Going shopping...

**Pere Ubu** · 03-06-2006, 18:35

I just bought a province from the Julii for a lousy 17.000 denari... I just don't get it: why should they sell me a province (and an Italian one, too - that is, Ariminum) when they're one of the strongest factions on the map and their objective is to have a lot of provinces? I didn't even menace them, just bargained a little (they were willing to sell it even for less if I attacked their enemies). Is this considered cheating or is it normal to play like I'm Billus Gateus and I can buy anything my heart desires?

**Avicenna** · 03-06-2006, 18:52

Maybe it doesn't earn much money and they plan on attacking you anyway.

**Proletariat** · 03-07-2006, 19:15

Diplomacy has always baffled me with this game. Gaul will offer a truce with me for 5,000 big ones and then lay siege to a settlement of mine on the very same turn. I know I've come across extensive research on the mechanics of R:TW's diplomacy, but personally I've never seen much evidence of it actually existing. Other than for trade rights, I more or less ignore it now.

**Avicenna** · 03-07-2006, 19:27

Prole: maybe they wanted a level up for their diplomat? Who knows how it works.

By the way, what is your game patched to?

**Proletariat** · 03-07-2006, 19:35

I'm patched to 1.5, and FWIW (pretty sure it doesn't matter) that particular instance happened yesterday in my first campaign playing as the Julii on the SPQR 6.0 mod.

I saw nutty things like that happen on vanilla too, but I also recollect other Orgahs describing how they dumped off cash to other factions to avoid the 50k mark, and then receiving some goodwill from those factions later. Even things like getting a settlement handed over to them! So there must be some causality there, but it's flukey enough for me not to bother with it.

**Avicenna** · 03-07-2006, 19:45

Is 1.5 BI? If it is, I know that BI diplomacy is just completely messed up. Vanilla was far better. But diplomacy is nothing in BI anyway, so that doesn't matter if BI is all you play.

**Proletariat** · 03-07-2006, 19:51

BI is 1.6 and the latest for R:TW is 1.5. Even with screwy diplomacy it's still fun to conquer the uncivilized Gauls, so I'm still happy.

**Ludens** · 03-09-2006, 14:02

As far as diplomacy is concerned, A.I. is short for Artificial Idiocy.

Well, perhaps not. Sometimes the A.I. shows good sense (for example in response to a diplomatic threat); but mostly the basic design is flawed. The A.I. doesn't seem to be able to assess threats and has only a vague idea of value. It also seems to me that the effects of a negotiation are not processed until the end of the turn, leading to such stupidities as Proletariat describes.

**Ciaran** · 03-10-2006, 17:31

Talk about Artificial Idiocy, playing as Egypt, the Seleucids offered me an Alliance and betrayed me the next turn. Now that particular oddity, however, I attribute to the fact that one of your allies always backstabs you. And I had delibertately not made any alliances myself.

**Kalray** · 03-15-2006, 00:02

I've had problems with diplomacy especialy AI Factions who won't give ceasefires when they must know that they are beaten and are no more of a threat than a choclate broadsword(history is probably replete with people who spent lots of other peoples lives on thier own pride but there must be limits surely). This forces me to spend time driving them off the campaign map taking cities I have absolutely no interest in. Maybe its becuase I kept asking them for peace and this was percieved as weakness?

The AI factions also seem to forge alliances without the slightest thought for the consequences.

**Alexanderofmacedon** · 03-18-2006, 20:15

It's funny to see me when I pay an ally or give them some settlement, then they attack me. I get pissed and go overkill on them. I slaughter every city and kill every man to the last

**Avicenna** · 03-19-2006, 11:29

Originally Posted by Alexanderofmacedon

It's funny to see me when I pay an ally or give them some settlement, then they attack me. I get pissed and go overkill on them. I slaughter every city and kill every man to the last

Don't give them settlements. Easy as that. Or give them settlements which you can easily retake (eg something in the middle of your empire)