Why doesn't the AI ever give you free stuff?

In my last game, they actually gave to me techs on four different occasions. It was in the late stages of the game and out of the blue the Americans, Persians and Mali popped up and offered me a tech with no strings attached.
 
There are two main reasons the AI will give you free stuff:

1) They really, really like you (but even then, it's rare).

2) You're much more powerful than they are. This doesn't tend to happen until mid-to-late game, which is when I get most of my free stuff, either through demands or polite requests.

I haven't done any sort of study on this, but AFAIK, that's the way it is.
 
I have very occasionally got a free tech off the AI, but only when they are well ahead of me in tech, but have a much weaker military than me, which is fairly unusual.
 
Odd about the AI. I was totally destroying his nation, and all I wanted was one city to start my dominance victory. I needed more land area. Just some more to win.

Here I am about to obsolutely wipe him off the planet and he does not wish to negatiate when my military power is 3 times his?? I think he would gladly give me a city for a enforced peace. Which i think should be even longer than standard 10 turns.

In the end I had to 'remove' him completely. It was not my wish. Makes me feel like Darth Vader from Star Wars.

Maybe the AI knew I was about to win via Dominance? I guess that would explain his insubornation to my enlightened rule.:king:

Do water tiles count toward land area for Dominance Victory?
 
AWeeMoose said:
There are two main reasons the AI will give you free stuff:

1) They really, really like you (but even then, it's rare).

2) You're much more powerful than they are. This doesn't tend to happen until mid-to-late game, which is when I get most of my free stuff, either through demands or polite requests.

I haven't done any sort of study on this, but AFAIK, that's the way it is.

It also happens in permanent alliances. In my las t game Hatshi gave me free fish as a present - strange present so .... :hmm:
 
Once, when both me and Greece were at war against Persia, Greece did give me a gift. But we did have the same military cause, civics, religion, open borders, etc. so he liked me very much
 
Xerxes_Pi said:
Odd about the AI. I was totally destroying his nation, and all I wanted was one city to start my dominance victory. I needed more land area. Just some more to win.

Here I am about to obsolutely wipe him off the planet and he does not wish to negatiate when my military power is 3 times his?? I think he would gladly give me a city for a enforced peace. Which i think should be even longer than standard 10 turns.

In the end I had to 'remove' him completely. It was not my wish. Makes me feel like Darth Vader from Star Wars.

Maybe the AI knew I was about to win via Dominance? I guess that would explain his insubornation to my enlightened rule.:king:

Do water tiles count toward land area for Dominance Victory?


How could you tell your military was 3 times the size? I can't figure out how to compare your military size with that of another nation (just the 1-18 rank in the stats page).
 
vanle said:
Why doesn't the AI ever give you free stuff??:confused:

because you can't threaten them. Huge flaw that I hope gets addressed.
 
vanle said:
Why doesn't the AI ever give you free stuff??:confused:

You can make demands; occasionally they give in if you are strong enough.

On a slightly unrelated note; the other day Asoka was ahead of me in tech and starting to build his space shuttle pieces when I went to try to trade techs and I roll over one of them and it says "Sorry, we're in this game to win." I found that amusing.
 
onedreamer said:
because you can't threaten them. Huge flaw that I hope gets addressed.

I at least wish nukes had some kind of diplomatic power. Like, "give me this or I drop a nuke on your capital." Or at least if the AI would take into consideration when not giving me what I want that I have 15 nukes ready to annhilate everyone of their cities.
 
Master Ray said:
In my last game, they actually gave to me techs on four different occasions. It was in the late stages of the game and out of the blue the Americans, Persians and Mali popped up and offered me a tech with no strings attached.
What difficulty level was that on?
 
It's just I noticed that if you are weaker than everyone else, it seems like to get on their good side you have to give em alot. Where as none of the AI seem to just wanna get along and give you free stuff for mutual benefit. Blah.

-LL
 
The AI does give you techs. In one of my games (Monarch difficulty), Gandhi handed me gunpowder and one or two other techs. I was very backwards at that time, and fighting a desperate war against Huayna Capac, who was leading in score. I think Gandhi either wanted to improve relations (he later also built the UN), or wanted me to hinderCapac's growth. In any case, it was both nice and smart of him.
 
In a recent game, as Gandhi, on Prince level, the Americans were on the opposite side of the world from me. They had adopted my Buddhist philosophy early on, and had joined me in war against the aggressor Aztecs. We had similar civics, and were close in score, when they offered me a defensive pact, which I accepted. A few turns later we entered into a permanent alliance, at my instigation, and within the next several turns of play they gave me 2 resources(gems and uranium), a pile of gold, and the Divine Right tech.

I am seriously digging this game.
 
If the AI makes a request of you (not a demand), and you acquiese, they're more likely to give you something for free later on, particularly if you explicitly request it.
 
I got clams from Hatepshut in my last game, and all I had to do was ask. Try being more charming.
 
civniceai1fw.jpg

civniceai27kv.jpg


Both happened in the same game. I was playing on Deity and I suppose I was so far behind Hatty felt sorry for me and threw me a couple of bones.
 
Back
Top Bottom