forcing AI to leave

Quantum · March 22, 2002, 13:53

I just finished a war with the Romans in which they finally surrendered the last two cities on the main continent, stranding them with one city on a nearby island. After the war, there is a single Roman longbowman stuck in my territory. I've asked four times for it to be removed, and every time Ceasar says "OK". But every time, it is still in exactly the same place the next turn. That's not fair! If the AI asks me to leave, I either have to do it or declare war. But Rome is making a fool of me, saying "OK, I'll leave", and then not doing it. The most frustrating part is if I just kill the stupid longbowman, its ME that will take the diplomatic hit! What can I do?
Could it have anything to do with the fact that there is no land route for the longbowman to go home? If so, it that a bug - that you can't force the AI to leave if his only territory is on another landmass?
Maybe if I gift him a galley (I decimated his navy so he has no boats) he'll pick up the poor stranded unit.

Worthingtons · March 22, 2002, 14:02

Just leave it, what harm can it do?

Locus · March 22, 2002, 14:14

This is very annoying and has happened to me many times. Now I just make sure that I kill every singel unit on the continent to avoid this. Firaxis hopefully will fix this int he next patch. I would guess the this unit is actually in your territory and not standing on neutral territory judging from the AI's response. Annoying but what can we do?

Arrian · March 22, 2002, 15:01

You only get the "leave or declare war" option if the unit is close (1-2 squares away, I think) to a city of yours... I could be wrong, this is just based on my observations and recollections (which aren't always that great, lol). So it this longbowman is 2 or 3 squares away from your nearest city, there isn't any way you can order him to leave... you can only request. Said request will be ignored, forever. Solution: ignore lonbowman or wipe out Rome. Your choice.

-Arrian

Wjousts · March 22, 2002, 18:02

Even when you do have the "leave or declare war" option, all too often the unit is moved into the nearest neutral square, finds it's trapped and then moves back into you territory in the next turn. This really needs to be fixed, the AI should rescue the unit with a boat (if near the coast), disband the unit or just make him sit tight in neutral territory (until your borders expand and he gets moved even further out).
What might be cool is if you had the option to arrest them, the unit wouldn't be destroyed and could be returned to the AIs capital after some diplomancy, but it would disappear off the map and be kept in limbo until you chose to release them. Also, it would not effect your rep if you had already warned them once.

Thrawn05 · March 22, 2002, 21:31

Quote:

Originally posted by Wjousts
Even when you do have the "leave or declare war" option, all too often the unit is moved into the nearest neutral square, finds it's trapped and then moves back into you territory in the next turn. This really needs to be fixed, the AI should rescue the unit with a boat (if near the coast), disband the unit or just make him sit tight in neutral territory (until your borders expand and he gets moved even further out).
What might be cool is if you had the option to arrest them, the unit wouldn't be destroyed and could be returned to the AIs capital after some diplomancy, but it would disappear off the map and be kept in limbo until you chose to release them. Also, it would not effect your rep if you had already warned them once.

Excellent idea Wjousts, Firaxis: Time to break in those new keyboards

nbarclay · March 22, 2002, 23:19

Just to make sure, the unit actually is in YOUR territory as opposed to neutral territory (i.e. territory not within anyone's cultural borders) on your continent?

Also, if the situation is not one of "leave or declare war," it is up to the player to provide a means of removing the unit. So if the Romans don't have suitable transport handy at present and no neutral territory is reachable by land....

Nathan

Scooby_Doo · March 23, 2002, 13:23

Quote:

it is up to the player to provide a means of removing the unit. So if the Romans don't have suitable transport handy at present and no neutral territory is reachable by land....

That makes no sense, cos surely the only means of removing the unit that the player could provide in this example would be giving the romans a galley(Which you can't actually do anyway) or giving them a near by city so as they stay in their borders.

I'm pretty sure it should be up to the AI, in this case, to remove the unit.

nbarclay · March 25, 2002, 17:13

Quote:

Originally posted by Scooby_Doo

That makes no sense, cos surely the only means of removing the unit that the player could provide in this example would be giving the romans a galley(Which you can't actually do anyway) or giving them a near by city so as they stay in their borders.

I'm pretty sure it should be up to the AI, in this case, to remove the unit.

I should have worded my point more precisely. It is up to the player owning the unit (in this case an AI) to provide the transportation. If the player owning the unit (e.g. the Roman AI in this case) has no means of removing the unit, it cannot honor a request to leave unless the request has "will move automatically" attached.

Spec · March 25, 2002, 17:23

Quote:

Originally posted by Quantum
Maybe if I gift him a galley (I decimated his navy so he has no boats) he'll pick up the poor stranded unit.

What?! You can give the AI units? Please tell me how!

dunk · March 26, 2002, 12:30

Quote:

Originally posted by nbarclay
Just to make sure, the unit actually is in YOUR territory as opposed to neutral territory (i.e. territory not within anyone's cultural borders) on your continent?

You don't get to ask them to leave unless they are in your territory. If they are in neutral territory, the option does not show up on the diplomacy screen. Why should a player be able to demand that a foreign unit leave neutral territory?

dunk · March 26, 2002, 12:32

You definately should be able to demand the unit leave every time. It should be an option, ask nicely or demand. The AI should be more likely to declare war if you demand and also actually abide by the agreement to leave if you ask.

Thrawn05 · March 26, 2002, 12:36

Quote:

Originally posted by dunk999
You definately should be able to demand the unit leave every time. It should be an option, ask nicely or demand. The AI should be more likely to declare war if you demand and also actually abide by the agreement to leave if you ask.

Or, just reprogram the game so that when you demand a unit get out, yet it is stuck in a neutral territory within your empire, that unit goes to that civ's capital. That would be the easiest I think.

Borg Hunter · March 26, 2002, 13:43

Quote:

Originally posted by Spectator

What?! You can give the AI units? Please tell me how!

I'm afraid you can't, that was an error by Quantum.

Quote:

Originally posted by Scooby_Doo

the only means of removing the unit that the player could provide in this example would be giving the romans a galley(Which you can't actually do anyway)

I believe this is what Quantum was trying to say.

Quantum · April 1, 2002, 12:10

Right, that is what I was trying to say. And, just to clarify, the unit was in MY territory, not neutral territory. This problem arose because when Rome gave up and surrendered the last city on my continent, all of his units that were in my territory were removed. But, the units that were in neutral territory remained. Then, when I rushed a temple in my new city, my border expanded to include the previously neutral territory. Then, all of the land mass was mine - no neutral territory remaining. So when I asked Rome to move the unit, it had nowhere to go.
What I think should happen is after the second request to move is accepted by the AI, the unit should automatically be transported away.

Saint Marcus · April 1, 2002, 13:27

Sucky situation that sadly happends all the time. In civ2 you could have just bribed the damn unit, but this sadly isn't an option any longer in civ3.