Is it worth to try to keep the AI happy?

[Martinus]

What is everyone's experience on this? If the AI likes you, is it more likely to offer you better deals or come to your aid in war?

The question is based on the fact that there is quite a high opportunity cost to trying to keep some AIs happy so I am trying to find out whether it is worth it.

 

[pietro1990]

Not really because warmonger penalties are broken if you declare one time everyone hates you.

 

[Plus Ultra]

Debatable.

-Better trade deals... yes, but nothing unreasonable.
-Aid in war... well, not really.

The biggest advantage only comes once they become Allies:

-During that period they can't declare war on you which lets you focus on something else.
-If you need to declare a war, they will most likely accept a joint effort.

 

[Woka]

Victoria was about to attack me (her army around my city during open borders).
I allied her before she declares war, and she went on the arabian instead.

It's always useful to have a close friend.

 

[esoba]

No, it is pointless and impossible. In my current game as Rome I have done everything to make friends (alliances are impossible). I have trade routes, I gift them things, I'm fulfilling agendas, and they have favorable trades. Yet they still won't quite get to the declare friendship level. And when I declared a war with casus belli, every one of the AI civs denounced me. This warmongering is absolutely broken and frustrating. Even when I gift a city, no major favorability raises. I go to war against another person's enemy they denounce me. CB penalties are still severe in the modern era. Just pointless and frustrating.

 

[Martinus]

Well, in my games I frequently manage to get two or more civs as friends and allies - if you do not warmonger too much, some, like Trajan or Hojo, are actually quite easy to keep happy as they reward you for things you are trying to do anyway (i.e. expanding and keeping up culturally, respectively). It's the ones who hate you for playing well - like Pericles, Frederick or Pedro - that are a pain. My question, however, was not if this can be done (it can) but whether it is worth it to, say, avoid vassalizing city states to keep on Pericles's good side.

 

[joncnunn]

A lot depends on what it is that they want:

If it's Egypt who's upset that you have a weak idea, it's a very good idea to try to keep her happy by building the army; after all, if it doesn't work you'll still have that army to show her who's boss.

France's agenda (she wants you to send the 25 gold envoy to everyone) is already a good idea no matter what and so you should do it.

As to Germany's totally ignore city states; it's a terrible idea, so ignore and just build the army to defend yourself if he's near you.

 

[Big J Money]

The game has a good start by revealing all the factors that go into your Relationship level, even though there is a way to go. One improvement will be better communicating the counter-intuitive war scenarios, like when you're backstabbed and why. Making it clear you didn't do anything wrong, but the AI is just being greedy.

I think some things we miss because we only get to see our own Diplomacy screen. So when we get a warmongering penalty everyone denounces us. But what about when the AI declares a backstabbing war? I'm sure everyone denounces them too. Maybe that's a good time to jump in on the denouncing and gain some extra Relationship bonuses with everyone else.

 

[RedRover57]

One big problem is that if you are playing a peaceful game and have stopped expanding your empire, the AI will forward settle you right on your border and then start complaining about your troops that are defending that city as being too close to their borders. Combine those types of penalties with other silly ones, like unknown agendas and "moving your troops by their cities" penalties and it becomes very tough to have even one friend or ally. Not to mention that sometimes it's near impossible to even establish an embassy with a neutral (let alone an unfriendly) AI. Needs to be tweaked that's for sure.

 

[Big J Money]

Troops within your own borders triggering the "troops are too close" sounds like a bug to me. But in general I think that particular diplo penalty is also too harsh. I've seen it extend as far as 3 hexes outside their borders, which is nuts. They don't even get LOS that far.

In any case, I think the OP already appreciates how difficult it is to make friends. I think the question is more about what are the benefits once you have done so.

 

[sanchopanda]

During that period they can't declare war on you which lets you focus on something else.

They can! Had an alliance, a defensive pact, open borders, moreover Cleo really likes me! And still she declared war on me while we had an active alliance. Definitely a bug, so... be careful!

Besides that there are so many agendas which can switch from positive to negative in just one round. China likes me for my money, I buy some units, next round they denounce me because in their eyes I am bankrupt (yeah with 150+ gold per turn...). 10 rounds later (they probably have spend all their money buying things) they like me for my riches.