Meeting neighbours

[DSN]

"I tend to explore all the land possible to find any useful huts or other civs to talk with."

That's from another thread. I thought it might be intresting to discuss tactics of what to do when your city meet another civ's cities (i.e. you borders meet). Would you attack that civ or build a wall of units so they can't infiltrate your land or do nothing?

 

[rrhal]

I'd make peace and try to trade techs.

If there was a good city site in the regoin I'd grab it and quickly back fill until my civ had all the land between my exiting cities and this new city (assuming this was a natural extension of my civ).

I wouldn't build a large amount of troops on this frontier unless I was ready to fight with someone.

 

[DSN]

The situation I was talking of was one where your city was about 4 tiles from their city, and this distance continued down that particular frontier. The problem is that the ai may send settlers to expand its territory into what is already your land or just be annoying by having units crawling around your cities. Worse still it may attempt to steal technology from you. I have only once had a situation when the ai bribed one of my cities and it was one I'd bribed myself, was miles from my capital (on another island) and had a wonder, so I suppose it's fairly rare for the ai to bribe. [In the case I just mentioned, I had to bribe the city back for another 1,500 coins and then the AI came and conquered it with soldiers!] What I mean is that you don't really want another civ going all around your land (they may refuse to withdraw).

Another problem is that when you first meet your neghbour it may demand an extortionate amount of coins that you can't afford to give, or some advance that you don't relly want to give away for nothing. If you refuse to comply they sometimes (but not always) declare war. In a situation where you live virtually next to your enemy you may either have a very easy or difficult time (depending on whether you have more military units than them).

 

[geofelt]

If your tiles overlap, the AI may sneak attack you so be prepared. If the ai blocks your only avenue of expansion, you have to do something. If you can get an alliance, you can move through their territory to expand. You won't fear a sneak attack. If you can make yourself supreme in strength, you can then demand tribute. They will withdraw and give you gold. You can then bribe some of those pesky border cities. You can demand tribute if you are stronger, on the same continent, and they are not hostile. --try it--

 

[PHSikes]

about the only way i can think of is to build an army and take him out....after you trade for all his knowledge

 

[rrhal]

When you are that close to one another there is bound to be trouble. Generally you know that the other civ is there.

In the early game you are generally expanding and don't really want any trouble. If you have enough room don't build right up to the other civ, appease them, what ever it takes to stay peaceful.

Once you are established go ahead and build a couple of phalenxes, an offensive unit, and a diplomat. When they come around tell them to leave your lands, say no to all their demands, just be defiant. When they come for battle (and they will) they will expend their troops on your fortifications. Then bribe away a nearby city. Be sure to demand tribute when they sue for peace. Move your fortifications up and wait for them to be beligerent again. mean while you have several turns to go about your business.

 

[DSN]

"Be sure to demand tribute when they sue for peace."
That usually ony makes the declare war again when I do it.
I think the ai offers peace by default every time it captures your city or you capture its city.

 

[rrhal]

The AI (almost) always sues for peace after you capture one of their cities. Generally you can push them around a bit after you take a city from them. Usually they will just remove their troops. If you really have the upper hand they will give you cash.

If you really don't have the upper hand wait a turn and insist they withdraw their troops.

 

[Gelion]

Once you are established go ahead and build a couple of phalenxes, an offensive unit, and a diplomat. When they come around tell them to leave your lands, say no to all their demands, just be defiant. When they come for battle (and they will) they will expend their troops on your fortifications. Then bribe away a nearby city. Be sure to demand tribute when they sue for peace. Move your fortifications up and wait for them to be beligerent again. mean while you have several turns to go about your business.

Nice one . And all the time I was foolish enough to fight wars

 

[DSN]

Sometimes I have 'sink' cities on my borders. These are small, but well defended cities that the ai comes and attacks, with no success. Once the ai wasted about 50 units in the game on one such city.

 

[bouncelot]

Sometimes I have 'sink' cities on my borders. These are small, but well defended cities that the ai comes and attacks, with no success. Once the ai wasted about 50 units in the game on one such city.

Well, one of my biggest scoring games featured a city like that on a choke point, allowing me to put cities over almost all of a huge continent. I had the best part of 100 cities before starting to take over over Civs' cities.

 

[sethos]

Sometimes it's hard to fight a civ next to yours. So keep peace, but prepare war.
first, build barracks in some border cities with good production.
Your research should go the Monarchy-Trade-Philosophy-Monotheism direction.
In the meantime, put at least 2 phalanxes/pikemen on strategic points (stacked units cannot be bribed). Fortify them on a hill or a mountain - or an isthmus (connection between two islands/continents that is only one tile wide)
Having Mono, build Crusaders in cities with barracks, wait until you have 6 to 8 -
then ATTACK!

 

[The Person]

Get a choke, then wait until you have Demo and spies, and bribe away. A border civ always means trouble, since they have a tendency to move their units onto your territory, and want war half the time. If you can keep them away until you've become "modern", they should be easy to deal with. Warfare before modern times is a waste in my opinion.

 

[sethos]

@The Person
The AI civ stops your expansion. Warfare with vet crusaders is joyful

 

[Prof. Garfield]

Expand oversea instead. Many times I feel more secure with the civ blocked off at a choke point, than waiting for the landing that I cannot prevent.