1.3.1 Ultimate Diplomacy Solution: Tribal Reservations!...

Here is my invaluable "diplomatic" tip for 1.3.1. This applies especially well when you're playing on VH campaign difficulty and the AI seems to be able to crank out stack after stack of troops despite having no trade whatsoever.

If you want to secure a flank for your faction and NOT take additional AI territory or wipe out the respective enemy attacking you completely, or do "scorched earth tactic" by burning the AI's infrastructure you should take the border provinces and give them to the Native Americans (whichever faction of theirs is still alive at the time).

1. The natives will do the burning down the infrastructure bit for you while your army can move on to the next target right away rather than waiting a turn to do the burning
2. Your AI enemy's troops will be kindly escorted out from the freshly baked tribal reservation
3. It will take time for your AI enemy to declare a war on the natives (to retake their territory); all that time, your flank will be secure since the Native Americans usually do not attack anyone in Europe or India
4. Once your AI enemy retakes the territory, it has to rebuild everything; your flank will still be safe during the rebuild
5. For an additional bonus, declare war on the Native Americans BEFORE you give them the territory. That way, your army does not get teleported out and can move around the reservation freely...

For #5, you could arrange a military access treaty with the tribe. However, that's only likely to get you into diplomatic trouble later. When some ally of yours declares war on the Native Americans (or vice versa), you'd end up getting a huge (and global) diplomatic hit for "dishonoring treaties" for joining a war against someone you have military access with...

That's the way of "diplomacy" in 1.3.1 ETW...

:toilet:

p.s. Previously, I suggested giving the buffer zone to any remote faction. Giving it to anyone else but the Native Americans, would result in the infrastructure not being destroyed and the ports of the new territory owner being raided if they have a trade agreement with you. The Native Americans work better, especially Inuits and Plains Indians since they're not likely to be wiped out by the AI in their mainland.

sounds like a bit of an exploit to me:

realistically, indians aen't going to be given land in europe, and any enemy forces wouldn't just leave because of it. maybe not a huge exploit, and maybe it is made up for by the idiotic a.i., but an exploit nonetheless.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Prussian Iron

sounds like a bit of an exploit to me:

realistically, indians aen't going to be given land in europe, and any enemy forces wouldn't just leave because of it. maybe not a huge exploit, and maybe it is made up for by the idiotic a.i., but an exploit nonetheless.

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Yup. It IS an exploit (voluntarily giving up land without any compensation to anyone can be considered one), but in my not so humble opinion, it compensates for several things:

1. Game balance in which tiny AI factions can crank out full stacks of line-infantry + calvary + artillery despite having no trade or economic development whatsoever. (Of course, the alternative solution would be just to eliminate the AI factions in question)
2. The absurd diplomacy mechanism, which gives one huge, global diplomatic penalties for joining an ally in defensive wars
3. The fact that sharing a border with some minor faction that the player is not allied with guarantees a declaration of war by that someone sooner or later; most likely VERY SOON; despite that neighbor having no capacity whatsoever to win the war
4. Protectorates declaring war on your allies (or each other) or your allies declaring war on your protectorates

About #1. The current campaign AI stays "afloat" only because of cash injections (by the game engine) NOT because the AI would "know" how to develop economy & trade and protect (militarily) its developments. The loudest examples of this idiocy are non-player enemy sloops sitting in AI's trade harbors for decades despite the AI sporting full stack armies (and fleets) near-by; I'd throw AI's propensity to build fishing harbors (and never replace them) in the same category. Still, despite the mentioned economic blunders, the AI stays afloat because of cash injections. This CAI "development" approach throws game immersion out of the window. Tactical options explicitly built into the game (blockading trade, diplomatic solutions, trade partnerships, etc.) are redundant since they do not affect the AI. Thus, the only option left is either to crush the AI militarily or... to create the aforementioned "no-man's-land" zones...

Yeah it's pretty sad that there's absolutely no incentive to raid or block ports etc. It's pretty much, if it doesn't directlybenefit you, it's not useful.

One time have I ever seen the AI go bankrupt. It was Spain, I think they were down to one or two regions with lots of troops and they actually started losing troops because of it.

This is an excellent tactic!