Do you Open your borders?

[padillah]

I have a superstitious, unreasonable habbit of not opening my borders with the AI. It started as a way to keep them hemmed in but quickly grew to a "never open my borders" outlook.

Is this as bad as I feel in my gut it is? Or can I still pull off a victory rather nicely?

Tom P.

[Yosho]

I almost always open my borders. The diplomatic bonus and trade bonuses are big.

Usually, I only don't open my borders when I'm afraid that opening up my borders with person A will hurt me diplomatically with person B. Otherwise, though, the money is great, and if you're lucky an AI might flood you with missonaries and give you another religion.

[Smellycowsquid]

I never do for the same reasons as you padillah...

[axisworks]

I usually consider (as does the AI, apparently) an open borders agreement to be the most basic step to having good diplomatic relations. If you don't have open borders, the diplomatic price and the stifling of trade opportunities can be heavy, I've found.

[padillah]

But don't you find the AI settling in the middle of YOUR land? I hate that. I think I'm way too rigid to play CIV right.

I try for optimum city placement (no overlap) and will raize a city if it isn't in the right place.

I need help!

Tom P.

[Arrian]

I always open them for the +1 to relations. Plus I want to send some missionaries into AI lands.

-Arrian

[Smellycowsquid]

Originally posted by Arrian
I always open them for the +1 to relations. Plus I want to send some missionaries into AI lands.

-Arrian

I don't believe in befriending them, they all end up the same way, dead.

[Jaybe]

Originally posted by padillah
But don't you find the AI settling in the middle of YOUR land? I hate that.

What do you think this is, Civ THREE??!
That rarely happens in Civ4 because (1) the AI KNOWS that expanding too fast can implode their economy, and (2) why put a new city near someone else's border when that border is going to be expanding soon!

In the early game, border expansions occur relatively quckly, so unless you have a great artist hanging around your city could become useless, then assimiliated into their nation. I once was cramped for room and established such a city -- turned out it was near an opposing CAPITAL and I eventually lost it.

[gdijedi7]

I always open my borders to friendly nations that do not border me. This generally means that nobody on my continent gets open borders with me, no matter how many times they ask.

ie. My current game placed me on the same continent with the Egyptians. The Russians were on the same continent with the Indians, China was by themselves, as was England.

I signed open borders with China, India, and England. Flooded them with missionaries. Egypt asked for open borders, but never got it. Catherine hates me forever and ever, and eventually invaded me to her own doom. This ticked of Egypt, and eventually, they annoyed me so much that their land became mine. I like owning a continent!

Oh, I never put my religion in an enemy Holy City... That's so I don't feel bad about razing them later

[Smellycowsquid]

Originally posted by gdijedi7
I always open my borders to friendly nations that do not border me. This generally means that nobody on my continent gets open borders with me, no matter how many times they ask.

ie. My current game placed me on the same continent with the Egyptians. The Russians were on the same continent with the Indians, China was by themselves, as was England.

I signed open borders with China, India, and England. Flooded them with missionaries. Egypt asked for open borders, but never got it. Catherine hates me forever and ever, and eventually invaded me to her own doom. This ticked of Egypt, and eventually, they annoyed me so much that their land became mine. I like owning a continent!

Oh, I never put my religion in an enemy Holy City... That's so I don't feel bad about razing them later

[MasterDave]

I always go open borders, to enhance trade routes in my cities, and in the hopes of my religion spreading to my neighbors. I do enjoy warmongering, but I want to be the one that declares war at the time of my choosing, and keeping open borders helps keep the peace for longer.

I like to play at the higher levels (Monarch and Emperor), and the AI is often stronger than me militarily in the earlier part of the game, so keeping the peace is important while vulnerable. Having the AI's troops wandering in my lands does not bother me a whole lot, as they will rarely send settlers through.

[Six Thousand Year Old Man]

I open borders, just so I can get them to like me a little, and for trading.

I once had an AI settle in an empty space, but the city eventually revolted. So I don't see the downside to open borders. They can't attack you without getting turfed out first... the only issue is missionary work, correct?

[Smellycowsquid]

Originally posted by MasterDave
I do enjoy warmongering

keeps the peace for longer

[Yosho]

Originally posted by Six Thousand Year Old Man
I open borders, just so I can get them to like me a little, and for trading.

I once had an AI settle in an empty space, but the city eventually revolted. So I don't see the downside to open borders. They can't attack you without getting turfed out first... the only issue is missionary work, correct?

Well, there's some speculation that the AI might scout your lands out and then sell the maps to everyone else, or something like that. But mostly, yeah, as far as I've seen the AI's will not plant cities inside your terratory.

[Ijuin]

Even with open borders, the AI can not settle anywhere inside your borders without declaring war. However, they could still pass through your territory and plop a city in that spot just past your borders where you were planning on putting a city of your own later on.