So basically, the AI only likes you when you suck

[Omisan]

I'm currently playing a game as Venice. After getting attacked by Milan, the Byzantine Empire and Hungarians, I lost everything but Iklarion and Rhodes. I decided to keep playing to see how long I could last with only 2 settlements.

One thing I noticed is that nearly every turn brings me a "relation improved" message. After a couple of turns, all the others nations now have amiable, good and very good relations with me.

I guess it's the opposite whenever you expand or get richer. That would explain why relations always deteriorate in a "normal" game unless you pay tributes.

[nameless]

Well that explains why the AI is slow in destroying factions that are near death.

[doorknobdeity]

That sort of makes sense, that everyone would be so wary of a rising global threat, and not really care about factions that don't pose any threat. Of course, it would make just as much sense for them to want to suck up to the future emperor of Europe and beat the stuffing out of factions too weak to fight back.

[Foz]

That sort of makes sense, that everyone would be so wary of a rising global threat, and not really care about factions that don't pose any threat. Of course, it would make just as much sense for them to want to suck up to the future emperor of Europe and beat the stuffing out of factions too weak to fight back.

The first part yes, the second no. M2TW is a war game, not a political/reality sim. Winning the game is not even remotely the same as running a successful nation in the real world would be, so things like "suck up to the future emperor" just don't apply - they make no sense in the game. The game is a win or a loss for each faction that plays it. If you don't meet victory conditions, you lose, so consequently planning for the future is irrelevant unless it involves planning to win the game in the future. Planning to be in favor with the game winner is simply planning to lose, which is why it is invalid. Each faction (in theory) should plan to win, and thus must butt heads with all other threatening factions in order to hinder them from winning first if necessary.

It really makes perfect sense if you just realize it's a game you're playing, and not real life. It's still far more akin to Risk than reality... which is as it should be.

[Kobal2fr]

It's fairly simple really. When you're one of the 5 lowest factions, the other weak ones like you better ("l'union fait la force" and all that). Also, your allies' allies tend to like you overtime as well.

Plus, on a purely gamey hand, perhaps there's something in the game the dev put in to make sure the player's hard to obliterate, so that we could have fun playing the plucky underdog ("Ach ! Scotland be holed up in Arguin ! Come an' get mae, ye daft scunners !" )