Move your troops NOW vs. move or go to WAR?

[Puritan]

Sometimes, when enemies are in your land, you have the option of telling them to "move NOW" (i.e. just a "suggestion"), and other times you can tell them to "move or go to WAR" (i.e. they have to automove instantly if they don't go to war). What determines which of these shows up? It's not based on consecutive turns, as far as I can tell -- annoyingly, I've had guys walking through my territory and I kept telling them to move now, but I never got the option to tell them to get out instantly or die -- and it's not based on how close they are to your cities or troops, as I've had guys just sitting one square outside my city. How can I get "move or die" to show up more often? No one defies me!

 

[Shabbaman]

I believe it's dependend on the number of units they've got in your territory. If it's a lot (a SOD) they have to move, otherwise, they're just scouts (research in the name of science, so to speak...)
It isn't like you can actually do something about it.

 

[TheNiceOne]

In addition to number of units, its also dependant on whether they are miltary or non-military units (an explorer can stay much loner than a warrior), and how close they are to an enemy city.

Those three (miltary/non-military units, number of such units, distance to closest city) sums up to a formula which determins when they can be forced to leave.

 

[Moulton]

I have not been able to find a pattern.
I am at this time Japan, having conquered China and half of India, but temporarily at peace, (waiting for the next generation --20 turns) When India moves through my space, I can only warn them (Her last response was, "We will moveon. If I were in as weak a position as you, I would be worried too" Weak? When I renewed the war, I took her 8 core cities onor two city per turn, needing time only to move therough her land.)
When Persia and again Rome move a settler/troop through my land, my first response gave me "Remove your troops or declare war." Persia is not strong, -- probably me next conquest-- but Rome is near my strength... go figure.

 

[MTheil3508]

From what I have seen, but don't quote me, I think if they have more than one military unit in your territory, then you get the war option.

If they only have one unit, then you can ask them for eras to get out but it will only be a suggestion.

 

[DS_CL]

I believe I found a pattern to their behavior. I noticed this with ships and found it also applies with land units. The AI is set up to recognize the difference between pathed units, and units moving sporadically (i.e. different path every turn). If the AI has a unit set on a path that is meant to move through your territory but not land on it, then it will give you the “move NOW” option because it expects it should technically be out of your territory next turn even if it isn’t.

If a unit is trapped, can’t find a way through your territory, or is blocked, and you already gave the “Move NOW” option at least once, you can then do the declare war option.

I came to this theory when I was in the industrial age and pumped out lots of privateers. I found that as long as the AI entered my territory strictly to attack privateers, not meaning to enter my seas (it just happened to be that the privateers were in my territory), he could stay there as long as he wants. But if they all die (or I trapped him by sending 8 ships to surround his one) then I get the declare war or move option.

Afterwards, in the modern age, I found that if he moved destroyers across my tiles in order to cross seas and not meaning to stop in my territory, then you only get the “Move NOW” option. It does this with marines and tanks as well (the AI sent his troops through my territory in a few games I’ve played) if they are passing through to attack someone on the other side. If they are exploring, or pathed to end on a tile in your control, then you can declare war.

I might be wrong. But this theory hasn’t failed me yet.

 

[DiamondzAndGunz]

That is a very interesting theory, actually. The more I think about it, the more it really seems to make sense. I can think of several situations it would apply to.

When the AI sends its troops in for a "sneak attack," and I call them up to ask them to remove their troops, I'll almost certainly get the "Move or declare war" option, and they'll almost certainly declare war. Other times, I've had settlers moving through my territory, with the goal of... settling in my territory. I kept asking them to "Move or declare war," and they kept moving them, only to return back the next turn.

Of course, there is the occasional instance where I try to move one of my troops through their territory, making it "Go to" well beyond their borders, but they still make me "Move or declare war." I think that some of the factors that TheNiceOne described also play some role in their behavior.