The AI Conspiracy, And The Swedish Betrayal

[macd21]

I was of course portraying the situation and my interpretation of it in a dramatized fashion. I'm obviously not actually upset with Paradox, blaming them for the defeat of that empire. I do however think my point was legitimate. Seems to me that the "point" of ironman mode is primarily to provide an extra challenge to the player, and make achievements more valuable, and to provide additional incentive not to cheat, thus playing the game the way it was meant to be played. Perhaps also to provide incentive to not use mods, but instead to purchase DLC.

That's kind of the issue here - you were playing an ironman game, but weren't playing it 'the way it was meant to be played.' In an ironman game you need to consider whether fighting on is worthwhile, or if losing territory in exchange for peace would be better. Losing a few planets to make peace with one of your enemies early in this conflict might have allowed you to crush the others, and dissuaded the others from attacking you.

 

[Navarro]

That's kind of the issue here - you were playing an ironman game, but weren't playing it 'the way it was meant to be played.' In an ironman game you need to consider whether fighting on is worthwhile, or if losing territory in exchange for peace would be better. Losing a few planets to make peace with one of your enemies early in this conflict might have allowed you to crush the others, and dissuaded the others from attacking you.

I might have not been playing "the way it was meant to be played," but not in the way you're talking about. Up until the last empire declared war, I had no reason to believe with confidence that I'd lose. I had in fact virtually won the war, until the sixth empire entered the conflict, and sprinted straight for my home planet. Furthermore, I was only able to white peace Between the demands of the remaining aggressors, I would've been left with a handful of underdeveloped planets. I white peaced the empires I could, but the remaining empires weren't yet willing. None of the remaining AI were attempting to make a deal, nor willing to make a deal. I was going to lose the majority of my empire. I could "survive," but the game was over. Recovery was impossible, and complete defeat later inevitable.

I wasn't subject to losing "a few planets," I was subject to losing most of my planets. There was no way of avoiding this circumstance. Your assessment is incorrect.

 

[mudcrabmerchant]

The obligatory "what the hell were you expecting" aside, I don't see why we still can't officially de-ironman saves in any Paradox game. There's plenty of reasons to allow it. I may want to convert the save for another Paradox game using a community tool, or I may want to play without limitations after I've gotten my achievement (including but not limited to activating mods, cleaning the map with the console, adding greater challenges for the player via console or save editing, or just indulging in the guilty pleasure of save-scumming).

 

[miquelramirez]

Thanks for the opening post, Navarro. I appreciate your sense of humour.

Good luck next time bringing peace and prosperity to the Universe!

 

[Rotkohl]

To be perfectly honest, that sounds like an awesome war. I half expected "10/10 Would be mercilessly exterminated again" at the end. (I`m still not sure you`re completely serious)

Wasn't it fun, OP? I think struggling and losing is much more fun than easily walking all over your enemies.

 

[binn05]

In my most recent ironman game I was just crushed brutally by the AI. My empire was, I suspect, the strongest in the galaxy, in terms of military strength, technology, economy, planets, population, buildings - in every way. Suddenly, a coalition of two empires declared war against me. I quickly destroyed the fleets of one of those empires, then a third empire declared war. I destroyed the fleets of the second empire, taking heavy but acceptable losses. Another coalition of two empires declared war. I engaged the fleet of the third empire, emerging victorious but my fleet severely diminished. The forth and fifth empires arrived on the other side of my empire, and began rapidly conquering my planets. I sent in the remainder of my fleet, which I had been reinforcing throughout the short war, and was reinforcing while it was enroute. Though I anticipated victory given the military strength and fleet composition of my and the enemy fleet, my fleet was destroyed. I began rebuilding the fleet as the last two empires slowly conquered my planets to the "west". As the third empire returned with a small fleet, and began conquering my planets to the "east." As the first and second empires returned with a small fleet and began conquering my planets to the "north."

I rebuilt my fleet to about half-strength, then sent it behind the fleets of the AI, rapidly liberating what they had conquered, avoiding the large enemy fleet and destroying the smaller fleets in the process, while still reinforcing my fleet along the way. I signed a white peace with the fist coalition after liberating the planets they had taken, but the remaining enemies weren't ready to give up yet, even after I liberated the planets they captured. Finally I had liberated all the planets which had been taken, and proceeded to engage the fleet which had destroyed my fleet earlier. I destroyed it, but was now severely diminished again. The remaining three empires still refuse to sign white peace, but I nearly have the war score necessary to convince them.

Another empire declares war, and proceed straight for my home world in a mad dash, a space blitzkrieg. What's left of my fleet is no match for this new, sixth enemy. I only have one shipyard left though, and it's on my home world. Furthermore, my resources are nearly depleted, and I'm not generating very much after the loss of so many mining facilities. I send my fleet to intercept the enemy at my home planet, hoping that between it and the shipyard, the enemy will be defeated, just barely. The enemy fleet destroys my shipyard just before my fleet could arrive to reinforce it. My fleet was destroyed as well, my home world conquered, and the capture of several other of my worlds imminent. My mineral income was nearly zero, and I had few resources left in reserve. Check mate.

It was at this precise moment that I realized, this is bull. Furthermore, my ally's choice to do literally nothing except send troops transports to attack starships for some reason, is also bull. More importantly, the inability to disable ironman is bull. The moment the shipyard orbiting my home planet was destroyed, I would have disabled ironman, tapped the console and deleted the attacking fleet, of that sixth empire, unaffiliated with the others. I'd still be ruling that magnificent empire, but instead I'm drifting aimlessly through space on the burning wreck that was my fleet's prized flagship, the UNS Kraken - the hull now "kraked" and broken, the ship destroyed, along with the last best hope of humanity.

The peaceful existence of the United Nations of Earth has come to an end, as did the lives of humanity's best men and women who dared wear the uniform in its defense. All because some video game developers in Sweden didn't make it possible to disable ironman mode. Those defenders of humanity died in vain, betrayed by the very people they had given their lives to defend. I can only hope that as those developers look up into the sky and see the Kraken's broken hull falling from it, they regret their treachery of the human race. Paradox has become death; destroyer of worlds.

Still a better love store than Twillight.

 

[binn05]

Hive Minds also get extra-aggressive if an expansionist empire tries to hug them. They don't like hugs, I think there's something wrong with them, that can't be normal.

You Blorg and your hugs! Get your tentacules from me!

 

[mocoman2001]

The whole point of iron man mode is that you cant turn it off. Its made for people who have an addiction to save scums, and console commands, and need to set limitations so they cant use them.

I was happier then a school girl at prom when they introduced iron man mode to eu4. So many of my eu3 games were ruin by my save scumming, then regretting it. Iron man mode forced me to play smarter, and to learn from my mistakes. When every thing you do is final, it makes you learn faster, and get better quicker.

Today's lesson is aggressive expansion penalties. Its all fun and games till every one in the galaxy hates you, and decides to dog pile on you.

 

[TerrBear]

The whole point of iron man mode is that you cant turn it off. Its made for people who have an addiction to save scums, and console commands, and need to set limitations so they cant use them.

I was happier then a school girl at prom when they introduced iron man mode to eu4. So many of my eu3 games were ruin by my save scumming, then regretting it. Iron man mode forced me to play smarter, and to learn from my mistakes. When every thing you do is final, it makes you learn faster, and get better quicker.

Today's lesson is aggressive expansion penalties. Its all fun and games till every one in the galaxy hates you, and decides to dog pile on you.

One caveat to this I find is learning how mechanics work together, I had to save scum a lot in CK2 to learn how to play it, I would have never got into it otherwise.


I would suggest the OP keep an eye on relations with his neighbours -non-aggression pacts- and the easiest way to avoid any wars is just to be the one carrying the largest stick, the ai won't attack you unless they think they have a good chance.
Oh and never ever rely on ai allies.