]

I've been crushed by Rome (as Greece) before. Often enough that I take it into account and force myself to pursue iron working earlier than I'd like to otherwise…

 

[onedreamer]

Actually Spain is another invading civ. I've seen it conquer France in almost every war. But it may be due to France being really weak militarily. In fact, it's the easiest conquer in Medieval Europe apparently, since both Germany and Spain have easy game with it. The lack of Iron seems an obvious reason.

 

[Cethegus]

I've never seen a really astounding war take place in my games. AI (when it doesn't declare phoney wars) is usually the defending side in my games. But it's not like I play on any other difficulty than Monarch.

 

[onedreamer]

the difficulty isn't relevant AFAIK, an option that would influence this would be "aggressive AI" though. I noticed with this option (I haven't used it in RFC though) the AI is more aggressive in general, not just with the human player(s).

 

[Grishnash]

Okay, I was invaded and europeans moved into south africa (Which, although my UHV tells me to build down there I didn't). However, it went like this: Spain takes out a native city on the south west coast, their force was two cannons, two pikemen and two riflemen, I went and killed them with musketmen and trebuchets (Funny as heck I think) and that was the last I heard of them, aside from their friends hacking my north and north-west coast line they did nothing after I defeated their invading force. Then their was America. They Landed on the south-east coast and took out the native city of winburg(?) (<-- Forgot the name but I think that's it) First thought "What the heck are the Americans doing on south Africa in the 1800s?" Then I went and took out their attacking forces, and the only thing I heard from after that was their one ship hitting my fishing boats!
As you can see, they weren't attacking me, and when I attacked them, they did not even try to invade me

Then theres mighty Russia! Which in my game is the second best civ (I am the best ) However, their power is far greater then mine (I never seem to be able to build an army ) They attacked me out of blue! Hitting my northen most city! Their forces outnumbered and outgunned my defend team (They had two cannons and two Knights. I had two Longbowmen and a Maceman) However I managed to rush two more longbowmen there and a musketman and defeated their attacking force. And although their vassal Germany had a large amount of troops just across the sea in Rome and Greece they never attacked, and after a short time of sea raiding (Again, I never seem to be able to build a navy) I sued for peace and that was that.

Then theres the fact that if I were to lose that city to Russia my empire would have fallen into a civil-war! So there wouldn't have been a war between me and Russia even IF they continued to Invade!

difficulty level Monarch

And isn't "Aggressive AI" already turned on in RFC?

And I've noticed something about China... * = caps lock

*they never come back!* I've played a lot of RFC and I rearly see China ever come back after the Mongols destroy them, and if they do then they either die right away by Mongol forces or become a vassal to Mongolia and fall into a civilwar in the next few turns. Why is that?

"Attack with sharpen steel!" - Swordsman Civilization II