Advanced Tactics - Diplomacy with AI

Tips on Diplomacy with the Computer Players

• As posted on comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.strategic a while back:

  From: msucorey@aol.com (MSU Corey)
  Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.strategic
  Subject: Warlords II FAQ wrong about diplomacy
  Date: 30 Jun 1995 12:34:26 -0400
  Message-ID: <3t192i$pbm@newsbf02.news.aol.com>
  
  Well, actually it's right.  It just left out something VERY IMPORTANT. 
  Whenever you sue for peace, whether you were the agressor or not
  initially, it is viewed by computer players as cowardice and drops your
  rating through the floor.
  
  Many newbies make the mistake of constantly suing their aggressors for
  peace thinking they'll be viewed in a positive diplomatic light by others.
   Not true.  Soon, they'll have the whole world after them for being such
  sissy cowards.
  

• When all the computer players declare war on you, there is still a way to get them to fight amongst themselves. If you discover armies from multiple opponents approaching a city, sometimes it's best to let them have it. The first army to get there will take it over, but often the second army (and onward) will attack the city without stopping to see if you still own it. - Craig Pommer
• The new computer AI in Warlords II Deluxe puts a great deal of importance on the starting turns. They usually leave their cities completely undefended. When I came across the cities to begin with, I use to ignore them, not wanting to have my reputation trashed. Now, I take as many of them as I can. The computer seems to continue to try and expand, not bothering with war, even if you are taking all of it's back cities. Often you can shadow a computer opponent completely, limiting them to 1 city (until you have the strength to take it over). - Craig Pommer
• It appears that in Deluxe, although you can set units to 0 cost (making it unavailable for purchase), the computer can still buy them. Assuming that the 0 cost remains 0, they also get the unit for free. The only way I have found to avoid this is to make all units I don't want bought special units. - Craig Pommer
• Email I received on this subject:

  From: Fazzola@aol.com
  Date: Sat, 16 Mar 1996 15:48:02 -0500
  Subject: Warlords II Diplomacy
  
  Could you please place the following under a Diplomacy category?
  
       Diplomacy is a complete joke.  I have found that never even looking at
  the diplomacy ratings is the best approach to take.  I raze cities left and
  right and never come to regret it, even when the computer is set to the
  toughest rating.  I backstab computer players all the time and almost never
  regret it.  If you have fast moving armies (a blitzkrieg approach), you can
  forget diplomacy as it means relatively little.