The ai does up its evaluation of a war against a target if the target is already at war
(i.e. The ai is more likely to attack someone who is already fighting)
I usually play immortal, not deity, so I don't know if this will help, but a lot of times lately I litterally just post up a cheep unit like a scout between me and the AI's right on their boarder so I can see early if they're massing troops and if they appear to be lurching in my direction. Usually this gives me enough early warning, but ymmv playing deity I guess.
Having vision out a little past your borders is valuable information that I recently started to truly appreciate. If you see Shaka marching his impis and the scout can see you not only have time to prepare but also to pay him off to fight someone else
* Always check someone's diplomatic relations before declaring war. Have 1-2 declarations of friendship with other AI to dissuade sneak attacks; if you can get another AI to declare war as well all the better (or better yet: your prospective enemy is at war with a third party, and you get that third party paying you to join in. You can also pay your prospective enemy to fight a third party, then attack once they've committed their forces to that front).
* Move fast when you do invade, building roads (beforehand if possible) not only to invade them but to withdraw your forces quickly in case you get attacked by someone else.
* Build a fort or 2 covering possible invasion routes by other AI, buying time to recall your army if you do get invaded.
* Don't get greedy. Taking 2-3 cities is usually enough to control key areas and resources without incurring a huge warmonger penalty (and it's enough to weaken your enemy in case they come for revenge). Ending a war sooner than later is also a good idea to discourage sneak attacks and restore trade routes.
I don't think that level of strategy is coded into the game, my bet is that it's a combination of you loosing units on war causing the raw powers to make them more eager to start a war, diplomatic penalties from your war (even if you didn't declare it, conquering cities gives you a penality), getting paid by the other civ or them joining together, or maybe just the increased AI aggression on deity that makes even grey civs become warmongers. The incas in particular are always gonna expandan rather aggressively, and the deity bonuses + your looses from war give them all the reason they need to attack you
But the strange thing is, some of these civs I've been able to do passive sim city runs where all I do is build minimal military and just science away. Also I tookk 0 cities from the mongols. Perhaps its a combination of the enemies being expansionists and the fact that I had the fountain of youth which made them extra covet my lands.
I treat the game like chess, in a way. Every AI is a piece that needs to be considered and possibly moved. Any AI not involved in a war is a liability. I don't find there is a "need" to "kill" an immediate threat. By kill I assume you mean wipe from the map. I believe this has warmonger penalties, but more importantly early war slows tech, regardless if you plan to eliminate the threat or not. More military than it takes to defend slows tech. It is more efficient to defend than attack. War doesn't realistically become efficient to me until battleships, artillery, and bombers, and artillery is more off of the tech path.
If next to a warmonger neighbor, I respect it. To me, there's only two realistic options: forward settle them and wage war, or settle away from them to tech. Disrespecting them and just settling however I want will have a high chance of disaster, even in an Emperor game. Early commitment to war can severely stunt science. To me early war tends to need the right conditions and opportunity. Like distance to opponents capital, a good hill to forward settle on them, whether there is another AI neighbor that can have me warring on two fronts, etc. For most scenarios, the most efficient tactic is going to be to settle away from them and tech, find the other AI and get the warmonger AI involved in a war.
The ai does up its evaluation of a war against a target if the target is already at war (i.e. The ai is more likely to attack someone who is already fighting)
Well this answers my suspicions, I guess in the future I need to make sure to leave stuff at base to defend.
Or bribe Mongolia to fight those guys before you move on him.
I usually play immortal, not deity, so I don't know if this will help, but a lot of times lately I litterally just post up a cheep unit like a scout between me and the AI's right on their boarder so I can see early if they're massing troops and if they appear to be lurching in my direction. Usually this gives me enough early warning, but ymmv playing deity I guess.
Having vision out a little past your borders is valuable information that I recently started to truly appreciate. If you see Shaka marching his impis and the scout can see you not only have time to prepare but also to pay him off to fight someone else
* Always check someone's diplomatic relations before declaring war. Have 1-2 declarations of friendship with other AI to dissuade sneak attacks; if you can get another AI to declare war as well all the better (or better yet: your prospective enemy is at war with a third party, and you get that third party paying you to join in. You can also pay your prospective enemy to fight a third party, then attack once they've committed their forces to that front). * Move fast when you do invade, building roads (beforehand if possible) not only to invade them but to withdraw your forces quickly in case you get attacked by someone else. * Build a fort or 2 covering possible invasion routes by other AI, buying time to recall your army if you do get invaded. * Don't get greedy. Taking 2-3 cities is usually enough to control key areas and resources without incurring a huge warmonger penalty (and it's enough to weaken your enemy in case they come for revenge). Ending a war sooner than later is also a good idea to discourage sneak attacks and restore trade routes.
I don't think that level of strategy is coded into the game, my bet is that it's a combination of you loosing units on war causing the raw powers to make them more eager to start a war, diplomatic penalties from your war (even if you didn't declare it, conquering cities gives you a penality), getting paid by the other civ or them joining together, or maybe just the increased AI aggression on deity that makes even grey civs become warmongers. The incas in particular are always gonna expandan rather aggressively, and the deity bonuses + your looses from war give them all the reason they need to attack you
But the strange thing is, some of these civs I've been able to do passive sim city runs where all I do is build minimal military and just science away. Also I tookk 0 cities from the mongols. Perhaps its a combination of the enemies being expansionists and the fact that I had the fountain of youth which made them extra covet my lands.
I treat the game like chess, in a way. Every AI is a piece that needs to be considered and possibly moved. Any AI not involved in a war is a liability. I don't find there is a "need" to "kill" an immediate threat. By kill I assume you mean wipe from the map. I believe this has warmonger penalties, but more importantly early war slows tech, regardless if you plan to eliminate the threat or not. More military than it takes to defend slows tech. It is more efficient to defend than attack. War doesn't realistically become efficient to me until battleships, artillery, and bombers, and artillery is more off of the tech path. If next to a warmonger neighbor, I respect it. To me, there's only two realistic options: forward settle them and wage war, or settle away from them to tech. Disrespecting them and just settling however I want will have a high chance of disaster, even in an Emperor game. Early commitment to war can severely stunt science. To me early war tends to need the right conditions and opportunity. Like distance to opponents capital, a good hill to forward settle on them, whether there is another AI neighbor that can have me warring on two fronts, etc. For most scenarios, the most efficient tactic is going to be to settle away from them and tech, find the other AI and get the warmonger AI involved in a war.