How NOT to bargain peace agreements

[Scipio Aetius]

Playing standard Emperor with a pangea map as the Chinese I eventually found myself at war with the top civ (at that time) Catherine of Russia. She had a massive army with better tech. I valiantly fought down the hordes of units with few losses (thanks crappy AI) over the next 20 turns or so. After she exhausted her forces she sues for peace. Thank goodness! Now I can concentrate on building my tech and upgrading my units.

But wait! She offers peace if I give her all my gold and 75% of my cities. I annihilate her army but I have to give up my cities? No thanks. Every ten to twenty turns or so I get these crappy offers even though I am now clearly dominant. By the time I finally start taking her cities she offers me a straight up peace deal but its too late. Genocide is the only answer to her insolence. When I finally take Moscow she offers me her entire empire with the exception of one city. Needless to say the eastern coast of that continent glowed brightly soon after.

 

[Ahriman]

The AI is basically designed to offer 3 peace deals through a war; one where it thinks it is more powerful and demands tribute, one where it thinks things are even (white peace) and one where it is losing and offers you a bunch of stuff.

Its not necessarily the best at figuring out where those points should be, but I think the core idea is a good one.

 

[metatheory]

I think it works ok if the AI only makes decisions on what it sees. I had Rammses II offer all his cities after I wasted a small force trying to take one of his mountain towns. It was early in the game and I attacked with 2 horses, 1 swordsman and an archer thinking I would get a quick city. He KO'd my horses who could only move 2 spaces thru the terrain and my swordsman died after assaulting city and taking a round of chariot archer fire. I backed my archers off quickly and he offered everything he had even though I had nothing really left to combat his remaining forces.

 

[Pantastic]

Its not necessarily the best at figuring out where those points should be, but I think the core idea is a good one.

I disagree, because the 'I want stuff' and 'I'll give up stuff' are both too extreme outside of very early wars when the amounts are lower. When they want concessions, they don't just want that one city-state freed, or a bit of cash, they want 1 of every luxury, a bunch of cities, and all of your money. When they give concessions, it's the same thing in reverse. When they're neutral, they won't just toss their spare cash on hand to sweeten the deal.

This basically removes negotiations from ending a war - the "human gives up stuff" option is always crippling, so there's no reason to accept it instead of fighting until the bitter end. The "AI gives up stuff" means that the AI is crippled and the human can mop up that last city after the peace treaty expires. It tends to hit the silly 'AI exact number' problem too, I've been fighting, they demand I give up something absurd, then a couple of turns later they offer me the farm because the number tripped over a threshold.

 

[Scipio Aetius]

July 1945: Japan demands the U.S. surrender all its Pacific possessions and the west coast.

 

[Rathelon]

August 1945: The U.S. drops atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Japan surrenders unconditionally.

 

[}{ELL/\/()]

i have found that against AI's more powerful than me if I am able to take one of their cities I can usually get an even peace. Concentrate your army and go on the offensive.

 

[stii]

August 1945: The U.S. drops atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Japan surrenders unconditionally.

US then razes all their cities other than thier capital?

 

[patsfan454]

US then razes all their cities other than thier capital?

No, they didn't even bother. The game was pretty much so they just zoned out and pressed next turn a million times.

 

[DuseCutter]

It always seems the AI bargains with a hard-line stance. They offer what they want with no wiggle room. You cannot haggle. You cannot offer something different. They don't haggle back when you offer something. Pressing the "What will make this work" is exactly that. I'd like real bargaining.

 

[TRJS]

I had an unrealistic offer from Rome last night and I was able to haggle quite well. I ended up giving a lump sum of gold whilst he then paid me an amount per turn. I think we both also threw in some luxury resource. It was very different than his initial offer which just had him giving peace and me gold etc.

So I say haggle haggle haggle.

 

[aimlessgun]

More examples of amazing AI intelligence in peace agreements:

I'm just minding my own business and Alexander declares war on me, with his civ about 10 tiles away. Oh no! But no troops show up...nothing. So I build a couple warriors and nervously await the attack.

10 turns later he comes to me asking for peace, offering his whole treasury and income in GPT. At this point I have not fought any of his units or sent any armies into his lands. This is on deity.

Good job at the bargaining table there Alexander!

 

[Chibiabos]

I sometimes find the AI never offering anything better than peace for peace, even after I've whomped 3/4 of their civ.

I actually don't see a need to bother taking their last cities anymore. Once their capital is taken, their back is broken and they never again amount much of a threat.

 

[André Alfenaar]

In my current game I was warring against Rome. I conquered two cities and destroyed most of his army. I lost only 1 unit. Then Augustus offered peace. I thought: 'He is offering all his money and his luxuries. Sounds good! Beat him afterwards.' So I agreed. But then it appeard that he was the one that had demanded all these things.

I really couldn't believe this.

 

[the_lor]

I’ve worked Japan down to one city with no units that’s entirely surrounded by longswordmen and knights backed up by 3 catapults and 2 frigates. He still refuses to let go of that 400 gold he’s got, so I’m experience farming him since he’s only doing 1 damage per turn with his city.

Diplomacy in general needs some work, the offers made by the AI’s certainly needs work.

 

[Horserush]

Yeah be careful! Don't just click OK make sure you actually read the deal first

 

[CheesyPuffs144]

I sometimes find the AI never offering anything better than peace for peace, even after I've whomped 3/4 of their civ.

I actually don't see a need to bother taking their last cities anymore. Once their capital is taken, their back is broken and they never again amount much of a threat.

I was in a game (Emporer, Continents) where Hiawatha DOW on the far side, as I was taking cities on one side. By the time I had captured all his settled cities, he had taken over half of two other civs. He shifted over, maintained his tech lead, while my happiness was tanking. -.-