Keeping my land

[Shamus]

I just have a few questions related to other civs wandering onto my territory. I started this game on a map that was large enough to leave a great deal of open, unoccupied spaces. I was very quick to create new cities, and spread out from my capital. Consequently, I grabbed far more land than the other civs, and built more cities. Once I had reached a healthy city number and taken over most of the useful land within my palace’s (and eventually forbidden palace’s) radius, I built up my defenses and hunkered down.

I usually start the same way each time, with the intention of ending the game with a peaceful vote at the UN. But, inevitably, someone pisses me off and I end up making an example of them. Then someone looks at me the wrong way, and so I torch their civ. This continues until I’m all alone with my thoughts. This time though I would like to actually finish a game peacefully.

Here enters my problem. I can’t keep those other civs off my land. I build my cities further apart from each other than the AI does, in order to maximize square usage. However, this seems to be encouraging the other civs to come and try to take land for themselves. I have resorted to placing units in the way to physically stop these civs from entering on to my land. This worked at first, but now I am being faced with 6 or 7 settling groups at a time. So far the other civs have left when I have said to leave or declare war. Eventually though, I am certain one of these civs will walk a few squares in and start a new city.

These are my questions;

1. Is there any physical way to stop them from entering my land other than putting units in the way?
2. If a civ does declare war, will I loose much in the way of popularity with regards to the UN vote?
3. Is it always guaranteed that I will eventually tell them to leave or declare war? I used to think that if the civ was on my land for three turns, and I told them to get out each of those turns, or if they went next to a city, I would give the leave or else declare war message. But yesterday I watched a small band of soldiers wander right by a city, with no war message made. What are the consequences (politically/popularity wise) for attacking someone on my own land, after I told them to leave?

Any help would be great.

 

[Pal {UI}]

There is no way of stopping other civs entering your land without blocking or asking them to leave. However they will only enter your land to either:

1 Sneak attack you
2 get somewhere else to settle a city i.e. an unsettled area of land.
3 To get to an enemy they are at war with or want to attack.

If you want to stop 1 then build your armies and protect all your cities

To stop 2 settle the land yourself

Stopping 3 is difficult - easiest to sign a ROP, esp of you are going for a peaceful win as this helps attitude a lot. They very rarely (if at all) break these agreements. The alternative is to simply ignore them - if they are attacking someone else then let them, just make sure all your cities are defended!

I don't know the answers to your other two questions! Soz

 

[Shamus]

2 get somewhere else to settle a city i.e. an unsettled area of land.

So can I take it to assume that they wont try to build a city on a piece of land currently within my territory?

 

[Generalissimo]

If you declare war on them but don't want them to be furius at you just attack their settlers, not their settlements. They won't be to mad at you for attacking their units, you will get free workers and after the war it will be easier to get good relations with them again, easier than if you attacked their cities.

 

[Speaker]

Originally posted by Shamus


So can I take it to assume that they wont try to build a city on a piece of land currently within my territory?

That would constitute an act of war and I have never seen it done by the AI.

 

[Shamus]

Problem solved. There were only a few unclaimed squares between my territory and the sea (about 5) so I placed soldiers on them and the settlers stopped hassling me at my borders. The American civ did manage to sneak a ship in before I tried placing soldiers on the open squares, and started a new city (which took one of my sources of rubber). Thankfully, I took their new city in a cultural flip, and then drained it till it was no more (it was hurting the resource intake of another city).

Thanks for the help.

 

[Naval Power]

I hate how the AI uses Land Grab I wish u could set them to Selective Expansion then they would'nt take your land.

 

[Speaker]

If you don't want them to take "your land," perhaps you should settle it first...

 

[Brewster]

I think Speaker has a point.

 

[steviejay]

one thing though. in my recent Monarch game I streatched across the continent. stopping the AI access to the empty land bellow me so to get it they have to walk through my teritory. I'm letting them do this because the land south of me is barren, hilly and icy, not idea to settle, so I'm going to let them settle down there and then take over their cities with my superiour Culture, saving me the bother of wasting my recources on a settler to build a city that won't amount to much

 

[mark1030]

It's really annoying when you finally force them to leave or declare war and the settler gets moved closer to where he was trying to go. They should put him back where he entered your territory.