not seen this before - is it normal?

[paulcarri]

Hey all

On all my previous games, ive gone for space, but for my first emperor game i basically got navigation asap (its carthage, tiny islands) and went on the attack building nothing but frigates and privateers.

I was MASSIVELY helped by the top AI kindly marching his massive army out to sea to be sunk

Anyway ive killed off all but one of the civs, theodora, we have been allies since the start, every time i denounced someone prior to killing them she denounced too..

And it was with a heavy heart my ironclads set sail to her capital

As the previous civ died however up she popped to tell me

'you are clearly a mighty leader, please show compassion for weak nations such as mine'

and her status has gone to 'afraid'

is this normal?? its a nice touch

Its just a computer program, but i actually feel slightly guilty as my fleet sails lol

Ironically, she still refused a luxury when i tried demanding one, and said i was in no position to demand anything

 

[digrosz]

'Afraid' status will pop up if the AI thinks that you have a big enough military/other power to completely defeat them. Some civs show it more often than others, though. Harald won't show he's afraid, for example. They also give in sooner to demand/ other offers and will pay more in trade deals. However, don't ask too much -a luxury for example- because that might anger them.

 

[Aaron90495]

Yes, it's normal, though rather uncommon. You see the Afraid status either when you build nukes before another civ, or when you have a much larger army than them. Still, I don't know why demanding something doesn't work at this point; if they're afraid, they really should give in to reasonable demands.

 

[paulcarri]

ahh cheers mate, and i wasnt worried about angering her as i am gonna take her cap once the ironclads arrive (playing carthage was great but its made me appreciate englands sotl and sun never sets..ships feel so slow now!)

 

[Walter R]

its made me appreciate englands sotl and sun never sets..ships feel so slow now!)

Hell I know that feeling! Even scouts (embarked) have pathetic movement in comparison.

 

[paulcarri]

I am trying to decide which is the best naval civ actually... early game carthage makes a pile of money, instant trade routes (this is g&k -i know trade is different in bnw). Its a huge advantage and lets me bribe city states more quickly

but by mid game half the time i dont actually produce what i want - i buy it!

And you really notice the frigate is more fragile than SOTL. Plus on the last england game, when i came off worse to turtle ships (i dont know why theres no love for these) it was so easy to sail to safety, noone can keep up!

I might try another carthage game, but put england in as an opponent

 

[Walter R]

You will probably be disappointed - the AI plays England poorly (no news there I suppose!) A while back I remember reading in a thread that the poster had never seen England as an AI runaway, and neither have I, although I find it a fabulous civ for Dom victories as long as you are not playing on Pangea or similar. If only the AI did naval combat...

 

[paulcarri]

thats a shame yeah, but its been the same since civ 2...and i still love island games (and europe maps, i have wasted half my life playing marlas europe maps over the years)

and it looks like the ai is aware of where your troops are in V..a nice touch

with 6 ironclads outside her capital i tested by demanding all her luxuries, and got 'very well i will do what it takes to survive'

 

[Walter R]

Oh I've never seen that response - must try it in next Dom game!

 

[Alzadar]

Not sure what version you guys are on but I feel like the AI's naval tactics/strategy has gotten massively better in BNW.

On water maps they now put more priority on water techs, they actually build ships (I've seen Elizabeth actually stockpile Galleass, hit Navigation, upgrade them to SOTL and then declare war on someone) and they make use of ZOC to trap enemy ships and destroy them.

They're not quite that good with Carriers yet (still seem to build more than they have planes for), but their use of Frigates, Subs, Battleships, Ironclads and Destroyers has all gotten much better.

 

[Socratatus]

I like it when they say their stuff and basically ask for compassion, it is a nice touch. i`ve had 3 Civs say that to me recently, which is unusual, but it was just after I built my 1st atom bomb. However, I wish the `AFRAID` tag was not there, it would be much more immersive not having to see that. It`s far too obvious. Point is, AFRAID Leaders try not to look afraid, they`ll just talk to you nicer than usual and give in to more demands.

The Devs obviously listened to too many whines of some who couldn`t live without knowing for sure if the AI was afraid or not.

I wonder if there`s a Mod to remove the label?

 

[Jaybe]

For someone to be 'Afraid', they have to have been 'Friends'. You won't get civs that are 'Guarded' switch to 'Afraid'.

This thread has reminded me what purpose Afraid serves: You can demand -- and GET -- stuff.