So what kind of troll created the AI, exactly?

[Halcyan2]

Two things: 1) the AI seems to settle somewhere where its scout has explored and 2) it is turn 63 and you have only one city. You should have your tradition 3 or 4 cities by now before you can call the AI stupid.

Edit: I had Morocco do this to me once, settling 2 cities near me ... ... I was Venice

Actually, with the new international trade routes mechanism, having civs settle near me isn't so bad any more, since it provides trading opportunities!

 

[eewallace]

My last game, I had the north tip of a continent and Shaka had the south tip, with William due north of him and Dido north of William. Shaka sends his settler up past both of them and drops a city next to me and then...yep, you guessed it...he attacks...William! Hmmm....

 

[njmfff]

In my experience, the Spainish AI in particular has never been too bright.

Wasn't she religious freak in Civ4?

I think AI does this kind of nonsense in BWN so they could set up TR quickly. Still makes no sense why Spain would not set their city close to NW and send TR from there. I mean, that's 22gpt just from one title.

Lizzy often does this. She'll come from other side of the map and settle cities close to pretty much every AI. No wonder every AI on the map hates her before turn 50.

and Korea. If he's my first neighbor, I'll either block him or clear him out, because here's turn 25, he already settled his city three titles away from my capital. In my last game, he did that to Shaka and lost his capital before turn 70.

 

[Castar]

2) it is turn 63 and you have only one city. You should have your tradition 3 or 4 cities by now before you can call the AI stupid.

Look at the map. A) I have (well, had) a huge amount of space. Given a rational AI, I didn't need to hurry. 2) There's a grand total of three different luxury types that I can reach (Copper, Sugar and the one Cotton I started with). My happiness couldn't take a quick 4 cities. 3) At that point I had just gotten the free Liberty settler, my capital had just finished the National College after getting Philosophy from the Great Library.

And regardless of how good or bad my skill in this game is (it's generally pretty bad, no argument there ), the AI is still plenty stupid. See the attached screenshot for a later situation. Apparently, despite getting completely crushed by my catapults and swordsmen, Spain thinks it is really really important to make sure that a Trade Route will be possible under all circumstances, and thus settles Seville, not somewhat nearer to its capital, but right next to the Civ it is at war with.

She gave Seville to me in a peace deal some 5 turns later and I razed it to the ground.

While I think the Trade Route explanation is actually a pretty good one, it still needs to be balanced with other concerns, such as "can I ever defend this city", "is that location actually even remotely useful to me" and "am I skipping on a 20gpt turn tile to get a 7gpt trade route?". And it's Spain, for cryin out loud, they're one of the few civs that are actually not so gold starved early game.

Oh and btw, she never settled near Cerro de Potosi. I expanded steadily eastward and settled near it (on those sweet, sweet floodplains, to be precise. I love the Dutch.) Dumb, dumb AI.

 

[Castar]

<double post, ignore>

 

[JustinianIV]

In my experience, the Spainish AI in particular has never been too bright.

Yes... Spain ALWAYS sucks.

Every time I see them, I know they will be good for about 70 turns then start begging you for stuff. They have no clue what to do with an advantage.

 

[Abraxis]

You lost me when you landlocked Amsterdam.

 

[Tiggurix]

Yes... Spain ALWAYS sucks.

Every time I see them, I know they will be good for about 70 turns then start begging you for stuff. They have no clue what to do with an advantage.

Well, she's (almost) a nun, what do you expect?

 

[Bad Wolf]

Wow yeah you'd think Spain would be set to prioritize settling near Natural Wonders above all else.

 

[alpha wolf 64]

I am so used to the AI sending settlers long distances to settle on my border that I now keep units scattered around not for defense but to swoop down on any settler I see coming my way. One game, the distant AI never got a permanent second city because it was determined to settle near me, and I never agreed to peace, so I just spent the entire game picking off their settlers. It did once found the city but I quickly burned it to the ground and it was not even a good location.

 

[andrewlt]

It almost seems like the AI is programmed to give you diplomatic penalties. It will complain to you next that you settled your capital too near its second city. At that point of the game, destroying that second city might make you a warmonger for the rest of the game.

 

[compwiz1202]

Now the best one is, after she settled right next to you, did she tell YOU to stop settling cities near HER? I always love that one.

 

[Dogmouth]

you think the AI is stupid for cutting you off from a good settling spot? is that not part of the game?

Wasting a settler that early in the game to mess with one opponent is bad play. I wouldn't do this against the AI or a human, because it hurts Spain as much or more than it hurts the Dutch. And of course, Spain has other opponents to think about. It can't waste settlers forward settling in all of their faces, can it?

 

[compwiz1202]

I agree. At least grab the mountain of gold first then settle close and spit out units like crazy.

 

[phillipwyllie]

I would have initially been a trade city. Had you allowed it to grow it would've turned into a war city. I've seen Arabia do the same thing successfully to me. Settles his second city near me and his next 2 in between his capital the distant second city.

 

[Chris1111]

Here's another fine example of crazy AI placement. The Carthaginian capital is apparently somewhere to the far north, haven't even found it yet. They even plopped the city down right next to a barbarian camp, where that settler is there was a camp not all that many turns ago. I'm guessing the other settler is going to tick me off even more shortly.

Spoiler :

 

[Unthinking Pain]

Now the best one is, after she settled right next to you, did she tell YOU to stop settling cities near HER? I always love that one.

Isabella seems designed to consider the entire map as "next to her empire". The current game I'm playing, she did a similar thing described by the OP; she shipped a settler + warrior 20ish squares across the map, ignoring at least 2 excellent city sites, to settle right on my southern border. I razed it.

Later on, I settled a city on the north coast (she's on the east coast), about 20+ squares from her border, and immediately she drops by to ask if I'll stop settling cities near her.

You can guess what I told her.

 

[SolDelta]

I've noticed the AI do this for various reasons. As Venice, I noticed Morocco had a big stretch of lovely desert to my north early on, then 10 turns later he'd popped down two cities in my immediate vicinity. No skin off my back, it set me up tradewise immediately and its not like I could've settled there anyway. Plus they became part of my puppet empire once my harbours were up.

 

[Tachii]

Here's another fine example of crazy AI placement. The Carthaginian capital is apparently somewhere to the far north, haven't even found it yet. They even plopped the city down right next to a barbarian camp, where that settler is there was a camp not all that many turns ago. I'm guessing the other settler is going to tick me off even more shortly.

Spoiler :

Rofl, I laughed out loud on this one. This is insane. Lol. One would assume that's a capital or something.

They really need to fix Barbarians, too. They no longer take workers/settlers as much. What's up with a Horseman/Handaxe that just harass your tiles but not the workers?

I believe that will mitigate some of the crazy settling, since some of them don't even bring a warrior that far for it.

 

[Stonecutter9]

Started a file as France and with a great start too, until I found SHAKA was my neighbor! By turn 40 he had founded SIX cities and beat me to my preferred second city site. Had to build seven CB and the GW just to keep him out. Soon he shall taste the blade of the Musketeer...

You can see on the minimap the extent of his evils, and since this he has founded FIVE more cities. UGH.

Spoiler :