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Another Option we need added to the game: AI Surrendering OFF

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Another Option we need added to the game: AI Surrendering OFF

from GalCiv2 Forums
I just had the Drath surrender to me because they were at war with the Alteran Republic. They were just as strong as I was as well as other races and I hated to see them out of the game. I was battling the Alterans from the other side and it would have been a fun two front war! I hate it when AI's just give up and wish I could turn this feature OFF!!!
23,228 views 36 replies
Reply #26 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Yet another option we don't need. The AI does give up, yes. But first it fights a good fight with what it has and if it gets crushed will throw in the towel. It doesn't wait for you or another AI to invade each and every planet, after sustaining enough crippling loss they give up.

You mean an option that *you* don't need.


Urk. No.
This forum is not "create your own game". Having too many options will take from the original game.
I'd rather they write up code to make surrenders more fun rather then flush it down the hole.

Are you really this ignorant?
Reply #27 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
They just need to make surrenders a part of the diplomacy system. Essentially surrenders should put the civ's planets into a quasi-owned state. Something like (the following is just a rough idea):

1. Make it so that surrenders can be refused. Accepting the surrender from a culture you are not at war with will lessen relations with the races that were at war with them.

2. Flag all the worlds as "surrendering" for 5-10 turns (or whatever) after the surrender happens in any case.

3. You can negotiate with the AI your enemy surrendered to. If you are on good terms, then they'll give you control of those worlds. If you are enemies then they'll say "bite me," or the equivalent. A.I.'s might be more inclined to keep planets that are well in their cultural influence however.

4. Taking worlds that are flagged as "surrendering" is easier (combat bonus down), but is grounds for war (but the AI can choose not to go to war if they don't think it is a good idea).

5. Sometimes minor races can spawn from surrendering worlds, the minor race the world becomes should usually have a different personality than the original race. They're still flagged as surrendering for the standard duration.

6. Even after a surrender is over, those worlds remain more vulnerable to flipping sides due to influence than normal worlds for some period of time.

7. (Someday): A Civ can surrender to more than one race, in which case they negotiate how to divide up the planets (and potentially have to fight off other combatants who were in the war).

Of course, the AI can surrender a bit too easily and this needs to be fixed. Also, other AIs should perhaps be more inclined to intervene in wars. One problem is that the AI will tend to NEVER go to war with the strongest guy or any guy a lot stronger than them. This is bad when they could potentially have overwhelming forces by joining up with another few Civs that are already at war with them--and the AI should also look at how likely it is that it could get others to war on such a civ. Of course, evil Civs are more likely to gang up on good civs and be otherwise opportunistic; good Civs are less likely to help evil Civs and more likely to go to war against evil civs or to help another good Civ. Neutral Civs would be somewhere inbetween (and hence largely self-interested with a good bit of loyalty to friends thrown in).

There is some of this in the game already, but I don't think quite enough. I know in one game I was taking out a major power and I couldn't get anyone to help me do it, nor did they ever stop me even when it was clear I was gaining overwhelming power (and would gain a ton of influence to boot). The AI should watch for things like that.
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Reply #28 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Do you think the problem might be that the Surrendering is not tuned down enough in smaller maps?

ex: 4-5 planets left on Gigantic Galaxy is really worth surrendering for but not on Large Galaxy, but the AI might have trouble adjusting...

the largest I've personaly played is Large, so I wouldn't know
has anyone ever witnessed a difference in Surrendering based on Map size??
Reply #29 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Im not asking for it to be switched off. Im asking for an option to be able to choose to switch it off. Why in the world anyone would argue against having more options making a game more varied, fun, and different blows my mind....
Reply #30 from Stardock Forums Top
The AI's probably throwing in the towel because it's so heavilly in debt it can't do anything.... I think a little light on how the AI is making the decision might make some of you happy.

Perhaps instead of mass surrender the influence mechanic should kick in stronger. IE if you're getting wooped, you get more and more ez to influence. This would fit nicely with the rest of the game, and wouldn't be so mysterious....
Reply #31 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Im not asking for it to be switched off. Im asking for an option to be able to choose to switch it off. Why in the world anyone would argue against having more options making a game more varied, fun, and different blows my mind....


I like options in games too, but there's a limit to what's practical.

If we had an on/off switch for all the options that have been requested lately -- tech trades, surrenders, tactical retreats in ship combat, static planetary defenses, multi-stage invasions, and so on... -- we'd all be playing totally different games. And that would be a nightmare for QA testing, to make sure that none of these things actually do break the game. It means you won't see updates nearly as quickly as you would with a uniform game design.

Too many options also means we can't trade tips and strategies. I like reading here about what people are doing in a successful game, without having to wade through a list of game settings to see that it won't work for me, because they've set up the game in a totally different way.

I'm not totally anti-options.... I just don't want to be overwhelmed by them.

Reply #32 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
This forum is not "create your own game".

Even the developers themselves think a little different in this regard, I think.
It's not a "Brad, do what I say" forum, but we're talking about well-founded suggestions here.

Having too many options will take from the original game.

If you don't like an option, just don't use it. Optionally disabling surrenders would not affect game balance (or Metaverse fairness) from what I can tell.
Reply #33 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
I can understand the demand for this option however I would ask that the words "surrender" and "random" (or any derivatives thereof) please not be used in the same sentence. I sincerely doubt that anyone posting in this forum (myself most certainly included) really understands the AI with the exception of the programmers. I can hazard a guess that when an AI surrenders, its reasons are ridiculously complicated.


if it's ridiculously complicated, it's as good as random. choosing the lottery balls by spinning a container isn't really random, because physics determines what balls drop out, but it's as good as random - you can't realistically control what balls drop out. same case here, the AI might have some logic behind who it surrenders to, but if from the player's perspective it is random, then it is.

besides there are reports of people reloading the game and seeing the AI surrendering to different civs each time, that's pretty random
Reply #34 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Altarians would fight to the death rather than surrender to the Drengin.


Actually, Im gonna disagree with this.
If you are a 'good' civilisation, you would do everything in your power to preserve your race, than drive them into extinction. In a way I would have thought it be the other way round, evil race will fight to the death although their might be a rale/loyalty decrease.
Reply #35 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
I think one of the complaints about surrendering is that the AI is failing in many cases to consider external pressures on the player which might cause the war to shift direction at some point.
Reply #36 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
I would rather an option for AI always surrenders to AI. I like challenge in my games and I'd rather see the AI give their stuff to another race and keep the game challenging than give it all to me. Make me work for what I gets. So instead of just AI surrendering off add AI surrenders to another AI too.