do friendly and hostile nations exist?

[stranger_2]

I don't know how many of U really care bout this, but 4 me the historical realism of the game is really important (and the authors also seem to care). So what I'd propose to make the game more realistic is, that some nations should be more friendly (and some more hostile) towards each other. Why?Basically, cause they were in the real history.
Let's say for example, that HRE attacks Poland and Hungarians immediately start to help Germans. The probability of such event in RL would be... zero% http://www.totalwar.org/ubb/wink.gif ? Well, it happened to me when playing Poland, Hungary being my ally, princesses "exchanged" and so on. And I was neither too strong, nor too weak, so that they "should" attack me, IYKWIM.
It doesn't of course matter at all, that it happened to me http://www.totalwar.org/ubb/wink.gif - it just shouldn't happen, if this is supposed to be a real medieval simulation.

Well, two facts made me think, that maybe such mechanism is already built in. First, that French and English usually start to fight each other sooner or later - but that may as well be a good strategical move 'n nothin more. The other one was, what Insolent1 wrote (he was playing Poland on hard):

"The Hungarians wether allied or neutral have never attacked me & I have left Poland without a garrison for long periods of time 10+ years."

This seems too gracious 4 a "my interest only" AI, doesn't it? But, as I wrote, something bit on the contrary happened to me...

So does anybody know anything about it?

[Yoko Kono]

i think the game is designed so that YOU influence this
certain nations are designed to be aggressive but im not sure if thats towards specific peoples
in my games the HRE always seem to go for italy while poland and hungary stay almost exclusively allied to one another for long periods

[Grifman]

The problem is you won't play by the same rules, disadvantaging the AIs. Say the game calls for the Italians and French to like each other more, while the French and Italians both hate the HRE. So you play the Italians, use the French to crush the HRE, then you turn on the French and screw them. The AI can't deal with that because you are supposed to be their friends.

Grifman

[stranger_2]

Well, Grifman, U R surely right, which makes me think the reason of my... discomfort is deeper. I mean to be allied with somebody doesn't really mean much in TWs. It's kinda "let's pretend we like each other untill I stab U in the back" and has no real consequences. Allies should generally help each other, so one ally should be at least able to REQUEST help from the other if being attacked, if not simply get it. But if U want to get something, than U should give something, so if someone wouldn't help his allies, then it should become less likely, that other factions would like to ally with him or help him (and bit more likely if he would). And if somebody would attack his allies, than others should become more hostile towards him. And so on, and so on.
I don't think it's so hard to make.

P.S. I don't know if U've seen the "Bad Boy" mechanism in Europa Universalis (although TWs are generally much much better, well, simply the best, EU included some good ideas and better solutions I'd also like to see in TWs). It was very simple - if somebody behaved badly, like attacked everyone around, broken treaties and so on, than his BB value was rising, makin others want to "kick the bastard". U could also check, how hostile/friendly others are toward U and try to send them gifts and do other things to make'em more friendly. It was simple and would probably be easy to apply in here.

[malkuth]

That would make the game to predicatable. The only thing wrong with making nations historically acuarte is that it will get boring after 1 or 2 games.

The way it is now you just dont know what your going to get. I must say that the french always seem to tick off the pope in everygame though. Getting Excommunicated 23 times is getting kinda old. LOL.

[spmetla]

Erasing the past...

[stranger_2]

So, from what Yoko&Spmetla wrote, it seems, that it's already there, but the player is kinda excluded from it. It may be a good idea, according to what Malkuth wrote and what seems to be a really strong argument 4 me. I would gladly come back to this topic later, but now I think such changes would only have sense if the diplomacy would change first.

So as we face a change of topic here, I'm going to make a new thread on diplomacy, maybe it will attract more poeple.

[insolent1]

lol quoted http://www.totalwar.org/ubb/wink.gif
as Looser said I haven't been attacked and I now have stipped all my provinces bordering the Hungarians of troops. The Hungarians have even left 2 provinces completely empty as their is a very big religious war in France and all the catholic factions that remain are fighting together against the Alomhads. I'm even going to be nice & not invade Hungary with my hidden army for the GA points. The HRE are probably the most aggressive faction I have come across in all my campaigns but most of this is due to their situation. One thing I do know for sure if a faction is fighting elsewhere it will very rarely pick another fight. The only real exception to this that I have seen is the HRE but again thats due to their situation. I have seen the almohads & spainish live together happily together for 300 years & only when I began picking off the almo's did the spainish snatch Cordoba. I think their is some rules for the different AI factions to follow.