Is there a point?

[Malek the Sarafan]

Is there a point at all to allinaces? They don't seem to accomplish anything. I am playing as Takeda(i think thats the name at least, i'm at school so i can't check), and i had alliances with both clans surrounding the group of provinces on the easter part of the map. I never did anything agressive to them, and kept those provinces only lightly defended, figuring they would honor the alliances. So i'm expanding on the western side, killing off Mori or whatever the red one's name is, when all of the sudden my eastern provinces start getting attacked by my allies!!! I was able to keep one by retreating everyone there to one province and supplying reinforcements via a port from my main unit producer in the west, but I lost my most advanced province at that time. My question is, is there any point to alliances? The enemy seems to attack me just about as often when neutral as when allied, if not less. I've had a lightly defended border with green for about 10 years in game time without attack and they are only neutral. Of course, i've recently started beefing up my border troops since green is the only clan near me now, since i've killed off 3 other clans and the only provinces around mine are green or ronin.

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"Never! I'll hack you from crotch to gizzard and feed what's left to your brides!"

[Shiro]

Quote Originally posted by Malek the Sarafan:
...figuring they would honor the alliances.
[/QUOTE]

Never think that at all. Alliances rarely hold at all. They have some use as quick solutions for a couple of turns, but never trust your "allies."

BTW, Takeda is the correct name as is Mori. The green clan is Shimazu.


[This message has been edited by Shiro (edited 04-20-2001).]

[Hosakawa Tito]

The major benefit to an alliance is that if your allys Daimyo gets killed and has no heirs you will inherit his remaining lands and armies.Sometimes this can save a campaign for you.
Tito

[Shiro]

Good point, Tito, I should've mentioned that. Inheriting is very useful sometimes. If you have an ally with a large number of provinces and he dies in battle, you can quickly become the most powerful clan.

[Tone]

Look at it from your allies point of view. They know you want to become Shogun, so would you expect them to sit and watch you consolidate in the west, increase your power then turn on them. No, they will take advantage of any perceived weakness.

Always accept alliances but always be ready to have them broken, or to break them yourself.

[ShaiHulud]

A further note on inheriting. IF a AI clan allied with YOUR ally before you did, he will inherit, not you. You have to be frist in line.

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Wind fells blossoms, rain
fells steel,yet bamboo bends and drinks

[Hosakawa Tito]

Yes Shai,I forgot to mention that.Has happened to me before and can be frustrating.
This is probably why the AI Imagawa loves to off your emissary with his ninjas early in the game so he can get ahead of you in the inheritance line.
Tito

[TheWay]

Not keeping to alliances is fine, but the AI, as someone pointed out, also seems to prefer attacking you.

Poor Takeda, pummelled by Hojo and me, runs to me and pleads for a ceasefire and the next time alliance. I agree, and leave *the same* number of troops in the province, and suddenly despite Hojo attacking him every turn, he attacks that province, not that it is even lightly defended in the first place. Shouldnt the AI be able to, after concluding an alliance concentrate on the other fellow? Or is there no strategic chain of decisions at all?

[Tenchimuyo]

Yep, in this game clans make alliances to provide themselves with time to expand on other areas instead of splitting their concentration on different fronts.

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A great warrior rarely reveal his true skills....

[celtiberoijontychi]

1.- I have noticed that on harder levels the AI will always attack you, no matter what clan u play. The AI strategies are directed against you... so it is harder to survive

2.- When ur ally dies, many things may happen
a. all his lands go to you
b. his lands go partly to you patly become ronin
c. same as a. and b. but go to another clan
d. even 2 allies can inherit

i made an experiment: after my ally died (shimazu), some provinces went to me. I pressed control+L and the result was always different. Number of provinces (from none to all) and wich provinces were always different.

I think the % of provinces that go ronin is proportional to the difficulty level

Inheriting is a major factor of the game's replayability, since it comes sometimes to very strange situations, and always to changes in wich clan controls wich lands

[The Bear]

It also forces you to modify your plans strategically wise, keeping that part of the game interesting. Suddenly inheriting provinces on the other end of the map, or seeing a weak AI clan get much stronger by inheriting can change your game plan. Keeps you on your toes.

[Hosakawa Tito]

You got that right Bear.Sometimes I deliberately allow an enemy Daimyo to escape in battle because to kill him would mean his lands would go to another clan.
Tito

[ShadowKill]

...

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Clan Shades
Shades
You are already dead you just don't know it yet!!

[Irving]

i don't know about the inheriting land part... i once got Oda's land when he was killed...his provinces were held with like YA and YS and too few of them also... I was Shimazu so I was concentrating on Mori and the ronin on SHikoku.. oh yeah.. I lost all of Oda's provinces

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Chaos is born from order.
Cowardice is born from bravery.
Weakness is born from strength.
-Sun Tzu

[angelofhullfire]

It's always worth accepting an alliance just in case you get the extra troops. I can't think of a reason not to accept.

[Catiline]

Precisely. HTere's no negative impact for breaking alliances, though I seem to remember the patch is changing this. Hence you might as well always accept htem, especially the one's offered by cans at the other end of the map.

What i havbe had happen to me on at least one occaision is to have a clan rise from the dead through the alliance mechanism. I killed one Daimyo off, Oda I think and all of a sudden Ikmagawa who was wiped out years before suddenly had lands all over the map. Freaky, however with no Daimyo Imagawa was now just glorified Ronin, just in blue suits. Odd

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It's not a bug, it's a feature

[EasyCo]

What do you think it is breaking alliances is?? Do you know...Any body?? For 1.13...