Diplomacy..a bit pointless?

**lancelot** · 10-17-2004, 20:20

Im having no luck with diplomacy...as greek cities, I cant get any romans to agree to anything!!

Once SPQR has decided you're not in the good books, it seems like game over in diplomacy terms. Any tips?

**therother** · 10-17-2004, 21:00

Originally Posted by lancelot

Im having no luck with diplomacy...as greek cities, I cant get any romans to agree to anything!!

Once SPQR has decided you're not in the good books, it seems like game over in diplomacy terms. Any tips?

Tamur has very kindly written an excellent guide to diplomacy. It's in one of the stickied threads in the Colosseum. I highly recommend that you read it.

**Colovion** · 10-17-2004, 21:12

I've read that thread and it is very helpful up to a point. It still seems as if the computer still doesn't think long term or thing like a real person (not that I blame them, they are an AI faction..) but it seems to me that diplomacy is like this:

Lots of options to offer/demand but the AI diplomacy seems to still react the same way with the on/off switch - still very clumsy to figure out what they're thinking or how they COULD think these things such as "Stopping the fighting? That's a joke! We will not rest until every one of you is dead" Meanwhile they have one province with half a stack and you have three stacks waiting to invade. You'd think they would say "oh yes, please! Let us trade with you!" But it's always the same thing - even when your 7 Influence Diplomat is talking with a 0 Influence person....

Lots of possibilities - but it doesn't seem like it comes out right in the game...

**The_Emperor** · 10-17-2004, 21:30

I once managed to persuade the Numidians to give me Libya in exhcange for a few bits of gold...

But like everything diplomacy only works when you offer the AI something huge, for it to even consider it. often it requires massive amounts of cash to bribe them off or something.

Really diplomacy isn't very good, all alliances get broken by the AI without consideration when it judges your doing too well, so all alliances and agreements are pointless. Also when coupled with the protectorate bug where the protectorate gets cash from you, there isn't much of an incentive to do it.

Still every once in a while you can get that peace treaty from the enemy, and demand a massive amount of cash tribute...

**Ktonos** · 10-18-2004, 00:42

I keep telling ya ...and telling ya...

Any game of the total war series would have been 50% better with a diplomacy module.

There is almost no diplomacy in this game. I love it but I would be in love with it if the AI diplomacy was decent.

**Excalibur Bane** · 10-18-2004, 08:59

I remember giving the Gauls 50,000 Denarii for a ceasefire when I was playing Julii. They accepted but then broke the ceasefire the next turn and attacked one of my cities. Rather stupid IMO. A ceasefire should be set in stone, not allowing it to be broken for X amount of turns once it is agreed to. It would make diplomacy a bit more meaningful.

Or in a page from the Civ book, when someone breaks an alliance, all their units get tossed out of your territory.

**Colovion** · 10-18-2004, 21:01

Originally Posted by Ktonos

I keep telling ya ...and telling ya...

Any game of the total war series would have been 50% better with a diplomacy module.

There is almost no diplomacy in this game. I love it but I would be in love with it if the AI diplomacy was decent.

Same here. It would be like Crystal Meth to me if the diplomacy was even decent - as it is it's more like alcohol.

**Turbo** · 10-18-2004, 20:35

The problem with getting the Romans to ally is that there are 4 factions you need to deal with that have a permanent alliance with eachother. Odds are that as Rome you will be at war with just about everyone and vice versa.