Some Diplomacy options

I had initially mentioned these ideas in a different thread, but I happen to like my ideas enough that I may as well also put them up where they may do some good.

I woudl like to see a few additional diplomacy features in this game. Some may be trivial to implement, some probably arent, due to the AI implications.

I would like to have some diplomatic penalties beyond being fully allied. I would like to see Non Aggression pacts, Truce / Cease Fire, Ultimatums, and a per turn tribute scheme. I would also like to be able to threaten a trade embargo from the diplomacy screen. I would also like to see some diplomatic repercussions for things like offering peace and then attacking the very next turn (deal breaking for lack of a better term).

First, I would like to see morale diplomatic repercussions for things like declaring war. The morale element would vary depending on alignment. Evil races would suffer no penalty. Neutrals would suffer a morale hit for instigating a war with any civ they have at least trade relations with. Good races should suffer severe repercussions for declaring war against any non evil race. The morale hit should persist until the end of the war, or for a set amount of time (say 20 turns).

Diplomatic repercussions are dependant on some of my subsequent suggestions. Basically, right now, you can offer a peace treaty, and then the very next turn, start up the war again. If you tend to break treaties, the other races would be fools to trust you.

Non Aggression pacts are pretty much ripped off from Master of Orion 3. I would like to be able to have some formal way keeping my neigbor from attacking me when I am in the midst a war with someone else. I would also suggest that there could be an option for restricted tech trading where you can only trade tech with someone you have a non aggression pact with. Entering into a non aggression pact should probably give you a minor diplomacy benefit to the race you have it with, since they should be able to operate under the assumption that you are much less likley to attack them. Of course, they should also be able to recognize that even under a non aggression pact, having several transports parked around their planet is a hostile act. Ending a non aggression pact via the diplomacy screen should not be a negative penalty.

Truce / Cease Fire would basically be just what it sounds like. It should have a slider for 2 to 20 turns turns of no attacking, or you would suffer severe diplomatic repercussions. This would not replace the peace treaty option, but be an alternative to it. If you break a cease fire, the good races should come down harder on you then the evil races. And the race you lied to should have a massive diplomacy hit beyond that (ie: even if the war does end later, they should remember that you screwed them).

Ultimatums should basically allow you to make a demand and invoke a threat. The demand would be selected as normal. The threat could be War, a trade embargo, or leaving an alliance or non aggression pact. If the AI refuses, the user should be given a yes / no popup to give a human a last chance to back down. An ultimatum will always have an adverse affect on relations.

Trade embargos are already possible, but you can only invoke them from the base relations screen. I would like to be able to use a trade embargo in the diplomacy screen. Threatening to end your trade with a race should be a signifigant threat if they have a substantial amount of their income coming from you.

Per turn tribute is what it sounds like. Rather then demanding a set amount of credits, you demand a set amount of credits per turn. If you are paying or collecting tribute, you should have an option to end it in the diplomacy screen. Tribute should also result in a non aggression pact. If you demand tribute, and the race gives in, and then you attack them later while they are still paying, you should take a diplomacy hit. And good races should suffer a diplomacy hit towards any race currently collecting tribute. Of course, you can always choose to demand greater amounts of tribute.

I would think that the tribute and embargo suggestions are the easiest to implement, but the tricky part would be in guaging how much the AI's should value them, since losing X% of your income for a long time could add up.

END COMMUNICATION
11,305 views 8 replies
Reply #1 Top
I really second that!

The only thing that would round the game up a bit more in my opinion would be to introduce more diplomatic options. There should be more possibilities to engage other civilizations and I would love those mentioned above.

Further I really would like to have more options to raise the other races opinion on my civ. Right now I can donate stuff, but thats basically all, beside of trade... How about state visits? It would need a major diplomatic ship design, some expenses and then you could send military/trade/culture/diplomatic delegations to the other civs home planet. This would raise their opinion on you and maybe give some other short time bonus for trade/military/culture ....

Reply #2 Top
Well, there should be a pernament diplomatic penalty for declaring war on a race you declared a treaty with (outside of honoring an alliance) . The amount of the penalty should be based on how quickly you declare war. Immediately should cause a massive drop with all races, after about 13 turns or so ,the drop should be very slight. Truce should be an option as well, holding you under no obligation, but the only peace treaty that can be done with a truce is a status quo truce.

I would like to see ultimatums where you ask a race to remove all transports within one turns's reach of your planets, unless docked or adjacent to your own worlds. Failing to follow through on an ultimatum if ignored would cause a diplomacy drop.

The morale penalties I agree with as well, but the drops should be based on this:
1) Relations with race
2) Alignment
3) Influence of race on your planets


The one question that needs to be asked on any diplo change: could the AI handle it? If the AI can't handle it, don't put it in.
Reply #3 Top
i would also like to see more options in diplomatic screen and be able to threaten and be able to intimidate ai in the united planets screen about choices or bribe them.....also would like to see stay out of my borders option a no trespass option for your influence border
Reply #4 Top
Here is what I put in another thread and would like to see in 1.2 patch

The other area I would like to see improvements to is Diplomacy.

The only way to declare war on someone is to attack them. What if I was on the other side of the map from a race I wanted to declare war with and I had an ally between me and that race. I would like a way to declare war and thrust my ally into it and since he is closer I could just feed this ally ships and money and let him do your dirty work. The AI seems to be able to declare war on the player at anytime, fair is fair.

Demeanor could play a part in negotiations. Having a threatening tone for your demanded gift would increase your chance of getting it if the race was weaker. Other good races would see this as a bad thing and would decrease their relations with you because they would see you as a bully whereas evil races may respect you more and increase their relations. Begging on the other hand may increase your chances of getting something with a stronger good race and possibly increase relations due to pity but decrease relations with all evil races since they would see you as weak. Out and Out Begging, Politely Request, Neutral, Firmly Request, and Demanding could be four levels to choose from. This could also make for some interesting dialog between the player and the races.

Have different degrees of an alliance such as a Trade Alliance before you could have trade (Neutral relations or better), A Technological Alliance before you could trade non-military techs (friendly relations or better) and finally a Military Alliance which would be like ally is now (Close relations or better) and a Military Alliance is needed to trade military techs. This would also help with the issues people have with unrestricted tech trading.

These are some of my thoughts.


Reply #6 Top
Great idaes
I kind of like the delegations


I agree their is a need for more options regarding the united planets.
Trading of influence points is a nice start, but kind of pointless, if you don't know what the next
vote will be about. This could be improved by either allowing negotiations during UP meeting or by
publishing the subject of the next vote some weeks before the meeting.
Also it often happens to me, that a vote went in the favor of my opponents because there was no way to coordinate with my friends. They vote for me, I vote for them, my enemies focus their votes, they win.
Or most of the galaxy wants taxes on starbeses in foreign territory, but thew vote is divided between 10,5, and 3 credits per week. The minority that wants no taxes, focus on 0 credits, and win.
I would like to have the possibility to ask my friends what they preffer or make proposals to them.
Or add voting behavior directly as an item into the negotiations screen.

Other trade items I miss:
-remove all ships/starbases (by category?) from my territory. Might be emulated by buying and scraping them, but I would preffer it this way
- and al traderelations with X
- threats to add to an offer, like war, tradeembargo, giving tech to their enemy, surrendering to their enemy
(remove all your ships from my territory or I will surrender to the yor, your worst enemy)
Reply #7 Top
One good diplomatic option that was available in an old 4x game named Fragile Allegiance was Non-Aggression Pacts. When negotiating one of those you could set the amount of time that they would last before expiring, hence if you could forsee wanting to go to war in the future you could attack after it expired without incuring a penalty. You could also negotiate the penalty incurred if either party broke it, typically monetary compensation that had to be paid to the other, so that if you really wanted to go to war you still could but it hurt financially. Something like this could be implemented for Galciv2, you could for example be able to negotiate these treaties and they are enforced by the united planets council, but if the attacker also left the council they wouldn't be bound by the treaty, something like that.
Reply #8 Top
bump

And for the good of it: Please Devs, tell us if you will at all think about enhancing the diplomatic system or if you are just interested in the tactical AI (which will be the center of the next patch afaik).