I've noticed that with the newer releases and on higher difficulty levels your relations to other civs rarely go up to Close unless you specifically do something to improve the relationship. I used to find in the past that just trading techs and setting up trade routes with a friendly AI would eventually get me a Close relationship if I wait. I'm finding now that I need to give gifts to them occasionally (cash, ships, tech) to get it beyond Friendly. I'm not saying this is a bad thing, it's just different from what I was used to.
Does anyone else know if this change is because of a newer release, or is this normal when you play on the higher difficulty levels?