When an AI requests that you go to war

[Traveler]

What do you do?

I don't get asked often and when I do it's never been in my interest. I've done it a couple times because I wanted to improve my relationship with that civ, but it doesn't seem to change our friend rating. It certainly doesn't change thier willingness to trade. So I just say no thnk you.

On a simlare note, does it make any difference if you reply to a random insult with the belicose or whimpy reply?

[Bouncer]

It's worse then that. From my experience when they ask ye to go to war and you do, they can actually get pissed at you later on because they hate warmongers. Seriously. I had that happen twice in a game. Now Pacal hates my guts because I went to war to liberate one of his cities.

So, yeah, if a civ asks you to go to war and you say yes, just keep in mind some of the requesters may actually like you less later on.

Then again, then I would wonder why you would ever say yes... Unless the requester is a honourable civ like the Danish, Hunnic, Aztecs or Mongols a request is just an excuse for you to start a war and piss of almost everybody including the requester...

[Ryika]

Afaik, if you accept you won't get the "Declare war"-malus you'd normally get. However, you still get the maluses from conquering cities and killing nations. So, as bnw lowered the "Declare war"-malus anyway, there's not much diplomacy involved. (<- 'm not a hundred percent sure though.) However, it can still be useful as you can really sync your attacks that way. When the AI asks you to declare war, they're generally ready to march into the enemy territory.

[Bouncer]

However, you still get the maluses from conquering cities and killing nations.

Oh come on you can't be serious!

Well ye can disregard my post for the most part, OP. My results were just a case of utterly bizarre game design and stupid AI.

[Ryika]

Well, as I said, I'm not completely sure about that, so don't take my post as facts - it's just based on some discussion I read on the civfanatics forums some time ago.

[Burbot]

Originally posted by Ryika:

Well, as I said, I'm not completely sure about that, so don't take my post as facts - it's just based on some discussion I read on the civfanatics forums some time ago.

From my experience what you stated is correct. I have never gotten warmonger status from the co-conspirator. But I avoid killing civs off completely.

It's rare for me to accept those requests. Sometimes the timing is just right and it gives "fought against a common foe' bonus. It's rarely worth it though since I find the AI takes the first peace deal and leaves you hanging most of the time. Which might be where the war monger status with the requester is coming from for some people.

Originally posted by Traveler:

On a simlare note, does it make any difference if you reply to a random insult with the belicose or whimpy reply?

I don't think so. Except for the obvious responses to theft and city state bullying. The "vermin breeding" remarks are for color as far as I can tell. I typically get them when I befriend someone the insulter considers a foe. It's unlikely they will ever like you after that.

[ShadowMoses]

Does the Civ that asks you to go to war with another Civ actually go to war? Everytime i've done it, it ends up with me fighting the Civ they wanted to attack with the Civ that wanted to start the war nowhere in sight.

[Bouncer]

Originally posted by Ryika:

Well, as I said, I'm not completely sure about that, so don't take my post as facts - it's just based on some discussion I read on the civfanatics forums some time ago.

Nah this must be true because it would completely explain Indonesia's backstabbing after I took down an enemy of theirs by conquering his only city, and also why Pacal hated me more then the guy who broke a Declaration of Friendship, backstabbed him and started a war against him. 'cuz taking cities and killing civs is the true evil.

Originally posted by kswitch499:

Does the Civ that asks you to go to war with another Civ actually go to war? Everytime i've done it, it ends up with me fighting the Civ they wanted to attack with the Civ that wanted to start the war nowhere in sight.

If the requester is very far away from the civ they want to fight they'll pretty much never send units. If they're close by you'll occaisionally see some of their units tapdancing on the borders until they take enough damage and retreat, which, if you remember the times you got attacked by AI, is pretty much their entire war strategy.

Now sometimes they are actually not even gonna try to help you, but most of the time it's just their dumb AI.

[Burbot]

Originally posted by kswitch499:

Does the Civ that asks you to go to war with another Civ actually go to war? Everytime i've done it, it ends up with me fighting the Civ they wanted to attack with the Civ that wanted to start the war nowhere in sight.

Sometimes they don't. If you ask them to wait ten turns they may or may not declare when the time comes. If you accept, you both declare immediately, but that doesn't mean they will actually do anything.

It makes me feel like they played me for a sucker so they could extort the victim with a peace deal. Just don't accept unless you planned on it anyway. Just know that they may extort all the good stuff and leave nothing for your peace deal.

But I do the same to them. So I guess it's fair play.

[Sohei]

War monger for the win. You can't trust the AI. It will always stab you in the back. So, it doesn't matter much what they think of you as long as they don't all attack at the same time. If they are mad because you took out several civs, well there won't be too many left to worry about. If a civ wants to attack another, great. You can declare war and help just enough to make sure the bloodbath is even and both sides suffer. Or, aim for the best prize then leave your AI ally hanging. Stab them in the back first.

[mss73055]

I really have no clue how warmonger works. I've toppled capitals because I had an army while they had culture. Yet I did not get called warmonger.
On the other hand I liberated a befriended civ to only discover they called me a warmonger as a reward.

Where it comes to an invitation for war I usually do not conquer cities. I pick off units and pillage the place. After about 10 turns a nice peace deal will come up, usually with a heap of luxuries and sometimes there's a city in it too.