[littlemute]

Originally posted by Gandalf Parker:
The problem is that we already have most of that. Are you asking for these things so we can have them with the computer AI's in a solo game?

Or for multiplayer games so that the Dominions2 program can define the limits our options and enforce them?

Parker has a point there, as usual. MP games should give total control to do anything you want diplomatically as you can pander, coerce and cajole all you want through text messaging. Can you give provinces?

I like the fact that there is limited information about the entities and status surrounding you, who they are at war with, etc, it encourages scouting much like my other love, warcraft 3 in which good scouting is essential.

Diplomacy in these types of games, like Master of Orion, is simply a prelude to destroying everyone, so why beat around the bush? In DOM 2, the computer is either attacking you with everything it can or it's coexisting until you attack it or it decides when to attack. There's no discussion, no bull**** complaining that you built up a 'relationship' with the AI MEKLARS just to have them break all treaties and attack for seemingly no reason on turn 354. Granted, Emperor of the Fading Suns has a sweet diplomacy module to it and even Master of Orion 3 (shudder) had some reasons to team up permanently with an AI, but for most games it's 'hello leave me alone until I'm ready to crush you.'

It's like when I go and talk to a smoking bird at a rave and say "What's your name?" what it really means is "let's get it on." They know it, I know it, they know I know it and I know they know I know that they know I know it.

Make sense?

One issue is that dealing with Ermor in SP games can be difficult because the AI's don't register them as more of a threat than all the others, instead, they just get rolled over.