Diplomacy

[Vatras]

Since not much happens in this forum, I like to post a question here for the veterans of the game (yes, someone probably asked it before ).

- Is it possible to live in peace with the AI for most of the game?
- If the answer is Yes, then how can I do it? I am without fail getting aggro from one or more nations sooner than later, and faithful allies have turned on me without much warning.
The question also includes the sub-condition, that I want to keep my civics as I prefer them. I usually dont do anything bad to my neighbours, but that doesnt seem to help.

In a random game I got to play Santiago and after many a year I saw the point in aggressive play. I had a kind of hot-cold war going on with my neighbour, where I smashed his troops, but did not actually conquer him (I only destroyed his production and sapped his monetary ressources). In this game, the others seemed less interested in attacking me. So do I have to have a state of permanent (but limited) war to avoid the big all-out one?

One of the options as planetary governor is a petition to melt the polecaps and raise the ocean level. Does doing so change the attitudes of other nations to you?
(I used it when I was attacked by several others and tried it as an emergency measure to sink some of their cities and make their landbound units obsolete, or at least to divert their production to build domes to survive. Since I had already a war on my hands, I dont know, if this would have affected relationships in peace. I have never used this option before, but I like the devastating effects and the strategic advantage if one is prepared for it.)

 

[Thrar]

I have the same problem as you do, dunno what might help though. In any given game, I'll invariably end up at war with Yang because of running democracy, Miriam (for her Miriam-ness), possibly Deidre (for free market) and Santiago (wealth).
Does the AC AI check for a player's power when declaring? Do military count, techs, pop and such make a difference to the AI's decision?

 

[Fugitive Sisyphus]

If you are too powerful the other factions will gang up on you in an attempt to knock you down to size. If you are too weak, your neighbors will attempt an easy conquest of your holdings. If you ideology conflicts too much with another's they will fight you because of it.

It's quite realistic actually

 

[Stylesrj]

I don't run Free Market, it's suicide to my nation, so if I play as Morgan, I go Green. Green is good. It's funny how Morgan declares war on you for a Green Economy, but so far he does not declare war on someone for a planned economy. Strange isn't it? Green Economies are efficient, which helps in the market, sided with Democracy

Of course Miriam hates Democracy and the University and Santiago hate my Wealth policies, but of course on the easy difficulty and a Scout Patrol (or a sufficient high tech unit depending on time) I beat them up

 

[Jerth]

I'e gone atleast 500 years of peace before but had to do it on a hugh map. On the smaller ones I gave away alot of tech and always lending 1/2 if i could of what was asked for that seem to keep most happy. Hope this helps.

 

[aaglo]

There's an interesting strategy for free market:

As you know, all flying units and unit that are not in your territory, cause a lot of unrest.
Make one city act as you "base of operations":
- create punishment sphere in that city (removes unrest completely).
- make this city the homebase to all your air units, offensive land units and battleships/foils.
- go to war and don't worry about the drones caused by military units

This strategy won't work so well for missiles & planetbuster though, since they cannot use clean reactor -special.

 

[Vallius Deston]

I don't think it is possible to have perpetual peace in a game of SMAC, because each faction has at least one or two mortal enemies that won't allow their opposite to live in peace.

For example, The Lord's Believers and the University will always try to kill eachother.

Ditto with: Human Hive, UN Peacekeepers, and Spartan Federation.

And: Gaians and Morganites.

Not to mention the AI will look for reasons to start a war--and then demand tribute and an apology.

 

[Empiremaker]

If you are in second, the AI will not tend to attack you as much. If you don't run any SE, then the "I hate your SE choice" reason disappears. Tribute doesn't matter if you call them up, but if they call you and demand tribute, then they may declare.

But who cares? Peace is boring.

 

[beetle]

- Is it possible to live in peace with the AI for most of the game?

Yes. Emphasis on most and, as others have pointed out, different factions will still fight with each other. But based on your other questions, I do not infer that you are troubled by that!

- If the answer is Yes, then how can I do it? I am without fail getting aggro from one or more nations sooner than later, and faithful allies have turned on me without much warning.

In my experience, the key thing is location. If you sufficiently dominate your continent, things should be peaceful. This can mean driving your initial neighbors to submission, or just the luck of starting on a smallish Australian like body, say the northern land mass on Planet.

The question also includes the sub-condition, that I want to keep my civics as I prefer them. I usually dont do anything bad to my neighbours, but that doesnt seem to help.

With SMAX you can pick the less warlike factions. With SMAC, if you control your continent, when (not if) Santiago declares war the attacks will be anemic. Mostly I resent that I would prefer to be trading with her!

In a random game I got to play Santiago and after many a year I saw the point in aggressive play. I had a kind of hot-cold war going on with my neighbour, where I smashed his troops, but did not actually conquer him (I only destroyed his production and sapped his monetary ressources).

Always fight fair (do not eliminate bases, do not nerve staple, do not use Nerve gas -- not even if there is a communication blackout) but keep pressing. The AI will eventually surrender, then you get two votes on the planetary council, and you can essentially research two techs at once!

In this game, the others seemed less interested in attacking me.

Playing as Santiago is good for a builder, as it eliminates one of the most aggressive AI characters!

So do I have to have a state of permanent (but limited) war to avoid the big all-out one?

No. If you play it right, the AIs will be happy to take their aggressions out on each other. But as someone else pointed out, they do tend to resent it if you are winning by too large a margin. (On the other hand, none of them like to pick a loosing battle.)

One of the options as planetary governor is a petition to melt the polecaps and raise the ocean level. Does doing so change the attitudes of other nations to you?

No. It was the result of a fair vote.

I used it when I was attacked by several others and tried it as an emergency measure to sink some of their cities and make their landbound units obsolete, or at least to divert their production to build domes to survive. Since I had already a war on my hands, I dont know, if this would have affected relationships in peace. I have never used this option before, but I like the devastating effects and the strategic advantage if one is prepared for it.

Yes, good fun.

 

[beetle]

Tribute doesn't matter if you call them up, but if they call you and demand tribute, then they may declare.

Regularly giving gifts, even 10 energy credits, does improve the AI attitudes towards the player.

But who cares? Peace is boring.

For many of us, fighting is often less interesting than the other ways to dominate the AI.