Suggestion for Peace Negotiation

[Jumping Choya]

I'm playing as the Germans, and due to a few strategical errors early in the game (stayed in despotism way too long, and I wasn't getting enough money to buy techs off the other civs), I'm way behind in techs. So, I go for techs the old-fashioned way: beat the crap out of the English to the north.

So, I reduce them to one city and I ask for all of their techs. The problem is, they have a raft full of techs that come after those, and the problem is, I can't ask for those in a peace negotiation. I can only get the techs immediately after mine. As a result, I only caught up halfway to the AI in terms of techs.

I think that, if possible for a patch, Firaxis could change things a bit so you could get ALL of their techs, not just the ones you could research next (i.e., for the Industrial age, if you don't have Steel and Refining, and the AI also has Combustion, you should be able to get combustion as well if you got Steel and Refining.)

[Moonsinger]

You can also start another war with another civ.

[dunk]

I think it's better the way it is. It would be WAY too easy to beat up on someone to get techs your suggested way. I like that you can't get techs that are unresearchable to you. It's like having tanks fighting alongside phalanxes like in Civ II.

[asleepathewheel]

I agree that this is annoying, but it would just be too easy to take out one weaker civ and then automatically catching up with everyone else. What I usually do is take them down to a couple of cities, to the point where he will give everything, then a few turns later, I attack again hoping that he will give everything again. And if not, he's dead and no problems from flipping.Then I move to the next target to do the same thing.

[Moonsinger]

Originally posted by asleepathewheel
What I usually do is take them down to a couple of cities, to the point where he will give everything, then a few turns later, I attack again hoping that he will give everything again. And if not, he's dead and no problems from flipping.Then I move to the next target to do the same thing.

Yup, that's exactly what I normally do. Since most of the time, I'm running a democratic nation; if I stay at war for so long, I will be in trouble. Didn't you know that the AIs are sticking together against you (well, maybe at the Deity level)? Therefore, I have many civs to beat up for teach (assuming that I survived their main assaults)

[Theseus]

Right, either oscillate early in the game, or go to war on muliple fronts when in Republic or Democracy, and make peace with the weakest first.

[Grrr]

Peace? Why?

Of course, peace is useful upon occasion. The easiest way is to trade a load of junk with them for it.

[Boris Godunov]

The Peace negotiation is weak, though, in general.

Examples:

I'm Germany. I go to war with Greece. I go to Persia and sign an alliance with them against Greece. We kick Greek butt. Greece comes begging for peace. Now, under the current system, if I accept peace with Greece, Persia considers this a break of alliance and my reputation gets stained. That's a crock. Stained reputation for making peace?! I think that once the person who initiated the alliance makes peace, the alliance should be peacefully cancelled, regardless of the turns. The arbitrary 20 turn number is stupid. Just make it for until I decide to make peace!

And, say I have a MPP with Persia. If I make peace with Greece, the next turn Greece attacks Persia, so then I automatically go back to war with Greece. I can't even be evil and renege on the pact. Again, that's BS. When negotiating peace, you should be able to make the opponent make peace with your allies at the same time. They did this in SMAC, so why not in CIV3?

The current peacemaking rules ensures a lot of cyclical warfare that really messes up the civ balance.

[Boris Godunov]

And Another thing!

Like in EU, there should be a certain mandatory window of time after a peace treaty is signed wherein you simply can't go to war with that party again. I think 10 turns would be sufficient. I just had a case where I beat the Indians in a war, signed a treaty. In the next turn they still had troops in my borders. When I asked them to leave--you guessed it--they declared war. Now this was after I'd captured their capital and other cities and decimated their army. Who'd be that dumb?

[Solver]

I also think it's better the way it is - otherwise if I completely sucked at science but had an overwhelmingly huge military, I'd be able to get all the tech... nah, not the good way, IMO.

[dunk]

Originally posted by Boris Godunov
if I accept peace with Greece, Persia considers this a break of alliance and my reputation gets stained. That's a crock. Stained reputation for making peace?! I think that once the person who initiated the alliance makes peace, the alliance should be peacefully cancelled, regardless of the turns. The arbitrary 20 turn number is stupid. Just make it for until I decide to make peace!

I agree. A very good idea. BUT. You could draw the AI into a war as your ally, and have them pull out one turn later, ala Civ II. I really hated that. I agree that the big negative you incur for making peace before 20 turns is pretty silly.

A thought... why isn't there collective peace bargaining? Why can't the Persians and Germans sign a peace treaty with Greece together and split the spoils in some way? That would be interesting and make the human player actually participate in their little Macheiavellian MPP wars they create. Otherwise, they wouldn't get any benefit.

And another thing... Why is it that EVERYONE gets mad at you when you do something dirty? Example... Zululand and Babylon are on poor terms. Why should Babylon get mad if I break a treaty with Zululand? They should probably encourage me and be nicer.

[Boris Godunov]

Originally posted by dunk999


I agree. A very good idea. BUT. You could draw the AI into a war as your ally, and have them pull out one turn later, ala Civ II. I really hated that. I agree that the big negative you incur for making peace before 20 turns is pretty silly.

That wouldn't be an option...if you get an AI player to join your war, they can't pull out. But you can negotiate peace earlier. And the peace would apply for all allies against that enemy.

A thought... why isn't there collective peace bargaining? Why can't the Persians and Germans sign a peace treaty with Greece together and split the spoils in some way?

Yeah, you should be able to force a defeated enemy to give stuff to allies, too. And you should get a big rep boost with that ally if you do.

And another thing... Why is it that EVERYONE gets mad at you when you do something dirty? Example... Zululand and Babylon are on poor terms. Why should Babylon get mad if I break a treaty with Zululand? They should probably encourage me and be nicer.

Excellent point. However, I think it goes down on your record as you being generally untrustworthy. But an enemy of the enemy you screw over shouldn't be quite as mad as they get, you're right.

[wrylachlan]

Originally posted by Boris Godunov
Yeah, you should be able to force a defeated enemy to give stuff to allies, too. And you should get a big rep boost with that ally if you do.

Or if you are in a Military Alliance against a nation and you enter peace negotiations your allies are automatically present and you must do three way bargaining.

[Boris Godunov]

Originally posted by wrylachlan


Or if you are in a Military Alliance against a nation and you enter peace negotiations your allies are automatically present and you must do three way bargaining.

Seems fair, but could make it impossible to make peace. I kinda like the EU model that he who starts the war is the "leader" of the alliance and therefore is in charge of making peace.

[wrylachlan]

Originally posted by Boris Godunov


Seems fair, but could make it impossible to make peace. I kinda like the EU model that he who starts the war is the "leader" of the alliance and therefore is in charge of making peace.

But having three-way (or more) bargaining would allow you to bargain towards contiguous cities. If you and your allies have just defeated germany and the cities you have captured are scattered in-between the ones britain captured, it would be nice to be able to easily trade so that you now control a group of cities that is all together.