Alliances

[Derfasciti]

For all the TW games,(focusing on MTW/STW though) what is the real affect of alliances with AI? Does it really affect their decisions to go to war with you? What if you break an alliance, will your future alliance proposals be harder to be accepeted by other factions because they know your history of treachery? Any info is much appreciated.

[ByzantineKnight]

For all the TW games,(focusing on MTW/STW though) what is the real affect of alliances with AI? Does it really affect their decisions to go to war with you? What if you break an alliance, will your future alliance proposals be harder to be accepeted by other factions because they know your history of treachery? Any info is much appreciated.

I don't know about STW (I've never played it) but in MTW Cathlioc factions tended to treat alliances with Non-Cathlioc factions as less binding as ones with Cathlioc factions (Probably because of the Pope). It affects their decisions to go to war (they will be less likely) with you, except if they are boxed in. Then they attack whoever they hate more. I've had lots of factions declare war on me because I attacked an ally but that might be because they were all Cathlioc and I was Orthadox. They are less likely to make alliances in the late game or after you have attacked an ally.

[CrossLOPER]

Allies will usually trust you more and, in my experience, allow you to stack armies on borders without freaking out and attacking you. They also tend to act more aggresively towards other targets. Catholic alliances (especially with the French) tend to be more brittle than Muslim alliances. In STW, allies become war hungery and seem attack everyone they can once they have secured a border. Behavior more or less depends on what situation your ally is in.

[Dutch_guy]

In Medieval your King actually loses one influence point if you decide to attack an ally, so I think the AI loses one too - if it decides to attack an ally.

I don't know if it's intentional, but alliances between same-religion factions do tend to last longer, if it's because of the pope (for Catholic factions) or because of some piece of code I don't know.

Also, In Medieval your allies do tend to help you out (say when you'r being besieged) something I have yet to see in Rome. I reckon this is due to the somewhat more simple map in Medieval, which seems to work way better for the AI.

Still, even in Medieval alliances don't tend to be a decisive factor for a faction to determine if a war is worthwhile. Factions may seek an alliance one turn, and decide to attack you only moments later. Usually when you're busy fighting a war on your other frontier :shame:

:balloon2:

[CrossLOPER]

Also, In Medieval your allies do tend to help you out (say when you'r being besieged) something I have yet to see in Rome. I reckon this is due to the somewhat more simple map in Medieval, which seems to work way better for the AI.

I forgot to mention that. Good of you to point that out.

[Ludens]

In STW, allies become war hungery and seem attack everyone they can once they have secured a border. Behavior more or less depends on what situation your ally is in.
In S:TW, it depended mainly on the A.I. personality. The Takeda clan would break alliances for no reason other than that their leaders was bored. On the other hand, Hojo tended to be very reliable. This mechanism was present in M:TW as well, but I got the impression that A.I. personalties changed far more rapidly.

[ByzantineKnight]

The Takeda clan would break alliances for no reason other than that their leaders was bored.

Sounds like me :laugh4: