Threatening the AI

[Black Sunrise]

I've played momentum style before, but am usually a builder, so forgive me if you conquer-the-world types have done this before, but:
I tried out the Hive, and sent a bunch of troops in the early game to surround an enemy. He asked me to withdraw my troops and I did.
I did this every turn for about 10 years.
Every time, his opinion of me increased.
Eventually, he offered me a pact to go to war with another neighbor.
I went and did this to a second AI.
Within a very short time period, without firing a shot, two AI factions were pacted with me, and we were out rolling over the others.
MUCH more effective than burning cities and wasting units.
Eventually, one betrayed me, I took one city of his, and he surrendered (1 city of his 30+), and became a submissive.
Seems threatening works really well when convincing the AI of something.
Indra

[Method]

you mean that sending units into someone else's territory repeatedly and every time they ask you to withdraw you just keep bringing in more makes them like you more? explain the reasoning behind that one.

[Black Sunrise]

Well, the reasoning for thinking it? Cause it works.
The reason it's so? Because you are showing the AI that you have lots of troops, yet you aren't killing him with them.
Every turn you bring troops into his territory. Every turn he asks you to pull them out, you agree, your troops get warped back to your base. Next turn, you send them back into his lands (preferably next to his bases), and it happens again.
So sooner or later he thinks "hey! Why don't I let this guy go beat up on one of my annoying neighbors!"

A neighbor with no troops: no big deal that he isn't attacking you.
A neighbor with lots of troops: if he doesn't attack you he must be a friend.
Watch their mood, every time he calls you to complain about your troops he'll be less angry, and eventually he'll offer a pact to beat someone up.
Indra

[Vytae]

Will only work if your SE choices arent to conflicting and if you are alot more powerful then them. Also The Hive respomnds better to Brute force/threats then anything else,so it might not work on other factions. Miriam would prolly call vendetta tho,no matter what.

[Black Sunrise]

As Hive, with Police State/Planned, I got Lal and Domai into Pacts with this strategy, in this game. So SE choices cant be too important (Yang and Lal in a peaceful Pact, for the whole game, with neither submissive! I's about 40 turns from happening. Domai betrayed me, for a year. Lost a city, and surrendered, became submissive). Have not tried the others yet.
And it's not power, this was done in the first 30 years, and we were about equal. It's the AI saying "hey! this guy has a huge army, and I have someone else who I don't like. Maybe I could introduce them, and I'll kill two birds with one stone!"
Or to put it another way: When someone shows up on your door with a large army, you give them what they want. When they want an ally, you side with them.
And it's not the same as a threat. It's showing the AI a LOT of troops, and then not attacking. So it's the opposite of a threat. Don't threaten them in the diplomacy screen at all. Just be polite, and withdraw your troops. Then move them back in.
This strategy is probably a great way to get cash and techs from the AI, too. Show up with a lot of troops, agree to withdraw. Do so repeatedly. Then ask for cash. See what they do.

Indra