Diplomatic Events (This would probably be for an expansion)



(Wall of text warning. TLDR version: Players/AI create and send diplomatic type events to other players/AI creating a system that gives reason and understood consequences for diplomatic interactions)



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Diplomatic Events would be Events set up in the Diplomatic Screen by players and the AI. The idea is to expand the diplomatic aspect of the game far beyond what it currently is. Most 4x games have the standard trade and alliance system that Endless Space currently uses. I have always dreamed of a much more interactive diplomatic system that I think might be possible with Endless Space.



Currently you get very little ability to truly influence or communicate via diplomacy and have only small clues as to what the AI is feeling towards your actions. You also cant nudge or even push the other empires into different actions with out allot of effort.



For example if I am the peace loving Amoeba and there are two other empires at war with each other. I am at peace and open boarders with both, having a long standing diplomatic and trade treaties with both. If I don't get involved one will conquer the other possibly tipping the balance of power. As the Amoeba I want to end this conflict.



Currently I can go to war and help one side or the other or try and alliance myself with one side or the other resulting in the same thing. I can then as the war goes on continually push for peace but have to be in an Alliance and hope the other side agrees to have a hope to end the war between the two nations. Not impossible but very gunboat diplomacy.



In the system I am dreaming up you could go to the diplo screen an select an option to the like of a Custom diplomatic event. You can base it around the current event structure. Using this I could send a diplomatic Event (to a player or AI) that pops up for that empire the next turn. The Event states the Amoeba Empire wants you to sign a ceasefire with the nation you are at war with that will last X number of turns.



Just like a Random Event the AI or a player who receives the event would have 3 options to pick from. The player who makes the Diplomatic event would pick what the 3 options would be. So lets say I pick option 1 to be "Comply: Ceasefire with empire for X number of turns" Option 2: "Do not Comply: Trade Embargo, Will cancel all trade with Amoeba" and the third option: "Offended: Declare war on Amoeba"



This would allow me to nudge them with a Trade Embargo but it could all blow up in my face and they might just pick the offended option and declare war on me for your silly little Trade Embargo. I could also say set option 2 as Declare war and play a threat of gunboat diplomacy letting the AI or player know if you don't comply I am willing to go to war over it.



You could also open this up other aspects of the game such as demanding a player take a 5% to 50% reduction to industry or science on all your planets or face a war/trade embargo. You could even replace the whole diplomatic system with it moving all diplomacy to an event system. Allowing you to back up your demands or offers with consequences for not accepting them.



So for example the new system could do what the old system does, lets say ask for a tech with out offering anything in return. The computer does this from time to time currently and with the new update gives you a little clue as to why they are doing this (Which was a good nice). In the current system the answer is very likely to be no under almost any situation. There are some out there but I have never seen an AI give me a tech for free if I ask for it. As a player I might do it if they are an Allie or I feel it will hurt my enemy more by helping out his enemy then it does for me to give up say a free tech or one of my over supply on a resources.



Under the new system you could add in consequences for not accept, giving a much bigger nudge or push. For Example I can create a Diplomatic Event that says "The Amoeba wish to trade tech with you"



option 1 "Comply: Give the Tech" Option 2: "Do not Comply: Trade embargo (or War)" and Option 3: "Insulted: War was declared"



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Here is an idea of how I see a player (AI) would make a Diplomatic Event I think it could be made simpler or more complex but the idea is to give Diplomacy much more interaction.



First you would pick a type of Diplomatic Event then you would define what options the event will give the player your sending it to. Event types may not be needed and you could just have it be picking 3 options but I think it might help the AI better understand what a player is doing as well as help a player understand what an AI is doing when it does a Diplomatic Event. You could also allow a player to add flavor text to the Event so in MP you can better explain your request. Wouldn't do anything when you send it to an AI though since we probably will never get an AI that could understand custom made text statements. However if an AI sends you an event the flavor text could better explain why the AI sending you the Diplomatic Event.



Then you would need to pick 2 options that always follow the same format:



Option 1 (Accept) will always be accepting the request. An example of something simple would be "Option 1: Give Amoeba 10 Dust" if you pick this option you will give 10 dust to the player who sent it to you.



Option 2 (Decline) would always be a Decline option. This could be set so that it does nothing but decline the offer or you could choice to have it cause a negative effect that your empire is capable of doing. Such as Sanctions, Trade Embargo, Declaring war, Kicking from Alliance.



Option 3 (Insulted) would always be you have insulted the player. This could always be lowering your status by 1 level. Alliance would go down to peace, if there are any Corp agreements they would be dropped. Peace would drop to cold-war or Cold war would go to war or things along those lines. The third option should not be something you can pick but is based off your current relations with an empire.

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Even types and option examples:



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Begging or Pleading: Nothing to offer in return and no threat. Just hoping on hope that you will agree. Agreeing would increase Diplomatic status

Options Choice examples:



Option 1Accept request) Pick from a list that could have all for all current options like tech, money, maybe even go as far as a nation can give a 10% boost to another in industry or science or moral for a 10% negative to its own empire stuff like that.



Option 2: (Decline request) Say no (due to it being a plead/begging not many options here as you cant set a negative. Maybe have you could have 2. One with no negative at all and another that would lower diplo relations (you are upset with them not giving you their spare change)



Option 3: (Insulted) Declare war (or lower diplomatic status ie Alliance, Peace, Cold war, War)



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Demanding: This type of event will allow you to pick options that give negative consequences for refusing.



Option 1: (Accept request) Same as Begging or Pleading, only this time your willing to back it up some how as all other options will have negative consequences.



Option 2: (Decline request) This could range from Sanctions, Trade Embargo, Declaring war,to Kicking from Alliance.



Option 3: (Insulted) Declare war (or lower diplomatic status ie Alliance, Peace Cold war, War)



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Offer of Friendship: Basically giving a gift in order to try and improve diplomatic relations



Option 1: (accept gift) Basicly the same as the other two only your getting tech if you are the player getting the event.



Option 2: (Decline request) I think it would be interesting if you had all the options that demanding has and have some races AI only accept offers that have a push since they feel that handouts are insulting.



Option 3: (Insulted) War was declared (or lower diplomatic status ie Alliance, Peace, Cold war, War)



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Mediator: This would be something that would allow you to negotiate treaties or open diplomatic negotiations between 2 or possibly even more empires, where you play the Mediator. This is something I think would be really awesome but might be extremely hard to do. This would be more like a mass event that could be sent to 2 or more empires.



I think since its something special and will take players/AI agreeing before anything actually happens so I would think the best way to handle this would to make it an even that lasts more then one turn. First Event would be bringing people to the table. You send out an even to say 2 players. The next turn the players get the event that basically asks if the players want to continue the event and come to the negotiation tables to hash out whatever is going on. If either player refuses then the event does not continue, however if both accept the negotiations begins. The next turn the empire doing the Mediation will set up another event this time you can pick some actual options.



Meeting table (first part Diplomatic Mediator Event)



Option 1: (Accept) Continue the event (happens if both players accept)



Option 2: (Decline) Event ends. Could pick have negative ramifications to try and force the issue.



Option 3: (Insulted) Was was declared (or lower diplomatic status ie Alliance, Peace, Cold war, War)



Continued talks (May take multiple turns to hash out an agreement)



Option 1: (Accept) Agree to the Mediators Turns. Such as Declare a ceasefire. Both parties must pick this option for it to go through.



Option 2: (Decline) This would mean you do not like the offer given but wish to continue talking to see if they can get a better deal.



Option 3: (Insulted) End event



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Trade: This is like the current system only this time you can put in nudges or force the issue in a trade



Option 1: (Accept) Do the trade as stated. Such as I will give you 10 dust, 1 dust per turn, and 1 tech for 3 of your techs



Option 2: (Decline) Refuse the trade, can pick negative effect consequences



Option 3: (Insulted) War was declared (or lower diplomatic status ie Alliance, Peace, Cold war, War)



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I hope to keep this OP updated work to make my dream become a reality. Please post any of your ideas or criticisms about this idea. It may be something that is too big for an add-on so maybe something for the expansion. Not sure how hard it would be to make this possible. With the event system that I see at the end user level looks like it could be converted into something like this.



Thanks for your time

A very good idea from my side. You have lined out your position quite well.



What i would like to see altered to your proposal was the strange choice of going for war if one was insulted. Why a empire should get insulted by a friendship offer and directly go to war? This doesn't seem usual or it's just planned to take all diplomatic events just for war reason.



Better include the current diplomatic situation and just alter the worse 'option 3' to a just one step worse then before. This may lead toward a war if they hate you, but not if they are just neutral. This way you could easily make use of the allready ingame empire mood toward your empire in the diplomatics.

You could use it, by trying to offend a neighbour so his mood toward you sinks down and they declare war on you in the further process...or the other way to make them your best friends.

But at all it should take several steps to change into hard actions like declaring war.

Skukkuk wrote:
A very good idea from my side. You have lined out your position quite well.



What i would like to see altered to your proposal was the strange choice of going for war if one was insulted. Why a empire should get insulted by a friendship offer and directly go to war? This doesn't seem usual or it's just planned to take all diplomatic events just for war reason.



Better include the current diplomatic situation and just alter the worse 'option 3' to a just one step worse then before. This may lead toward a war if they hate you, but not if they are just neutral. This way you could easily make use of the allready ingame empire mood toward your empire in the diplomatics.

You could use it, by trying to offend a neighbour so his mood toward you sinks down and they declare war on you in the further process...or the other way to make them your best friends.

But at all it should take several steps to change into hard actions like declaring war.

I was thinking the same thing as well about doing the step down rather then the declare war. When I was typing this out I thought it would be easier to explain it with declare war but I always had the intention of that being very open to change.



One of the major things I want out of this is the ability to have a much more detailed interaction with the AI. Currently you can only really trade and call people your friends. You cant really influence your friends or allies or bully the weaker races or even help them if they are under threat with out being direct. Im hoping for something that would allow you to nudge or push other empires into things diplomatically. Races that are more diplomatic would have a much great array of "weaponry" to use in this diplo system. Where warlike nondiplo races could still use it but really war is their only threat they can make.



I have always dreamed of a game that was very moo2 like in form but had a very robust diplo system. I think Endless space has the best potental to do so compared to any game that came out in the last 20 years when it comes to 4x Space Strat games. In its current form Im very happy and have played a ton but I do hope they do a major overhaul on Diplo at some point to add allot more to the game. Not just have the standard 4x trade/alliance system they currently have.

Nice to see some replies in the polls but wondering if anyone has something on their mind regarding this or any cool improvements to my idea. I know its a big wall of text. Any ideas on if I should do some rewriting to make it more readable or cut it down on size. I think its a hard thing to explain simply but I think it is very possible to do in Endless Space.

Another thing I would like to add is that I think this would be something for an expansion. I know that currently they are planning an expansion which will be geared towards combat so it might not fit in with that expansion although possible. Would be nice if they came out with 4 expansions though 1 for a major overhaul on combat. Another for major overhaul on Diplo. And the last two could be giving a ton of new exploration events/options and the last be about Science changes. Kinda like how they have the tech tree set up at present.