How to deal with annoying AI who refuse to see reason

[Pengu]

So I started a nrmal fractal immortal game. Was on a continent with Catherine, Fredrick and Ragnar. Thought that was nice as Ragnar and Frdrick haes eachother and are bordering eachother. BUT at 2000 BC Ragnar decided to start plotting. I was not really close to him but he had decided a city I placed was something he wanted. So at 1400 BC he dowed me with a stack with 4 axes and a couple of archers. I lost the city but took it back immediately. He had no interest in talking. Then he sent another stack with 6 units(swords, axes and a spear. He lost all and killed 2 of my axes. When he was willing to talk he insisted in the city. No techs was of interest. Then I built walls in the city but did it change Ragnar's mind? Nope, just snet wave after wave osing 5 units at a time.
No matter how many units he lost he refused to make peace unless I gave him the ciity. This has cost me a TON economcally as my trade routes are blocked by him and it is hard to expand. So assinine that he DEMANDS my city after losing 20 units while I've lost 5.
But I need to make peace....

 

[Fippy]

You could settle a junk city for him in that case and offer it for peace.
(should be not too far away from his territory)

 

[NothingBesideRemains]

Two diff concepts there:

Refusing to talk, which is a calc that includes a semi-random # of turns (longer if the ai declares war, shorter if you dow them), and also war success, as you mention.

Then, requiring tribute vs offering tribute after they *do* talk, which considers war success, but also perceived power differential and other things.

If you can get them to talk, and they think they are 'winning' (power disparity, war success, and other factors), and have no tech to offer, then as mentioned a junk city might be enough (ai is not good at putting a value on cities and often overvalues them).

 

[Henrik75]

Population, land tiles, and military power ratio have much bigger impact than war success. You will notice the higher difficulty you play the more stubborn they are with early dows because of all the early game benefits the AI gets.
Wars that early are a disaster, you have to see it coming and build units so that his first wave fails and then they continue to lose units. If he reached you at 1400BC he isn't that far away you should half expect it and start searching for incoming stacks.
On immortal and below (not deity) early wars greatly cripple the AI and you can defend while out expanding them and then when they see you are bigger they'll go for peace much easier. Deity is a different story and early wars are catastrophic, you will have to pay and arm and a leg despite kicking their ass.