kram74
Chieftain
One problem that I have with alliances in Civ 3 is that you don't strictly have to help an ally out in a war. Sure, if you have a mutual protection pact you will end up at war against the aggressor, but there is nothing to force you to attack the mutual enemy, or to help your friend.
I was hoping that the mechanics of alliances could be built upon in Civ 4.
What I'm suggesting is some sort of system where an ally can ask for the loan of units (they might make a diplomatic request for, say, 10 riflemen for 30 turns, and perhaps you could negotiate to 8 riflemen); You could then select these units from your current forces (so that they don't just disappear from your front lines), and they will be instantly (or through some other mechanism) moved to the capitol of your ally. These units will then be under full control of your ally until the time limit is up, and then you get them back if they are still alive (maybe with an extra level of experience, and the chance of a great leader appearing). This will reward players for helping their allies.
The converse is also true - you could ask for units from one or more of your allies, to help in a desperate situation.
There could be ramifications to not lending a hand to your allies - it might mean that they are much more likely to cancel the alliance when it comes due for renewal, or they refuse to help you out when you ask for it. You may also incur a diplomatic penalty with the ally or with friends of the ally.
I was hoping that the mechanics of alliances could be built upon in Civ 4.
What I'm suggesting is some sort of system where an ally can ask for the loan of units (they might make a diplomatic request for, say, 10 riflemen for 30 turns, and perhaps you could negotiate to 8 riflemen); You could then select these units from your current forces (so that they don't just disappear from your front lines), and they will be instantly (or through some other mechanism) moved to the capitol of your ally. These units will then be under full control of your ally until the time limit is up, and then you get them back if they are still alive (maybe with an extra level of experience, and the chance of a great leader appearing). This will reward players for helping their allies.
The converse is also true - you could ask for units from one or more of your allies, to help in a desperate situation.
There could be ramifications to not lending a hand to your allies - it might mean that they are much more likely to cancel the alliance when it comes due for renewal, or they refuse to help you out when you ask for it. You may also incur a diplomatic penalty with the ally or with friends of the ally.
