A holy diplomacy question?

[Lingchih]

You do indeed stay at war for the entire game. The AI bases it's war declarations on how many troops you have. If you have less than it, it may declare war. If you later build up a superior force to the AI, then it may not attack you again, although you are still at war. You can sometimes ignore an AI nation that you have totally overpowered, even if it has declared war, since it will most likely not attack you again.

[Edratman]

I find the AI declares war often when I haven't even found a single province of that nation. I have noticed that I usually soon find that nation with a scout so that means that the AI sees my scout in some manner. It is also common that the AI nation is well removed from my provinces.

I put AI declarations of war into 2 categories:
1. When they are adjacent I get the declaration of war on the same turn they attacked my provinces. Sort of like Pearl Harbor.
2. The declaration of war occurs when they are not even close. When we do end up having adjacent provinces they don't attack until they have assembled a large force, which sometimes never happens.

[konming]

AI delcarations of war expires when you do not face each other (i.e. have no adjacent provinces). Scout does not count.

[Lord_Drakken]

Wow konming that is some useful information to say the least...

[thejeff]

It's not that simple, I think.

I've had AIs who don't border me declare war and send remote attacks. Then send another remote attack later without a new declaration.

I've also had AIs I've bordered declare war, then after awhile with no conflict, declare it again. (The case I'm remembering our border was a coast, so he couldn't effectively attack me and I had other priorities.)

I think it's just some number of turns without conflict. Which is more likely if you don't share a border.

[NTJedi]

thejeff said:
It's not that simple, I think.

I've had AIs who don't border me declare war and send remote attacks. Then send another remote attack later without a new declaration.

I've also had AIs I've bordered declare war, then after awhile with no conflict, declare it again. (The case I'm remembering our border was a coast, so he couldn't effectively attack me and I had other priorities.)

I think it's just some number of turns without conflict. Which is more likely if you don't share a border.

thejeff is right... the AI can attack during the same turn as declaring war, the turn after or not declare war at all yet still attack.
After the AI declares war even if it doesn't have a neighboring province it will attack via spells for several turns. The spells might hurt population, unrest, be an attacking army or something else.

The AI is less likely to go to war if it's already battling a strong opponent and you are at equal level or higher.

[Edratman]

I don't think the AI declaration of war ever goes inactive. They may not be actively engaging your land forces, but as NT Jedi says they will attack by long distance spells, such the eagles spell Caleum loves or use those damn anonymous spells that you can't tell who sent them or even if they were random events.

Even with a prior declaration of war, the AI may be engaged in a war with another AI nation and may not have forces available to attack you. But that usually changes eventually.

Because the AI will attack on the same turn as declaring war, the only way to look at it is to assume that you are at war with the AI every turn. The AI will only actively attack you with ground forces when it perceives a quantatative advantage.

And to be fair minded, the player doesn't declare war on the AI, wait a turn or two and then attack either.