question about republic

[kirie]

@AutomatedTeller
how to get ai declare war on me?
i read someone say he just keep sending unit across border until they declare war, but it seem doesnt work on me, maybe because I have a lot of unit

Get the AI to invade you and you beat up their stack in your land.

work great only if I already have a railway, chivalary or tank

 

[Ataxerxes]

@AutomatedTeller
how to get ai declare war on me?
i read someone say he just keep sending unit across border until they declare war, but it seem doesnt work on me, maybe because I have a lot of unit

Get the AI to invade you and you beat up their stack in your land.

work great only if I already have a railway, chivalary or tank

The problem with send a unit across the border is that you get negative diplo points that go away when you leave their territory. If you have a lot of units, especially offensive units, the AI is much less likely to declare.

Here's another method, open to criticism. Leave a city the AI can see ungarrisoned just out of their reach with your stack a few tiles further in. Ungarrisoned cities to the AI are like wine to an alcoholic. Can't resist. If they declare and come in, rush your units into the city. He declared and now you can kill him. If he moves a stack in without declaring (AI doesn't suffer the rep hit the carbon infestation does for ROP-rape) I find that, even if you move your counter stack into the city, he'll still attack.

Oh, and absolutely, railroads are THE military improvement.

 

[Raliuven]

Question regarding trashing or damaging your rep, which may be off topic - but if a civ is angry at you, does the price of a trade deal increase? I played one game where I was best friends with Japan (unless I had to stomp them into the ground) but they always offered me a worse price than Persia, whom I fought a nearly endless war against. Japan became the tech and culture leader while Persia and I dueled, but during our times of peace, Persia always gave me a better price, even though we hated each other. Is that because they were more on par with me tech/culture wise? As a side note, both Persia and I were move powerful than Japan most of the time. If either of us had turned on Japan, we could have crushed them (and I did, later). I had been keeping Japan on the sidelines as a possible ally against Persia when they were much stronger than me.

 

[Ataxerxes]

Question regarding trashing or damaging your rep, which may be off topic - but if a civ is angry at you, does the price of a trade deal increase? I played one game where I was best friends with Japan (unless I had to stomp them into the ground) but they always offered me a worse price than Persia, whom I fought a nearly endless war against. Japan became the tech and culture leader while Persia and I dueled, but during our times of peace, Persia always gave me a better price, even though we hated each other. Is that because they were more on par with me tech/culture wise? As a side note, both Persia and I were move powerful than Japan most of the time. If either of us had turned on Japan, we could have crushed them (and I did, later). I had been keeping Japan on the sidelines as a possible ally against Persia when they were much stronger than me.

Trashing your rep would mean nobody will trade with you, period. In my experience, the price of a trade deal doesn't change much if at all due to their attitude. I frankly don't care much whether a Civ hates my guts or names their children after me. It has very little effect and the situation you describe is common. Japan is charging you a higher price because the trade benefits you more than them. In the case of Persia, who sounds bigger, the trade probably benefits them more so they will give you a sweet deal. If your Civ is smaller, they will generally give you something to make the deal. If you're bigger, they will usually charge something.

In the late game, when you are the biggest, baddest dude on the planet, the prices for resources get obscene. Most of my wars are to get more luxuries. I hate having to pay through the nose to get one lousy resource. If I'm bigger, they'll charge me more and it'll be easier to take it. You might try just demanding it if you're a lot stronger. If they attack you, so what?

 

[Raliuven]

Trashing your rep would mean nobody will trade with you, period.

I trash my rep all the time and I can still trade - they just won't deal in gpt or enter into a 20 year deal unless I am accepting something per turn. Which means so long as they benefit if it cancels, that's fine - but they won't accept gpt from me or trade me say a tech for my luxury.

What is interesting is if trashing your rep actually makes prices go up.

I do see your logic regarding size. Persia was bigger than me, so they didn't 'fear' me and were willing to trade techs to me. Japan was smaller and they did 'fear' me so they would only trade if I sweetened the deal. There must be some mechanism that affects the trade based on relative power? If you are small, they take pity and if you are large they are jealous? I understand the logic behind luxury trades - I'm curious about techs primarily, but also strategic resources. I don't really trade for strategic resources, but it would be interesting to know.

 

[kirie]

now that you mentioned it, I think its actually true, I I'm close to conquest it really hard to get something cheaper. sometime they even refuse newer tech I offer for older one. though I dont really know its because power of fear factor

 

[Ataxerxes]

I trash my rep all the time and I can still trade - they just won't deal in gpt or enter into a 20 year deal unless I am accepting something per turn. Which means so long as they benefit if it cancels, that's fine - but they won't accept gpt from me or trade me say a tech for my luxury.

What is interesting is if trashing your rep actually makes prices go up.

I do see your logic regarding size. Persia was bigger than me, so they didn't 'fear' me and were willing to trade techs to me. Japan was smaller and they did 'fear' me so they would only trade if I sweetened the deal. There must be some mechanism that affects the trade based on relative power? If you are small, they take pity and if you are large they are jealous? I understand the logic behind luxury trades - I'm curious about techs primarily, but also strategic resources. I don't really trade for strategic resources, but it would be interesting to know.

Trading for resources is worse that way. I've had some problems with getting a tech out somebody without killing them, but it gets brutal on resources. The computer takes into account not only how many cities you have, but how many markets and existing resources you have (marginal value goes up the more you have with Markets). Since this is my main way of keeping my people loving me, it can get horrible. For a luxury they might demand a strategic resource and a tech.

Trading for strategic resources is brutal, especially if you're bigger. Normally you have to offer them another strategic resource for starters.

 

[CKS]

For techs, I think the cost may depend slightly on whether you are in the same cultural group.

 

[Desertsnow]

If you are in the same cultural group the AIs start out somewhat more favorable to you. This can change.

 

[Raliuven]

But does thier attitude towards you actually affect the price of the tech? In my recent experience, I have to say no - or at least attitude wasn't as important as some other factors (such as size)?

Japan and I were polite, but they wanted more than Persia, who hated my guts. Of course, Japan was smaller than me and Persia was larger to equal (eventually) size.

 

[Desertsnow]

Size matters, yes. It also depends on how much they want/need the resource that you're offering.