Balance and Diplomacy

[Remedius]

Does anyone have any tips on making peace with rival factions - or for that matter keeping good relations with factions you want to avoid war with.

In my numerous games I have ended up winning the game on my terms rather than the games - and only by the skin of my teeth! You see after the third or fourth attempted invasion by Spain - my English faction is attacked by Denmark and that's not to mention it's constantly at war with France - usually Milan and I am never on good terms with the Pope ( until later on when the whole college is full of my corrupt cardinals ).

The long and short is - how do you keep good relations and how do you repair damaged relations once a war or conflict is over?

I am going to start a new game and want to avoid fighting every other faction simultaneously!

Help?

[Hans Marks]

Heres a list -

1 - green
2 - dont keep you armies on their land
3 - when they want trade rights,they get trade rights
4 - try and ally with your neighbours in the early turns.They take alliance generously then.
5 - keep the pope happy,and everyone loves you.
6 - when you declare war,check who the victim is allied with.
7 - alliance with a faction will improve your relations with its allies too.
8 - >insert wise advice here<

so thats basicly it.

[eXistenZ]

Heres a list -

1 - green
2 - dont keep you armies on their land
3 - when they want trade rights,they get trade rights
4 - try and ally with your neighbours in the early turns.They take alliance generously then.
5 - keep the pope happy,and everyone loves you.
6 - when you declare war,check who the victim is allied with.
7 - alliance with a faction will improve your relations with its allies too.
8 - >insert wise advice here<

so thats basicly it.

It's nice advice, only a shame that the AI will backstab you multiple times during one campaign, making alliances almost worthless. only the alliance with the pope is sure to last more than 20 turns

[In3x]

If you want to maintain your reputation then always release prisoners and only occupy settlements, not sack.

[Remedius]

Thanks all

Don't you find that any kind of war started is never ever finished? I tried paying out some of my hard earned cash to appease factions only to find the bastards would just take my money and invade anyway. What abt the stray enemy armies that just wander across your land too - am I supposed to just sit there as they obstruct trade routes and cause devastation? Then there are the Spanish and Portuguese who sail across - dump two high tier units and sit in the channel. It's like they've got their sights on taking the same city over and over again and I can never get away from terrible relations cos if I let them be they will eventually take a settlement - though I have no desire for war at all!!!

Drives me up the wall

(ironically my fiancée has good relations with nearly everyone in her game - but she tries not to fight at all - costs her a fortune - and she sleeps with the Pope!)

[Hans Marks]

Ooo so the pope does show lust,the arse,ill show him sleeping...

Yeah i hate how the spanish or moors always occupy gibraltar and none of my fleet can pass....just declare war,slaughter them all,skin them alive,sack and exterminate the cities and kill the prisoners.They'll moan for ceasefire.

[marco17042]

Sometimes what you want and what they want are not the same. It takes two to fight but only one to declare war. Being strong in their sight is a great deterrent: Garrison cities they are interested in with 8 units.
Enemy units in your land near your cities?
1. If you're allies and have "Military Access" they are there to help you. If you station one unit next to their cities, an enemy will have to declare war on you too if they attach the allies city, and vica versa.
2. If you're allies and have "Military Access" they are there to Pearl Harbor you. Most likely if you are historical enemies, different religions, trying to convert them, and bashing their merchants.
3. If they are neutral, they are trying to provoke you into declaring war or have you ask for joint military access. You relationship will go down when the enemy has unwelcome units in your land. Try asking for an alliance with military access.
4. In rare cases you can bribe them away.
5. If that doesn't work, prepare for war.
6. Remember, the game is "Total War" and every faction has only one goal: to take 45 cities! Alliances are not forever, as soon as war is a better alternative, it may very likely happen.
6. As for maintaining relationships, station a diplomat next to every enemy capital or most distant city, and every offer them assistance by "Attacking Faction: Rebels" If they are allies they will pay you, even if bankrupt, better yet, if they are bankrupt ask for tribute of 100-200 for 2-4 turns. Any deal will improve relationship after a few turns. If they are neutral, offer it as a no money gift; if they are bankrupt throw in 50 bucks. If they are an enemy offer 50 then 100 bucks.
Don't forget to attack rebels every turn to keep this rolling. On turn where you can't get to a rebel, just offer them 50 bucks of 100 if they refuse. You diplomats will uber up too. I do this every turn. Give "Perfect Politician" bonus authority to your king too.

[... where did it run?]

Don't control cities which some factions are programed to expand too. That is if you want to keep that faction as ally. For example Milan-Dijon. Danes-Antrwep (spelling) and similiar.

I've managed to keep alliances over 80 turns.. in some games.

[eXistenZ]

Don't control cities which some factions are programed to expand too. That is if you want to keep that faction as ally. For example Milan-Dijon. Danes-Antrwep (spelling) and similiar.

It's true, but it's also very annoying. as france you can't get rennes because england wants that, you can't get dijon cause Milan wants it. and spain wants Bordeaux...

[Leaf-Fan-Forever]

I've found that the best way to keep alliances in the game is to go to war with your allies enemies and keep your neighbouring settlements well garrisonned. If the AI sees a lightly guarded settlement he just has to get his hands on it. I usually have 1 or 2 Alliances last the whole game or most of it, even with neighbours right from the beginning.

[marco17042]

France and England did fight the Hundred Years War in norther France over just that, so that's just how it is! TOTAL WAR!!! LOL!
I had a double marriage alliance with England and good relations and they still attacked me too after a while.
Hamburg keeps HRE and Denmark at it.
Kiev keeps Russia, Poland and sometimes the Mongols at war
Naples keeps Sicily at war
Constantinople is for Hungary and Byzantines
...

[Sitalkes]

Simplest way to improve relations is to offer to sell them three or four of your territories for a price they can't afford (usually 7-8000 florins). This will be counted as a very generous offer and rejected. It's tedious but you can keep offering this until relations become perfect (takes about three offers per level of relationship). Note that the diplomat who does it will get bad karma for failing to make a deal despite improving relations, so don't do this with a good diplomat. The stupid thing is, no matter how good your relations, the AI will attack you if you put a poorly garrisoned settlement near a frontier.

[eXistenZ]

France and England did fight the Hundred Years War in norther France over just that, so that's just how it is! TOTAL WAR!!! LOL!
I had a double marriage alliance with England and good relations and they still attacked me too after a while.
Hamburg keeps HRE and Denmark at it.
Kiev keeps Russia, Poland and sometimes the Mongols at war
Naples keeps Sicily at war
Constantinople is for Hungary and Byzantines
...

Yeah it's total war, but more total war... on the player. other factions don't get backstabed like you always get.

[Remedius]

Yeh - I hear what your saying - it's Total War after all. I just would like it to be more reasonable when it comes to keeping the peace. I never did it - Medeival 1 had a diplomatic win option and I don't see why you couldn't (as a ruler) gain credit for being peaceful and building good long term relations with - dunno - in my case parehaps the HRE while having long term war with - say France?

This isn't Civ - but it seems to me that it's very hard to play in any kind of historical based context ( which is what we are lead to beleive is possible by the games realism and impressive features ) just as much I accept all your help gratefully but I think I must resign myself to the fact that everything guides you toward an aggressive expansionist outlook to the great cost of diplomatic relations.

[13lackGu4rd]

if playing a catholic faction there are 2 main tools for diplomacy. the first is direct relations, aka gifts. you give them gifts, they like you. the second is the Pope. the Pope likes you, other nations will be less inclined to attack you fearing excommunication. the second is not as powerful as the first, and the AI will still attack you if you leave poor garrisons in their vicinity(border or coastline), but if you bypass this urge you can generally keep decent diplomatic relations with most AI nations with the above tools.

[FootSoldier]

You can maintain good relations and reliable allies for most of a game. In the end, of course, there can be only one. I've had long term allies for 200 turns with lightly defended adjacent territories and undefended coastlines. Be prepared to spend cash on your diplomacy, in increasing amounts as the campaign progresses.

I've found the most important aspect is your reputation. If you're Untrustworthy to Despicable everyone will attack you, ally or not. If you're Very Reliable or Trustworthy most factions will leave you alone unless you take one of their target territories or are fighting with their allies.

As was posted, the quickest way you become Reliable is by:
- occupying captured cities (not sacking or exterminating)
- releasing prisoners

The biggest drop in reputation will come if you give away or sell a territory, and then take it back. You will fall from Very Reliable to Very Untrustworthy in one hit. Nowadays I don't give territories to allies in case I want it back later. I take a territory adjacent to them and abandon it, racking the tax up to very high. After 3 turns it will go rebel, and you can let your ally take it, fending off rivals if need be.

Next comes maintaining good relations with all factions, if possible. Perfect relations will not stop a faction from attacking you however. But, you can improve relations with factions you're at war with. Again, your reputation will count - if you're Trustworthy they will accept cash from you. If you're Despicable they will reject your cash.

Don't eliminate mutual enemies. Leave that last enemy territory adjacent to your ally's territory and yours. Now and again you may need to bat back a militia raid, but they're easy to manage and for 95% of the time they will do nothing.

Of course, don't take territories that your ally wants. Sometimes this can't be helped, but mostly it doesn't matter - do you really need Antwerp if you're allied to the Danes?