Gah! The betrayals!

[Blake]

It's pretty easy to be peaceful and not get attacked by AI's, it's a matter of identifying which AI's need to be fighting (Warmongers like Alexander, Napoleon, Monty, Isabella etc) and then ensure that they are fighting, either by bribing them onto someone else, or bribing someone else onto them. Usually with a bit of diplomatic manipulation you can get a couple of pet AI warmongers (I refer to them affectionately as bulldogs) and constantly bribe them onto the other AI's. After the AI's have been slugging it out for a while you can easily join in on the wars for some mutual military struggle - the victim AI's wont have enough leftover military to seriously threaten you. If you want you can capture some cities too since the victims will be very weak.

It’s a lot harder to do if No Tech Trading is on. Then you have to rely on building genuine friendships (AI’s which are friendly will never go to war with you).

[Hobie819]

(AI’s which are friendly will never go to war with you).

Thats not "completely" true. Ive seen it a few times when they do. Once I "think" they were bribed by another civ that they were also friendly with and at war with me, another was the above mentioned time when I only had conquest victory enabled, which is why it led me to believe that the Ai takes victory conditions into account.

The game hadn't had any war (made it with only peaceful civs) which is why it lasted so long), it was 1950 and a civ that was friendly declared war on me... the first war of the game. Even in the first turn of war he was only cautious with me. Took a city and asked for peace. He gave it to me and even then he was still pleased with me. He then declared war on me every 20 years or so, enough time to build up a military again. It wasn't even because I was weak, I was the top "power" civ in the game. Everyone else in the game was pleased with me so I doubt someone payed him off.

[Bobby Chicken]

I've had Ghandi declare war on me from pleased without outside prompting. On deity, the AIs rarely fight each other and instead attack you. It's not because you have the highest score. It's because you're the human player.

[Jaybe]

Originally posted by Bobby Chicken
.... It's because you're the human player.

I presume you mean "because being the human player, you have such a weak military."

[Anath]

First off I'd like to point out that I am extremly new to this game and aboslutely suck so far (and playing on chieftain or whatever it's called )

For some reason Im very horny on getting nukes but I always seem to be killed of just before I get them, SO, I was wondering. Maybe I shouldn't go for nukes and instead go for something that gave me better military strength, and if that is indeed the case what techs are generally good suited for chinese? IF there's no such thing as general ideas I will just have to study my tech tree closer

Now it's time for breakfast and then another chinese empire shall rise.

[Saurus]

Religion is also an imortant issue for many leaders and theese leaders may be very agressive if you choose to not share their religion. (Hyana Capac, Louis, Saladin to mention a few)

Most of the time, if you play on a pangea for instance, making all potential warmongers to fight among themselves and all different religions to feel pleased toward you is more or less an impossible task.
If you cause one to become pleased - another will be displeased and even an non-agressive civ may attack you if displeased. Also, even warmongers have some sence of whom they can be "bribed" to attack and you will in anycase have to have at least a relation of the "cautious"-level for this to be even possible at all.
More often than not the "We would have nothing to gain"-answer will prevent any bribe-efforts.

There is no way of beeing 100%-sure no one will attack you.
Of course, you can reduce the possibility to beeing attacked.
The other very, very. important thing is to make sure you have an ally - someone you can count on WHEN you are attacked.

Rather have a few civs Friendly toward you and a few Furious than everyone beeing cautious.

[Saurus]

Though I am very suprised that A.I attacks so viciously at such an easy level.

I have never myself played at any level below Noble but from what I have understood, the A.I should be pretty peaceful at the easier levels.

[Anath]

Well, this time around (just tabbed out) I went for a more aggressive approach. In the start I immiedtly wiped out my neighbour, the egypts, before they managed to do anything. I built up a small army and started my civ. after a while the other civs started showing up asking for this and that. After a while my old friend the Salad showed up. He started demanding stuff so I went and destroyed two of his cities and havent heard from him since. However, bout 40 turns ago bars starting hammering me from the north (explored, but couldnt find any city, they just came out of the woodwork).

And now Monthy decided to go berserk as well when I wouldnt give him my latest tech. So I dispatched most of my army down and took out one of his cities and went for the next. This was my misstake and will lead to my undoing. I lost -4- Units on a 90%+ battle and so when I reached the city I had to few to assault it and while I had traveled there leaving only a small defence monthy thre 4-5 units of jaguars and catapults at my newwon city - destroying it.

My units where tracked down and killed.

I am now left with 2 archer units, 3 axemen and I got incoming barbs from north and monthy from the south.

Anyway, had a question. Is there any good way to deal with the "It's too crowded" unhappiness in my cities?

Cheers.

[Tattila the Hun]

Just a though, it bugs me, that AI can be displeased with me, because I follow a heathen religion, when I have no way to convert to the "right" faith.

[ColdPhoenix]

The "it's too crowded" unhappiness comes from city size and will go up by one every time your city grows. There is no way of getting rid of these (other than building the Globe theatre).

The way to combat it is to have an equal or higher number of happy faces (this will mean that all of your citizens are working). You can get happy faces by having your state religion in the city, certain buildings (temples etc), luxurious resources (gold, silk etc) and some civics will help.

[Cort Haus]

[SIZE=1]
Anyway, had a question. Is there any good way to deal with the "It's too crowded" unhappiness in my cities?

You can't reduce that number, you can only balance it by providing happiness sources.

[Anath]

**** its COLD outside. Advice; dont go outside in a snowstorm even though its your gfs birthday in a few days ;P

But then its as I feared, no way to reduce it - just counter. Good to know though.

Also, I recall reading spreading your own religion worked in your favor - does that mean if I found, say, Buddism that I can convert a town fully into my religion and then the town joins me, or is it just that I am granted vision in that town?

Cheers!

[Cort Haus]

If you found (or own the holy city) and switch to that religion you are granted vision into cities with that religion.

[ColdPhoenix]

As Cort Haus said, though you can only see the units stationed there and in the adjacent squares and the map view of the city and the tile improvements around. You can't go into the city screen and see what they're building there etc.

[Anath]

Yea that I knew, I was just wondering if you could fully convert them as in them joining your side without having to do battle