Comment by pessimizer
1 month ago
> You can do well in such games without lying
Not this one. I'll tell you from experience, and I bet there's a proof. You have to lie at least once and make at least one alliance for at least one turn that you don't plan on keeping.
Your strategy is still very good, but that's because constantly telling the truth and broadcasting your valuations and calculations to the table will allow you to hide that one lie better. For me that lie is usually "You're right, makes sense." when somebody else says that there's no reason for either of us to defect, so we might as well work together.
You have to at one point do something to another player, which they thought and hoped you would not do. But since you both know that, whether you lie or not is really quite irrelevant. It's not your assurances (or lack of them) they put faith in, unless they have misunderstood the game.
To take your example, instead of "you're right, makes sense" (arguably a lie, maybe), you can just say "That may seem sensible" or "I hear you" (definitively not lies). It should rationally not make a difference for their actions in the game.