Accept or we will attack

**Lord Ovaat** · 11-03-2004, 21:05

So, the Gauls are reduced to one or two provinces, and their lone diplomat approaches one of my stacks and offers to sell me a map for 64,000 or they will attack. When I stopped laughing, I wished we had an option for "Gee, uh, go ahead and attack." Instead, you either have to just shut down the screen or counter bargain, which I did. Offered them instead my map for 2000 or I would attack. They countered with a 500 offer and a please don't attack. Me thinks this really needs some fixin'. Then again, I do have almost as much fun bartering as I do snuffing them.

**soibean** · 11-04-2004, 04:21

I would just love to see a few more of these diplomatic options work
and for the AI not to be dumbasses when it comes to making these choices

here's an example
Im the green family of rome (brutii?) and I have a trade agreement with Macedonia. Somehow Im pulling in a nice 1500+ per turn from trade with them, on land without a port, so they must be pulling in something nice as well. So out of nowhere they send over 2 units of light lancers and attack my city, which by the way was full of hastati, light cavalry, and a 6 star general, which ruins the trade between our two nations. Now I can see, well not really but, why you would want to do this but at the same time they're at war with Dacia and Greece and I was one of their main sources of income so that leads me to wonder WHY

**Siris** · 11-04-2004, 04:29

Bruti's.... I hate Bruti's... I kill them for fun, I eat them for breakfast, lunch, & dinner.

In my Spartan Campagin, I've actually killed over 15,000 Bruti's, and have an army of 4,000 men on the beaches 5 miles south of Bruti's Capital, which I get to take command of Friday & go kill me some major Bruti's lol!

I also hate Scipii's, they started the freaking war, but Bruti is the only faction that is really pushing me back, with my losses about 3,000 men to their 15,000+ lol! Still losing it tho.

**mercian billman** · 11-06-2004, 04:28

It's never worked for me, I find just attacking to be a lot easier.

**LordKhaine** · 11-06-2004, 20:17

Diplomacy is kind of weird at times, as this screenshot shows. But if you stick with it you can often get good results. I find money is a great lubricant.... It may seem crazy paying a crippled nation for a ceasefire, but it's not like they'd have any money to pay you is it?

After taking the screenie I linked earlier, I proceeded to capture all the eastern Greek provinces. Then I gave the greeks 10k for a ceasefire and trade rights. The trade between us must of made that money back in no time. Later on I allied with them and the alliance held strong until I finished the game! So clearly an alliance or ceasefire can hold sometimes, if it suits both factions.

Put yourself in the place of a crippled faction that is sat right next to your borders. They know peace cant last so why would they form a ceasefire? It's usually obvious you're just stalling to build up an army to finish them off. If they fight you, they stand a better chance really. They may delay the attacks a bit, and in that time another third faction could attack you and draw away the enemy. Then they could perhaps take back their lands and so fund their military actions. If they get a ceasefire they're just consigning themselves to a slow prelonged death.

**Tamur** · 11-06-2004, 21:11

This option works just grand from the player's side. I've seen a few of the whacky "two provinces left and they say give us 64000 denarii or we will attack", which definitely needs some more work.

However, I've had it work for me consistently. Try setting up your armies so that you can take one of their towns, and defeat at least two of their largest armies in one turn. You are almost guaranteed to get a single payment (or better) out of them after you execute these captures/defeats, and then hit them with an Accept or We Will Attack offer.

The AI's memory seems short, so if you attack and defeat them, then leave them alone for a couple of turns, then come back with Accept or We Will Attack, you're not going to get the response that immediately using it will bring.

It's worked consistently for me, but then again I'm a dimplomacy optimist...