Vassal mechanics

[Vlade Divac]

Does anyone know or know of a link where/why an AI civ will vassal to another, but not a human?

I'm currently playing a noble game as the Dutch. I share a border with both Caesar and Jao to my north. I have +23 friendly relations with Jao while Caesar is +8 with Jao. I can't vassal Jao (its redded-out, "We're doing fine on our own") yet he vassals to Caesar the next turn. I am significantly more powerful than Caesar and have a higher score, more advanced, etc.

Any idea what goes into this and why I can't vassal Jao and he can?? It threw my war plans out the door and was hoping for a bit more insight what goes into the AI decision.

Thanks!

 

[madscientist]

Does anyone know or know of a link where/why an AI civ will vassal to another, but not a human?

I'm currently playing a noble game as the Dutch. I share a border with both Caesar and Jao to my north. I have +23 friendly relations with Jao while Caesar is +8 with Jao. I can't vassal Jao (its redded-out, "We're doing fine on our own") yet he vassals to Caesar the next turn. I am significantly more powerful than Caesar and have a higher score, more advanced, etc.

Any idea what goes into this and why I can't vassal Jao and he can?? It threw my war plans out the door and was hoping for a bit more insight what goes into the AI decision.

Thanks!

My best guess is that Joao did not trust you. If your garing for war, who was it against and did a SoD pass near Joaos border???

 

[Refar]

The most common way to make a Civ your Vassal, is to go to war against them. So far i never seen any Civ becoming my Vassal peacefully (The Civilopedia states this is possible however.)

So without knowing the details i would assume Ceasar made war against Jao and won, so Jao Capitulated to him, becoming his Vassal.

 

[madscientist]

The most common way to make a Civ your Vassal, is to go to war against them. So far i never seen any Civ becoming my Vassal peacefully (The Civilopedia states this is possible however.)

So without knowing the details i would assume Ceasar made war against Jao and won, so Jao Capitulated to him, becoming his Vassal.

I certain AIs if ina weekened position will vassal intentially to you, this has happened to me several times. Cathy, Muhmed, and Joao are common.

 

[Vlade Divac]

My best guess is that Joao did not trust you. If your garing for war, who was it against and did a SoD pass near Joaos border???

Jao and I also had a defensive pact as well. I guess he could have seen my SoD's gearing up, but it was just surprising given the vast discrepancies in relations, power, advancement between Jao and I and Caesar and Jao.

The most common way to make a Civ your Vassal, is to go to war against them. So far i never seen any Civ becoming my Vassal peacefully (The Civilopedia states this is possible however.)

So without knowing the details i would assume Ceasar made war against Jao and won, so Jao Capitulated to him, becoming his Vassal.

No one was at war (yet). I was gearing up to take a few cities from Caesar, but that changed when Jao vassaled voluntarily to him while not even giving me the option. It just didn't make any sense to me and didn't know what really went into the vassal option being available for negotiation.

 

[madscientist]

Jao and I also had a defensive pact as well. I guess he could have seen my SoD's gearing up, but it was just surprising given the vast discrepancies in relations, power, advancement between Jao and I and Caesar and Jao.




No one was at war (yet). I was gearing up to take a few cities from Caesar, but that changed when Jao vassaled voluntarily to him while not even giving me the option. It just didn't make any sense to me and didn't know what really went into the vassal option being available for negotiation.

If you had a defensive pact then it really made no sense. Then again I always consider Joao a backstabbing slime.

 

[oyzar]

There is an article on vassals in the article forum i belive.

 

[Trynthlas]

Not sure what goes into it, but I was playing an Earth-18-civs game as Catherine (under BtS) and had already destroyed 4 civs and vassalized 2 others, plus smacked the crap out of Saladin and Hatty - I had peaced with Hatty for a while, and then she suddenly asked to be a vassal.

No idea what brought it about, but that's the only instance I've had where I gained a vassal without forcing them to capitulate.

 

[athelious]

In my last game Ragnar was just about everyone's vassal at somepoint. He asked me when we were at peace. He was annoyed with me + I did not have a high power rating compared to many other civs that he was getting along with better. He was passing himself around like a twobit... afraid of some type of venerial disease I declined...now if it would have been Catherine or Boudica...

Anyhow, there seems to be something more to this peaceful vassalization than just twice the power and relations. Maybe the AI takes into consideration your relations with their "worst enemy" or the civ they consider to be the threat that is driving this need for protection.

 

[DrPepper836]

I've actually had a civ offer to be my vassal while playing a multiplayer game. I got off to a good start with it, gave it war help, made sure it had my religon, etc. But, the most important thing is to take cities that they have lost against other AI civs, humans, barbs, whatever, and give it back to them. Then i give them part of the force I used to take it. They offered to become my vassal the turn I got the tech, I think around turn 150 or something.

 

[Whitedragon]

My last game I had Mansa peacefully volunteer to be my vassel a few turns before I was ready to declare war on him. After finishing the game and looking back, I realize I should have turned him down and took several of his cities before considering the offer.

He became my major competitor, and I couldn't get him to withdraw his capitulation offer. We had around +25 relations with each other and I could only make requests...I couldn't make any demands for him to refuse to try to get a war started between us.