Quick Answers / 'Newbie' Questions

AcaMetis, many thanks

 

Wondering what logic goes into making the AI try to extort you for cash/resources. Just fought off an extremely lame attempt by Classical Age Portugal to extort me for resources; their army was a single Chariot that I immediately killed. I don't share a border with them and I had a much larger army, so I'm wondering why they tried to do this.

 

It's a part of the AI's various personalities. Gandhi won't send an army after you for refusing a demand no matter how weak you are (I think), Joao will often DoW you over a refused demand (especially, but not exclusively, if he thinks you're weaker than him militarily), and Monty is just straight crazy.

 

what do you need for foreign trade routes? with sailing I thought it was still necessary to scout a path along the coast/river to their city, but sometimes I get trade routes with nothing but fog surrounding my cities. do I receive a trade route if they scout me?

and for domestic trade routes, it looks like you get a connection along rivers or lakes, but only if you control a full strip of culture between the cities?

edit: for domestic trade routes, I mean before you get sailing

 

So is Portugal threatening me because their leader has the "Imperialistic" trait?

 

It's his personality. Some leaders are coded to demand or request things from you. Some more inclined that others. Joao is one of the leaders that typically demands or request something from you early.

If you would like to build relations it is not a bad idea to just give in to him if it is not a big deal - like an extra resource copy or something.

(Note: Joao is a AI that will not plot war on you at Pleased)

 

It's not based on traits, each leader has their own "personality" that the AI will follow. Joao, in particular, is very likely to demand tribute and can start plotting war on you if you refuse. Whereas an AI like Augustus Caesar is far less likely to demand tribute and (I believe) won't plot war over refusing him tribute, but he cares more about whether you're running his favorite civic than Joao, so he's more likely to demand that you run it yourself, etc. I'd recommend checking Civ Illustrated #1 (Know Your Enemy) for an overview of AIs and their various personality traits.

@earthy, Sailing allows over rivers and coast outside of your cultural borders. I believe the game fails to mention that latter point. If cities are connected via rivers or coast that's covered by your culture you don't need Sailing to get a trade route connection.

 

Add to that that the foreign trade routes you are getting may be due to other factors. Generally coast must be unfogged between you and some AI city, but may be something else factoring here like a river connection somewhere. Hard to say without seeing the map.

 

@lymond a river connection doesn't need to be revealed for foreign trade?

 

All I'm saying is it could be part of the equation. I don't know without seeing the map. Click the trade view button at the bottom right..it may show how you are getting it.

 

it's not happening in my current game, it's just something I remember confusing me from previous games. Another strange thing is sometimes in the bottom right it doesn't even show the trade route icon, but when I go into the financial adviser or city screen I do have them.

 

Hypothetical question. Lets say im in isolation and im the only one to reach optics/astro. I meet another isolated civ and open borders. Am i the only one who gets commerce from the trade routes or does the ai also get trade routes with me?

 

Only you get those trade routes, until the AI gets Astronomy.

 

So I noticed that when youre at war with an AI and ask them "what is the price for peace", whatever city they want seems to be the one they plan on attacking. Is this how that works or just a coincidence?

 

I'm not sure how it is actually coded, but I've found that they tend to ask for a city that is close to them - other than your cap - regardless of what city they are currently attacking. It may be proximity of the city or if they have a bit of culture in the vicinity. So, for instance, say their army was attacking a city farther from their borders, or your cap, they would still demand that closer city.

 

The game I noticed this in I knew I was going to be attacked from early on so I forward settled a city on a hill so I could control where the attack would come(lets call it C1) and loaded it with archers. I was checking every turn what they wanted for a peace treaty, and every now and then they would alternate to one of my other cities that was 4-5 tiles further from them(c2). Whenever he wanted C2 for a peace treaty, within a few turns he would move his army away from C1 and begin attacking C2. It got to the point where I would just move defenders over whenever he wanted C2 before his army even got there. It was so consistent that I feel like there's gotta be something going on there.

 

I'm not sure. Maybe they value the city more that their army is closest to at the time. Certainly does not matter as I am sure you will just win the war and take his/her stuff