My Current Terrible Game as the Inuit

I am currently in a miserable game playing as the Inuit with a huge sized map of North America. Basically, my goal was to play as an isolationist empire, but the AI had other plans. Basically, no matter what I did, they would plop cities right between mine, on tundra, with no strategic value. Despite numerous warnings, they would spam settlers and plop them in horrible spots - not for strategic value, but to screw me over. My game is in a constant state of war at one point all nations declared war on me. Of course, I continue to decimate my foes, and despite embargoes and universal hatred, I am both rich and expansive.

What sucks about all of this is that my intent wasn't to be a war mongering autocracy, but the AI has forced me to be so. I'm just sick of the AI not betraying my requests and then getting upset at me when I crush them. The AI almost feels like a spoiled brat human that insists on getting his/her way despite numerous warnings.

My question is: Is there any way to salvage this game? I mean, everybody hates me and I am finding that I have to conquer my way through this marathon session which is dragging on even longer because of this horrible AI and this situation I am in. It really isn't fun anymore. I am clearly winning, but the unrealism of the AI is terrible. This is the least fun I've had in this game. None of my previous games went this way. It just doesn't make sense that the AI would intentionally continue settler in horrible places right next to me, and after repeated warnings from me - a significantly more powerful empire. What an annoying game... Any advice?

 

this is the main reason I hate leaving gaps in my empire. Try settling cities more densely next time if you wanted to have smooth borders. On liberty games, with the exception of someone like the shoshone who start with huge borders, I often pack my cities 4-5 tiles apart. It isn't really possible to avoid war if you are expansionist, but one thing you can do is chart out your empire after scouting and settle the farthest cities first, then back-settle. This has the effect of angering the AI less because you can actually say yes to them when they ask you not to settle near them since you've already settled all the spots that were going to be near them. If you don't want war or denouncements you need to learn to predict them. And in general, making demands like "stop settling near me" to the AI has no effect. They will continue to settle and it just makes them mad. I never make these requests anymore unless I'm trying to provoke a war.

 

Then just quit.

The only way to prevent the AI from settling insanely stupid cities is to block their settlers with your own units or by buying tiles. That's the only way because nothing you do otherwise will remove from their pea brains the idea of settling that juicy 5 tundra city in the middle of your lands.

Constantly watch your borders to see if they're coming with prophets or settlers and if need be, declare war to catch them before they do their damage to you. It's not that big a penalty to do that vs taking cities.

The AI in civ V is indeed frustratingly stupid and plays not to win, but to prevent others from winning lol.

 

My experience is that it's imperative to scout the area around your initial city by directing the units manually and to decide ASAP where to place my cities. Then, as danaphonous suggested, settle the furthest first and then backfill the rest. Three ranged units can break up most early game attacks long enough for you to move in reinforcements. Don't be afraid to buy tiles as needed. Early game your Gold-Per-Turn usually isn't sufficient for purchasing units but, even a bit of additional Food or Production from purchased tiles can make a substantial difference.

 

Thanks for the good advice. I tried doing this my last game, but I don't think I settled far enough away. Think I'll try again with even more forward thinking. And, I never thought of declaring war and killing their settler, but leaving it at that (i.e. not taking cities). Great ideas. Thanks again!

 

Declaring war is great on lower difficulties when you're the strongest guy around because it costs you almost nothing but eventually the AI will ask for peace and randomly give you like 20 gold per turn or one of their big cities.