GameSpot's Civilization: Call to Power Game Guide

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Chapter Eight: Diplomacy

Break the Peace

Pitiful civilizations tend to talk tough until you start picking on them. The second you attack one of their cities, they usually grovel at your feet for a peace agreement and an end to the hostility. You can use this to your advantage by attacking the most powerful city in your enemies inventory, then sign the peace agreement. With hostility at an end, you walk away with a nice prize. Sure beats going to all of that hassle for a city with a low population. Since this is basically a freebie, make sure you're getting as much as you possibly can.

All these foreign trade routes are appetizing, but be cautious when pirating. Your overall reputation will suffer and you could incite a war.

Butter Up

Once you have some cash to throw around, don't forget to spread a little hush money around. Simply open the diplomacy screen, select the opposition of your choice, and toss them 500 gold. If you keep doing this several times, the target civilization will eventually warm up to you, paving the way for a future alliance. If you don't have money, you can always trade a map or advancement, though giving away your technology could potentially come back and haunt you later when it is used against you.

Pirates Life for Me

Patrolling your ships through enemy trade routes lets you pirate their shipping lane and deprive your foe of extra income. While this seldom, if ever, leads to armed conflict, piracy will, over time, soil that civilization's attitude to you. Pay careful attention to whose trade route you're pirating, for a mistake here could lead to future aggression against an opponent that outranks you.