I've played RTW lots and now ETW and I've noticed that both games seems to reduce alliances to little more than paper treaties that do little to effect
the outcome of the game.
Example from playing RTW, as a Roman faction I would often accept an alliance with another nation to help check the power of a major power. For example after beating the Carthaginians I found my territory bordered with that of Egypts, and my ally the Persians were also at war with Egypt. So I sent a stack of troops to Persia to help the Persian's who were loosing territory to Egypt and getting weaker all the time. I then moved my troops into enemy territory hoping the Persians would follow and they would then capture a territory using my troops as support. Alas nothing happened and I was forced to take the territory myself. As it was a territory that didn't really fit my plans I gave it to the Persians. But still they did nothing and left me to defend the territory and take the next one.
Then while playing ETW I noticed a similar pattern. Playing as GB my ally Prussia was in trouble and was loosing ground to both the Poles and Austrian's so I sent 2 stacks (pre economic patch) to help the war effort. The fact that my troops were there meant the enemy didn't attack, so I attacked instead. I moved a full stack into enemy territory and wiped out one of their stacks which left the city guarded by only a small force. I then moved my force to within striking distance of the city hoping Prussia would see this as an opportunity and take the city using my forces in support. They didn't and eventually I got frustrated and attacked and gave the territory to Prussia to try and make them stronger. In doing so I took a major territorial expansion hit, even though I didn't keep the territory....
SO my question is why can't allies co-operate and take advantage of each other? Right now it seems to only advantage to having an ally is that they will go to war, but even if they're at war it doesn't mean they won't just sit there and do nothing.
Do you think it would be possible to add an option where allies can offer/request military help in capturing a region or defending it? After all Waterloo was the result of several nations coming to gether and combining their troops to defeat the French. and not just the act of one nation. The way the diplomacy/co-operation stand right now Waterloo would not have happened the way it did and the Dutch/Prussian forces would have been sitting on a hill observing. I can hear the comments now "Looks like Wellington has really put his foot in it now, perhaps it's time to give him the boot".
Example from playing RTW, as a Roman faction I would often accept an alliance with another nation to help check the power of a major power. For example after beating the Carthaginians I found my territory bordered with that of Egypts, and my ally the Persians were also at war with Egypt. So I sent a stack of troops to Persia to help the Persian's who were loosing territory to Egypt and getting weaker all the time. I then moved my troops into enemy territory hoping the Persians would follow and they would then capture a territory using my troops as support. Alas nothing happened and I was forced to take the territory myself. As it was a territory that didn't really fit my plans I gave it to the Persians. But still they did nothing and left me to defend the territory and take the next one.
Then while playing ETW I noticed a similar pattern. Playing as GB my ally Prussia was in trouble and was loosing ground to both the Poles and Austrian's so I sent 2 stacks (pre economic patch) to help the war effort. The fact that my troops were there meant the enemy didn't attack, so I attacked instead. I moved a full stack into enemy territory and wiped out one of their stacks which left the city guarded by only a small force. I then moved my force to within striking distance of the city hoping Prussia would see this as an opportunity and take the city using my forces in support. They didn't and eventually I got frustrated and attacked and gave the territory to Prussia to try and make them stronger. In doing so I took a major territorial expansion hit, even though I didn't keep the territory....
SO my question is why can't allies co-operate and take advantage of each other? Right now it seems to only advantage to having an ally is that they will go to war, but even if they're at war it doesn't mean they won't just sit there and do nothing.
Do you think it would be possible to add an option where allies can offer/request military help in capturing a region or defending it? After all Waterloo was the result of several nations coming to gether and combining their troops to defeat the French. and not just the act of one nation. The way the diplomacy/co-operation stand right now Waterloo would not have happened the way it did and the Dutch/Prussian forces would have been sitting on a hill observing. I can hear the comments now "Looks like Wellington has really put his foot in it now, perhaps it's time to give him the boot".
