I have played this game almost every day sinse it has come out, and have been very very disillusioned by the diplomacy. Now at first, with previews, developer interviews, and finally getting the game I saw the new diplomatic features as a way to add a new level to the game. Afterall, one of the most important part of politics and wars, are allies. Things can be accomplished alone, but truely great things can be accomplished when others work in unison.

After recently playing through as Carthage, I saw the diplomatic system (in my opinion) for what it really was, icing on an otherwise bitter cake. I vaguely remember alliances in MTW to be very dynamic, in so far as they didn't matter one bit. You allies would turn around and attack you as quickly as any enemy did, and it didn't really matter who's daughter was married to whos son. Unfortunatly, it seems very much the same in this game. Alliances can be shattered without any good tactical, strategic, or logical reason. The said alliance can be completely beneficial, and breaking it could mean certain doom, and the AI will happily break the alliance for no reason but to cause war for the sake *of* war.

It goes a little further then this when you play through as the Romans. I noticed as I made allies whenever I could, that the SPQR was constantly causing me to break alliances, and it didn't bother me, except when it was esspecially foolish to do so, and yet the senate would *demand* it be done.

Here's a bit of furtherproof about the diplomacy system. I want to sell Carthage my map. Carthage responds that it will buy my map from me for a huge sum ( i usually sell them for about 500 or so), and that I must accept it or be attacked. It's just idiotic:

www.imagedump.com/index.c...&tp=144263


Anyway....I haven't played enough to see all of what the diplomatic system can do. I also wonder if I am just approaching this wrongly, and there is a way to keep allies that I am unaware of. So if anyone has any diplomatic experiences that are interested, or affected their view of the game in a good, or a bad way, I'd like to hear them.