Which factions will ally with my nation?

[WCG]

I like to play a diplomatic game - with plenty of combat, still - and that's working out well when it comes to the minor regimes. (Admittedly, I wish there were a few more options there. The diplomacy options for minors are pretty slim.)

I thought it was working out well with the major regimes, too, until I discovered that I couldn't even try to take the final step in alliance with my long-time friends, because of their faction in power.

And in this case, that faction was the Humanists, which I'd been supporting all game, because the manual says that they're "open to any offer of friendship from your side."

But another major was willing to take that step, even though we hadn't been friends for as long a time. (Note that this is the only stratagem of this type I've ever seen, and it's been a long game, too.) But their faction was the Corporatists, who "are not held back by any morals," according to the manual.

Indeed, I've been working hard to get the Realpolitikers in charge of that major regime, because the manual calls that faction "the most reasonable guys in the game." Apparently, that was all a waste of effort (and PP), though.

So, my question is, which factions can we ally with for the purpose of winning the game? If I don't want to play a warlord, which factions should I be encouraging in each major culture type? My expectations - based on the manual - have been quite wrong, apparently.

PS. Do we get any other benefits from this? Can I attach my roads to theirs and then travel on their road network, as well as my own?

That doesn't appear to be the case, but they just agreed to accept the treaty this turn, so maybe it won't take full effect until next turn. Certainly, it doesn't merge us, in the way it happens with minor regimes.

In this case, that won't matter much, because both of my friendly neighbors are fairly well blocked in by water and the north pole. But if I'd been where they are, I wouldn't have wanted to befriend them, if that ended up blocking up my expansion.

So, I was just curious. I'm playing on a large world, and each turn is taking me quite awhile. So I won't get to the next turn immediately.

Great game, though! I'm really enjoying it!

[WCG]

No replies? Let me change my question slightly. Which factions have you successfully allied with, then? Have you tried and failed with others (because the game wouldn't allow that particular faction to accept alliance)?

For me, I was successful with the Corporatists, but the Humanists were blocked off entirely (which definitely surprised me.)


Oh, and it appears that I cannot combine my road network with my ally's and, in any case, I cannot travel in his land. Indeed, this whole alliance thing has been a bit underwhelming (especially compared with annexing minors). It's used for victory conditions, of course. And maybe, if I'm attacked by a major regime, they'll declare war, too?

But then, they don't share any borders with my potential enemies, so I'm not sure what good that will do.

I'm also not sure what I'd want. Seriously. I can see problems with most ideas. So maybe just a celebration and an increase in happiness, nation-wide? As I say, it seems underwhelming right now, especially since diplomacy seems to continue as normal. Can we lose this alliance status?

And I'm still wondering what I can do with those Humanists who love me. [:)] We've had great relations since very early in the game, but... now what? And what if these two majors attack each other? I've got defensive agreements with both of them, even though I was only permitted to ally with one.

[jpwrunyan]

I'm still trying to figure this out myself but I would also imagine the profile preferences of the faction when compared to your nation's profile would also be a factor in the difficulty of NAP's and ally stratagems. I could be wrong.

[WCG]

ORIGINAL: jpwrunyan

I'm still trying to figure this out myself but I would also imagine the profile preferences of the faction when compared to your nation's profile would also be a factor in the difficulty of NAP's and ally stratagems. I could be wrong.

Thanks. But when I go to play the "Victory Card" stratagem, the game just says, "Regime does not have a Faction in power that supports such a pact." So the difficulty isn't the issue. I'm not even permitted to make the attempt.

Again, this is the Humanist faction, which the manual says is "open to any offer of friendship from your side." I certainly can't imagine that the Doctrinists or the Crusaders would be more open to an alliance with heretics. [:)]

And with my other neighbors, the Corporatists were quite willing to ally with me, even though the manual doesn't make them sound that reliable. (I was expecting to need the Realpolitikers in charge, so that's what I'd been working towards.)

I don't know. This took a long time to set up, and the results aren't exactly what I expected. Now, I'm wondering if I shouldn't have been working on the militarist regimes, too.

But the worse thing is that I have no idea which faction I should be pushing in the other majors for any particular result. I've been going by what the manual says, but... well, again, the results aren't exactly what I expected.

I am enjoying playing a diplomatic game. Of course, I've been fighting marauders, slavers, mutants, rogue AI, and alien animals since the game began, but not once with a minor or major regime, so far.

And my victory points are at 37.6 (would be nearly 41, if this other friendly regime would accept an alliance), so it's not especially early in the game.

But it would be good to know what I'm doing. [:D]

Thanks for the reply.

PS. I know there's a bug in the game, where I can't play a stratagem on another regime until I leave that screen, then come back to it. So this might just be a bug, too. But that particular trick won't work here, and nothing else I've experimented with works, either. Besides, it did work with the Corporatists next door.

[WCG]

Am I really the only guy who likes to play a diplomatic game? No one else has any experience with this?

Well, Mom always did say I was special... [:D]

[demiare]

ORIGINAL: WCG

But the worse thing is that I have no idea which faction I should be pushing in the other majors for any particular result.

Push big red button instead. Nukes are easily making you controlling most population on planet...

[Leslac]

The diplomacy part of the game doesn't seem to be working or if it does, only very rudimentary. Majors always start out at some random friendship level no matter who you are and they always deteriorate from that point, unless you actively work to improve relations. Even then, it's very random.

I'm currently trying to figure out if there's more to this system by leaving them alone and seeing what happens in an extremely slow-paced game.


What I do know is you should try and keep troops from staying right next to their border, as that will cause friction events.

[WCG]

ORIGINAL: Leslac

The diplomacy part of the game doesn't seem to be working or if it does, only very rudimentary.

Yes, it's definitely not working quite right. I've had no trouble making friends. But I was only able to get one of them to fully ally with me. The game simply wouldn't let me do that with the Humanists, even though they remain friendly.

However, I've got a mutual defense treaty with both of them. So, what happened when another major declared war on me? Nothing. Neither of my two allies even seemed to notice. Certainly, they're not listed as being at war with that major. And the major attacked me. I wasn't the aggressor.

Diplomacy does work well with minor regimes. Unfortunately, there isn't much to it. And there doesn't seem to be a way to recover if you critically fail your first attempt and lose some relationship with them. Unlike with the majors, I can't give them money or anything. It really is very limited.

There's a lot more to diplomacy with the majors. I like that. I just wish it worked. [:)] I mean, some of it works, but I have the feeling that diplomacy hasn't gotten the attention that the warfare part of the game has.

It's still a great game, though. I'm having a blast.

ORIGINAL: Leslac

What I do know is you should try and keep troops from staying right next to their border, as that will cause friction events.

That's not surprising, huh? [:)] Anyway, that's very definitely the case with minor regimes - and even wild animals - but majors surprise me sometimes.

I've got a railroad - the backbone of my logistics network - running right alongside our border with a hostile major. There are high mountains on the other side and just no other way to get to my second-largest city. (Indeed, I had to put the railroad over one hex of low mountains, which was just hugely expensive)

So I've lined the road with infantry. I was sure they'd declare war on me, and if they cut that logistics connection, I'd be in trouble. But that's not the major which attacked me. Indeed, this major - who doesn't like me at all - just seems to be ignoring the military buildup on their border.

The major who did attack me was getting his butt kicked by slavers and a minor regime which was already at war with another major. Heh, heh. Yeah, he looks extremely weak. Maybe he's got a secret weapon, but right now, he doesn't look like a threat.

But maybe there's a certain amount of chance to all of this? I guess it's a good thing if I can't predict their behavior very precisely.