Stopping Sneak Attacks?

[szwanger]

Is there any way to prevent AI sneak attacks?

It is really, really annoying when I'm trying to pursue
a peaceful strategy and a computer opponent randomly
sneak attacks one of my units. Even more frustrating
is that a friendly attitude doesn't prevent it; sneak
attacks from receptive civs are pretty common and I've
even had some from worshipful civs.

The sneak attack isn't automatic -- I've experimented
with saving and restarting, and I don't always get
a sneak attack. So it doesn't look like the AI has
any strategic reason for it.

Even worse, once the other civ starts a war, they'll
often refuse to receive my emissary (for a long, long
time), which makes the UN useless in this situation.

Any suggestions?

Thanks,

Steve

 

[ElephantU]

Sounds like you are playing MPG. Diplomacy is much more rational in Classic/2.42.

BTW, welcome to CFC. Looks like you have been "lurking" a bit...

 

[Cactus_Jack]

I make a habbit of not signing cease fires with the computer untill they are reserved so they will sign a peace treaty.

 

[harperbruce]

If you're playing MPG, capturing one or two of their cities usually brings them to the bargaining table. (It's been so long since I've played Classic 2.42 that I don't know if the algorithm is the same.) The least bloody way of doing this is by bribery, unless the enemy empire is a Democracy, of course.

 

[szwanger]

I play Civ2 on a Mac; I have version 1.0. Does the MPG / Classic 2.42
distinction apply to Macs?

Steve

 

[cdscivnut]

Does anyone know why the AI is so different in MGE than in the Classic version. I used to play in the classic but as soon as I switched to MGE the AI would be like enthusiastic or even worshipful like the turn I would meet and trade but the next turn they will be uncooperative or hostile and will often demand something if you send an emmissary. Does anyone know why the AI attitude was changed in MGE?

 

[funxus]

To make it harder?

 

[ElephantU]

Seems like part of the "improvements review" by Sid and Brian was that it was too easy to butter up the AIs, so they made the MultiPlayer version more difficult (probably TOO much more difficult, from what I have heard). Follow-on versions, like TOT and FW, seem to continue the trend. In my opinion it turns the game from a diplomatic/economic/scientific balance to an unending slugfest where you never develop alliances or long-term relationships with AI civs.

 

[o'brien]

you go into the cheat menu give yourself all of the techs and nuke em into the stone age!

 

[Dark Ascendant]

MGE is brutal. Take the civs down one at a time. Let them give you the excuse to start a war, position everything beforehand and take half of their cities on the first turn of war. Don't stop until they have are totally gone, or have lost their most important cities for production.

 

[Archer 007]

Two words: Border patrols.

 

[Old n Slow]

Preventing sneak attacks -- the opposite of inviting sneak attacks.

To invite a sneak attack, one can sometimes provoke the action buy placing a "vulnerable" unit (and sometimes it doesn't have to be a 'weak (a camel works well)' one) in the way. A boat out side the entrance to a port, a camel on one of the ai interior road intersections -- just sitting there -- sometimes becomes the target.

Why provke? If a sneak is going to occur, why not 'force the issue' and why not choose the victim (as opposed to allowing the surprise to occur with something more valuable elsewhere.

But similar to archer_007's border pattrol thought, one CAN choose (to an extent) what units are at risk.

 

[Ace]

Sometimes you can tell when the AI is getting ready to sneak attack you by the units it moves into your space. If you buy up its units, you can sometimes prevent the sneak attack.

 

[HughMungus]

Originally posted by Old n Slow
Preventing sneak attacks -- the opposite of inviting sneak attacks.

To invite a sneak attack, one can sometimes provoke the action buy placing a "vulnerable" unit (and sometimes it doesn't have to be a 'weak (a camel works well)' one) in the way. A boat out side the entrance to a port, a camel on one of the ai interior road intersections -- just sitting there -- sometimes becomes the target.

Why provke? If a sneak is going to occur, why not 'force the issue' and why not choose the victim (as opposed to allowing the surprise to occur with something more valuable elsewhere.

But similar to archer_007's border pattrol thought, one CAN choose (to an extent) what units are at risk.

I was wondering about this today when I had a destroyer shadowing an AI transport near a port city and I thought, "I wonder if the AI will kill that destroyer because it's close to the trasnport." It sure did!

The diplomacy screens do mention "vile provacations" and even when you don't have a peace treaty, not liking your units being near their cities...

 

[Dark Ascendant]

If you don't want to be a victim, you've gotta pound the AI until they can't pound back. Be aggressive, but rational.

 

[HughMungus]

Originally posted by Dark Ascendant
If you don't want to be a victim, you've gotta pound the AI until they can't pound back. Be aggressive, but rational.

I just wish, as I'm sure many do, that the AI was more rational. It's ridiculous when if I've just captured 4 or 5 enemy cities and they sue for peace and offer me a truckload of gold that if I "demand tribute" at the end of that exchange that they declare war on me again. They should have given the AI more ability to distinguish which players are more powerful and act accordingly. And I KNOW they know I'm powerful or they wouldn't all be forming alliances against me. I've even tried using numbers like "-5" in the "Rational" setting in rules.txt to no avail.

 

[SideshowBob]

I think it's the vanilla version (or similar) I've got now and the AI is so much nicer than it was on my earlier CD, with MGE and FW. I bought as I saw there was a "best of micro-prose" on the market. It was cheap, and it's made playing a lot more easy I really recommend buying a this or an older version of Civ 2 if you dislike the warmongering AI civs.

Edit: Sorry, my mistake. It was "Best of Infogrames"