Does the AI ever honor alliances?

[morchuflex]

Hello.

Each time I bribe another civ to declare war on one of my enemies, they gladly accept my payment, but make peace shortly after. Isn't there any way to force them into a locked alliance, forbidding separate peace treaties?

 

[LLXerxes]

I've noticed this and it piss's me off.
Well, it's probably because the war isn't really going on not even minor skirmishes or maybe the enemy Civ coaxes them or something
The AI is a hippocryte, they get mad at you for doing what they always do

 

[morchuflex]

In my current game, Byzantines and Mongols are neighbours, and I've been at war permanently with the latter; the Byz did agree to join my righteous crusade against the evil Mongols, but all they did was sink a couple Mongols galleys with their dromons. Their war lasted only two turns. So, I bribed them again, and this time the war went on an amazing three turns, with the Byz bombing some Mongol coastal improvments...
Overall, it coast me about 500 coins and two techs to achieve those results!

Even "better": in another game, I was at war with Korea, and France was getting threatening: a massive French fleet was approaching my coast. So I bribed France to join me against Korea. They accepted and declared war. But they nonetheless disembarked their invasion fleet onto my territory and declared war on me the following turn, when I cordially suggested these troops would be better used against our common Korean foe...

 

[Scuffer]

The AI is a hippocryte, they get mad at you for doing what they always do

And you get mad at them for doing what you always do.

If you've never shafted the AI, then you can complain about, but if you have, then really, what do you expect? Let he who is without sin cast the first stone etc.

 

[sleepsy]

It seems to me that the chances for longer war rises when:

- fighting civs are either expansionistic or militaristic. Then it probably more corresponds with their nature; they need some war anyway to be happy
- their fighting becomes more intense. Looks like destroying more and more units seems to make them more furious.
- there has been some war between them already in the past. This is probably due to their mutual relationships - they don't believe each other so much...

On my last game (emperor) I was #3 in power - started on small, ocean surrounded island with no iron, no saltpeter, no coal, no aluminum, no uranium but one volcano. The only chance was politics so I focused on this. On two large continents two civs eliminated everybode else so I was doing everything possible to make them attack each other. First war was dissaster - lasted only few turns - but then it was better and better. Second war lasted about 17 turns and last (third) one allowed me to win the game. I guess I was lucky that the civs were Incas and Iroquezes...

 

[LLXerxes]

And you get mad at them for doing what you always do.

If you've never shafted the AI, then you can complain about, but if you have, then really, what do you expect? Let he who is without sin cast the first stone etc.

I did once in the Rise of Rome Conquest but that was it.
I don't "always" do it

 

[Turner]

I've had them go the distance and then some, and I've had them chicken out. I'm guessing that the AI had the war going poorly for them, so they backed out.

Fine with me. Usually I use the other AIs as a distraction to the one I'm fighting. But there are times when I need the assistance. Better their rep trashed than mine.

 

[Longasc]

No, you can only pray that the enemy or your ally do not come to terms.

You can be sure, if you bribed them to fight a war they did not want even without your bribe, they will not be reliable to fight even the 20 turn of your military alliance!

 

[Scuffer]

I did once in the Rise of Rome Conquest but that was it.
I don't "always" do it

That wasn't meant at you personally, I've no idea how you play the game. It was more that the Strategies pages are full of ways to exploit these things and many people use them at one time or another, but that people get annoyed when the AI is devious back.

Perhaps the computer could keep a log of how honourable you are for each game, and adjust itself accordingly. That way people like you would be trusted and respected by the Ai, and more likely to honour deals. If you were cheating backstabber in every game, the AI would know from the start it would prabably bew dull.

 

[bingen]

The lesson here is that alliances are best bought with GPT.

If your ally makes peace and you are still desperate for help you can always renew the alliance(with GPT obviously). No big problem really.

 

[The Omega]

The only use I've found in getting an AI into a MA was to keep the people i'm fighting from making a MA with them.

 

[crimson238]

In my civ games, Regent with PTW, (yes i know, im still on training wheels.) I usually pick a civ to "baby" and keep them happy with me. Then they are always more than happy to help me with any wars. I've even had them do all the fighting before. (I was Germany, they were the celts, and i sent htem against the americans on the world map. They took out mostly all of the North-east, before they got the aztecs involved and the aztecs finished the job.)

 

[Amask]

I was once in an alliance with Babylonians, and they signed a peace treaty with the enemy, and then in the same turn they came to me to trade something, I did, and then signed another MA with them. The next thing I know is they sign another peace treaty that very turn. They broke the MA twice in one turn, cheap bastards.

 

[Tomoyo]

Note: NEVER include MAs in a peace deal. Canceling the MA cancels the peace.

 

[Mr. Do]

That's interesting... so if you sign an MA and include your own peace in that deal, if the AI wants to make peace with your joint enemy then you get to declare war on them... sounds like an interesting way of keeping small satellite nations on your side. I wonder if the AI actually cares that they'll be going to war with you when it would come to signing peace and breaking your peace deal, I wonder? I shall look into this in the game I'm playing at the mo...

 

[JMK]

Hello.

Each time I bribe another civ to declare war on one of my enemies, they gladly accept my payment, but make peace shortly after. Isn't there any way to force them into a locked alliance, forbidding separate peace treaties?

There is no way to FORCE them into a LOCKED alliance, but there is a good way to keep them at war and "strongly suggest" them to honor their Alliance for 20 turns.
1) you need to choose a strong friend (at least as strong as your opponent),
2) when signing an alliance do not pay lump sum but GPT. Do not offer Tech neither.
3) add a luxury in your deal as far as you can.
This way if they do not honor the deal they are loosing something, specially the Luxury.

 

[morchuflex]

Good advice.