Diplomatic Relations

Sowing the Seeds of Luv has arrived at an Industrial Age War. Mike and I started together on the same continent. Our first contact was cordial, and the common bond of Islam made for peaceful relations as we pursued our nation's destinies. It became clear that Mike's starting location was superior to mine, and his expansion strategy appears to be superior to mine as this is the second time he's out-built me on the same landmass. Somewhere in the middle ages he began to wildly out-tech me, and I watched as his score climbed well past mine. Unlike the last time we were neighbors, however, we continued on a friendly path and he was content to colonize his half of the continent while I tried to evict Sitting Bull and Bismarck from the rest of it.

That said, the Crusaders decreed Holy War on Mike, using the Christian Apostolic Palace to invoke war against the world's largest Islamic state. Our people were aghast at this treatment of our Brothers in Islam, and so in the name of Mohammed (PBUH) we joined in permanent alliance with the Mikeoneans and made our commitment to his defense public.

I spent a lot of time thinking about whether or not to engage in a formal alliance with Mike. I worry that other players will perceive it as unfair of me to do so...

But it isn't. The fact is, Mike and I both played the diplomatic route and maintained good relations with one another for the entire game - something all of us have done with computer opponents plenty of times. Moreover, the difference is in the method: is it any more or less fair or correct to coerce human players into cooperating you with threats and acts of force than it is to engender their cooperation with friendly diplomatic relations? Hell, if Mike or I was an AI, our diplomatic score would look like this:

+6 We care for our brothers and sisters of the faith.
+2 You gave us help.
+2 We appreciate the years you have supplied us with resources.
+1 Our open borders bring us closer together.
+1 You shared your technological advances with us.
+3 Our mutual military struggle brings us closer together.
+2 You have wisely chosen your Civics.
-1 Our close borders spark tensions.

So, yes. My peaceful, powerful, religious neighbor is attacked by the rest of the world. Of COURSE it is time for jihad. And perhaps if he's lucky, Milo will get the Global Warming he's been hoping for all along (nrc nrc nrc!). Unless of course Mike is abandoning the game, sticking me in a permanent alliance with an AI... :P