Diplomacy Screen

[Cohen]

I believe instead the Diplomacy should be implemented especially for MP games.

With various level.

No level means, war or indifference. You see the map as it is now.
A level of non aggression treaty-peace allows you to see with precision what's in the bordering provinces of the enemy territory.
A low alliance setting that allow you to share map vision of the banners, or perhaps to share the banner+dominion vision.
A fully alliance set that shares military vision too of your troops and the one of the allied player.

[Tuskerlove]

Some fodder for diplomacy:

Diplomacy Options:

A. Shows status with each nation that you have come in contact with (Peace/Alliance/War/Non Aggression pact/Treaty).

B. Offer Alliances/Peace Treaties for a set amount of time (turns/months/years)

C. Gods can offer provinces/magic research/troops/money to cajole other Gods to join attack or defend borders for a set time.

D. Allied Gods may share map info.

E. Diplomacy Ratings shows how honest Gods are in regards to keeping their word. This rating effects how AI and MP treat you regarding diplomacy.

F. Trading of Individual Spells that have been successful researched in exchange for other spells in an equivalent field of study, or gems or money or troops.

Okay you get the idea.. probably not worth the time to code it....

Other things that would be interesting:

Using money to buy upgrades for your army. So much income would be put into exploring ways to upgrading your nations troops, after so much time and money these troops would use a better armor or weapon.

Having more buildings to construct: One time buildings that can only be built once you have successful research to a certain spell level - much like artifacts. Shipyards, moats, castle upgrades, dungeons, etc.

Sorry getting carried away....

[Gandalf Parker]

The problem is that we already have most of that in multiplayer games. 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 of our options and enforce them?

[ June 09, 2004, 15:31: Message edited by: Gandalf Parker ]

[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.

[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]

littlemute said:
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 have. Ive offered a "sanctuary" province behind my lines so that an ally had a protected place to send his god and recover. He sent a sneaking unit to take it, built his castle, and a lab. Transported important units there. Later in the game I gave him a more front-line target which he took in order to begin expanding again.

One of the few things I WOULD like to see is the ability to delete defence on a province. I can destroy buildings but not defense.