Is the AI just a peace-loving guy after all???

[Kinniken]

OK, I'm only playing chieftain, but I still find strange than on a game with 16 civs, no war was ever declared by the AI, and I am in 1860 AD! The only three wars my world has know were three I started against the Germans.

This is my first game, so I dont realy know what to expect... is this normal? Will the AI awake soon? As a veteran Civ2 player, I find the whole thing rather strange... in a typical Civ2 games, you start getting messages like "Babylonian civilization destroyed by the Mongols" at 2000 BC...

 

[Mapache]

Until the Age of Cavalry you can play peacefully even on higher levels. The AI players however will have had several wars until then. Try Regent level!

 

[Ripley]

Originally posted by Kinniken
This is my first game, so I dont realy know what to expect... is this normal? Will the AI awake soon?

It will change from game to game.

I had one recently where the Americans attacked me early but got pushed back with Englands help. They were my only two true neighbours on a single pangea.

Three of the remaining Civs all decided, one after the other, to march a load of units all the way across to the other side of the map to war against me. Like they couldn't find someone closer?

Each time a quick bribe somehow found them with an enemy a lot closer to home. It's funny watching stacks of ai units trundle across a map, into your territory, and up to a city to attack, only to have them turn around the moment they get there and head back again.

"Sudden problem on the home front there boys?"

It's quite possible to have games where there is never any long lasting peace. And you don't have to start it.

 

[LeroyJr]

It changes game to game is what I have found. I am a megaropolis guy who likes to build up my civ so do not go looking for war.

I have had games were I won a cultural victory while killing I think one opponent unit the entire game. Guy declared war on me, I killed his horseman. By the time he got more units to my turf I called him up and had peace. Never had to go to war again. I of course was using the "walk softly and carry a big stick" theory though. I didn't fight but if I had to I was loaded for bear and the AI knew it so did not bother.

It also depends on your neighbors a great deal. Germans and Zulu's will want to go at all times regardless of how bad you could kick them around. Rule of thumb for me is if I see good ole Shaka or Bismark early, start building units because war is on its way.

Sometimes it is just weird though. I have had games where it was like old Liz was going to invite me to Buckingham Palace for Tea and Crumpets and Bismark wanted me to come to Berlin for Beers at Octoberfest. Eerie. Too much peace it was scary.

And then all hell breaks loose right from the second you drop your first city down. I have had games where I have been at war the ENTIRE game. The AI just takes turns declaring war on me and peace is not an option. The second one war is over you just start relocating your troops to get ready for the next one. I have waged 60-80 turn wars in Repuplic governments before which is fun. Cities are doing nothing but building units the entire game.

My favorite game was on a huge map where 9 civs ended up on the same continent and it was war right from the drop of the hat and I was right in the middle of the continent. Ended up the Zulu's wacked off the Indians and Japanese. I knocked out the Iroquios and French and the Egyptians destroyed the French and the Greeks. Ended up with the Zulu's with 40+ cities in the north, me with 40+ cities in the middle and the Egyptians with 40+ cities in the south. Huge continent with 120+ cities on it and just three civs. There was about a 10 turn eerie calm before the storm stretch where everything was peaceful. Then it was "Zulu's have declared war on Egypt". I gave them both ROP's so they basically fought on my turf for about 5 turns. After that it was amazing as the Zulu's razed 40 Egyptian cities in under 10 turns.

I find those types of game's very fun once I accept that is the way it is going to be played. I love it when you have two ultimate superpowers sharing a border. It is not a matter of if, but a matter of when the war starts.

I wish the AI was better at war though. In theory the war between Shaka and myself should have been a very blood and guts thing. AI seems very scatterbrained when it comes to fighting that kind of war. The AI does not seem to have any clearcut objective and does not treat me as an equal or greater power in the war. There was a bottleneck seperating Zululand from me so I set up Fortresses across the 8 squares. Loaded them with 5 cavalry and 5 infantry each. 6 of the fortresses were in mountains. The fight would therefore be in Zulu country and not on my turf.

AI is also dumb when it comes to actual power and potential power of an enemy. They count units regardless of strength to determine power. To the AI a Mechanized Infantry unit is the same as a Warrior or even a worker in strength. They also do not realize that their little pop 1 and 2 towns do not equal my 25-30 pop cities. We may start even in numbers but while they are killing their population to get conscript units my cities are cranking out veteran tanks every 1-3 years.

Guess I would just like to fight a fair war vs the AI sometime where everything is even and the AI might just beat me fair and square because of better strategy.