Quick Answers / 'Newbie' Questions

[Orion Pax]

Next question:

AI war decisions - are they affected at all by:

1) Blocking them off from land / settling where they were going to?

2) Beating them to a wonder they were aiming for?

Wouldn't show up in the attitude score, but neither do factors like proximity or strength. Just wondering if correlation is causation here.

 

[AcaMetis]

1. AIs that are still in settler spamming mode are less likely to plot war, so yes. Settling where they want to settle I believe does also make them more likely to plot on you, though whether that's it's own specific factor or simply a matter of border tensions (where they want to settle is very likely to cause some form of border tension) I'm not sure.
2. Directly, not that I know of. Indirectly, building a ton of culture in an AI's face will cause tensions, of course.

 

[Lemon Merchant]

If I remember correctly from the DLL and BUG Python code (it's been a while since I looked, so forgive me if I am wrong), the AI plots war based on the parameters in this order:

• Relative power (you vs them)
• Friendship status
• Diplo modifiers (have you wronged them in some fashion?)
  
• Religion (different religion than plotter)
• Alliances (are you friends with someone they hate?)
  
• Being bribed into it
• Cultural tensions (especially if you have a legendary city)

AFAIK, the AI does not start plotting if you beat them to a wonder. They just take the fail gold and move on. The most important one is relative power. The AI (most AI) will only plot if your power falls 0.5 (I think) below theirs, so if you have a power rating of 1.4 compared to their 2.0, they may start plotting, particularly if you are not the same religion. If they have a power rating >1 compared to you, you can expect them to start plotting. At the very least, you will get to WHEOOHRN status.

IIRC Kathy is the only AI who will declare at pleased, and at friendly if she is bribed into it, though I have had her declare on me at friendly and I could find no evidence of bribes (I checked the Python logs in BUG and didn't see a bribe, so she may actually declare at friendly all on her own.)

But again, it's been a while since I looked at the code, so I may have things in the wrong order, or be outright wrong. Gasp!

 

[AcaMetis]

IIRC Kathy is the only AI who will declare at pleased, and at friendly if she is bribed into it, though I have had her declare on me at friendly and I could find no evidence of bribes (I checked the Python logs in BUG and didn't see a bribe, so she may actually declare at friendly all on her own.)

What most likely happened is that she started plotting when you were at Pleased, and only declared after she got up to friendly. Every AI up to and including Gandhi can declare at friendly if they start plotting beforehand. But no AI in the game can start plotting war at friendly (at least in terms of random per-turn plots, I make no guarantees that even a friendly Monty won't get ticked off if you refuse a demand from him), and only Catherine can be bribed onto someone she's friendly with.

 

[Orion Pax]

Thanks to both of you! Follow up Question if I may:

I know the AI typically don't declare war once already at war, but this happened in a recent game, with Cathy in fact:

Cathy and most others on my continent had declared on Montezuma. Cathy's stack was marching out to engage, but then she just declared on me too and invaded me instead. She wasn't happy with me and was my next-door neighbor, but I can't remember seeing an AI declaring while already at war. And she did it TWICE.

I checked and she had open borders with the civ north of us, so I think she had a path to Monty, so it just baffled me that she'd declare on me in addition. Thoughts?

 

[AcaMetis]

I thought that only Monty was crazy enough to plot war (usually over a refused demand) and declare while already at war. Maybe Cathy was so powerful militarily that she thought she could take on Monty and you at the same time? Maybe she was plotting to DoW you but got bribed/forced into war with Monty, and figured that Monty, getting dogpiled as hard as he did, couldn't pose any sort of threat to her own war plans?

 

[Orion Pax]

I've had Genghis do that to me a number of times - declare on me over a refused demand while at war.

But yeah, my best guess is the second - that she had been plotting against me originally then was bribed/forced in against Monty? He was much further away, so I was a more logical target. It was just weird because I think I recall her stack going north, only to change direction and come at me. But could have been an ambiguous move. Twice though.

 

[ruff_hi]

I think Monty declares so often because his 'how strong do I need to be to DOW' is very low.

 

[Nogbadthebad]

Most common reason for any AI declaring a second war would be the AP doing its thing?

 

[Qactus]

Is there a way to influence in which city a great general is born?

 

[Tonny]

Yes. The birthplace of the last unit that makes the kill for xp is also the birthplace of the GG.

 

[Qactus]

Awesome, this is super useful! I should've asked years ago, but better late than never

 

[Pangaea]

Definitely not always. Thought that was the rule too, but I've seen it broken several times. Like having a GG spawn on a 1-tile island that has never produced a military unit.

Edit: Here is actually one example.

 

[6K Man]

Just curious - why does it matter where the GG is born? Other than having to move it around if you want to settle in the HE city or attach it to a unit, for example?

 

[Qactus]

That's precisely the reason @6K Man . Especially if it's the first one, shall become a supermedic and needs to get to the frontline asap.

 

[6K Man]

Thanks.

 

[lymond]

Definitely not always. .

That is my experience as well. I’ve known about the “rule” a ling time, but frequently see exceptions to it.

 

[ruff_hi]

Imagine that you are close to getting a GG ... and that someone is about to attack one of your cities. They attack but your defending units do a great job and a GG is born ... in the city being defended. They continue the attack, hill all of the units and capture the city ... no more GG.

Bummer!

 

[Lennier]

I've done that to the AI a number of times. Bummer for me because of the propensity of the AI to settle their GGs.

 

[Pangaea]

What was the formula for hammers a Great Engineer can hurry again? Tried to search, but yeah... Was it 500 + 20x pop or something like that? Does a forge increase it?