[Freeciv-Dev] AI diplomacy

[John Wheeler <jdwheeler42@xxxxxxxxx>]

Just when I was starting to get the hang of *reliably*
beating the AI (on easy, at that), they started
ganging up on me!  AI diplomacy is definitely working
in CVS.  Yay!  Kudos to everyone involved.  As far as
I'm concerned, that was the last major feature in
Civilization missing from Freeciv.  I definitely do
enjoy the addition.

That said, there are a few improvements I would like
to see.  First, even after establishing embassies I
don't see any way to find out what alliances/treaties
other nations have with each other -- yet the AI seems
to know mine are.  Where this becomes really annoying
is when I ally with one nation, then make concessions
to make peace with another nation, only to find out
afterwards that they are at war with my ally.  If
there is a way to get that information, it's not
obvious to me.

A second, minor point is that the help (specifically,
item #10, "Interacting with other players
(Diplomacy)", under the topic "Strategies and
Tactics") needs to be updated to reflect that you can
now do diplomacy with the AI.  (I've created a patch
to do that -- I've requested a RT login and will be
submitting the ticket when I get it.)  I also do
wonder if "Diplomacy" should be a seperate topic,
since that section is more about explaining the
mechanics of gameplay than optimizing strategies.

Third, there is something a little bit sickening about
getting Electricity in the third century and
Industrialization in the sixth.  This far from reality
definitely makes Freeciv more of a game than a
simulation.  There is nothing wrong with that, and I
know I can retard the tech research through server
settings, but I kind of would like to see more
disasters, like what was in Civ I.  (I realize I'm
probably in the minority on this, since that was
dropped for Civ II.)  Also, as in Civ I, I would make
improvements stop the disasters (e.g., City Wall vs.
floods, Temple vs. volcano, Granary vs. plague) --
this would also work against smallpox.

One particularly perverse idea I had for a disaster
would actually be a Wonder: the Tower of Babel.  The
effects would be to cancel all treaties (putting
everyone in a state of war), prevent any diplomatic
meetings, and add 1 unhappy citizen to all cities of
nations that don't have it (which if I understand the
mechanics correctly would prevent all "We Love the
Leader" days, unless you had another happiness
Wonder.)  Such a powerful Wonder should probably be
made obsolete fairly early, such as by Philosophy, and
should have a correspondingly early prerequisite, such
as Alphabet, Ceremonial Burial, or Warrior Code.  (I
know, Masonry would probably be more appropriate, but
that's already a prerequisite for two Wonders.)

That's enough for now.

++JohnWheeler

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