[Freeciv-Dev] Re: Diplomatic Treaty's with AI players?

["James Canete" <use_less@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

I tried a different tack and played a 7 aifill game on default map size with
hard ai skill.  I then proceeded to make a single city and improve it as much
as I could.  I researched pottery to get a granary right away, then ceremonial
burial for a temple, then went down the tree to literacy so I could get the
Great Library.

Note I actually played this to test the no city center patch, which
potentially crippled the AI a bit, so I'll try it with plain CVS next time.

I stayed with that single city the whole game, piling improvements and wonders
on it, and making peace(but not alliance) with every civ that passed by.  I
didn't even do any exploring.  I exploited rapture growth as much as possible,
though.

By the end of the game my one size 30 city was almost the equal of any other
civilization, #2 in production with 67 shields (while King Richard's Crusade
held out) and #1 in science.  And yet the AI continued to maintain peace, the
most threatening event being a couple diplomats attempting to steal techs.

At least until I started building a space ship, when the entire world declared
war on me.  They weren't able to take me out though, since I was able to
create an alpine troop every single turn.  I actually hit the default endyear
before launching my ship, though.

I found I was #2 in score.

This shows that the most successful strategy against hard AI is to look
unimportant and hang on until the end.  Having a good start just means the
AIs are going to gang up on you.

Upon reading advdiplomacy.c, I estimate that I had a kill_desire of 
roughly...ten. :) Perhaps the AI should use the demographics calculations
instead of just looking at # of cities and tech lead?

I also think the AI diplomacy needs to be more forgiving.  Once at war, it is
relentless.  If you're no longer the biggest threat, isn't it more sensible to
make peace and take down the new threat?

I think the ai will not stop a war because while at war its love for you
contantly goes down, and never really has any reason to go up.  Perhaps only
threatening actions, such as combat in their territory, should decrease ai
love?

Alliances also get in the way of diplomacy sometimes.  I haven't looked yet,
but is there any way to turn them off? :) I'd prefer mutual protection pacts,
since alliances usually form at the start and never break up until someone
launches a spaceship.  Perhaps alliances only last a number of turns and
must be renewed, like ceasefires?

I'll try raising just one city again, but this time waging war as soon as my
production becomes meaningful.

Anyway, just my thoughts,
-James Canete
-- 
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