How often do you do "nice" things for AI allies?

[FloatingOrb]

Whats this... Ally you speak of?

I've been playing the top dogs recently, austria, france, england, etc, and to make it challenging I go it alone. As Austria I sort of help 'allies,' essentially defending them until i have a diplo slot open for vassalization.

I did play a portugal game where I was the navy to spains army. Castile decided to basically NOT colonize and expand into mainland europe, with my purely naval help they took a big chunk out of italy and france.

 

[Pellucid]

...so basically, I'm one of a tiny minority. Even most of you claiming you do nice things only do them contingent that it later benefits you.

 

[LordNeidhart]

I always end up being betrayed by my allies, although sometimes it's because I give them cause. Like a recent game as Sweden where I couldn't resist but take Danzig in a war against the Order even though I knew Poland would resent me for it.

 

[Mauer]

1. As long as I don't take too many losses, to help their warscore a bit and they don't end up destroyed; or if it's an alliance I can't lose and I'm in a relatively safe position, but then I won't help much.
2. If I want the provinces, never, unless it's an alliance I can't risk losing and not doing it would get me a new enemy like France.
3. Only if it's a reliable ally and the rebels will break off (Patriots, Nationalist), or if they're having a hard time already because of another war or something.

 

[Kyle Lionheart]

I always try to help my allies unless they are being actively suicidal, or if it would be suicidal for me to do so.

• Defensive call to arms? I'm in 95% of the times, unless I think that the opposing alliance will be able to roflstomp ours and take all our stuff. In that case, well...it was good to meet you, ally. May you rest in peace.
  ...or eventually make a rebel comeback, I guess? That'd be nice...
• Offensive call to arms? Well, uh, it's not against another of my allies, right? Ok then, sure...again, unless it's suicide, in which case, you're on your own, buddy.
• Giving land in peace deals? Well, I come first ofc, but if there's warscore left, sure...as long as they actively helped.
• Helping with rebels? Always if I can reach/handle them.

So, yeah, I'm a sucker, I guess?

 

[Freudia]

...so basically, I'm one of a tiny minority. Even most of you claiming you do nice things only do them contingent that it later benefits you.

That's typically how strategy games work. You do things for benefits.

It doesn't help the AI is sometimes questionable on its decisions, and that ends up leading to results where it's typically not worth trying to be nice to AI allies (the many cases where they'll just mysteriously take a mission that gives them claims on all of India and then breaks their alliance with you when you only have one province on the coast of India come to mind, for example).

 

[Pellucid]

That's typically how strategy games work. You do things for benefits.

I don't really view this as a strategy game. They'll need to add a lot more strategy to it before I'll consider it such.

For me, it's purely a roleplaying game.

 

[Hellspawn2]

I don't really view this as a strategy game. They'll need to add a lot more strategy to it before I'll consider it such.

For me, it's purely a roleplaying game.

I wouldnt call it anywhere close to a roleplaying game either

 

[artemis667]

I do any of these things often. Unless I think the AI is going to turn around and rival me, or if they're in a region I intend on conquering. A mid-strength ally that is going to stay friendly and provide mutual support is different to a vassal or march, but equally good to have - and particularly fun if they're a state that doesn't usually succeed in the game. I generally enjoy and celebrate their successes as much as I enjoy my own.

 

[Pellucid]

I wouldnt call it anywhere close to a roleplaying game either

It's the best of its type!

...but yeah it falls short in a lot of ways as both a strategy game and an RPG.

 

[Freudia]

I don't really view this as a strategy game. They'll need to add a lot more strategy to it before I'll consider it such.

For me, it's purely a roleplaying game.

I'm not really sure what else I'd call it aside from a strategy game. Any game where you move pieces around a board and conquering people is innately a strategy game, as far as I know.

EU4 leaves some to be desired as a strategy game, though, I'll agree, but I feel it is closer to that of a strategy game than a roleplaying game. The scope of the game is too broad and too unfocused on actual people for me to safely say it's a game where you play roles.

Either that or it's a game where, for 376 years, you play the role of conqueror

 

[Peachrocks]

Yeah, until they actually give me an incentive to help allies and until I actually get a reputation as a backstabbing douche who nobody should want anything to do with (which would y'know, be a fair way to control expansion if you had to respect your allies), I'm not helping them unless there's some benefit for me. They can throw their troops en masse and go into debt in my wars as much as they like, it doesn't endear me to them. At least not enough to give them freebies. Because for as long as I 'officially' join their wars and unofficially do diddly squat, they can still carry a significant amount of muscle when I need it. I might give them money if that's a reason they won't commit their people's lives for the glory of mine.

I grew tired of doing 90% of the work in a war and getting nothing. Even if I had claims on provinces I occupied, sometimes the AI still wouldn't budge for no reason even though they should have no authority to do that. I like being the nice guy, but when there's no real reason to do it, it's simply pointless. They'll betray you whenever you have provinces they want.

 

[A-150]

I was playing as Prussia and allied to Russia and helped them slowly take over Lithuania, but now Russia is blobbing. So now I'm staying as their ally for my own protection. France is also blobbing so Russia helps me defend against them too. Initially we both had a common enemy (Lithuania), but now Russia is one of the few major powers left on mainland Europe, besides France, Me (Prussia), Norway, and Castile. Poland, Austria, Denmark, and the Ottomans didn't fair so well (and Sweden got annexed by Norway).