"There's Got to Be Another Way"

[Hajji Giray I]

Well, I was reading the manual, and I noticed that while it talked quite a bit about fighting a war--it didn't say how to declare one.

After playing a bit, I have learned that moving your army into another country's province gives you the option to declare war. But is that really the only way to do it?

Speaking of which, why is it that I can't move my troops through my ally's provinces? This is very unuseful when I am Egypt and I want to fight the Byzantines, but my friends the Turks beat me to it and now I can't get to the Byzantine lands without declaring war on the Turks.

[ShadesPanther]

well sinking his ships is another way to declare war (but in 1.0 you ca't battle in sea so download 1.1 )

Well you can't have complex treaties like civ3 but in RTW you will be able to move troops through allied provinces and have tributes. so now you get rewarded for almost crushig a country http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/cool.gif

[Gregoshi]

Greeting and welcome to the Org Hajji. http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/wave.gif

I'm not 100% certain of this, but I think declaring a crusade (jihad too?) to another faction's province will be considered a declaration of war.

[The_Emperor]

of course if you send out a few assassins after the Turkish Sultan his faction might collapse by a lack of heirs... and then your only dealing with rebels http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

[Hajji Giray I]

Hmmmm...it always seems that my assassin is killed before he even leaves the country. http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

[The_Emperor]

if your playing with VI and the enemy has border forts your gonna be in trouble with that.

Oh well whoever said being King was easy http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

[the Black Prince]

Emperors had it even harder

[Nigel]

I also noticed that the only way to declare war was to actually march in your troops (or ships) and attack.

I feel especially guilty about this when I want to ...um.... aquire the territories of an ...umm.. ally. It would be nice if there was an option to honourably cancel a treaty before a few years later persuading your ex-ally to hand over his castle keys at swordpoint. Hopefully they think about this for R:TW.

[ShadesPanther]

If he is fighting a war send an emissary to his enemy and make an alliance then it will cancel yours with the first guy http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif . You can send loads of spies to his province make a rebellion and then grab it and you will still be allied http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

[The_Emperor]

Quote[/b] (the Black Prince @ July 22 2003,21:29)]Emperors had it even harder
Yep, they sure did

Its tough at the top http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

Anyway try to remember that all your allies will stab you in the back anyway... so i say its better to work by your timetable and not the AI's.

[clovenhoof]

Hajji,

The diplomacy in MTW is sadly lacking and shallow. An alliance shouldhave three levels: 1 a non-agression pact,2 a military pact allowing you to move soliders through his province and vice versa and 3 a true alliance where if you are attacked your ally has to declare war on your attacker and send help. People say that this is Total War and not Total Diplomacy so such details as multi-leveled alliances are left out, but in reality if Total War was to be anything like realistic war, such alliances and treaties would be built into the game.

A way to get around your allies lands when moving troops is through trade routes- which you should have established asap. Just build ships and link them together to as many other provinces as possible. If you really want to invade someone and you don't have many trade routes established yet, just build a route with your ships to the province you want to invade. You'll see that when a province has a port, any agent or army in that province can move into any province in whos sea zone you have a ship.

If your Egypt, you definitely want the trade routes anyways- they can make you alot of money- and both egypt and a bunch of byzantine provinces are accesable from the eastern mediteranian. Unless the byzantines have a huge fleet, you shoulden't need to build more than a few ships to reach them. hope this helped.

[Hajji Giray I]

The diplomacy function is indeed totally lacking. Just what is an alliance, anyways? My allies the Turkish went to war with the Byzantines (aha I thought, a chance to fight&#33http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif but even though we were allied--I wasn't even asked to join the fight. Similarly, I have two other European allies (Sicily and Italy, I think) but they have never asked me into a war. And no military access treaties. And no share-explorations. Speaking of which, how can you be allies with someone without even knowing if (not to mention where) they exist? And how can I send an emissary to the X commander to ask for alliance or truce--if I don't know where he is?

Just some diplomatic questions, or maybe suggestions.

[clovenhoof]

You have to send the Diplomat out- province by province- and explore the entire map to be able to ally with whom you please. As your diplomat goes through each province, you will know whos in that province. To ally with a faction you have to drop the diplomat peice onto the factions ruler peice. Good luck finding him early in the game

[KukriKhan]

Princesses & bishops/alims also serve that 'find your potential ally' function, and further illuminate the map (i.e. increase your intel). Keep in mind that princesses will retire from court in their late 30's if unmarried, so their usefulness as explorers/spies has a clock-ticking caveat.

[The_Emperor]

Quote[/b] (clovenhoof @ July 23 2003,08:04)]You have to send the Diplomat out- province by province- and explore the entire map to be able to ally with whom you please. As your diplomat goes through each province, you will know whos in that province. To ally with a faction you have to drop the diplomat peice onto the factions ruler peice. Good luck finding him early in the game
Dropping an Emissary on another faction's emissary also starts off the Seek Alliance function, and your Emissary will make a direct journey to the other faction's King.

This doesn't work with Bishops or Alims from what I can make out.

[Nigel]

What I sometimes do when I am desrerately looking for the other factions King to alla with is that I drop an emissary onto an emissary of that faction. Then, when I display that emissarys details it will say something like John Smith on a mission to Bavaria to seek an alliance.
Thus I know the other king is in Bavaria and if I have another emissary closer to that province I cancel the mission of John Smith and use the other emissary instead.

If I can, I like to have one emissary or princess in each territory. But I guess I am just a control freak who does not like black spots on his map http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

[HopAlongBunny]

Quote[/b] (Nigel @ July 23 2003,16:18)]But I guess I am just a control freak who does not like black spots on his map http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif
Me too http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

I play GA almost everytime. After the initial battle for the homeland I litter the map with priests and emissaries. My lands receive even more attn, getting assassins and spies as well.

[The_Emperor]

I'd rather have a religious agent in a territory rather than an Emissary. For some reason they have a slightly better chance at surviving an assassins knife (as well as the added bonus of making converts)

The downside is that religious agents cannot request a marrage (and they can cause problems for my moving squads of inquisitors, but I can easily move them out of the way)