First post! Can massive gold and gold-per-turn gifts significantly improve a AI's ability to wage war? I often have a strategic interest in the outcome of wars waged between two or more AI's. Can I help decide the outcome of those wars with cash?

Next, will huge gold-per-turn deals create lasting friendships? In other words, can I protect myself from trade embargos and similar provactive action with cash?

These questions stem from a strategy I'd like to explore that uses economic intervention and proxy wars to secure my interests. Please share any related ideas or tactics. Thanks a lot :)

Can massive gold and gold-per-turn gifts significantly improve a AI's ability to wage war? I often have a strategic interest in the outcome of wars waged between two or more AI's. Can I help decide the outcome of those wars with cash?

I'm not really sure to be honest. I've never really looked at how the AI allocate their gold/what they do with their gold. I also do not have much idea how the AI conducts diplomacy with each other (they might end up just giving the money to their enemys in order to make peace). Hopefully someone else can answer this question...

Next, will huge gold-per-turn deals create lasting friendships? In other words, can I protect myself from trade embargos and similar provactive action with cash?
In my experience, I have never had an AI create a trade-embargo against me when their attitude was polite. If you were to give the AI a large sum of money, i'm sure their attitude would improve -- hence, I would say that it would be rather unlikely that they would sign an embargo against you.
However, alot of the time, even if you give the AI a nice gift, then they will still stay Furious with you (or whatever it is). So in this case, your money wouldn't do anything.
I have found, that as long as you are trading with the AI (exchanging resources), then they will never make an embargo against you. Regardless of their attitude. So this would be a sure-fire way of stopping it :)

I don't really have any tactics of myself, I like to just get in there early - with no help.
Anyhoo, hope that helps, and welcome to CfC :)

I've tried this method, but it's hard to say that it actually works. You don't really see any decrease in the AI's ability to build units or keep them, so my guess is that it doesn't affect anything that much. The other civs are contantly low on cash anyway, so I guess they're not as worried about their money as I am.

@chomsky: Welcome to CFC!

Gold-per-turn may very well get dumped into research. Lump sums will probably get dumped into the military if the AI is at war. More important is to make sure the 'client state' has the resources needed...

I think I see where you are headed with this strategy. I think it can make a difference in a marginal situation, but you are not going to be able to prop up a a small weak civ in the face of a powerhouse. Also, the AI will continue building wonders, even as an enemy's army arrives at the capitol's gate...

Gifts of gold will improve the AI attitude - to a point. You will reach that point very quickly. (There's a good article on AI attitude in the War Academy.)

Gainy bo's comments on embargos are pretty much on point.

In one of the articles in the War Academy, it told you to lend the AIs money. (You give Lump sum) That way, the civ would have enough gold to rush military but none to research with.

I was actually wondering about using economic intervention to alter the outcome of a war. Here's an example I dug up yesterday:

I was at war with two nations at the same time, since I was fighting for a distant source of Saltpeter. Anyway, I was making more gpt then all the other nations combined (and then some), so I kept them all from declaring war by giving them 3 gpt for nothing. Not a single nation went to war against me, and I eventually was able to put together a French/Greek/Ottoman (me) coalition.

As for providing rersources to a nation at war, I've heard of instances where it has worked. If the nation is behind in tech, then you can seriously enhance their ability to hold out by gifting them those techs. Spare resources help as well, so that it makes it that much harder for the stronger AI civ to win the war. They may still come out on top, but it will come at a much higher cost.

You can always run interferance for the CIV you want to win your foreign war:
1) If you are at peace with both then sign a MPP with your favorite and plant your units between his cities and the oncoming force - youd be surprised how many units even a weak civ can take out if they are left out in the open
2) If you are not at peace then help out with afew high defensive units at strategic points in his territory to draw attackers

Ive managed to stave off attacks from very strong civs on very weak civs by this ploy - especially when you want to stop the strong one taking over an entire foreign continent. If the weak civ is going down in a big way then surround his front line cities entirely with units and watch the AI treck through his territory :)

Be careful providing resources to other civs though. Its great to give them saltpepper so they can build musketmen/cavalry but they may have been better off building the pikemen and knights if they didnt have alot of production. They are alot cheaper to produce and many weak units usually stand a better chance than afew strong ones - especially the way the AI fights wars.

I have been watching the AI on debug mode for quite some time now. This is how the AI will react to your economic aid:

1. Whichever buildings the AI is making will get 1st priority for the money (assuming that the AI is in a government that can use cash to rush things). Units will come next.

2. If the AI has rushed a few buildings and units, it will often begin building (in a rather useless way) great wonders. So if there are GW's that the recipient could build, be careful how much cash you give at one time.

3. If you give the AI gpt, it will pump that into maintenance and put the rest on research. (This means that you can not prop up a weak AI with gpt grants).

4. If you give money, techs or cities to the AI they will have a modifier to their attitude. See Bamspeedy's research at this site http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?threadid=44999