Why is an allied city-state allying with someone else?

[Delphaeus]

I thought I'd try playing a different style and its actually quite empowering when someone declares war on you and 6 or 8 city states declare war against them with you.

However, I have a couple of problems that I can't work out. I was allied with a few city states for quite a while, then they suddenly changed alliances to Greece. Now even though i have relationships of 140/60 they still don't ally with me.

Is there a way to win back their allegiance?

Thanks in advance

[GC13]

They ally with the civ who has the highest influence over them, so long as that influence is above sixty, so being at 140 is no guarantee of alliance. Open up their window and hover over your current influence. It should tell you how much influence you need to have the most influence (and thus the alliance).

[Wiegraf]

Having 60+ relationship with a CS is a necessary yet not a satisfying condition to ally with that CS. If Greece has a higher relationship, even your 140 relationship will only result in friendship. Click on the CS and hover your mouse over Greece's symbol next to where it sais "Ally". The tool tip will tell you how much more influence than you Greece has on that CS. To get your ally back, just pump money in or complete their quests to gather additional influence until you surpass Greece.

[Delphaeus]

Thanks for the help

[Random Reference #98]

Alexander does that, you will have to buy/quest them back or use spies to rig elections or stage coups.

[xycotta]

or crush Greece..............

[dasaard200]

Render ALEX into fertilizer for next year's crops, leave no Greeks alive; and the CS's will crave new patrons willing to buy them out, and protect them from everybody else .

[americanman_4_life]

Of course... meanwhile as your fighting to crush greece, you are at war with those CS that you once had 140 with, if they are ally with greece. So when you finally finish him off... and he is completely gone (depending on if you have complete kills or not), and you regain peace with said CS that you once had 140 with... your 140 will surely be gone, especially if you ever struck them with a single blow in your being at war...

If you manage to never strike them, I think when peace is restored with said CS, than the Influence returns to how it was when war was initially declared MINUS any loss over time. Whatever you lose in influence over time, will be counted... So if you can manage a short war with Greece and accomplish crushing him quickly, and never touched that CS in the conflict, than your better off restoring your alliance with CS close to the 140 you had it at... but if it's a long war, or you have to strike any of CS units or city, than most or all your influence will be lost, and you have to work harder to regain.... I think! It's been awhile sense i seen this.

Tip; Prepare heavily for war before attacking Greece... I don't know how your game is at the time you see this, or if still going... but if you can, prepare a seperate force for ea of his cities, and try to cover different angles of his empire, and possibly attack all cities at same time, this will reduce the time the war takes drastically. Also, if you have gold... and lots... or strategic resources in large enough quantities to bribe another, try and encourage another empire who dislikes Greece, or even has denounced greece, to also go to war with him. if possible, send em off to war without you involved right away... if Greece only has to deal with them, they'll likely send more their armies to that battle front... if that empire is effective, will not only keep army busy from another direction, will reduce his forces... when your prepared, blindside him from weak side.

[americanman_4_life]

I said all that in response to xycotta and dassard's suggestions about crushing Greece... which could be a good tactic if your in to that... but I thought I added some important insight if you do.

However, to answer your question, they pretty much nailed it. For any, for ALL City States, ea city State can have ONLY one Ally at a time. So if multiple Civ's have more than 60 influence for any CS, the CS allies with highest, every time. Cause it lasts longer. However... Greece's in-game benefit (I love playing as greece), if you ever read up on Greece, they have higher base influence over all CS and lose influence a lot slower than any other Civ. Most of Greece's historic read is about how most of empire consisted of a bunch of CS within the area, and someone finally gathered them all together and called it a nation... Which is stupid, cause that's how ALL civilizations in all of time are basically founded, so its inaccurate to say Greece was the only one, but that's how they made the game... For example, look at America... initially the 13 colonies with many more popular cities forming those colonies. For while, America was a Vassal state or puppet state to England. Japan was divided in to many factions, AND sub factions, all packed in on the island, fighting each other for thousands of years.

Anyway, playing against Greece is difficult if you like your CS relationships, cause it's much esier for Greece to gain CS friendship's and much easier for Greece to keep, than any other. Especially if they boost relationships through policies and/or religion... I did that playing as Greece, pushed through the Patronage tree, and boosted my Religion to boost CS... that game I did custome settings, and played AS Greece, Against ONLY ROME... I thought Ceaser Augustus vs ALexander was an Awesome show down... and i made map with 24 CS, cause I knew greece's gift!! By the end, I was allied with 21!! If you do this, play on Islands or continents, cause Ceaser expands fast on land. Slow to gain island cities... But that game was fun!

Anyway... one other tip would be Espionage. I can't say much about espionage influence over CS though. I don't like (infact I despise) what they did in Civ V for espionage, so I just turn it off. I know spies can instantly change CS alliances though.

Hope this helps.