AIs asking for you to join in war?

[axisworks]

Is it me, or do the AIs choose the absolute worst times whenever declaring war against another AI, and more specifically, when asking for you to enter into a war with them against someone?

I've had more AIs ask me to declare war on someone when I had just lost half my army in another war and was maybe two or three turns into peace, or when I've been fighting off barbarians for two hours and half three units left, or whatever. There seems to be no algorithm for them to take troop strength into account at all. I've seen the least powerful AIs declare war on the most powerful ones and get annihilated countless times. Anyone had similar experiences?

[Arrian]

I almost always turn the AI down. The few times I've agreed, I was getting ready to hit the target civ myself

But yeah, usually I find myself unprepared/unwilling to join in. At least *right then*

I wish there was an option for responding "ok, but give me 10 turns, then I'm with ya!"

-Arrian

[Shaka II]

There is a correlation between troop strength and the tendency for AIs to declare war, as there is if they have the aggressive trait, as well as how annoyed they are at the particular civ.

Yes, I've seen the AI ask for help when I was too weak to offer any. At such times, I usually don't offer help, lest I get involved in something over my head.

I try to choose my friends and enemies carefully, and if my friends ask for help, I often do, even if it is not an active war for me, just to win favor can be worth quite a bit. Timing is everything when it comes to war, so I try not to annoy anyone, unless I can back it up.

[axisworks]

I wish there was an option for responding "ok, but give me 10 turns, then I'm with ya!"

Oh man, I would love that, too. I also wish I could talk to other AIs before declaring war, too... particularly early in the game when the AIs allegiances to one another are flip-flopping constantly, I can never keep up.

[Silver14]

Usually when I DO agree to go to war with a civ because an AI asked me too they make peace with each other shortly there after. It would be nice if they were not allowed to declare peace after brining in the player or other AI for at least 10-20 turns, however long it is until peace can at least be an option between all parties. Mainly because IIRC there is a 10 turn penalty before an AI you just decalred war with will speak with you.

[OssomTossom]

Do the AIs recognize that you're helping their war effort if you give them some units for the war? And can you give a unit to a civ that doesn't have the technology or resources to use them (like giving fighters to a civ that doesn't have Flight, or tanks to a civ that doesn't have any Oil)?

[Urban Ranger]

Or maybe a response such as "I can go to war now, but I will give you gold/units/info/my blessing."

[axisworks]

Exactly. And why can we make defensive pacts, and not make non-aggression pacts?

[Blake]

Yeah, I'd like a "Sorry can't, but maybe I make it up to you?" option. You then give an offer of tech/gold/whatever (about the same as a declare war bribe) and if they won't take it, then you suffer the diplomatic hit.

[CerberusIV]

The one that annoys me is when playing on an isolated continent with Optics but not Astronomy and being asked to join in a war. How? End result is I usually decline and take a relations hit. This is just stupid and annoying.

(Yes, I know I could go to war but there is nothing in it for me - just that I am forced to compromise my relations with one civ or the other. There should be an option to avoid this, particularly if I have no agreements with the target civ anyway.)

[Vynd]

Originally posted by CerberusIV
The one that annoys me is when playing on an isolated continent with Optics but not Astronomy and being asked to join in a war. How? End result is I usually decline and take a relations hit. This is just stupid and annoying.

(Yes, I know I could go to war but there is nothing in it for me - just that I am forced to compromise my relations with one civ or the other. There should be an option to avoid this, particularly if I have no agreements with the target civ anyway.)

I think that the "join the war" requests work the way they do precisely because the designers don't want you to be abke to sit off to the side and maintain good relations with everybody. Between this and the "stop trading with my enemy" requests the diplomacy system tends to drive you into one AI camp or another. Or else leave you with OK-at-best relations with everyone.

[CerberusIV]

Originally posted by Vynd


I think that the "join the war" requests work the way they do precisely because the designers don't want you to be abke to sit off to the side and maintain good relations with everybody. Between this and the "stop trading with my enemy" requests the diplomacy system tends to drive you into one AI camp or another. Or else leave you with OK-at-best relations with everyone.

I have no problem about being asked to join a war once I can actually do so. That's a reasonable request from the AI. I just dislike being asked between Optics and Astronomy. After I can build galleons to ship troops over then it's fine and I have a choice to make.

[axisworks]

I just wish once in a while the AIs would offer something along with my war declaration or ceasing trade, like a nice juicy tech I don't have or a lump of cash or something. There's no negotiate button, there's just "OMG YES I LOVE WAR LET'S DO IT" and "NO I HATE YOUR GUTS AND WISH YOU DIE" it seems or at least that's how the AI seems to interpret it...

[Ijuin]

AFAIK there is no penalty in declaring war and then not sending in any units to do the actual fighting as opposed to actually fighting in the war, so if I want to maintain good relations with the civ that is asking me to join the war, I agree and only fight defensively when I am invaded. The game does not seem to quantify your "aid" to a wartime ally.

[axisworks]

Indeed, gifting units to an ally during wartime doesn't appear to do much of anything, particularly regarding diplomacy... which I find rather lame.