POPULARITY AND AI

AI countries

Some countries in the game may be controlled by AI (Artificial intelligence). They serve the purpose of keeping the game round challenging and entertaining, by emulating human-like playstyles. There are 3 reasons a country may be controlled by the AI:

• The country was not picket by a joining player. The AI will play the country until a player selects it.
• The player picking this country was not active in the round since 2 days. The AI will resume playing until the player becomes active again.
• The country is too small to be played by a human player, and thus cannot be selected. It is permanently played by AI.

Popularity

AI players also serve as a balancing factor in the game round and usually try to prevent dominant players from taking over the world. To achieve that AIs may decide to declare war on aggressive nations. How likely it is for an AI to declare war is determined by a leader's popularity with the AI country.

There are multiple factors that influence a leaders's popularity with AI nations positively or negatively.

Positive popularity influences

• Being at war with nations that the AI fights or that are unpopular already
• Being friends (having Right of Way or better relations) with the AI country
• Being friends (having Right of Way or better relations) with the AI country's friends and allies
• Buying or selling resources from/to AI nations on the stock market
• Receiving war declarations or surprise attacks from other nations

Negative popularity influences

• Being at war with the AI country
• Being at war with the AI country's friends
• Being friends (having Right of Way or better relations) with the AI country's enemies
• Declaring war or surprise attacking other nations
• Amassing a big army while already being unpopular with the AI country
• Moving troops through the AI country without having Right of Way
• Getting spies caught that were deployed in the AI country