New Diplomacy Strategy

[easytarget]

If you want to insure the demise of a faction you need do nothing more than form alliances with them to in my experience usher in their future implosion.

Some might call this just a case of observed bias. But all I know is time and again, and I'm now making a specific point of doing this in every campaign, any time I see someone expand like mad, Knossos or Seleucid for example, I form defensive or military alliances and then sit back and watch the fun.

What was was once a crazily expansive faction threatening the world soon turns into a brain dead, starving, aimlessly steaming around fool of an ally, counted on to do nothing whatsoever but shrink what they control and attack zero identified diplomacy targets.

Some might call it a bug, I've gone glass half full, and I'm using it as a strategy.

[Hooahguy]

I can sort of relate. In my current campaign I saw that the Aedui were heading with a large force towards Massalia. So I figured, "hey, why not set Massalia as a war target, make them feel good about themselves for doing something right!" So after I did they turned around and hung around halfway between their border and Massalia.

Fantastic.

[easytarget]

haha, yeah, most of my diplomacy falls under the general heading of unintended consequences...

but i'm not really all that bothered by it for some reason, i guess because i just chalk it up to a difficult then to program, and occasionally out of the blue one of my allies actually does help..

more of an issue really is the fact that most of the factions running around in my current campaign (which is my continuing on with the succession campaign i handed off) don't attack me, they steam stacks of units all over the place as if they intend to, and then don't

as a result of a discussion in the main TW forum about which game by CA we thought would stand the test of time and be considered masterpiece (I went with Shogun 2 and thereby unleashed the usual disagreements about which one truly is the best) someone tee'd up the suggestion it was M2, so I'm running a campaign in that one one right now as england, and my point in mentioning it is when another country in that game sends a stack at anything you control, you must take notice, it's almost never an idle threat and they immediately set about attacking you - in fact, everyone in the game are quite hostile

whereas in Rome 2, i often feel like i could just stroll along taking folks out whenever and wherever i like - such was most definitely not the case in Shogun 2, on VH and even H i had clans coming at me from every direction constantly - i just don't get what changed with that part of CA's programming here that causes them to be so passive

[Sp4]

I started a campaign with Sparta and formed an alliance with Carthage and its allies and the Etruscans against Rome, Syracuse and some Spanish people on the other side of Africa.

Within 10 turns or so, what seemed to have been going fine for a while started falling apart and I spent more time rescuing and helping my allies than actually working with them. In the end, it wasn't so bad cause I managed to take over all their land but it's kind of boring. Shitty campaign AI is shit.

[Hooahguy]

I think its less of that the CAI is fundamentally broken than it is that the commands get messed up somewhere down the line and things get fuddled. When it does work the CAI does very well for itself, but at least for now it seems to break down/limp along more often than not.

I really hope that with patch 7 coming down the line (hopefully) soon things will get sorted out better.

[Myth]

I've found that diplomacy is actually useful in Rome II, but not mandatory like for some clans in Shogun II. That being said, I'm glad I'm not forced to suck up to the AI or die to 10 stacks of samurai units on turn 15. My usual diplomacy for Rome II encompases 1 or 2 maximum defensive alliances with a tribe that is in a key position to defend a front I have left on the backbruner to go and conquer more important regions (read: more resources/sea trade there).

For example, whatever that African tribe is that lives in the desert south-west of the city of Carthage always does a fantastic job at guarding me against whatever Nova Carthago and the remnants of Carthage can scrounge up. Recently in my Sparta game I set up a defencive alliance with the Odryssian Kingdom who seem to be able to support 2.5 stacks on just one settlement, but they've been much less helpful than the Africans, since Royal Scythia waltzed right past their shores and took Anthea and the capital city of Thrace from me. I think the Odrissians have outlived their usefulness, as much as I am fond of thracian tribes.

In any event, if you're not of the very few chosen devensive allies, used as plugs to keep a border secure, you're either my immediate target or the target for right after I finish conquering my immediate target. I don't believe in playing nice with the AI and letting it exploit resources better suited for me.