(July 13, 2014 at 10:13 pm)Chad32 Wrote: I'm not sure if shared hexes benefit multiple cities, but if not I can understand if center cities lose out because of outer cities. Too close together and they won't get enough territory to prosper. too far apart, and they're harder to defend.
Shared hexes only benefit one city. In addition, your city boundary can be larger than you might think, they can certainly be bigger than 3 tiles out (the limit where you can buy tiles).
IMHO, your best defense is a strong offense. I try to not let an invading force set foot on my land. It's easier to do on island maps of course.