No Citys on desert

[Willem]

Originally posted by ZargonX
Is this a side-effect of the decreased useable lands?

Not really, though it probably has some impact. The AI will start to become more aggressive as space to build more cities becomes scarcer, but if you're getting it from all sides it probably has more to do with you not working on your diplomacy and/or not building up your military.

Most likely the latter. The other civs know what your military strength is, so if you're weak in comparison, they will pick on you. Pay a visit to your Military Advisor more often. If he lets you know your military is strong in comparison to a civ, chances are they won't mess with you. That's not always the case of course, but it's a good place to start.