AI Fight to the death?

[Duke Bart]

I have noticed often than when go to war with some AI they will always insist on fighting untill they are completely dead, never taking a ceasefire.


For example, played as france, spain went to war with me while i was preparing for wars to the north and east. I took two of spain's three territories leaving them with 1 left.

I didnt want to go all the way to their remaining city, which was somewhat well guarded (i wasnt really attacking full force with the economic strain starting to hit me). So i decided id take it later instead of worrying if my half stack can beat theirs and hold the city.

Like any reasonable king of the time, i send a diplomat and offer him a ceasefire. So to me it is as if i am throwing the stupid AI a bone, i mean come on they cant win. So instead of being happy with their freedom and perhaps regaining some strength, they counter propose with some stupid demand i didnt even read.

Anyone know why the AI just wont take a ceasefire when its obviousley their only hope for survival?

[WhiskeyGhost]

It's more or less hardcoded to be biased against the player. If your better off then them, they hate, you if your weaker, you make a nice target.....etc etc etc.

You might be able to get a ceasefire if your not too powerful, and have a good reputation, and somehow have kept good terms with the target and so on and so forth. It's mostly a giant hassle just to get a defeated enemy to submit or even ceasefire.

[Duke Bart]

Ahh ic, well thats a huge pain since sometimes i just dont want to deal with another front.

Update on my war with spain tho, i decided to just leave them and hope they sit quiet, they didnt so i just called off all of my western and northern campaigns ( Building up against the HRE and that rich bastard milan, leaving england to rot since i captured london and york, leaving them with caen nd caevernon so im assuming they will go broke soon)

So yeah, that whole peninsula belongs to me, and a well placed fleet keeps the moors secluded. I guess thats what they get for their crap.

[Jason X]

bart - they won't easily accept a ceasefire if your relations are rubbish - or if your reputation is bad.

also, it's much harder to get peace with a shadow faction (not sure if spain is shadow to france or not)

[PBI]

The AI doesn't seem to factor it's own survival in at all when making diplomatic decisions. It would be nice if the AI were a bit more pragmatic, i.e. less likely to take an attack as personal insult and decide to fight to the death rather than ever deal with you again, more likely to accept when further resistance is futile.

[Mek Simmur al Ragaski]

Even if they are almost destroyed, they will not accept a ceasefire if your reputation is fairly bad, i would just destroy them, the Pope isnt that powerful...

[Zaleukos]

The AI is the weak link of this game. They should incorporate some sort of war score.

It will almost always accept a ceasefire if you dont share a border. Let the conquered border settlements go rebel. It's what I do if attacked by a largish enemy that I dont want to incorporate into my realm.

There are two ways to get a safe border:

As a catholic: give the border settlements to the pope and avoid excommunication.

As anyone: give the border settlements to a vassal and hope that the vassal wont be excommunicated/crusaded/jihaded by your other allies. It's hard as hell to vassalise enemies though.

[CynicalP]

I don't remember playing any game where the AI has some sense self preservation. Those games that attempt to simulate it usually do so just to buy some time to backstab the player a few turns later leaving you no option other than to annihlilate them. It would be nice to see the AI grovel a bit and beg for mercy.

[Gaiseric]

Diplomacy in MTW2 can be very annoying. In my games I have given up on diplomats and only use them to get trade rights. Whats more annoying is that if you ingnore spain they will keep harrassing you untill you eliminate them completely.

If world conquest is your goal for this campaign, I would forget about diplomacy, and not worry too much about reputation or relations either.

[ataribaby]

As others have said, it's your global reputation and your relationship with the other faction that's stopping your diplomat brokering the ceasefire. You're usually best off either sticking the boot in (assault their final settlement in one turn with artillery/spies to avoid papal sanctions), or waiting for them to beg you for the ceasefire.

It is pretty dumb though huh? It seems to be (counter-intuitively) very difficult to crush the spirit of a weaker faction without destroying them. How can you have a relationship that is anything other than abysmal with a warring faction?!

[Duke Bart]

I at least hoped vassalage would be easier. I mean then the AI could see that there might just be something to gain by attatching itself so closely with a country that powerful. Sure its a hated enemy, but self preservation and much improved prospects in the future would realisticlally be accepted by a real faction. Especially since vassals still have the power to act on their own.