Is playing diplomatic useless?

[ColPaladin]

I am on my 5th game. I usually play Himiko because I like to play diplomatically. But every time about the halfway mark in the modern age, everyone starts a war with me. And I mean everyone. I am playing on lvl 3 (of 6), everything Standard. This current game I tried really hard to make 2 allies, and everyone but one person had a heart for me for the first 2 ages. But as usual, it's the 47% mark in Modern, and now every single civ has declared war on me. They just start refusing any agreements, and before you know it, even former allies are suddenly denouncing me.

Is this what happens to all Human players vs the AIs?

 

[Krikkit1]

2 factors
1. in modern the AI gets more aggressive generally
2. Ideology can have a big effect on relationships...
so probably if you want to play diplomatically, hold off on getting an ideology until some AIs have chosen it and pick your sides.

 

[ProMeTheus112]

Overall I would say it's not useless it's important, but if your army is not strong and you are posing some threats to stronger AIs for victory expect them to maybe declare war on you including surprise war.

 

[Mudkip1001]

Yes if you play Emperor Napoleon! The only real option is everyone hating you!

 

[chazzycat]

Overall I would say it's not useless it's important, but if your army is not strong and you are posing some threats to stronger AIs for victory expect them to maybe declare war on you including surprise war.

does the AI know your military strength? I have been wondering about this since there's no "pointy sticks" measurement anywhere in game anymore. But in games where I built and maintained a strong military I don't get attacked much.

 

[Disgustipated]

I have a sneaking suspicion they know my military strength. They seem to attack when my military is small (even if I have enough cash to insta buy a large military).

 

[evonannoredars]

I've never had literally everyone turn against me, might just be bad luck so far. Also worth checking imo whether it's a case of everyone hating you, or just everyone hating each other and declaring wars on each other, including you.

 

[ColPaladin]

Well, I guess I will try a game while also making plenty of military, but that seems the exact opposite of playing peacefully. At the time, I always have 1 or 2 units in each city, along with a fully filled military leader at my capitol. But having allies move from 86% liking me, to refusing any projects and declaring war is getting depressing. It just feels like a waste of thousands of diplomatic currency.

 

[Fluffball]

I have been thinking the AI knows your military even without using/being abe to use the military recon spy option as I always tend to get dog pile wars when I neglect military and get left alone when I have a big military.

 

[ProMeTheus112]

does the AI know your military strength? I have been wondering about this since there's no "pointy sticks" measurement anywhere in game anymore. But in games where I built and maintained a strong military I don't get attacked much.

I don't know for sure but I assume and believe it does, judging from behavior and also the leader agendas suggesting they have info on what you have while you don't have that info about them. I assume they use that info to play you.

 

[bbbt]

This hasn't happened to me, but in the games I played, I basically just did a speed run to my victory condition in the modern era, and ignored ideologies completely (I haven't done a military victory yet).

 

[StargazingDog]

Is this what happens to all Human players vs the AIs?

Nope.

Choose your allies wisely.
Choose your ideology wisely.
Check agendas.
Keep trade routes and endeavours going.

So far (standard map, sovereign difficulty), my games end with me having several allies and several enemies.

 

[ggmoyang]

+3% to all yields per ally is really good, and you'll be able to find at least 2 allies even in the modern age.

 

[Fluffball]

People keep mentioning the importance of ideologies but in all my games I haven't seen a single AI take an ideology.

 

[Serenya]

People keep mentioning the importance of ideologies but in all my games I haven't seen a single AI take an ideology.

They always wait, I learned to just ignore the ideologies until I've done most everything else, to determine which way to go. Invariably if I pick first they *all* choose the other 2!

 

[theadder]

I suspect that the AI knows military strength.

 

[StargazingDog]

People keep mentioning the importance of ideologies but in all my games I haven't seen a single AI take an ideology.

I've had two games where I waited until at least my allies (or enemies) choose. In my most recent game, I chose one early because I wasn't concerned. My ally chose the opposing ideology and still stayed allied until the end. You just have to have a long relationship and treat them well to counter the downward pressure.

 

[Tanel]

Well, I guess I will try a game while also making plenty of military, but that seems the exact opposite of playing peacefully. At the time, I always have 1 or 2 units in each city, along with a fully filled military leader at my capitol. But having allies move from 86% liking me, to refusing any projects and declaring war is getting depressing. It just feels like a waste of thousands of diplomatic currency.

If you want peace prepare for war.

 

[ydejin]

I had Ashoka start piling units around a city on one end of my empire. I started bringing in units from all across the empire and sticking them right where he could see them and he ended up backing off and his units all drifted away to somewhere else. I can't say definitively, but he sure acted as if he saw that it looked like my cities were weakly defended, and once he discovered that wasn't the case, he backed off.

When his first units arrived, I think I only had ~3 units in the city and I ended up tripling the number before he left.