Retaining good relations with an AI

[Ancyrean]

Enter alliances with your neighbors. I find that they are less likely to invade you that way.

However, you then have to watch for "wandering" armies of your allies.

Once I was playing as Rome and an allied Carthaginian army "wandered" up Italy and sacked Capua when I had moved its garrison out to deal with some pesky rebels.

On this side note, Cartaginian stragglers that go on for excursions of their own in peace time accross the length of Italia annoy me greatly as well. An effective way to prevent that from happening is to place a single unit at the tip of the Italian peninsula, on the east bank of the continental bridge where Italy and Sicilly meet. One such placed unit effectviely blocks the passage of all other units towards the mainland and the only way to move past it is for them to attack it, in which case you'll have some time to recruit some defences in your hinterland to meet the threat.

[Dooz]

I think a tribute definitely helps in relations. The core diplomacy engine when it comes to that is presumably similar if not the same as M2TW, and there you can see the relations clearly. When you have even a small tribute going constantly, your relations rise or are maintained, putting off war for just that much longer.

Of course, the strong military doesn't hurt either, although perhaps more expensive in the long run, if their sole purpose is to be camped at borders and dissuade attackers... but if you got money to spare, then you got nothing to lose.

Oh yeah, and Medium campaign difficulty won't hurt either.

These three things oughta keep you at peace for a lot longer than you're used to.

[artaxerxes]

Thanks :) I'll try the tribute thing... and besides I know which town they'll attack first so I know which one to garrison. Btw I'll have to agree with the statement that its always your allies that attack you and *never* the neutrals, but... whatever ;)

[QuintusSertorius]

I never ally with anyone throughout most of the game, and later on tend to be fending off requests for alliance from almost everyone.

[Titus Marcellus Scato]

I never ally with anyone throughout most of the game, and later on tend to be fending off requests for alliance from almost everyone.

When your faction gets powerful the AI gets scared of you, they want to be your ally so you don't attack them. Very sensible really.

[eggthief]

But someone above said that the relations mechanic works the same as in M2TW and in M2 everybody gangs up on the strongest.

[QuintusSertorius]

The "strongest" everyone invariably gangs up on is the Seleukids.