How to control border entry by AI units

[vorlon_mi]

While seemingly overlooked on GoTM and HoF rule sets here, over at Realms Beyond they discuss two exploits you hint at: 'baiting the AI', and 'puppet strings.' Essentially, knowingly moving your troops in a manner that causes the AI to do something stupid, for your gain, is an exploit. This includes leaving a settler or worker exposed in order to trick the AI to capture it, and moving troops back and forth between towns to cause the AI to make its stacks walk in circles.

I read their list of tactics that are condemned or recommended; interesting views. I would find it very hard to win a conquest or domination victory by limiting myself to defensive/"honorable" wars. Indeed, the "Always War" variant that some folks have discussed here (and in the Civ4 forums) would be disallowed by the RB standards.

Several tactics that the developers included in the game, e.g., launching tactical nukes from submarines, using spies to steal technologies, are condemned by RB. That seems to me to be a bridge too far. But that's just my opinion; one is always free to role-play the game as one wishes.

 

[jarred!]

"Play Your Own Game," you're right.

I want to point out one thing though: Honorable vs. dastardly is different than allowed vs disallowed. (By those rules) In a war you can behave dastardly by using spies and razing cities, both acceptable game tactics, but tactics that aren't Good. You can never make phony peace treaties or RoP abuse the AI, as you're taking advantage of bad AI logic (think, making the AI to move its troops in circles to delay attacks or make them take a specific city you want them to).

 

[r16]

would agree with vorlon_mi as it's the decision to attack you must forestall . And must say ı love tricking the AI . Alas it has got somewhat smarter and when ı surround its units and leave a single opening so that its will have a stack of 200 in some location far enough from my cities so that ı will destroy it in a turn or two , with economy of forces , it has a spoiler bunch of units that move stupidly and keep the pocket large and unwieldy .