| Yeah, I think that the threat is implied if you ask for something without offering anything else in return. The AI'll never surrender something as vital as a planet or a starbase though. |
I thought that might be the case, but there are 4 problems with this:
1. You cannot use a threat in connection with anything else. The idea is to offer less for what you want, not just demand it outright. If I want to offer a tech resource in exchange for an economy resource and I'm willing to go to war over it, there's no way to communicate that to the AI.
2. There are currently no real downsides to using threats. A threat of force is (1) less valuable each time you use it, (2) detrimental to all unallied relations, not just the race you’re dealing with, and (3) more likely to result in coordinated actions taking place against you. If it’s going to have any of these costs, it needs to be stated explicitly, because right now there’s no difference between demanding tribute and asking for help. (Should that also be a separate diplomacy item?)
3. If the AI does take military power into account, then it doesn't value it highly enough. In one notable case, I tried to demand ships from a race that I could have wiped out in 2 or 3 turns, but all I could get was a few defenders and scouts. Also, I might be willing to cut off trade or peruse other strategies without being willing to declare war. Unless I’m mistaken, the AI currently just lumps all potential threats into one value.
4. Threatening the AI in this way doesn't put you in a position where you have to carry it out if they say no. In a more realistic scenario, using a threat of force can be very dangerous because of this. Forcing the player to make good on their threats introduces a good play element, in that you can gamble with your power and potentially overreach yourself.
