Demanding Tribute

[The Q-Meister]

I don't know how many other players have noticed this, but the AI very rarely gives in when asked for tribute. I am referring to a situation not when you are good friends, but more like, when a vastly more powerful Civ demands tribute or else... The AI seems very reluctant to give in to demands even when you are much more powerful and making demands in of itself is a very trying process: When you are friends, you can't really "demand" tribute, only "ask" for it. However, when you break Open Borders agreement (because you really can't make "demands" when you are on good terms anyhow), the Civ's attitude then turns to "Cautious" or "Annoyed" and it then marks down in red things that you cannot trade or even demand. This despite being much more powerful than the other Civ and the other Civ having witnessed you destroying 2 other Civs that failed to obey you so it knows you mean business.

The only option left is to go to war, which really doesn't do much in terms of the AI acquiesing until you have taken every other city but its capital when it finally agrees to convert to your religion and drop the items that had previously been in red. The problem with that is that by the time you are around its capital, what's the point in making deals? The AI should be intelligent enough to properly interpret the situation - "you are much more powerful, must give in to demands at least for now, Civ might be destroyed otherwise" to make this a more realistic game. (Yes, some Civs should be less likely to give in to demands than others, but in general, this should be the rule) I've played games where I'm Rome demanding tribute against Ghandi, even when I already captured several of his cities, and he still won't give in!


One of the solutions I think might work was to have a diplomatic option where I can say "Give us this or else..." and in that situation EVERYTHING would be on the table and nothing would be in red since I am threatning war. Yes I understand the intention of having things in "red" that are untradable; to not waste time in haggling over items the AI has no interest in trading for whatever reason but the AI is allowed to demand whatever it wants from us at times and we should be allowed to do the same. Creating rules making it only possible for the AI to give you things when you are on "good" terms and then marking down everything in red when they aren't on friendly terms with you makes the whole notion of demanding tribute moot and also makes the game more unrealistic and frustrating than it should be.

 

[LeGrandCharle]

It really depends on what you are actually demanding.

In other forums it has been discussed that it is almost impossible to get a city in the demands screen, however, i have been able to get pretty much anything that i have asked for. If your request will not cripple the Civ they will comply with it.

Attitude also matters. I tend to ask for Techs and resources from my freinds, as they do (this is less of a demand but more of a plea for assistance), while i ask for money from my enemies. Example, Montezuma is weaker then me and has 300 gold. I will demand for 200. I am not crippling his Civ, so he will pay up. For him this was a big sum.

However, i do agree with you that the AI can demand anything they want while we do not have the ability to do so, and that could be changed. This has been discussed in another thread but remains interesting. Some say it is because the tool is helping us so that we do not waste our time trying to ask for those things, while other maintain that when faced with extermination, they should pretty much be open to anything.