I was thinking of a few changes I'd suggest for diplomacy in Caster of Magic:
1. The spell of mastery, when at 1500+ MP progress, will set relations of even wizards you are at war with to -100 and keep it that way until the spell is disrupted or cancelled.
2. Peace Treaty is now a new real diplomatic treaty status, indicated by a bird icon. It is an agreement to end the war and lasts 10 turns, during that time a promise is made not to attack each other or use hostile overland spells against each other. The AI will adhere to a peace treaty, regardless of relations or personality, but the player is not necessarily bound to it. Peace treaties cannot be broken; instead use of hostile overland spells on their units or within their city territory or an attack on their units or city triggers Violated Peace War (AI is guaranteed to declare war); violating a peace treaty also lowers relations all other wizards as well, especially their allies but less so their enemies. This makes "faking" a peace before stabbing the enemy in the back less forgiving.
3. If a wizard you are not at war with casts a hostile overland spell against you, relations between you and that said wizard will worsen; he or she may be trying to provoke a hostile response.
4. Permanent war is a special war status that can escalate from a war and is based on previously broken treaties, indicated by a skull icon. Every time a treaty is broken or violated or a spell of mastery is started, a number is added to that threshold; once that threshold reaches 100 or above, the wizard may be inclined to declare a perpetual state of war.
Permanent war threshold decays at 2 per turn if you aren't at war. Actions that increase that threshold:
Break Wizard Pact: 15-35
Violate Peace Treaty 20-60
Break Alliance 15-65
Attack w/ Wizard Pact 30-70
Attack w/ Alliance 45-100
Begin Spell of Mastery 50-100
Note that peaceful wizards aren't affected by permanent war threshold and lawful wizards don't count beginning spell of mastery, while maniacal wizards decay more slowly and have a 2x min threshold effect, and Ruthless Wizards whose peace was violated have a threshold increase of 25-100.
If you are at war with the threshold over 100, the wizard, instead of being willing to talk, announces he/she has escalated the war with you and will never forgive you. Permanent War may set the wizard's hostility to alternate between Warlike and Jihad (most likely if the wizards has a leading edge); and will permanently set relations to -100 and cause audiences with the said wizard to no longer to be possible, ever. Other wizards, however, will merely see a permanent war as just another regular war and treat it like so.
Example Dialogue of Permanent War declared:
Enough of these small skirmishes and disputes, (player wizard)! Me and my followers are going to take you down once and for all!
You should have begged for mercy when you had the chance. Now I will see to it you get none!
No more talk. No more holding back. This war will be taken to the next level… into a perpetual war!
Any chance of peace we've once had is now gone for good, (player wizard)! We now are at war to the bitter end!
I, (AI wizard), have decided to escalate this conflict and step up my efforts to destroy you and your entire empire… utterly!
I will never forgive you! I will not stop until you and all of your followers are completely wiped from the face of Arcanus and Myrror!
Your existence is no longer welcome on Arcanus and Myrror… only your complete and utter destruction!
I no longer desire peace talks with you, (player wizard)… only to see that your severed head is added to my collection!
You had plenty of chances for reconciliation, but you wasted them all! Now I shall declare permanent war on you and deliver you a most painful death, (player name)!
I've been patient with you even as an opponent, but that patience is completely exhausted! We are now sworn enemies and we will remain that way… forever!
I will not tolerate your empire’s existence anymore! You will regret the day you crossed paths with (AI wizard)!
Negotiations are now out of the question. You should realize this means total war!
1. The spell of mastery, when at 1500+ MP progress, will set relations of even wizards you are at war with to -100 and keep it that way until the spell is disrupted or cancelled.
2. Peace Treaty is now a new real diplomatic treaty status, indicated by a bird icon. It is an agreement to end the war and lasts 10 turns, during that time a promise is made not to attack each other or use hostile overland spells against each other. The AI will adhere to a peace treaty, regardless of relations or personality, but the player is not necessarily bound to it. Peace treaties cannot be broken; instead use of hostile overland spells on their units or within their city territory or an attack on their units or city triggers Violated Peace War (AI is guaranteed to declare war); violating a peace treaty also lowers relations all other wizards as well, especially their allies but less so their enemies. This makes "faking" a peace before stabbing the enemy in the back less forgiving.
3. If a wizard you are not at war with casts a hostile overland spell against you, relations between you and that said wizard will worsen; he or she may be trying to provoke a hostile response.
4. Permanent war is a special war status that can escalate from a war and is based on previously broken treaties, indicated by a skull icon. Every time a treaty is broken or violated or a spell of mastery is started, a number is added to that threshold; once that threshold reaches 100 or above, the wizard may be inclined to declare a perpetual state of war.
Permanent war threshold decays at 2 per turn if you aren't at war. Actions that increase that threshold:
Break Wizard Pact: 15-35
Violate Peace Treaty 20-60
Break Alliance 15-65
Attack w/ Wizard Pact 30-70
Attack w/ Alliance 45-100
Begin Spell of Mastery 50-100
Note that peaceful wizards aren't affected by permanent war threshold and lawful wizards don't count beginning spell of mastery, while maniacal wizards decay more slowly and have a 2x min threshold effect, and Ruthless Wizards whose peace was violated have a threshold increase of 25-100.
If you are at war with the threshold over 100, the wizard, instead of being willing to talk, announces he/she has escalated the war with you and will never forgive you. Permanent War may set the wizard's hostility to alternate between Warlike and Jihad (most likely if the wizards has a leading edge); and will permanently set relations to -100 and cause audiences with the said wizard to no longer to be possible, ever. Other wizards, however, will merely see a permanent war as just another regular war and treat it like so.
Example Dialogue of Permanent War declared:
Enough of these small skirmishes and disputes, (player wizard)! Me and my followers are going to take you down once and for all!
You should have begged for mercy when you had the chance. Now I will see to it you get none!
No more talk. No more holding back. This war will be taken to the next level… into a perpetual war!
Any chance of peace we've once had is now gone for good, (player wizard)! We now are at war to the bitter end!
I, (AI wizard), have decided to escalate this conflict and step up my efforts to destroy you and your entire empire… utterly!
I will never forgive you! I will not stop until you and all of your followers are completely wiped from the face of Arcanus and Myrror!
Your existence is no longer welcome on Arcanus and Myrror… only your complete and utter destruction!
I no longer desire peace talks with you, (player wizard)… only to see that your severed head is added to my collection!
You had plenty of chances for reconciliation, but you wasted them all! Now I shall declare permanent war on you and deliver you a most painful death, (player name)!
I've been patient with you even as an opponent, but that patience is completely exhausted! We are now sworn enemies and we will remain that way… forever!
I will not tolerate your empire’s existence anymore! You will regret the day you crossed paths with (AI wizard)!
Negotiations are now out of the question. You should realize this means total war!