help -- can't seem to get war started

[planetfall]

Can't seem to figure out how to get desired AI civ to declare war with me.

Last time, I tried to trigger war by putting 50 units inside influence area and city boundaries. All I got was the please remove your units message. Didn't understand that Yes would start war by me not them.

Still learning game, this game is first above chieftan level. I use builder strategy and so do not have warfare until later in game.

Target scenario:
-- culture lead by at least 100
-- power lead vs target civ {hard to guage without numbers}
-- almost all cities have marketplace and catherals
-- own sistine chapel
-- border wall with no other units in borders
-- each city has 1 military/5 pop
-- at least 2 roads {or RR} between cities, so if one is cut there is still a link.
-- good cash supply {for rushing}
-- at least one military adv ahead of target civ
-- running Republic govt

Present game:
target civ is Bab demo
they are presently annoyed

How get them to declare war? Move military out of 2 border cities, or what? Opening the wall just has settler pairs exploring, but no war declaration. I don't want to declare war because of war weariness advantage to me if they declare war first and war weariness disadvange to democracies that declare war. Double advantage would be nice.

thanks for the advice.

[Worthingtons]

There are several ways you can try and pursuade them to Declare war


Offer them bad trades
Demand Tribute
leave an undefedned city near your borders (make sure this aint an important one tho)
Stack Troops near thier borders
if you get a tech lead in a certain area, AI are likely to demand it as tribute (altho i dought this will be so in chieftain)
make a trade embargo on them with neighbours

[planetfall]

thanks, I will give it a try.

Just thought if all else fails, could just start walking 3x3 cities into their area of influence with no military and set production to something dumb like library.

That might trigger a good response.

[Ironikinit]

If by "settler pairs exploring" you mean the AI is trespassing on your land, you've got it made. Well, you should.

Goto diplomacy, offer really bad trades, the sort that your adviser says will insult them. Offer it again. And again and again and again. Then demand all his cities. Clickclickclickclick until they hit furious. The cool thing is watching them get madder and madder. When they hit furious, tell him to get out of your land. He should declare war.

[Arathorn]

One of the best uses I've found for the Intelligence Agency and spies is starting wars. If they're furious with you (which is always easy to achieve by cancelling deals and/or making demands and/or offer insulting trades), try to plant a spy. You'll fairly likely fail, which will usually goad them into declaring war.

If you succeed, just have the spy do something with a low probability of success and then he'll get caught, which also usually triggers a furious AI to declare war.

Of course, if you're not that developed technologically, you'll have to try other means...

Arathorn

[planetfall]

huh, provoking a fight. That sounds like fun.

It should be easy in this game because I played with the editor and made stealth bomber like the privateer with hidden nationality. {wreaks the game but was interesting for a one time test}. I am using the stealths to remove RR and roads around 2 front cities. Was wondering how much could remove before AI gets madder. Also works to weaken a BS so 1 or 2 privateers can take it out.

Since my boarder cities are set up as
[OOXOO][OOXOO][OOXOO], the AI settler pairs {settler + 1 military} walk thru city boundaries on the way to more open space in the interior, where cites are set up as
o[OOXOO]oo[OOXOO]oo[OOXOO]oo[OOXOO]o so there is room for eventual expansion 3 tiles out. If settler pairs get it, they like to plant in the open {oo} space between the staggered line of interior cities, or interior spots where there is no city pattern.

Again thanks for the idea. Will be interesting to see what it takes to set them off.