Regarding AI

[Raneman]

Are they purposefully programmed just to spam cities right next to you?

Hey mate, there's about 400 hexes of open space over there, why do you have to settle right next to my capital? Why are you declaring war on me?

 

[Titanis Walleri]

Each civilization is programed to have its own personality. I have found that Genghis Kahn employs this strategy. It can be used to provoke wars with the other players.

It is possible to change the personalities of the civs.

 

[smallfish]

Are they purposefully programmed just to spam cities right next to you?

Hey mate, there's about 400 hexes of open space over there, why do you have to settle right next to my capital? Why are you declaring war on me?

He wants to rush the stepping stone on his ascension towards world domination.

Honestly, its a perfectly viable strategy, and I'm glad I don't have to be the one who comes over there to plant a city when I can just get one for free there.

edit: Suleiman too. Depends on the games though, sometimes even Gandhi will spam a city next to you and be all aggressive warmonger.

 

[Raneman]

I have found that Genghis Khan everyone employs this strategy.

FTFY

I have never been in a game where basically everyone else was doing this.

 

[pxpdoo]

This is one of my personal favorite strategies: Explore around to figure out who is closest to me, then expand in that direction first. Ideally, I can refuse Open Borders to create a border "wall" to block that Civ's expansion options. Then I can fill in my wide-open backfield at my leisure.
Gotta keep a pretty good military though...

 

[RogueStates]

Are they purposefully programmed just to spam cities right next to you?

Hey mate, there's about 400 hexes of open space over there, why do you have to settle right next to my capital? Why are you declaring war on me?

I was coming on just to post something about this....I personally find that all the civs do it all the time...but maybe I play on harder difficulty or something, I dunno. I see Im not the only one who finds it obnoxious early game to have to pile your own cities right on top of your capital restricting its expansion just to rule out the inevitable enemy cities on top of it restricting its expansion. Its like an AI trait that ensures a bunch of crap capitals across the map, and is kind of not realistic, nor as effective a strategy (vs skilled players) as actually building a viable empire in your own area first. Under no circumstances is it. All it accomplishes is annoying the person who's capital is in question. And that's just rediculous. Are there any mods out there that have dealt with this problem with the AI?

 

[CoolLizy]

I don't usually see this. In part because I usually manage to settle next to their capital before they settle next to mine, and in part because they're too busy settling two and three hex islands in my games. -_-

 

[nitevision]

they're too busy settling two and three hex islands in my games

Exactly! Why is that?
They even take tundra, desert and snow, from pole to pole.
In my games Bismarck is the worst offender. If there's 3-4 hexes of empty space between two other large civs on another continent, rest assured he'll plunk a city there just because.

 

[gladoscc]

Yes, the AI is programmed to do that to the player only.

 

[smallfish]

Exactly! Why is that?
They even take tundra, desert and snow, from pole to pole.
In my games Bismarck is the worst offender. If there's 3-4 hexes of empty space between two other large civs on another continent, rest assured he'll plunk a city there just because.

You'll laugh.

Then in the lategame, you discover that most of the aluminium and uranium (and oil because they are usually in the waters) are in those "empty spaces", your territory has none, and oh my Hiawatha who did all that city spamming has finished with your former neighbor Isabella and is now looking at you, throwing you Open Borders every few turns or so...

 

[Raneman]

Yes, the AI is programmed to do that to the player only.

I wouldn't mind if they did it to each other, it would be entertaining watching them in constant war.

 

[smallfish]

I wouldn't mind if they did it to each other, it would be entertaining watching them in constant war.

They actually do...

 

[SpyGuy77]

that is exactly why i declared war on the ottoman empire. he was begging for peace LOL cause of my long bow