LordCurlyton
03-23-2007, 06:09
After reading through all these threads recently where thr topic has been brought up about the AIs rather hardheaded unwillingness to have anything other than a "Do or Die" approach, I felt like sharing my most recent experience with AI Diplomacy, mainly for the fact that its not being bugger-all hardheaded and, in fact, may be acting unreasonably nice.
So here's the SitRep: in my 0.81a Romani campaign, the forces of Epeiros attacked Patavium in 208 BC or so (can't remember the exact date). It was a piddling attack that I drove away easily, but they sent roughly 3 full stacks after Patavium and Iuovovetta (sp? the one N and a little W above the Alps), which I took from them almost imediately. After defeating those on the walls and at a bridge they actually send a diplomat and sue for peace, asking for the taken town back. Naturally I had no intention of doing so I figured the war would go on, but lo and behold they actually accepted a peace, and paid me tribute and gave me map info to boot! Thus ended the First Romani-Epeirotic War. Looking at the map info I knew they would attack again soon, being the 3rd largest faction, so I decided to sow unrest with spies and build some armies to invade Ambrakia and their homeland provinces (they had all of Greece except Spata by this point) while simultaneously marching on their Illyrian and lower Germanic holdings.
It worked, amazingly so. It was like tearing into the unprotected belly of the beast. Outside of Segesta there were no heavily defended cities. After taking the Illyrian coast plus Ambrakia and the other starting Epeirotic city, they sued for peace again, with the same demand (give back recently acquired territories). I again refused, and this time I thought I'd ask for Thermon, which I was sieging at the moment. I offered 10k as a token gesture as well. Aaaand...it worked! A first! The Second Epeirotic War had ended in a stunning victory. And I think I know why: my spies and the stupidity of the AI in keeping pop happiness up. Almost every turn they had a territory revolt to either the Sweboz or Aedui and probably about half their military strength was tied up trying to take back the territories. And another sizable chunk was marching on the Sauromatae/Bosphoran region, which left precious little to deal with me.
But here's the oddest part: since then, over the past few years, I've had on-again, off-again border wars with Epeiros and its ended the same way every time: they propose peace and demand territories, I counter with peace and demand territories that I generally am currently siegeing and give them a token amount of money, they accept. I think I'm about to start the 6th or 7th iteration of this and I should border the Pontus Exuines when all is said and done. In between border wars I occasionally buy towns from Epeiros, usually very cheaply (never paid more than 20k for one). I don't know how to feel. I'd gotten so used to the ultra-war AI that this is almost throwing me for a loop :laugh4:. Just thought I'd share since i never thought I'd see the day where the AI would actually accept anything less than Total War.
PS: I LOVE getting town in trade, since I get nice batched of freely recruited units! 4 of the 6 stacks I have wandering around on the Epeirotic front are nothing but mercs, and some pretty good ones too.
So here's the SitRep: in my 0.81a Romani campaign, the forces of Epeiros attacked Patavium in 208 BC or so (can't remember the exact date). It was a piddling attack that I drove away easily, but they sent roughly 3 full stacks after Patavium and Iuovovetta (sp? the one N and a little W above the Alps), which I took from them almost imediately. After defeating those on the walls and at a bridge they actually send a diplomat and sue for peace, asking for the taken town back. Naturally I had no intention of doing so I figured the war would go on, but lo and behold they actually accepted a peace, and paid me tribute and gave me map info to boot! Thus ended the First Romani-Epeirotic War. Looking at the map info I knew they would attack again soon, being the 3rd largest faction, so I decided to sow unrest with spies and build some armies to invade Ambrakia and their homeland provinces (they had all of Greece except Spata by this point) while simultaneously marching on their Illyrian and lower Germanic holdings.
It worked, amazingly so. It was like tearing into the unprotected belly of the beast. Outside of Segesta there were no heavily defended cities. After taking the Illyrian coast plus Ambrakia and the other starting Epeirotic city, they sued for peace again, with the same demand (give back recently acquired territories). I again refused, and this time I thought I'd ask for Thermon, which I was sieging at the moment. I offered 10k as a token gesture as well. Aaaand...it worked! A first! The Second Epeirotic War had ended in a stunning victory. And I think I know why: my spies and the stupidity of the AI in keeping pop happiness up. Almost every turn they had a territory revolt to either the Sweboz or Aedui and probably about half their military strength was tied up trying to take back the territories. And another sizable chunk was marching on the Sauromatae/Bosphoran region, which left precious little to deal with me.
But here's the oddest part: since then, over the past few years, I've had on-again, off-again border wars with Epeiros and its ended the same way every time: they propose peace and demand territories, I counter with peace and demand territories that I generally am currently siegeing and give them a token amount of money, they accept. I think I'm about to start the 6th or 7th iteration of this and I should border the Pontus Exuines when all is said and done. In between border wars I occasionally buy towns from Epeiros, usually very cheaply (never paid more than 20k for one). I don't know how to feel. I'd gotten so used to the ultra-war AI that this is almost throwing me for a loop :laugh4:. Just thought I'd share since i never thought I'd see the day where the AI would actually accept anything less than Total War.
PS: I LOVE getting town in trade, since I get nice batched of freely recruited units! 4 of the 6 stacks I have wandering around on the Epeirotic front are nothing but mercs, and some pretty good ones too.