Re: Andean Zorro = MA; diff research/VP victory -
My understanding of NAP's was that, like Drager said, NAP's are not 100% binding unless stated in the rules for the particular game you are playing.
Some games also state that NAP's are binding if they are officially declared in the game thread (see the EA DarkParadise game for an example of this), but any secret NAP's made are not subject to the same binding rules as the public ones. I guess it is only fair that if you are not prepared to tell anyone about your secret NAP's, then you can't really expect anyone to listen to your complaints when your secret NAP's get broken. From reading numerous posts on these forums, it seems that most of the time NAP's are honoured, but backstabbing is part of the risk of NAP's (know your enemies well, but know your allies even better) and a part of MP games in general.
I'm sure I read somewhere (although I could well have either imagined it, or merged many separate comments into one) that one of the reasons the devs haven't put any official game diplomacy options into the game is because they don't want any. As Dominions is meant to be a fight to the death (there can be only one etc.) so the only diplomacy that really exists is to make sure that you
(a)give the other nations a good reason NOT to attack you (ie. becoming the most powerful is a good deterrent)
(b)don't give them a reason TO attack you (ie. becoming the most powerful is a sure way of encouraging others to gang-up on you)
(c)don't give them an opportunity TO attack you (ie. don't stretch your forces too thinly by starting lots of wars)
All of the above is obviously a difficult balancing act, with (a) and (b) being a great example of a blatant contradiction!!! But then that's just another part of the this great game in my view :-)
But I am still a newb, so all of the above is just a collection of my thought on NAP's, and what I've read in many various threads on the subject. Apologies to everyone (and a HUGE apology to Kheldron) if I have broken a golden rule of MP-games that I'm unaware of, although as far as I can tell I haven't done. (I don't think breaking NAP's is held on anywhere near the same level as, or generates as much anger as for example, the whole 'Mists of Deception + Retreat' issue)
I don't generally make a habit of breaking NAP's (easy to say that now of course :-)) although I accept the risk of the 'tarnishing brush' being swept vigorously over my reputation as a result of me breaking a NAP. All that is left to say is that my mouse hand was forced into doing it by Marignon's threatened destruction. Either that or my Maenad's 'Sat-Navs' are playing up, and found themselves in Caelum's lands instead of Ashdod's :-)
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