I think I just broke the diplomacy system

[unmerged(169594)]

EDIT: Upon further testing, it turns out I have merely bent it rather than broken it, but I can't change the thread title.

The long and the short of it is this: turns out that by offering the AI something and demanding an equal amount in return in the same negotiation (in my case, 100 gold), you get a 5-point Collaboration bonus to relations for absolutely free.

The only reason this isn't as gamebreaking as it originally seemed is that the bonus decays 1 point each turn, and is capped at 15 points.

 

[Bored Peon]

Last game I played I used the diplomacy to buy mana from the AI, was about 5-8 gold per point of mana. Most likely values changes with relations.

 

[unmerged(493174)]

I think you might be giving it a bit too much credit, it seems completely random to me. AIs with the same relation to me, far away from sharing a border, seem just as likely to demand absurd money or else war... or beg for a NA pact in exchange for vast sums of wealth. They then break either of these actions before either of our armies sees the other.

 

[player1 fanatic]

Could asking all gold (or mana, not both), for getting non-agression or alliance, and AI accepting that deal be considered breaking the diplomacy system?

I got to this "phase" in two playthroughs on impossible difficulty (lots and lots of gold/mana for free).

Usually for first non-aggression/alliance I need to add money for them to accept, but after that AI just really likes giving me money for free. They break alliance, and then we sign non-aggression for all their gold (or mana). Several turns later, we broker alliance for all their mana (or gold).

 

[Bored Peon]

I have noticed the AI will demand a certain percentage of your gold. I think that percentage is based on your strangth to the theirs. I have seen the AI ask for 10% up to 75% of my gold. I think if you cross that 75% range they just declare war on you instead.