What would diplomacy actually look like in a multi-player game?

[Gidoza]

The E-Mail Multi-Player thread reminded me of an old thought experiment I had when considering an imaginary Master of Orion II game that I was never able to participate in with 8 human players all playing. Now, I'll apply the same question to VP, bearing in mind that I'll probably never be able to play with 8 human players here, either...

The question is: What would diplomacy actually look like? When dealing with an AI, we always end up with their dislike of your being to close to them, or that you friended an enemy of theirs, or some sad excuse for war. And there's a decent amount of situations in the real world where things work exactly like that as well.

However, inasmuch as this game is a simulation, what would the situation look like? Would players say very little to one another and declare war or peace without much comment? If someone broke a friendship pact with someone else, would anyone really care? Or would everyone roleplay very seriously and generate incredible scenarios that somehow make the game into more than just a simulation? Would Open Borders with a Culture Civ be a thing that ever happened? How brutal would the trading screen be when you knew that the other player really wanted that luxury of yours?

I'm so curious.

 

[CrazyG]

Are you aware of the no quitters civ 5 group? They don't use this mod, but for diplomacy what happens their is pretty similar to what happens in VP multiplayer (I've played a few games with friends on much older versions). For competitive multiplayer several warmongers are really scary so they tend to either win or lose horribly because everyone overreacted and teamed up on him.

My experience on VP went as follows. Cultural victory never happens. Everyone will team up on you way before you win from it. However sometimes players go all game without trading embassies to try and stop the opponent from being able to spy in their capital, and you cannot have open borders without an embassy.
Players usually trade luxuries 1 for 1. Most trade deals are symmetric, its rare to see gold for embassy or open borders. Occasionally you can get a better deal but its not common. Science and diplomacy are normally pretty obvious several turns before they actually happen too, people will gang up, and if the war isn't lost they just surrender.

Usually there is a score leader, eventually everyone teams up on him (or you do it because his late game is terrifying, like Denmark). Either he defends and wins or he falls and #2 wins. I've never had a game of VP actually go to a victory condition, everyone just surrenders once its obvious.

 

[CppMaster]

What effect have denunciations?

 

[Recursive]

What effect have denunciations?

You can't denounce other human players as far as I'm aware.