Questions for Firaxis...

[IDSmoker]

The purpose of this thread is to ask general gameplay questions of any of the Firaxis people who may be browsing the forum.

The purpose of this thread is not:

• to complain to Firaxis about the game
• to ask "Why"-type questions (ie. "Why did you do things this way?", etc)
• to ask "When"-type questions (ie. "When is the XP coming out?", etc)
• to ask questions that can be answered by reading the manual, online help, or other threads on this forum
• to post comments on the questions asked by other people (I would love to see at least one thread stay on-topic <grin>)
• to ask questions that you know won't be answered (ie. "What about adding the mini-map to the editor?", etc)
• to ask questions that should be posted in other threads (ie. the "Patch 1.21 bugs & problems" thread)

In other words, the purpose is to set up a civil dialogue with the Civilization 3 developers... think of it as an extended 'chat' session (hopefully without the 'noise' <grin>)

Perhaps if Mike B. and the other Firaxis people show a willingness to respond to this thread, it can eventually be made 'sticky'.

[IDSmoker]

I would like to ask for as much of an explanation of the "Please Leave my territory" functionality as Firaxis is willing to give.

Specifically:

• What conditions govern whether units are moved automatically, or allowed to leave on their own?
• Are there are any differences in the answer to the above if it is the AI that trespasses on the player versus the player trespassing on the AI?
• What goes into an AIs decision to declare war when asked to leave? (the player's reputation, relative size of military, etc.)
• Why, when asked to leave, does the AI sometimes move deeper into my territory on the following turn?

I'm sure I'm not the only player frustrated with having to waste units 'blockading' the progress of AI settlers headed for territory within my borders, or AI military units crossing my territory to fight against another AI civilization.

Thanks.

[Machi]

IDSmoker I second that. Why do we have to automatically move out (to nearest neutral space) or declare war while the AI can move in deeper or declare war. Good point.

[Alphidius]

IDSmoker: When you wanna declare "Leave my turf or die!" to the AI, you'll need them to be at least 10 turns in your territory or if they have 10 units in your territory, the next turn you might get that option.

As for you being inside of their territory, it's a matter of your stature and of course their units already in your territory. Say if they've 4 units for 10 turns in yours and you've so far not demanded them to remove it, they'll probably 'close an eye' on your 1 or 2 units moving in theirs too, coz if they did, you'll probably do the same to theirs and their units will have to start all over again moving through your land. I tested it and I think it works this way not too sure though.

Machi: Yeah, that's why I never sign the ROP treaty unless I'm having MPP with someone. Read my signature

[TedG]

Hmmm...I've always been able to get them to "leave or declare war" on the second attempt, regardless of how many units they had inside my borders. For example, when asked the first time, they say they will leave, but they don't, but when I ask again the next turn, I can say "Leave or declare WAR" and their units automatically move right outside my borders, or they declare war. I think there are many factors that contribute to their decision of whether or not to declare war. I think it's mainly the aggression level of the civ, so a militaristic civ like the Persians would be more likely to declare war than a peaceful one like the Indians. Their relative strength to your civ, access to resources, your reputation with them, etc. probably play a role in their decision as well.

[Zouave]

The problem is this:

When a unit moves into your territory it often is an annoying settler/foot soldier combo as part of Settler Diarrhea. Somehow it knows where the open tiles are! (Cheating, perhaps?). You tell it to leave, twice, and it ignores you; on the third try it usually is "Declare War" or else. Then something curious happens. . .

Instead of leaving it teleports itself to the other side of your civ where those open tiles are, the ones it should not even know exist, and then builds a town. This is quite annoying, and it is often dumb by the AI as these towns often produce little and are very difficult to defend in war.

I want units to have ONE chance to get out - and they must leave by the same route they came in.

[TedG]

Originally posted by Zouave
The problem is this:

When a unit moves into your territory it often is an annoying settler/foot soldier combo as part of Settler Diarrhea. Somehow it knows where the open tiles are! (Cheating, perhaps?). You tell it to leave, twice, and it ignores you; on the third try it usually is "Declare War" or else. Then something curious happens. . .

Instead of leaving it teleports itself to the other side of your civ where those open tiles are, the ones it should not even know exist, and then builds a town. This is quite annoying, and it is often dumb by the AI as these towns often produce little and are very difficult to defend in war.

I want units to have ONE chance to get out - and they must leave by the same route they came in.

Yep, that's what usually happens to me. Sometimes, if my territory is large enough between where the settler is coming from and where they want to build a city, I can get them to leave and the units actually teleport back to where they came from, instead of where they want to go. I think they go to the nearest unclaimed terrain; at least that's how it's supposed to work. But I don't doubt that they cheat and teleport to where they want to go, just getting there more quickly to build their crappy city. If not by land, they also cheat by sea, taking their settler/foot unit on a galley and going safely through squares where their galley should be "lost at sea."

[RX2000]

Any chance on the Manhattan Project ever being made a small wonder in some upcoming patch, or adding that option to the editor?

[TedG]

Originally posted by RX2000
Any chance on the Manhattan Project ever being made a small wonder in some upcoming patch?

Another thing that would be even better than changing just the MP would be to make it so that the small wonder/great wonder abilities/effects in the editor could be interchangable, so you could classify a small wonder that can do things that great wonders do, and vice versa. Currently, if you classify an improvement as a small wonder, only the default effects of small wonders are available, and you can't make it do something that a great wonder does, but still have it be a small wonder. Same with great wonders, they're restricted to only the default great wonder effects.

We also need an option like "allows your civ to build nuclear weapons," instead of the default "allows ALL civs to build nuclear weapons."

[Masquerouge]

Originally posted by IDSmoker
[*]Why, when asked to leave, does the AI sometimes move deeper into my territory on the following turn?

I THINK, just THINK, that it is because it is trying to get out but to a spot on the opposite side of your territory.
This happens a lot with military units during a war you're not in.
Let's say Iroquois are north of me and Greece south.
Now the Iroquois sent down some troops in Greece, by boat. War is over, or anything, and the boat is destroyed (suppose).
Now the iroquois units start going back home moving through MY territory ! And when asked to leave, they indeed seem to go further inside... but in fact they get closer to their territory !
So usually, instead of getting angry or risking a war I'm not prepared to fight, I just let them cross. Naive, ain't it ?