How come allied city states never defend you even when you defend them?

[beestbijnacht]

Why is it that whenever an AI civ allies a CS, they send fleets out as much as 10 steps out from their borders and give it all they got (my city almost got captured by a CS for crying out loud), and even seem to put out watchmen to try to steal my workers that venture near the border, but whenever I ally a nearby CS, they're too busy picking their noses to help me thin out a fleet that's surrounded my city and right next to them? Even militaristic ones!

I had an ally CS and an enemy CS sharing borders, the enemy CS is picking off my guys while my "ally" CS is scratching their bums. Am I doing something wrong? I pledge to protect them and actually do it, what gives.

 

[sufficiency]

I never defend my Allied CS.

 

[beestbijnacht]

I never defend my Allied CS.

Do they ever actively participate in your nearby battles?

 

[Unresolved]

Allied CS help me all the time. Of course, on Immortal and Deity, the AI is probably going to take over the CS if you don't help them out >.>.

 

[The QC]

Allied CS behavior seems to have changed at some point. I remember they used to be very useful during wars, some time ago. Now all they can do to help is to soak up some damage if they are in an enemy's path. I always find them dissapointing.

 

[Civ4Pengbo]

The CS AI seems to be dumber than the normal CIV AI. I have seen them attack the civ I am at war with but they are so bad at it it's painful. I have even gone as far as parking battleships off the coast of a low pop city right next to a CS and pounded it into the ground in the hope they would take it and raise it to save me doing it.

Nope not a chance. They seem to be like kids and get excited when they see the city go red and then move their troops in too early and lose them before they can take the city. And they are not intelligent about moving their troops in. I see them move a melee troop onto a plain or grassland all the time instead of the perfectly good hill next door. Now if they did it because moving it would be 1 move point and then attack I could get it but no they move it onto the plain using all their movement points when they could do the same onto the hill. I even went so far as to gift a Giant Death Robot once to see if they were any better at it. Not a hope in hell they just marched it up to a full strength city and lost it in 3 turns.

I suppose it's a good thing really because if an AI played like a human we wouldn't stand a chance. Imagine if an AI managed it's troops to get promotions. didn't suicide them for no reason. Used ranged units correctly?

 

[filli_noctus]

The problem with CSs when it comes to defending you is that they will never enter a civs borders unless they're at war, so they will only assist with ranged attacks if an enemy unit strays within range.

 

[IkM]

The problem with CSs when it comes to defending you is that they will never enter a civs borders unless they're at war, so they will only assist with ranged attacks if an enemy unit strays within range.

yes, you're right.

anyway, they're always fight for me, in their territory. give them more units they're very important, IMO.

 

[BobiB420]

Only times my CS allies help me (other than being a meat shield) is on water-heavy maps. AI seems to neglect it's navy, but CS love to spam pirates. Any time i'd DoW with CS allies, they would send all their ships to harass the AI, quite effective actually. On land, forget it. They seem to be under the impression that this is Civ 4 and Archers still melee

 

[IronCrown]

The problem with CSs when it comes to defending you is that they will never enter a civs borders unless they're at war, so they will only assist with ranged attacks if an enemy unit strays within range.

For good reason probably, they would only block our tiles and mess with our troop movements, doing more harm than good.

In my first game I went to war against one AI together with another, and my allied AI failed utterly at capturing the weak opponent's last city, but I couldn't do it either because my ally had all the tiles around the city blocked

 

[GhostSalsa]

whenever I ally a nearby CS, they're too busy picking their noses to help me thin out a fleet that's surrounded my city and right next to them? Even militaristic ones!

It is what it is. Militaristic CS's never seem to grow the huge armies that the other flavors do. The most effective way to use CS allies in war is to steer your AI opponent into their borders, such as by expanding your tiles to just outside the CS via citadels, or plotting your city placement with future wars in mind. The AI will usually trample through a CS to get to you and DOW with half their units at risk, so.

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Why would you not defend a CS? You're paying unit maintenance for your army, use it to defend assets.