Diplomacy Screen

[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.

[Gandalf Parker]

There are work-arounds in multiplayer games for
1) alliances and peace treaties
2) sharing map info
3) trading to get spells cast (you cant trade spells)
4) trading commanders and troops
5) combining attacks
6) move thru an allys territory
7) offer a losing ally "sanctuary"
8) (probably more, feel free to ask)

For SoloPlay with the AI's, diplomacy is much more limited.
A) You can send gold, slaves, equip which can be helpful and strategic. It doesnt make them like you but it can help nation A beat nation B. Handy if nation B is one that you have problems with, and nation A will be no problem for you later.
B) You can ally with AI's but only by setting it up at the beginning of the game, and it only sets up a "no attack each other" arrangment.
C) Of course, like most diplomacy arrangments you can abuse the diplomact options that already are in the game (messaging stuff to them) by sending things to an AI that the stupid AI would be better off refusing.
D) With alittle bit of strategic planning you can arrange for 2 AI neighbors to go to war with each other (another common diplomatic tactic).

The developers have said they were interested in increasing the SP Diplo options but other things have to be higher on the wishlist

[ June 09, 2004, 15:59: Message edited by: Gandalf Parker ]

[Tuskerlove]

Thanks for the info - I've only played single player games so I was speaking from my limited experience. I'm looking forward to MP games but wanted to get the basics down before I started playing against other people.

[Reverend Zombie]

Originally posted by littlemute:
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."

I have never found smokers attractive.

[Graeme Dice]

Originally posted by Reverend Zombie:

quote:

---

Originally posted by littlemute:
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."

I have never found smokers attractive.

---

Smoking as in so hot she's smouldering I believe.

[Taqwus]

Ah, the allure of Abysian ladies. *g*

On a more serious note, regarding SP diplomacy the AI has enough of a problem handling double-edged gifts (Lycantropos amulets, Rods of the Leper King, Bane Venom Charms, Eyes of Aiming, that sort of thing) and not reacting when getting anonymously mauled via magic, or reacting to the presence of assassins/spies that adding more options might be just cruel.

[littlemute]

Originally posted by Reverend Zombie:

quote:

---

Originally posted by littlemute:
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."

I have never found smokers attractive.

---

I agree, it's a terrible thing to see a saucy bint pull out a faggot from her purse and puff away in filth. I do like the hotties in the old tyme movies that smoke a lot. Bergman, Kelly, that lot, but it doesn't translate well in real life, sort of like the walking and smoking thing. Sure James Dean did it, but it's still effeminant for a man in real life.

[Gandalf Parker]

OK Im going to bring this thread back from the dead so we can discuss this subject again instead of hijacking the praise-this-game thread.

Hmmm I should add the "search for sites in allies territory" to the list.

[Cainehill]

That'd be handy especially for remote, spell-based searching - the classic Arco-Ulm alliance, with Arco casting Akashics for Ulm. And less tricky than recoding the game to allow actually "friendly" movement by allies.

[Gandalf Parker]

Cainehill said:

That'd be handy especially for remote, spell-based searching - the classic Arco-Ulm alliance, with Arco casting Akashics for Ulm. And less tricky than recoding the game to allow actually "friendly" movement by allies.

But what I mean by "adding it to the list" is to add it to the list of things that people already do in the game. Most of the diplomacy/ally screen things are already being done by creative play which I like much more than adding a menu to the game for it.

In your Arco-Ulm arrangment.. an Arco scout follows behind the Ulm army. When Ulm takes a province and moves on then the Arco scout takes the province, Arco cases akashics as the scout moves on. Another scout or a researve army is following behind that to retake the searched province.

Its actually much easier to do when a nation has sneaking mages.