Oddible wrote:

You clearly don't understand some of the basic mechanics (of this game and strategy gaming in general).  It is all about choices and trade offs, not absolutes.  If you auto-reject every demand without thinking of the impact of it - that is a trade off you've chosen.  Or you can do it judiciously and with foresight and planning to get the results you really want.  If you ignore religion and influence the entire game, it can feel like "winner takes all", or you can play with the tradeoffs of religious sites, civics, cultures, etc to ensure you have the religion that best allows you to accomplish your goals (whether that is your religion, theirs, or a mix). 

The dominant religion is the only religion that can spread its influence to other territories, thus it certainly feels like winner-takes-all when one turn all my territory is pink, and the next turn I bother looking the entire continent is being painted in my darker hue. Border territories actually manage to have more than 0 and less than 100% followers, a mix. I can't find out how to see which religion the rest are following but that at least can somewhat be guessed from religious pressure.

I'm not ignoring influence, there just isn't really an easy way to generate more when you lack it. 90%+ stability + high pop, staying within city cap, and .. that's about it. 

But yes, a demand for territory never is a choice for me, really. Again, not my complaint, the complaint was about doing the same thing every turn. I'm very much ok with not being the bestest strategy gamer.

Oddible wrote:

You have A LOT of options to increase your influence.  There are a bunch of different buildings and districts which can increase influence.

I remember 2 infrastructures (buildings), those are the first things I build in cites. Influence district I only remember commons quarter with +2 infl, but main purpose seems to be stability. Other influence districts are emblematic.

But I'm guessing you are talking about later eras, but even then the main source seems to remain population with 90+ stability. So rising city cap and using it fully is how to significantly increase output. Everything else is peanuts. Feel free to disagree, just be more specific then.

Oddible wrote:

But yes, a demand for territory never is a choice for me, really. Again, not my complaint, the complaint was about doing the same thing every turn. I'm very much ok with not being the bestest strategy gamer.

Don't do the same thing every turn, or every game for that matter.  Your actions should always be determined by the situation on the map and who your neighbors are, how strong their religion is, how strong their influence is.  

If a demand is rejected in turn 61, do you really think anyone would be deciding differently in turn 62? And then 63, 64, 65 ..etc. My decisions are my problem. But having to repeat my answers is just annoying, a flaw of the game, and definitely not mine.

Fuyuan wrote:
I remember 2 infrastructures (buildings), those are the first things I build in cites. Influence district I only remember commons quarter with +2 infl, but main purpose seems to be stability. Other influence districts are emblematic.
But I'm guessing you are talking about later eras, but even then the main source seems to remain population with 90+ stability. So rising city cap and using it fully is how to significantly increase output. Everything else is peanuts. Feel free to disagree, just be more specific then.

Well, there are some in each era, Pottery Workship, Theatre, Playhouse, Cinema for one.  But there is a lot you can do to increase influence.  It is a core mechanic of the game so getting to know it better would help you move up in difficulty level for sure.  Here are a couple links which may help:

- https://humankind.fandom.com/wiki/Influence

- https://screenrant.com/increase-influence-building-stability-culture-religion-humankind/

Fuyuan wrote:
If a demand is rejected in turn 61, do you really think anyone would be deciding differently in turn 62? And then 63, 64, 65 ..etc. My decisions are my problem. But having to repeat my answers is just annoying, a flaw of the game, and definitely not mine.

First, I'm trying to help you - so no need to get pissy with me.  The only reason you think you have to repeat yourself is because YOU'RE NOT LISTENING or NOT UNDERSTANDING what I'm saying to you.  You're so stuck in your own head that you're not paying attention so you think I'm saying the same thing over and over.  I'm not.  This is my last post in this thread because you seem content to be right rather than really wanting help.  But here goes...

In the Crisis screen there are Grievances and Demands.  Grievances are unactivated demands.  You can ignore them and they will automatically be Renounced, or you can Renounce them yourself by clicking on them then clicking on Renounce. You ABSOLUTELY do NOT have to escalate them to Demands, and you shouldn't unless you're ready.  You'll notice that they will have Grievances too - those will expire automatically unless they escalate them to Demands.

Demands are the next step in escalation, if you or your opponent click Demand on a Grievance it goes into the Demands section.  Now whoever clicked Demand starts to accumulate War Score until it is resolved.  YOU CAN ALSO IGNORE THIS!!! If you made the demand you will often find that they will make a counter demand.  You can withdraw your demand if you're not ready to press harder.  If they make a demand on you you have THREE options,  1) you can Refuse them - if you're bigger than them they'll back down, if not they will go to war.  Don't click Refuse unless you're ready to go to war! 2) You can Accept their demands and give them what they want - this will diffuse the tension and if they're a lot bigger than you this is the way to go.  Again, you have a little time until their war score builds up so you can wait to Accept and see if you can build up your military a bit.  Or 3) YOU CAN IGNORE THEM! This will just let their war score tick up until they either back down or go to war.  You seem to be of the opinion that you need to do something immediately with these - you don't. And YES, one or two turns can make a TON of difference.  Imagine that you have 5 cities and all of them are 1 turn away from producing a unit.  Next turn you'll be stronger than your opponent and they'll back down. Or maybe you're finishing up production of a wonder and you don't want to start a war quite yet. You have a lot of options and a lot of trade offs - thats what makes this game interesting.  Trade Routes aren't so critical that I'd ever prioritize them over good war planning.  If you just automatically go to war every time someone has a Demand of you then you're not really planning very well.  Make sure you're ready for it otherwise you're letting the AI dictate your game.  Own it!

Good luck, like I said, you being abusive to me when I'm trying to help you has ended my interest in this thread.  

Oddible wrote:

Fuyuan wrote:
I remember 2 infrastructures (buildings), those are the first things I build in cites. Influence district I only remember commons quarter with +2 infl, but main purpose seems to be stability. Other influence districts are emblematic.
But I'm guessing you are talking about later eras, but even then the main source seems to remain population with 90+ stability. So rising city cap and using it fully is how to significantly increase output. Everything else is peanuts. Feel free to disagree, just be more specific then.

Well, there are some in each era, Pottery Workship, Theatre, Playhouse, Cinema for one.  But there is a lot you can do to increase influence.  It is a core mechanic of the game so getting to know it better would help you move up in difficulty level for sure.  Here are a couple links which may help:

- https://humankind.fandom.com/wiki/Influence

- https://screenrant.com/increase-influence-building-stability-culture-religion-humankind/

You were not specific, so I just have to assume I already know of all the ways to produce influence, and the fact remains that population in high stability cities will be the main source throughout the game. 

Oddible wrote:

Fuyuan wrote:
If a demand is rejected in turn 61, do you really think anyone would be deciding differently in turn 62? And then 63, 64, 65 ..etc. My decisions are my problem. But having to repeat my answers is just annoying, a flaw of the game, and definitely not mine.

First, I'm trying to help you - so no need to get pissy with me.  The only reason you think you have to repeat yourself is because YOU'RE NOT LISTENING or NOT UNDERSTANDING what I'm saying to you.  You're so stuck in your own head that you're not paying attention so you think I'm saying the same thing over and over.  I'm not.  This is my last post in this thread because you seem content to be right rather than really wanting help.  But here goes...

In the Crisis screen there are Grievances and Demands.  Grievances are unactivated demands.  You can ignore them and they will automatically be Renounced, or you can Renounce them yourself by clicking on them then clicking on Renounce. You ABSOLUTELY do NOT have to escalate them to Demands, and you shouldn't unless you're ready.  You'll notice that they will have Grievances too - those will expire automatically unless they escalate them to Demands.

Demands are the next step in escalation, if you or your opponent click Demand on a Grievance it goes into the Demands section.  Now whoever clicked Demand starts to accumulate War Score until it is resolved.  YOU CAN ALSO IGNORE THIS!!! If you made the demand you will often find that they will make a counter demand.  You can withdraw your demand if you're not ready to press harder.  If they make a demand on you you have THREE options,  1) you can Refuse them - if you're bigger than them they'll back down, if not they will go to war.  Don't click Refuse unless you're ready to go to war! 2) You can Accept their demands and give them what they want - this will diffuse the tension and if they're a lot bigger than you this is the way to go.  Again, you have a little time until their war score builds up so you can wait to Accept and see if you can build up your military a bit.  Or 3) YOU CAN IGNORE THEM! This will just let their war score tick up until they either back down or go to war.  You seem to be of the opinion that you need to do something immediately with these - you don't. And YES, one or two turns can make a TON of difference.  Imagine that you have 5 cities and all of them are 1 turn away from producing a unit.  Next turn you'll be stronger than your opponent and they'll back down. Or maybe you're finishing up production of a wonder and you don't want to start a war quite yet. You have a lot of options and a lot of trade offs - thats what makes this game interesting.  Trade Routes aren't so critical that I'd ever prioritize them over good war planning.  If you just automatically go to war every time someone has a Demand of you then you're not really planning very well.  Make sure you're ready for it otherwise you're letting the AI dictate your game.  Own it!

Good luck, like I said, you being abusive to me when I'm trying to help you has ended my interest in this thread.  

I don't know why I have to repeat myself this often but anyways: Maybe for you, trade routes don't matter. For me they do. I want the resources and I don't care if I get them through a trade route I paid for, or by conquest. The only option that takes these resources away from me for an unforeseeable long time is to ignore the demand issued against me - therefore I don't, that is the only option that makes sense here. And I'm ok with that option, and all its consequences, just not ok with clicking the same things every single turn.

Writing in caps doesn't make you any less wrong and I'm glad you won't be responding anymore, since you are obviously not reading or at least not understanding anything I write, while accusing me of that same failure and of being pissy when I was just trying to make my point more understandable - since you obviously have problems comprehending me here. 

Also there is no more need to help, my main problem was the notification spam anyway, which can be ignored. If some future update does something about the demand spam, that would be nice. I understand that the other flaws, like the ones mentioned, other balance issues and the super weak AI can't be fixed that easily so I won't hold my breath, but at least that spam part should be easy.