Diplomatic Victory

[tsathougga]

Ok I just beat the game via Cultural Victory after having done so with Space and Domination. My question is can you win a Diplomatic Victory agianst the AI? I have gotten within 300 or so votes of winning before and that was with playing totally non-agressively (my first attempt at a cultural victory) but usually I never even come that close.

Is there some way to bribe or cajole another nation into voting for you? It seems oddly random now as sometimes I have nations that are pleased with me abstain or vote agianst me and sometimes nations who are only neutral will vote for me.

[Datajack Franit]

the nations voting against you are either ones loving your opponent of just favoring him because they hate you. the only thing you can do in such cases is conquering them, if you think that declaring war won't spoil your relationships with the nations that are currently on your side

[Adagio]

The few times I have won a diplomatic victory, was when I had enough votes myself to win the election... after having done so a few times (without any chance of the AI coming close to winning the diplo-victory) I decided to turn it off...

[Axxaer]

You also need to take into account the AI relations with each other. If someone is neutral towards you but the alternative is their 'most hated enemy' then they may vote for you.

[rjwoer]

I just won my first diplomatic victory last night. I founded Buddhism and spread my religion all over the world. When everyone had converted (either through choice or bribery), I proposed the diplomatic victory and won. But still, it's definitely one of the harder victories, IMO.

One question I have is, where's the victory movie? Maybe it was just a mess up but I didn't get any movie at the end, it just went straight to the summary screens. I was bummed about that.

[xxFlukexx]

Yeah the "Victory movie" if you can call it a movie, is the screen where all the other leaders heads are around yours, you probably didn't even notice it. Pretty lame, huh?

As for info on Diplo Victories I remember a great post on it in the Strategy section, but I have lost track of it.

[Dis]

I've gotten within 40 votes the real way.

Or you can do it the fake way and control about 50% of the world's population, and it's real easy.

[arcady]

My first game was a diplomatic victory.

Small world with only 5 civs and I had high culture and had given out a lot of free techs and trade favorable to the others, and then went for diplomatic victory after first winning the vote on several other items.

I think only one civ voted against it, though another might have abstained.

[eljeffe]

I've won several diplos with help from the AI. THe key is to find a group early and stay friends with them. Ask them who they like and don't like and behave accordingly. The problem I've had is when my best AI friend becomes the rival in the elections. Or, playing with permanent alliances a coulple of your best ai buddies become one, and then they are you rival in elections.

I've also had it where I found the people who hated me the least and I start giving them stuff, lot's of gold per turn, extra resources, tech sometimes. After a while, they will start to vote for me to win. The civs who vote for you for SG are good candidates for this.

[Enigma_Nova]

I go with the "Control 50% of the world's population" method. Works well.

[Chronus9]

I won my first diplomatic victory just today. Cyrus was my "opponent" for many sessions and the contest always ended in a stalement. Eventually, I gave up and started passing other resolutions.

Things changed, however, when Catherine's population exceeded Cyrus'. I had run out of resolutions that I wanted passed so I simply tried the diplo win option again. Since Catherine was not very well loved, I won an easy victory.

[bhalrog]

I've found that Diplomatic is the easiest way to win, for me anyway. I just have about 10-15 cities (five quickly, then slowly add the rest), have lots of culture, and don't be afraid to offer tech's and resources as gifts. You may also need to convert and/or cancel deals with some civ's in order to prevent abstentions or civ's voting against you.

[MightyTiny]

I used to think that the Diplo victory would be hard to achieve and unsatisfying to boot, but I've changed my mind on it after achieving it a few times.

The first time I got a diplo victory, it really was a domination victory where I voted myself into diplo victory a few moves before the expansion of my cultural borders would have ensured domination.

But the other times I've won it, I've actually won it "genuinely". Surpricingly though, I've not won a diplo victory in any game where I tried to avoid wars.

I think that, as mentioned, it's important to get in a "team"; typically, I've found that the world will split into two major "factions" + maybe one or two nations that don't fit either 100%. You should be friendly with countries of one of these factions, and be a "team-player" in it, joining wars against the other faction, trading, making defence pacts, etc.

Also, I tend to give small gifts in gold to my friends every now and then; gives a bonus to relations, and doesn't cost you much.

Then just, very diplomatically, beat the other "team" to pulp. Pound them low enough in the scoring and power that their votes won't weight too heavily. If possible and convenient, give control over a city you just conquered over to an ally, and if the city that you just conquered was taken from your "team" country earlier, return control over to the city's founding nation.

Also, if your "team-mate" is in trouble, and losing cities in a war, send troops to help him out.

If your opponent in the diplo victory election looks to be one of the other members of your "team" of nations, then stay friendly with that nation, but don't spend too much effort in getting them extra happy; give some spoils of war over to the other team members, not your rival to-be.

I usually don't give techs when requested, except when requested by a member of my "team" that's under attack, and would be helped by that tech (In such situations I sometimes volunteer to give the tech, before any requests).

Also, I try to maintain a tech lead, so if someone is very equal tech-wise to me, then I'm less likely to hand over that one tech that is putting me in the lead.

[Common Sensei]

Sometimes the right mix of leaders' favorite civic can make it easier for you. With the most recent diplomatic victory I had, the other leaders were Isabella, Huayna Capac, Roosevelt, Elizabeth, Frederick and Cyrus.

Free Religion not only erased the religious penalties, it gave me a bonus with Elizabeth, a seven point swing in attitude. Universal Suffrage put Roosevelt and Frederick on my side. Isabella might have been a problem if she wasn't wiped off the map.

[Yosho]

(shrug) One way to get a diplomatic victory is to be the second strongest civ in the game, and to get all the other AI's on your side allied in a war against the strongest civ at the right moment.

[Strategist83]

Originally posted by tsathougga
sometimes I have nations that are pleased with me abstain or vote agianst me and sometimes nations who are only neutral will vote for me.

I would do the same. Not because I have anything against you but because you would win and I would lose. Is this perhaps how the AI reasonates, too?

Question: What happens when one abstains? Do the votes of others then count 'more'? (If not, diplomatic victory would be practically impossible in multiplayer).

[Lambiorix_be]

Originally posted by bhalrog
I've found that Diplomatic is the easiest way to win, for me anyway. I just have about 10-15 cities (five quickly, then slowly add the rest), have lots of culture, and don't be afraid to offer tech's and resources as gifts. You may also need to convert and/or cancel deals with some civ's in order to prevent abstentions or civ's voting against you.

Are you playing on huge maps? (I always do and never been able to win a diplo victory...and it is always close to my space race victory so I only get 2 or 3 chances)

[NapalmStrk]

I won by giving frequent, favorable trades to the most populus nations and less frequent, favorable trades to the smallest ones.

I also found that I got a big jump in votes by passing the Free Religion resolution as all of the penalties (per the Foreign Advisor) for "Falling under the sway of a heathen religion" disappear.

I went to war zero times, and lost no units the entire game (lucky map position I guess, no need to fight for land).

I only had 1/3 of the world population with seven civs when I did this. No one voted against me, just a few abstentions.

Edit: Also, the worst attitude anyone had towards me was 'Friendly'

[v2dzel]

I had a few diplomatic victories on epic mode, first u gotta get a religion, spread ur religion to ur neigbors, then go to war "succesfully..using ur friends help" with civs that dont have ur religion. then by the time the UN is built the civs that had most of their land conquered wont have much of a vote, and ur freinds that share u ur religion will vote for u, if u have the highest score.

[remdan]

I tried the diplomatic victory and if you are significantly ahead in civ size and working on future tech you will eventually gain enough points to win the game this way. It was taking too long and I started a new game.

[UKNeo]

Rather ironically, a diplomatic victory is the only one I have been able to manage! I seem to find peace works better than war, and on a large map with 9 civs playing I never went to war once, despite us all starting on the same continent.

I kept ahead on tech, trading in to fill in gaps, and gave out techs I didn't deem harmful - ie those that gave opponents access to my civics for example. Also, happily traded and gifted excess resources.

Very similar to NapalmStrike's answer earlier (who seems to have an ironic name for winning diplomatic victories)

I played civ since the first one back in the days where 3.5inch floppy disks were revolutionary and always found war easy until now. How on earth do you successfully win a war on another civ? (I can just about kill off the barbarians .. with a bit of luck).

[tombeef]

wow, I find war, along with many others, the easiest way to go against AI's. However, I have had a lot of sucess with Diplo. Either get 50% population, or just spread religion like crazy.

Usually though, I just like to blow every other civ up.

[Seraphix]

I've one several times by diplomatic victory. Once it was me and the French and we were at war, so I won, because the votes I needed, I had ...

[Eomer]

I've only been playing the game for a few months, but I did get one Dipomatic Victory. I was Greece, and I took out Japan. Mongolia took out Aztec. I had a hug empire and made a permanent alliance with Persia. America was a very dependent on us, and so he was a very good friend. With that, there was only Mongolia, who I was destroying, and Russia, who was a friend. So, of course that victory was mine.

[eddieeddie]

Well, actually you can make others vote for you by offering them good deals such as giving them new technologies which you think are safe as gift and keeping on trading with them. This will help a lot. Also try to say yes to there demands as long as they do not cross your bottomline. You have to do it continuously. Once Washington and I were the competitors, and I tried very hard and finally persuaded Mongolia to vote for me. Before Mongolia were helping Washington all the time. However, if Mongolia's status becomes friendly to Washington, there won't be any chance. So this should plan early and never try to mad a permanent alliance when there are still several strong opponents outside, making it with one, others will be upset.

[Badtz Maru]

I've done it a few times without having enough votes by myself. The trick is to find the ones who already like you a little, bribe them a lot, then get them to go to war with your opponent. They'll be a lot more likely to vote for you if they are at war (or have been at war) with your opponent. Be careful not to have weak civs that are bordering your opponent go to war, though, as they may get conquered and end up with their votes added to your enemy.

If someone has good relations with your enemy, you can pretty much write off ever having them vote for you. Depopulate or conquer them. If they have a neighbor who is friendly to you, give them their cities.

[Will9]

How man votes would you get from your vassal. You get half there population for domination victory, but what about diplomatic.

[Yosho]

Originally posted by NapalmStrk
I also found that I got a big jump in votes by passing the Free Religion resolution as all of the penalties (per the Foreign Advisor) for "Falling under the sway of a heathen religion" disappear.

The problem with that is, everyone likes you more, but everyone like everyone else more as well, so it dosn't really help you.

One fun trick I pulled off once (not to give myself a diplomatic victory, but to stop someone else from getting it after I foolishly built the UN when I shouldn't have) was as a spiritual culture. First I switched to org religion and a religion almost no one had. Then I bribed the #2 guy in the world (who was the UN secretary general, and who appeared to be about to win a diplo victory at any moment) to switch to that minor religion. Then, 5 turns later, I switched to free religion. Suddenly, everyone hated him for his religion, but everyone liked me again.

[PaulCIV]

First time I played Civ 4, I got a diplomatic victory unintentionally. There were 6 other civs and I had very good relations with all of them but America. I had about 40% of the population and only engaged in wars twice, against Japan (eliminated early in the game) and America (having the support of three other civs against them).

Since the only civs eligible were mine (Indian), America (which had a historic of wars with almost every other civ) and France (low culture and a few wars with other civs), it was rather easy to win.

[Prussia]

Also try changing your religion to that of the majority, for example, If you are Christian, your opponent Taoist, and everyone else Confuscianist, change to confucianism!