A strange occurrance - patch related?

[chuckdelicious]

New game, same settings. Ended up on a continent with only 3 other civs. That fixed the gangs, but was BORING. New game. Start.

[Wittlich]

Chuck, turn ON "No Technology Brokering"

[Mike1117]

Did you or one of the warring nations just create a vassal state? I had this happen before, both ways. One game, I created a vassal state who was birthed at war with Spain, who was a vassal of Justinian. I had instant war with 4 nations.
Current game, Pericles created Justinian, who instantly went to war with Spain, who I had a Defensive Pact with. Hammurabi jumped in, instant war with three nations. This is when I mostly see "instant" wars, during the formation of "new" vassal states.
BTW; my first post here. Been lurking forever, but had snafus getting my log-in. Finally got it working, so I may also jump in the conversations.

[Wittlich]

Mike brings up an interesting point. It is now known that the Vassel State option is bugged (read Mike's post above); but it was my impression that Chuck was experiencing total war issues way before vassel states was even an option...

[chuckdelicious]

My latest game, where all 15 civs are on a single land mass, doesn't have the massive wars I saw before. The worst I've seen is 3 at once (on me). So maybe it's just a fluke, but I do think the AI is being more aggressive with trading techs for war declarations.

P.S. Welcome to the board, Mike.

[Colm]

I think I know what is happening. I think the other civ react more to your military power.
I was very friendly with a civ, +8 or so, then I lost quite a few units in a turn and that specific civ made war with me right after that turn.

I re-did that battle and lost much less units. After the turn, he did NOT made war.

[SvenVvath]

For what it's worth I've had it happen to me before but only when I'm feeling like I'm about to be a nasty force. Like I've finally got all the marbles. MEANING.. it's only happened when I'm VERY near the strongest nation... not feeling like I'm going to stop growth JUST yet and VERY shortly after I've built my third wonder. There aren't many games when I can maintain growth, wealth, tech, military, AND get a few wonders.

It's when you start on that sweet spot. But I only play on 'default games' I mean... I don't change game options. just choose who I am and the basic map options they give you. I find it more fun that way.

I do think the powerhouse is pulling the strings. He or she's the quickest to go to peace with you... and leaves you with the irritating scrubs to fight you for the much needed cities until you make clear they have NO HOPE of takin' you out. THEN... the powerhouse goes atchoo again. =[

[Blaupanzer]

There are more ways than techs to buy cooperation in combat. That "traded with my worst enemy" signal should not be ignored. The AIs will overreact to that situation if they have power on the opponent. And, Mansa Musa is a known trading whore, hence the gangup.

I see this ganging up type of behavior in almost every game I play. Someone is perceived as weak when the expansion phase ends and the AIs go after that weak guy. Often the barbarians weaken one civ so some of its "natural space" is still open when the rest of the map is filled. The AI settlers run down there to fill in, putting several random civs as neighbors to the weak civ. The subsequent gangup comes from that "since you're weak and in my neighborhood" logic built in to the CIV programming.

[Colm]

Yesterday I was no 2 in power. It was no surprise that no 1 attacked me. Funny thing is that I was well prepared for that; I had a massive Stack of Doom right outside his border. After I easily defeated HIS stack of doom, I just picked off his cities one by one.
I must say that he was well behind in tech (didn't even have horseback riding while I had macemen). But I guess the amount of units mean more then actually the type of unit in the Power graph.

[Blaupanzer]

Walls and castles help the power numbers as well. 5 or 7 trebuchets and a couple of catapults put the lie to that aspect of the opponent's power. Numbers of workers also count as "units" in the graph, so the actual military firepower may vary quite a bit from that shown on the graph. Of course this works both ways. If you have lots of walls/castles and workers, the graph can show you as more powerful than you are. You, however, should know better.