Europa Universalis 3

During wars I run at speed 3 or 4. Otherwise yeah, speed 5 pretty much all the time, but with liberal pausing as needed.

Until I finally understood the game, though, I rarely ran at faster than speed 4, and often at speed 3.

tanstaafl wrote:
kergguz wrote:

Good stuff. It's just a really passive way to play a game, not something I'm used to.

One of the things that is hard to keep in your head when playing EU is that sometimes the best thing to do is nothing. We're so used to thinking we always have to be doing something all the time in games that being passive seems "wrong" somehow.

QFT. Paradox games force you to unlearn some lessons almost every other game has beat into your head.

Yeah, like Fars, I run at 3 until I'm comfortable with the game. Then I start cranking it up. 3 is war-speed at that point.

DanyBoy wrote:

But I tend to have a fairly passive style, being conservative and opportunistic about any conquests. Maybe that's why Vicky2 is my favorite...

We're the same, you and I.

It's all very deist, divine watchmaker-type stuff - if I've done my job, I don't have to be in there twiddling all the time.

DanyBoy wrote:

Maybe that's why Vicky2 is my favorite...

I have Vicky 2, and I'm looking forward to starting playing it, but the advice I've had is to learn EU3 first and that will help with getting to grips with V2. And that's fine, I'm loving EU3!

tboon wrote:
tanstaafl wrote:
kergguz wrote:

Good stuff. It's just a really passive way to play a game, not something I'm used to.

One of the things that is hard to keep in your head when playing EU is that sometimes the best thing to do is nothing. We're so used to thinking we always have to be doing something all the time in games that being passive seems "wrong" somehow.

QFT. Paradox games force you to unlearn some lessons almost every other game has beat into your head.

If you find this more "passive" (patient is probably a better word) you should definitely check out Distant Worlds. Fantastic scifi game that's similar to EU in space with a ton of atomization. Do you hate war? Then automize it. Hate economy? Auto it. Etc. Etc. Etc.

Also, Crusader Kings II is out and if you want a bit more personality in your Paradox games, you should totally check out CKII. It's not perfect atm, but it's highly polished for a Paradox game and adds more flavor to to playing than the EU games do, imho, of course.

I'll back up the DW and CKII recommendations. Both are excellent games, and DW really is the closest thing to EU3 in space.

Atomization. Lol. Raise your hand if you drank for the first time in months last night. Lol.

garion333 wrote:

Atomization. Lol. Raise your hand if you drank for the first time in months last night. Lol.

It's funny because, when I first read that, I thought that you meant "atomization," and that it was appropriate, i.e., the game breaks down into an iterative series of small decisions relating to a huge number of variables affecting the outcome of the game. That's the kind of game I love to play!

I can't find an official announcement, but all things Europa Universalis (I, II, III, Rome, and all expansions thereof) are currently 75% off at GamersGate. If you don't already own the game, EU3: Chronicles for $7.49 is the complete set. Sengoku is also 55% off.

Do you guys play it on Steam or GamersGate? I have it on the latter, but apparently GG is the way to go for mods and early access to betas. I'd have to re-buy, but $7.50 is chump change. Hmm..

I've got the (in)Complete edition on Steam. I think I'd switch over to the Gamersgate version so I could pick up all the newer stuff for it. It doesn't look like the Mac versions are on sale, though.

I have it from GG, Steam and Impulse ... along with a physical disc of EUIII. I only have my Steam version installed as it's the most complete set.

What's out right now for EUIII that you can't get on the Steam version? I'm going to be sad if I've been missing out on cool stuff!

Staked wrote:

What's out right now for EUIII that you can't get on the Steam version? I'm going to be sad if I've been missing out on cool stuff!

Nothing that I know of. All the sprite packs and all the expansions are on Steam.

tboon wrote:
Staked wrote:

What's out right now for EUIII that you can't get on the Steam version? I'm going to be sad if I've been missing out on cool stuff!

Nothing that I know of. All the sprite packs and all the expansions are on Steam.

Exactly. The Steam version I have has everything they've released.

garion333 wrote:
tboon wrote:
Staked wrote:

What's out right now for EUIII that you can't get on the Steam version? I'm going to be sad if I've been missing out on cool stuff!

Nothing that I know of. All the sprite packs and all the expansions are on Steam.

Exactly. The Steam version I have has everything they've released.

Historically, there have been issues with Paradox games on Steam being slow to patch compared to GG. Generally, GG gets patches faster, and they tend to work with fewer issues than Steam. But after a couple of days Steam catches up. So it's really only a problem if you *must* have that latest patch *now*. And I think it's become less of an issue as time goes by.

Also, for a while, Steam did not have all the DLC content for all the Paradox games whereas GG did, but I don't believe that's the case now.

I am just a creature of habit. New Paradox game == purchase on GG to me.

tboon wrote:
Staked wrote:

What's out right now for EUIII that you can't get on the Steam version? I'm going to be sad if I've been missing out on cool stuff!

Nothing that I know of. All the sprite packs and all the expansions are on Steam.

Whew. Good to hear.

Staked wrote:

What's out right now for EUIII that you can't get on the Steam version? I'm going to be sad if I've been missing out on cool stuff!

Maybe this was directed at me. I'm playing on a Mac and they don't have anything beyond the Complete edition on steam, so it's a couple versions behind. (Versions which by most accounts make the game much better.) The upside to this is that I don't really know what I'm doing so far and most likely have no idea what I'm missing anyways.

If you're on a PC, then I think EU3 Chronicles has pretty much everything up to date in it.

I'm with Nightmare. I want Paradox to stay in business, so I use Gamersgate for their stuff. Mostly.

Robear wrote:

I'm with Nightmare. I want Paradox to stay in business, so I use Gamersgate for their stuff. Mostly. :-)

I want Paradox to stay in business so I buy their stuff on GG and then again on Steam

wanderingtaoist wrote:
Robear wrote:

I'm with Nightmare. I want Paradox to stay in business, so I use Gamersgate for their stuff. Mostly. :-)

I want Paradox to stay in business so I buy their stuff on GG and then again on Steam :)

QFT. Sometimes having those separate installs can be good for mods. Or at least it was in the pre-Clausewitz engine days ...
/weakenabling

As an experiment I'm letting the time run on an Europa Universalis 3 game where I'm Austria. A hands off game.

That's interesting. It'd be more interesting if the country could run itself. As is, I think you'll eventually die if only because you'll have a completely stagnant, inactive army.

It's been going for about an hour and I'm up to 1424 AD. I started the Grand Campaign at the earliest possible date. So far, my province is still there and I have a billion pop up message windows. I'm not gonna read all those.

It's 1496 in my hands-off game as Austria. Apparently I've been earning Steam achievements. Is this a TF2-like achievement server?

Okay so started this up for the first time today after receiving it as a gift during the Steam sale. A few observations.

1. The tutorial is worthless, I know it is a common complaint about Paradox games, but wow that is bad.
2. The only Paradox game I have played is Crusader Kings 2, and while I realize that it is much newer, the interface of EU3 just looks back by comparison. While I was able to jump into CK2 easily I am finding EU3 harder to find things in. Also, the resolution scaling is horrible, things are so small on my 1080p monitor.

I started as Denmark and then promptly got Casus Belli'd by Sweden and am getting my bum kicked, even with the help of Norway. Sweden has 12-14 regiments in their army and the best I have had (at the beginning of the war) was 10.

I thought Denmark would be easy, which is why I picked it, I may start over as a larger empire, or an easier one, or something.

Kamakazi010654 wrote:

Okay so started this up for the first time today after receiving it as a gift during the Steam sale. A few observations.

1. The tutorial is worthless, I know it is a common complaint about Paradox games, but wow that is bad.
2. The only Paradox game I have played is Crusader Kings 2, and while I realize that it is much newer, the interface of EU3 just looks back by comparison. While I was able to jump into CK2 easily I am finding EU3 harder to find things in. Also, the resolution scaling is horrible, things are so small on my 1080p monitor.

I started as Denmark and then promptly got Casus Belli'd by Sweden and am getting my bum kicked, even with the help of Norway. Sweden has 12-14 regiments in their army and the best I have had (at the beginning of the war) was 10.

I thought Denmark would be easy, which is why I picked it, I may start over as a larger empire, or an easier one, or something.

I believe France is usually the starter suggestion but I like Castille.

If anyone's interested, here's the first (and only) part of an AAR I made and never got around to finishing. I got distracted by shiny objects like Vicky 2 and CK2.

The Kingdom of Denmark, jewel of the North Sea, Gateway to the Baltic, and First of the Scandinavians.

At the turn of the 13th century, Denmark is a small cluster of provinces, holding only a few islands and the tips of the Jutland and Scandinavian peninsulas. It is a economically backward nation, who main products are grain and fish. Despite this humble capacity, Denmark holds the Kingdom of Holstein under it’s influence as a vassal, and the recent creation of the Kelmar Union in 1397 has made Denmark the senior member of a personal union between itself, Norway and Sweden. Noblemen entertain dreams of a great power in the north, and Denmark is poised to lead it.

This is my first time playing EU3, Chronicles specifically, so I’m playing the Grand Campaign from the very beginning in 1399 on Easy difficulty and everything else on default settings. I chose Denmark semi-randomly; I wanted a medium-importance European nation not too close to the big players of England, Castille and France. Denmark actually worked out much better than expected, as it’s relative isolation means it doesn't get pulled into the conflicts of it’s neighbors, but it’s still close enough to take advantage of opportunities, and the personal union it starts with gives an obvious long-term goal of forming a Scandinavian nation. But first things first...

We have the best government that money can buy.

Denmark is poor. With very little tax income and no advantages of any sort in the trading markets, bringing in enough income to keep the country going is a tricky thing. I find myself going in and out of debt constantly as I try to build some small infrastructure, maintain a standing army large enough to keep my main rival Sweden off my back and hire a few decent advisers. Because of my constant money problems, the Hanseatic League has me by the balls, blocking my merchants from their centre of trade and shutting down my trade depots anytime I try to get aggressive. But screw them; Honor and Glory await through valiant Conquest!

The military don't start wars. Politicians start wars.

An opportunity arises as Denmark gains Casus Belli against the Teutonic Order and the island nation of Gotland over a few islands in the Baltic sea. The monastic knights are in no position to resist as their navy is non-existent and they’ve been busy fighting off Poland and Lithuania on land. A few short sieges, a small revolt or two, and Denmark’s domination is complete. Peace reigns in the north lands until a crisis of succession occurs. King Gryf has died in his sleep at a ripe old age, but those swine the swedes have gotten uppity and demand their own king! The new ruler of the Danes first act is to bring fire and steel to the traitors. The fighting is bloody, but inconclusive. The money-grubbing Hansa stab me in the back, forcing me to release Holstein from my influence. After both sides are tired of fighting, Sweden accepts an offer to return to the status quo, ceding its cores in the south and returning to the personal union.

My first major play through was Denmark. There was a lot of save game manipulation to make sure I inherited Norway and later Sweden (after many wars to ensure they didn't become fully independent). I had a grand Scandinavian empire greater than anything Spain achieved in real history.

I gave up on that one though after cheating to correct the religious turmoil in my country (I still don't know what the proper way to deal with that would have been), and in-game Spain started a massive war with me (They were the only other important colonial power at the time). I just didn't have the endurance to see it through after that.

Edit: My map when I gave up, year 1639:

IMAGE(http://i.imgur.com/Bcgas.gif)

I think Castille is the best starter country. The reconquista is pretty much done but there's still some work to so, so you have nice CBs and can get some pretty rich provinces without too much trouble. Plus North Afirca beckons. It is pretty isolated from the scrum of the rest of the continent so you don't have to worry too much about France and Austria. You are far enough west so that when the New World national idea comes along you can do the colonization thing in the Americas easily, if that's what you want to do.

TL;DR version: Castille has a lot of possibilities without anyone forcing you to react to much of anything, which I think makes for a good first game or two when trying to figure out the game.