Russians are bloodthirsty

[deater]

Are the Russians programmed to be especially arrogant and annoying?

This is my third game in a row where unprovoked around 1200 AD a large Russian invasion force consisting of at least 20 knights and 20 swordsman has started marching through my territory. No matter what I do to try to appease her, Catherine declares war.

The first two times (once as German, once as Babylon) it ended poorly, as she convinced all the AI to gang up on me.

This time I was ready, and super fortified the Russian fronteir ahead of time. Also for some reason I have 5 of the world's saltpeter deposits so I have kept her from gunpowder.

But still.. I can understand the game randomly picking an AI to go on the rampage, but always Catherine, always in the same way around the same time? Or should I just chalk this up as coincidence?

[Skanky Burns]

Maybe its a reflection on your playing style, you just give out an "Attack Me" signal to the Russians around the 1200's


Damn, i wish infogames released Civ 3 in Australia earlier... 2 weeks and counting

[Martinus]

Deater,

I have the same thing with Romans. I was appeasing them through the whole game (as Babylon) and suddenly they declared a war on me. And just like in your case, it was not some petty skirmish, but a full scale invasion.

I don't think this is an AI bug though. It is nice to be a peaceful and culturally advanced Civ (I like that style very much), but historically and realistically speaking, your civ is only as good as the army defends it (In real world history, Romans conquered culturally advanced Greeks and Egyptians, despite the fact that the latter did not provoke them too much.)

Also, what quite surprised me was the Roman AI skill at handling the invasion. Rather than conquering and keeping the city (which would make it revert to me in no time, due to my cultural superiority), they razed it and moved all citizens (as slaves/workers) into their Empire. I must say I was quite impressed. Only within few turns (involving quick change to Monarchy - Religious CSA coming in handy) I was able to get enough advantage, and Romans offered me peace in exchange for the workers they enslaved (another nice detail making the game great :b)

So, all in all, as the ancients Romans put it: "Si vis pacem, para bellum" - "If you want peace, better prepare for war"

[kaan]

i have seen that too.
i played 3 games as germans and they all ended with russia taking my cities.
maybe each civ has a preffered enemy

[Garth Vader]

maybe each civ has a preffered enemy

Thats possible, in my first two games as Russians I have had Germans, French and Engligh on my continent both times.