Advanced Guide: The Alliance Economy

Beyond simple taxation lies a deeper, more complex economic game—one that requires trust, cooperation, and careful calculation. This is the Alliance Economy, a late-game mechanic centered around the Bank building and the Joint Development treaty.

The Foundation: The Bank & Joint Development

To activate this advanced economy, two conditions must be met:

Active Joint Development Treaty

You must have an active treaty with another kingdom.
Bank Ownership (At least one party)

At least one of the two allies must own a Bank building. The bonus is based on the average power of both allies, so the more banks both kingdoms have, the greater the reward for everyone.

How It Works: The Shared Economic Fund

Calculating Your "Bank Power"

"Bank Power" is the core metric that determines the strength of your economic alliance. It's not just about how many Banks you have, but also their level and strategic placement. The power of each individual Bank is calculated based on several multipliers:

Base Power: Each level of a Bank contributes directly to its power (e.g., a Level 5 Bank has a base power of 5).
Capital Bonus (x2): A Bank built in your Capital City is twice as effective.
Lakefront Synergy (x3): A Bank built on a Lakefront tile is three times as effective.
Desert Penalty (x0.5): A Bank built in a Desert is only half as effective.

Your total Bank Power is the sum of the power from all Banks in your kingdom, after all multipliers have been applied.

Once the conditions are met, your economic alliance comes to life. Each tick, both you and your ally will receive an identical, substantial gold bonus. This bonus is calculated based on the average "Bank Power" of both kingdoms. Bank Power is determined by the level and location of your Banks.

The Reward Formula

Bonus Gold per tick (for each player) = ((Your Bank Power + Ally's Bank Power) / 2) * 6

This system encourages both parties to invest in their banking infrastructure. If your ally has no banks, your banking power will still generate a bonus for both of you, but it will be halved. To maximize profits, both rulers should coordinate and invest in their banking systems.

High Risk, High Reward: The Devastating Penalties

This economic alliance carries an enormous risk. When a treaty is broken for any reason, severe economic penalties are triggered. There are two types of penalties that can occur.

1. Base Cancellation Penalty (Pact Security Tier)

When proposing a treaty, you must choose a "Pact Security Tier". This tier sets the base gold penalty that the ruler who unilaterally cancels the treaty must pay.

Tier 1 (Bronze Handshake): 15,000 Gold Penalty
Tier 2 (Silver Oath): 50,000 Gold Penalty
Tier 3 (Golden Vow): 150,000 Gold Penalty

2. Bank Pact Penalty (Joint Development Only)

The financial penalty is triggered whenever the pact is broken. This can happen in several ways:

Direct Cancellation: One ruler actively chooses to cancel the treaty.
Destruction or Abandonment: A kingdom's last remaining Bank is destroyed (either by its owner or an enemy), or the land it's on is abandoned.

The Joint Development pact is a high-stakes agreement backed by the economic power of each participant's banking system. A critical, unspoken rule governs these treaties: a kingdom that possesses one or more Banks cannot allow its financial infrastructure to collapse.

Therefore, if you destroy, abandon, or lose your last remaining Bank in a conquest, all of your Joint Development pacts are considered broken, and the devastating financial penalties are triggered immediately. This holds true even if your allies still have their own Banks intact, as your side of the economic bargain has failed.
Total Annihilation: A kingdom is conquered, goes bankrupt, or is deleted.

The Penalty Formulas

Victim's Penalty = Total Bank Power * 60,000 * (1 / (1 + Tech Difference))

Offender's Penalty = Offender's Bank Power * 60,000 * Tech Difference

The penalty system is a complex web of incentives and deterrents. The technology difference between the two realms dramatically alters the outcome for both the "victim" (the one who was betrayed) and the "offender" (the one who initiated the break).
For the Victim: The penalty you suffer is based on the combined total Bank Power of BOTH kingdoms. It is most severe when technology levels are equal. The greater the technology gap, the smaller your penalty becomes, acting as a form of protection if you are betrayed by a much stronger ally.
For the Offender: The penalty you pay is based only on your own Bank Power. It is most lenient (zero) when technology levels are equal. However, the penalty grows significantly larger the greater the technology gap is, serving as a powerful deterrent against high-tech kingdoms preying on their weaker allies.
The Betrayer's Gambit: This system creates a cynical strategic choice. If you suspect your ally is unstable or about to betray you, it may be in your best interest to betray them first. By becoming the "offender," your penalty is calculated only on your own (potentially smaller) Bank Power. Waiting to become the "victim" means you will suffer a penalty calculated on the total Bank Power of both kingdoms, which could be far more devastating. Sometimes, the most logical move is to strike before you are struck.

Strategic Implications

The Alliance Economy is more than just an income source; it's a profound strategic tool that shapes global politics. Understanding its implications is key to wielding it effectively—and surviving its consequences.

A Long-Term Commitment

With the immense penalty for betrayal, a Joint Development pact is not a short-term investment. In a worst-case scenario (being betrayed by a technologically equal ally), it can take approximately 30 days of continuous operation for your total profits to equal the potential penalty. This mechanic heavily favors stable, long-term alliances where trust has been built over time.

The Treasury Shock Doctrine

Never forget the difference between profit-over-time and immediate liquidity. Your income from the alliance is a slow, steady trickle each tick. The penalty, however, is a sudden, catastrophic shock to your treasury. Even if your alliance has been profitable for months, a betrayal at the wrong moment—such as right before a major war—can instantly deplete your coffers and lead to bankruptcy, crippling your ability to act.

Economic Warfare & The Puppet Ally

The penalty system can be weaponized. A cunning ruler might not attack a strong kingdom directly. Instead, they could declare war on their weaker banking ally with the sole purpose of conquering or bankrupting them. The goal is not to gain the weak ally's lands, but to trigger the devastating economic penalty on their much stronger partner, potentially neutralizing a rival without a single direct battle.

The Golden Handcuffs (Too Big to Fail)

As your joint banking network grows, the income bonus can become immense, creating a "too big to fail" scenario. The rewards are too great to give up, but the penalty for breaking the pact also becomes unimaginably large. This can lead to a tense "economic cold war," where both allies are bound together not just by mutual prosperity, but by the shared fear of mutually assured financial destruction.

Ultimately, the Alliance Economy is the ultimate test of trust and strategic foresight in AI Kingdom. Choose your partners carefully, communicate with them, and decide if the potential for unparalleled wealth is worth the catastrophic risk.