Fiddling while Rome Burns

[Wiglaf]

First of all Nero signed a peace treaty with the Parthians a year before the fire in Rome, something the thread starter says the AI will not do. This ended a costly conflict that was wasting his time. Comparing Nero's leadership to the AI's is misleading.

Second, the phrase refers to ignoring disaster to entertain yourself. This does not apply for two reasons: the AI cannot hope to win even if it signs this retarded treaty, and second, the AI cannot entertain itself physically or otherwise. This is more the equivalent of giving you the finger in defiance rather than incompetence.

Third, there were no fiddles when Nero was around anyway, and most credible sources say he didn't douche off but instead was quite responsive to the fire.

Check and mate

[snoopy369]

Originally posted by egavactip


But this is kind of my whole point. There is a cost to "finishing the AI off," just as you suggest. So I might well be inclined to let things slide if I can get something good from the computer opponent. But if he is not going to play ball and give me something juicy, it is not going to be worth my while and I might as well knock him out of the game.

However, the AI's, even in desperate straits, don't seem to realize they are in desperate straits. So rather than try to buy me off with something better than the coins in their piggy bank, they simply insure their own complete destruction.

Again - it is game balance plain and simple. It is an exploit as far as I (and the game designers) are concerned to extort tech or cities out of the AI right before it is destroyed, because it costs you essentially nothing - it is basically dead, so you can just wait 10 turns and then finish it off; you thus gain (tech/cities/etc.) in exchange for nothing. This is not a strategic decision, and benefits the AI none, while benefiting you greatly. Therefore, it is not permitted. You can extort stuff from a not-dead AI, but not a dying one

[Hauptman]

Yes I think AI attitude towards you helps a ton, the very game I am playing, the people I was trading with and on good terms capitulated very quickly (loss of 1 city!) yet Huyana capac, who'm I had been neglecting, and hated me, Never capitulated, so I had to knock him off the mainland entirely. Wich is fine, as he had all the new wonders and Versailles so, it had almost no impact on my economy (negativly that is).

[Blaupanzer]

Gotten cities I've surrounded. Also techs, although not ones in which the loser was unique. Depends on when and where as much as anything.

[egavactip]

Interesting, I extorted my first tech yesterday.

[Jvstin]

I've gotten cities for peace, twice in my current game from Shaka.

Unfortunately its been a pig in a poke because the first city was crap and was soon razed in another war, and the second city is deep within the territory of Shaka's vassal (Mansa Musa) and continually suffers revolts.