The power of Cease Fire

[Infantry#14]

Just won a prince game, and and I found that cease fire is pretty awesome.

I was fighting a long war with France and Japan together and my units fought pretty well against their combined forces. However, somehow their counterattack units managed to slip past my forces and they camped on the forest hill next to my city. They had catapults, longbows, xbows and maces sitting on that hill and there was no way I can destroy them with just my knights and elephants without suffering casulties of my own. Then a idea hit me. I issue a cease fire with them, and their units magically teleport to the open plain outside my border. Without their hill and forest defense, I immediately declare war on the same turn and slaughter them with my mounted units. The game was pretty much over as I easily took over their remaining cities. Yes, I am a evil backstabber .

 

[bonafide11]

Hah... I didn't even know that was possible

 

[PibbZ]

I thought you gained a forced 10-turn cease fire where you couldnt attack, thats what im used to atleast, or

 

[Robcore]

is there a difference in a peace treaty and a cease fire then? I know the peace treaty says 10turns and it lasts that long too, but can ceasefire's be broken no the same turn? Sounds like a bug to me. One interesting thing i seen if you demand money or tech off another civ, you have an unbreakable peace treaty with them for 10turns. Does this work to when an enemy civ demands stuff off you? Buying you 10 turns until they declare war or demand again?

 

[Sephlock]

@ robcore: Yes on all counts.

 

[vilemerchant]

Isn't there a Civ4 fiction area the OP could be moved to?

 

[Game-God]

Thats odd indeedy. I have only seen peace treaty not cease fire option. Is that something you turned on in the options?

 

[Jedoc]

Isn't there a Civ4 fiction area the OP could be moved to?

Why? The story is perfectly plausible. As long as you sign a cease fire and not a peace treaty (which sadly means not accepting any gold or techs) there's nothing stopping you from immediately re-declaring war, other than your own gentlemanly (gentlewomanly?) nature and sense of fair play. Not something I'd tend to do, but certainly not fictional.

 

[plesniak]

I have always had cease fire available to me in any of the Civ 4 series of games available.
Peace treaty gives a mandatory 10 turns of no war declarations by you on them.

Cease fire will stop the war with you and them...but there is no mandatory minimum turns of peace. It can be a very useful strategy indeed.

 

[Mewtarthio]

Thats odd indeedy. I have only seen peace treaty not cease fire option. Is that something you turned on in the options?

You have to open up the negociation table. Ensure that the only item on the table is "Peace Treaty," then click on "Peace Treaty" to remove it from the table. I'm not sure why anyone would agree to this, since you're basically saying that you intend to go right back to war within the next ten turns, but apparently it's useful.

 

[hecubus]

I was eyeing the Cease Fire option in a game last night. I wasn't quite sure what it did but what I assumed would happen sounds pretty close to what you described. Since I was on the offensive, though, and my troops were the ones dug in near his city, I decided against it. Good to know that's how it works, though, sounds like it can be devastatingly effective if used at the right time.

 

[Infantry#14]

yea, it's pretty powerful even if you redeclare on the next turn, because the ai units tend to scramble back to the roads (usually the open plains and grasslannds) and divide themselves, which makes them pretty vulerable to an immediate backstab.

 

[DrewBledsoe]

Hmm.HmmH, and HMMH again, is my thoughts on such a tactic......

 

[Jaybe]

Nah, I would definitely have to be in dire straights to take advantage of this Cease Fire EXPLOIT!

One should enjoy losing an occasional game (without abandoning it), and I admit it has been a long time since I have done so.