Do not underestimate the greased palm in keeping peace

**Bonapartist** · August 07, 2010, 12:35 AM

I just wanted to make a post to remind others about how valuable your gift-giving diplomatic abilities are. I'm well into a Baktrian campaign and have good relations with all peoples except the Saka, who are currently being dismembered. Of course Baktria begins as what might as well be a carbuncle on Selucia's big toe so I was eager to become allies and stay allies. We all know RTW diplomatic AI loves to attack you, seemingly for no reason, even if they're allied. In essence, alliances mean nothing to the AI - they'll break an alliance to do nothing more than blockade a distant and valueless port.

So bribe them. I found that a 100 dollars a turn has kept the Selucids happy for an amount of time I would otherwise find pretty unbelievable having seen as much of the AI behavior as I have. I even let it falter once by not checking to see that I was still rendering unto Caesar, and saw a full stack Selucid army one turn away from my westernmost settlement, with absolutely no other business in the area. I send a diplomat, renewed the modest 100 a turn bribe for another 10 turns, and reinforced the town garrison so that it was maybe a half stack when it was a quarter stack before. Voila - Selucid army turns around and goes to mess with their proper enemies, Parthia. I'm now paying the Parthians the same tiny amount just so they'll stay quiet while I mop up the Saka - and two larger kingdoms to the east remain uninterested in the steadily growing power in India.

Bribery in maintaining peace really works. It's the only thing that works, apparently.

**Siegfriedfr** · August 07, 2010, 02:00 AM

Originally Posted by Bonapartist

I just wanted to make a post to remind others about how valuable your gift-giving diplomatic abilities are. I'm well into a Baktrian campaign and have good relations with all peoples except the Saka, who are currently being dismembered. Of course Baktria begins as what might as well be a carbuncle on Selucia's big toe so I was eager to become allies and stay allies. We all know RTW diplomatic AI loves to attack you, seemingly for no reason, even if they're allied. In essence, alliances mean nothing to the AI - they'll break an alliance to do nothing more than blockade a distant and valueless port.

So bribe them. I found that a 100 dollars a turn has kept the Selucids happy for an amount of time I would otherwise find pretty unbelievable having seen as much of the AI behavior as I have. I even let it falter once by not checking to see that I was still rendering unto Caesar, and saw a full stack Selucid army one turn away from my westernmost settlement, with absolutely no other business in the area. I send a diplomat, renewed the modest 100 a turn bribe for another 10 turns, and reinforced the town garrison so that it was maybe a half stack when it was a quarter stack before. Voila - Selucid army turns around and goes to mess with their proper enemies, Parthia. I'm now paying the Parthians the same tiny amount just so they'll stay quiet while I mop up the Saka - and two larger kingdoms to the east remain uninterested in the steadily growing power in India.

Bribery in maintaining peace really works. It's the only thing that works, apparently.

From my experience, the AI won't attack you, or accept every ceasefire after an attack if:
- your "core" relationship is "ally" in descr_strat, and you didn't take their capital
- and/or all their money goes into another front, which is not to be mixed with "they have another front", which the AI doesn't care about

The only sensible rule with the AI is that if they have any reserve of money, and you share a border with them, they'll attack you. Your core relationships then decide wether the war will go on forever, or not.

Which is very handy in the hayasdan campaign for example, where every seleucid siege attack can be deflected trough a simple diplomacy exchange (not on very hard tho i guess).

I'v tried the bribery approach and the AI attacked me no matter what.

**Hakomar** · August 07, 2010, 11:39 AM

100 dollars, eh? In the 3rd century bc? Just nitpicking

**pbwu1f** · August 07, 2010, 07:46 PM

More like 100 dollhairs!

**Bonapartist** · August 08, 2010, 12:04 AM

Yeah, I'm at least 20 turns since last post, and still allied with Selucia and neutral w/trade with the Pahlavians. Saka is wiped out, and things are eerily quiet as I invest in upgrading all the mines in the kingdom, which account for over 60% of each turns income.

Really disappointed when I found Indian longbowmen have identical range to typical levy archers.

**ERE_Friend** · August 08, 2010, 03:51 AM

I started to stop giving tribute to my allies just so that they might attack me and make my campaign more challenging. The RTW AI really sucks, and while I don't want to be at war with everyone, some agression would be nice. I think everyone around me is just too occupied with other enemies to care about me, and when I attack the surrounding factions all their stacks are on distant fronts.

**Turtle Hammer** · August 08, 2010, 07:02 AM

I may have to try this. The thing is, when I've played as Baktria I've decided "I really need the money!" when it comes to the Selukid empire, and subsequently invaded them to get it. I just don't know how to prevent economic implosion without A) aggression which is sort of awakening the sleeping giant with Selukia, or B) military cutbacks and the disbandment of epensive units. That's just un-fun.