Does AI ever accept your alliance offers?

[Olaus Petrus]

Ì might just be imagining it, but I don't remember that I have ever been succesful in creating alliance, since 1.04 or something like that.

Today I really needed allies, because in my very short Nubia game African Muslims bandwagoned against me from day one. So I spammed Byzantine Emperor, Greek Princes, Apulians and major European powers with my offers of alliance. No one agreed to form an alliance and most of them remained unallied for a long time after they turned my offers down. I managed to cope for almost three years fighting more numerous Muslims off (heretics are splintered event helped a lot), till Egypt decided to join to war against me. Only after that Crete decided that they want to ally with me and offered an alliance to me, despite the fact that they kept turning me down earlier. But then it was bit too late for me.

My example makes me think, that it's something which I would like to see fixed even if it happens in some unofficial patch or mod. Why I even have the option to offer alliance if no one accepts it ever?

 

[jordarkelf]

The AI will never accept it if he already has an alliance. Your best bet is to pause immediately after loading a scenario, and spamming anyone who does not have an ally yet.

 

[Olaus Petrus]

The AI will never accept it if he already has an alliance. Your best bet is to pause immediately after loading a scenario, and spamming anyone who does not have an ally yet.

I know that nation can have only one alliance at the time, but even unallied powers constantly reject me. No matter which nation I play.

 

[Veldmaarschalk]

When alliances were first introduced (patch 1.03) I tried to create an alliance a few times but they always failed. Since that I have stopped offering it to the AI and just let the AI ask me to join his alliance.

 

[unmerged(94161)]

If AIs readily accepted alliances, wouldn't most players just drag them into a war immediately, or let THEM start a war and then rush in and steal the provinces they'd try to capture (which is exactly what Alania, as the AI, did to me, and why I hate them forever?)

 

[orimazd]

In my experience, when an AI wants to ally you, they want to drag you into a war.

 

[Olaus Petrus]

If AIs readily accepted alliances, wouldn't most players just drag them into a war immediately, or let THEM start a war and then rush in and steal the provinces they'd try to capture (which is exactly what Alania, as the AI, did to me, and why I hate them forever?)

Alliances serve human player's interests only when human player is weak. When I'm strong I wish that AI would accept my alliance offers for it's own safety. If I'm strong Christian lord I often wish to ally with Jerusalem or Knight Orders to keep them safe from Muslim invasions and help them to expand their power, but they never accept my offers of protection, despite the fact that we have good relations. If I release country in the Holy Land, I want to see them as succesful and not to be absorbed by Muslims ASAP. Because they won't accept my offers I have to watch their progress constantly and the moment something takes my attention in Europe, Muslims strike against them while I'm not looking.

In similar manner as Iberian power, I may want to prevent destruction of Navarre. Now the only way to do it is to take the title yourself early, so that Muslims won't wipe out them completely at the start of the game, and later release them when Taifa Kingdoms aren't a threat anymore. Alternatively you can watch them constantly and declare war against everyone who DoW's them, but it's bit tedious to watch them constantly, especially if you're fighting wars of your own.

 

[TempestDK]

yeah it is annoying when they won't accept my help when offered, especially when it is their own interest.

In my current game as King of Aragon (and the rest of Iberia), I released a jewish Kingdom of Mauretania. Wanting them to survive I immediately offered my formerly trusted courtier, now King, an alliance. He refused.

So I decided to force him my help as I thought it made no sense. So I Byzantine'd him into an alliance with me .... all for his own good.

 

[Snaake]

This would probably the only thing I might approve the use of byzantine for

Offering newly formed countries/Knightly orders/the Kingdom of Jerusalem help against their allies. Or heck, ally with the papal state and help them conquer the Holy Land.

I don't think i've ever seen a knightly order grow beyond 1 province, for example.

 

[elDrastico]

In my current (DVIP) game I sent out a bunch of alliace offers at the start and one of them, my neighbour with whom I had 50 relations (so not that high) accepted. So to answer the OPs question: yes the AI does sometimes accept your alliance offers

 

[Keisok]

I never asked for alliances, so it seems to me that I made a good decision in not asking for one. Besides, the only good ally is a dead one.

 

[The-Doc]

I too have never been able to get an AI to accept my offer. Sometimes I'll even get an offer from them immediately after they just rejected mine. Same happens with peace offers, though not as regularly. It's just CK diplomacy, I don't even bother with it honestly.

 

[orimazd]

yeah it is annoying when they won't accept my help when offered, especially when it is their own interest.

In my current game as King of Aragon (and the rest of Iberia), I released a jewish Kingdom of Mauretania. Wanting them to survive I immediately offered my formerly trusted courtier, now King, an alliance. He refused.

So I decided to force him my help as I thought it made no sense. So I Byzantine'd him into an alliance with me .... all for his own good.

If you release a Jewish kingdom, can you load up as it?

 

[Veldmaarschalk]

If you release a Jewish kingdom, can you load up as it?

No, you can't play them without editing your save-game file