I'll show some of the depth of this series off right here.
Well, right now, in Civ 4, the entire world is about to get rocked. I'm leading the Indian Empire as Ghandi, and we are the most prosperous and advanced civ.
However, my closest ally is the American Empire, who had war declared on him by Bismarck of Germany and Louis XIV of France. He will almost certainly turn to me for help, since we are close geographically. I could use this chance to
A) Annhilate the Americans, but in doing so killing off a close ally and trade partner, which in turn
-leaves me open to attack by the Germans and French, who dislike me because I refuse to trade with them or open my borders to them
B) Help the Americans out, which might let me eliminate the French and Germans, who are rivals of mine. This could lead to
-me turning America against the Persians, who are my biggest rival as of right now. Doing this would let us sandwich them in and sack their cities.
C) Or, I could remain neutral and let America fend for itself. This would lead to
-My only potential ally being killed, which would mean
-I would be surrounded by enemies,a nd
-I would reap the benefits of taking some American cities for example (hey, they want to join the glorious Indian Empire)
However, my military is stretched thin and diplomacy is the only thing keeping my cities safe. But, my military posseses superior technology and is highly mobile. I also have the added benefit of being the founder of Islam, Christianity, Taoism, Confucianism, and Buddhism. This means I have great control over the populations of other civs if I convert them. I have the highest culture rating as well.
Anyways, Civ 4 owns. The depth is awesome!