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Maps! (a.k.a Europa Universalis III)

AndrewAndrew
edited January 2011 in Video Games
I figured it would be a good idea to start this thread after several people on the forum purchased EU3 this past week, started it up and immediately went image

EU3 is a quasi-realtime grand strategy game in which you lead your country to dominance from the 15th century until about the mid 19th century. The ultimate goal is to gain as much prestige points so by the end of the game that you are ranked the #1 country. One of the most fascinating aspects of the game is how you develop your own alternate history as you progress through the game. It's quite in-depth with many underlying mechanisms at work and presents an extremely difficult learning curve. However, the multiplayer games are quite satisfying and provide the epic strategy fix I've been missing from Civ. I'm hoping we could start a game sometime soon of the forum, and hopefully this thread will help new people get acquainted with the game enough so we can get one rolling.
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Comments

  • thaneofcawdorthaneofcawdor
    I love all the Paradox grand strategy games, and I've been playing Victoria II recently. It's more focused on internal politics, economics and society than EU3's broad strokes approach to those areas. In my current game I've taken Prussia from a kind of threatening pre-industrial military power to the juggernaut German Empire about twenty years before it happened in history. I even went a step beyond the historical facts and was offered the opportunity to peacefully annex Austria (which I obviously accepted). Now my main challenge is to match the mighty British Empire in terms of industrial output. Unfortunately, due to my choices the German people are becoming more and more liberal, so their elected government (why did I let them have one?) have taken control of industry away from me and now market forces (and not the previous regime of generous subsidies) control whether factories stay open, meaning that about half my industrial capacity is shuttered, waiting for the world markets to strengthen and for capitalists to raise the money to open the factories again.

    What where we talking about? Oh, Europa Universalis III. Great game, and I'd like to play some of you guys in a big ole multiplayer matchup, but be warned, it'll take FOREVER TO FINISH. Probably a year.

    *checks the game* OK, I'd like to be either Brandenburg or... The Byzantine Empire.
  • AndrewAndrew
    The Byzantine Empire.
    :snicker: Good luck...
  • thaneofcawdorthaneofcawdor
    :snicker: Good luck...
    I know. They're really screwed by 1399, but hell, the challenge alone is enough to get excited about.
  • lackofcheeselackofcheese
    I bought it, but I haven't tried it yet.
  • AndrewAndrew
    edited January 2011
    It's more focused on internal politics, economics and society than EU3's broad strokes approach to those areas.
    From what I understand, EU3 is the most approachable of the Paradox games in regards to that manner. Still, it's quite obtuse if you don't grok how the game works.

    Also, Byzantium is pretty much absorbed by the Ottomans or Hungarian Empire by 1450...
    Post edited by Andrew on
  • GreyHugeGreyHuge
    edited January 2011
    The ultimate goal is to gain as much prestige points so by the end of the game that you are ranked the #1 country.
    What? No. I can get to #1 in 15 years as the Byzantine Empire, it's not even that hard to do, since the computers rarely have more than 50% prestige. Moreover, that is not the goal of the game! The game is like other games such as Dwarf Fortress in that the goal is whatever you want. Want to win the 100 Years War as England. You can. Want to unify Scandinavia and colonize North America. Sure thing. Want to form Germany 400 years early? You got it. And that's not even the half of it. A goal I usually set for my games is that I start out the Grand Campaign as Byzantium and restore the Roman Empire, I haven't done it yet, but it's only a matter of time. Prestige is just so meaningless, why did you select it as your goal?

    Everything else you said is basically spot on though.
    The Byzantine Empire.
    :snicker: Good luck...
    It's not as hard as you might think. I can reclaim the entire Turkish Penninsula in 15 years no sweat. Then I start working on Greece, this is more difficult because every country and their Mom is guaranteeing their Independence, but rebels do the trick. Then I've got to beat the shit out of Hungary and The Mameluks. A Romans work is never done...
    Post edited by GreyHuge on
  • AndrewAndrew
    Prestige is just so meaningless, why did you select it as your goal?
    Because I'm a nub, you poopsocker.
  • thaneofcawdorthaneofcawdor
    From what I understand, EU3 is the most approachable of the Paradox games in regards to that manner. Still, it's quite obtuse if you don't grok how the game works.
    Yeah, very little micromanagement required in EU3. The merchant system gives me the shits, though. You have to watch every trading centre you send merchants to like a hawk.
    Also, Byzantium is pretty much absorbed by the Ottomans or Hungarian Empire by 1450...
    One of the most fascinating aspects of the game is how you develop your own alternate history
  • AndrewAndrew
    Playing as the Papal State and turning the Pope into a warrior Pope is just hilarious in my mind.
  • lackofcheeselackofcheese
    The ultimate goal is to gain as much prestige points so by the end of the game that you are ranked the #1 country.
    What? No. I can get to #1 in 15 years as the Byzantine Empire, it's not even that hard to do, since the computers rarely have more than 50% prestige. Moreover, that is not the goal of the game! The game is like other games such as Dwarf Fortress in that the goal is whatever you want. Want to win the 100 Years War as England. You can. Want to unify Scandinavia and colonize North America. Sure thing. Want to form Germany 400 years early? You got it. And that's not even the half of it. A goal I usually set for my games is that I start out the Grand Campaign as Byzantium and restore the Roman Empire, I haven't done it yet, but it's only a matter of time. Prestige is just so meaningless, why did you select it as your goal?
    If it was multiplayer, wouldn't prestige be the victory condition?
  • GreyHugeGreyHuge
    edited January 2011
    Because I'm a nub, you poopsocker.
    Would you like some help figuring it out? I have played this game for over 400 hours, I know a lot about this game.
    Yeah, very little micromanagement required in EU3. The merchant system gives me the shits, though. You have to watch every trading centre you send merchants to like a hawk.
    Or you auto-send, like I do. Mercantilism/Free Trade of -5 and owning like 5 Centers of Trade can be very lucrative.
    Playing as the Papal State and turning the Pope into a warrior Pope is just hilarious in my mind.
    Yeah, there's a decision you can make to "FORM THE KINGDOM OF GOD" you can enact it when ou've taken over the northern region of Italy.
    The ultimate goal is to gain as much prestige points so by the end of the game that you are ranked the #1 country.
    What? No. I can get to #1 in 15 years as the Byzantine Empire, it's not even that hard to do, since the computers rarely have more than 50% prestige. Moreover, that is not the goal of the game! The game is like other games such as Dwarf Fortress in that the goal is whatever you want. Want to win the 100 Years War as England. You can. Want to unify Scandinavia and colonize North America. Sure thing. Want to form Germany 400 years early? You got it. And that's not even the half of it. A goal I usually set for my games is that I start out the Grand Campaign as Byzantium and restore the Roman Empire, I haven't done it yet, but it's only a matter of time. Prestige is just so meaningless, why did you select it as your goal?
    If it was multiplayer, wouldn't prestige be the victory condition?
    The victory condition is: reach 1821 without getting annexed or collapsing.
    Post edited by GreyHuge on
  • AndrewAndrew
    edited January 2011
    The victory condition is: reach 1821 without getting annexed or collapsing.
    THERE CAN ONLY BE ONE, HIGHLANDER!
    Post edited by Andrew on
  • thaneofcawdorthaneofcawdor
    I say we should all choose one unification event from this list and play as a nation eligible to undergo that change, e.g. England -> Great Britain. There shouldn't be two players capable of the same event e.g. England and Wales. Otherwise, the goal should be as Grey suggested - survival to the end. Once again, I'd choose Brandenburg, as the German stuff is really interesting, particularly forming the Holy Roman Empire.
  • GreyHugeGreyHuge
    THERE CAN ONLY BE ONE, HIGHLANDER!
    That's one possible goal. Once I saw an AAR where someone conquered Eurasia as Romania after relocating to Korea.
  • GreyHugeGreyHuge
    I say we should all choose one unification event fromthis listand play as a nation eligible to undergo that change, e.g. England -> Great Britain. There shouldn't be two players capable of the same event e.g. England and Wales. Otherwise, the goal should be as Grey suggested - survival to the end. Once again, I'd choose Brandenburg, as the German stuff is really interesting, particularly forming the Holy Roman Empire.
    If I am in the game and playing Byzantium, My goal will be to stop you. PRETENDER TO THE IMPERIAL THRONE.
  • CremlianCremlian
    I'll take part as soon as I can figure this game out. Unfortunately they broke the tutorial to Rubin's and my dislike.
  • AndrewAndrew
    I'll take part as soon as I can figure this game out. Unfortunately they broke the tutorial to Rubin's and my dislike.
    It might be worthwhile to start up a multiplayer game just to teach the basics to everyone over Skype.
  • GreyHugeGreyHuge
    edited January 2011
    I'll take part as soon as I can figure this game out. Unfortunately they broke the tutorial to Rubin's and my dislike.
    You're not missing anything, the turorials weren't even that good to begin with and they were designed for the first game without expansions.
    It might be worthwhile to start up a multiplayer game just to teach the basics to everyone over Skype.
    Heir to the Throne or Divine WInd?
    Post edited by GreyHuge on
  • CremlianCremlian
    Well Rubin and I only have Heir to the Throne
  • AndrewAndrew
    I have Heir to the Throne as well.
  • GreyHugeGreyHuge
    Well Rubin and I only have Heir to the Throne
    That's fine, they changed a lot of things in Divine Wind, I agree with a lot of the changes, but I hate others vehemently. I play HttT, so I can properly instruct you in the ways of war.
  • GreyHugeGreyHuge
    edited January 2011
    So, how about we do this Sunday at say... 2:00 EST?

    EDIT: Is there not one among you interested in playing this game over the weekend?
    Post edited by GreyHuge on
  • thaneofcawdorthaneofcawdor
    So, how about we do this Sunday at say... 2:00 EST?
    That's way too early for me, being 6am Monday where I am. If you started at 6pm EST I might be able to join you.
  • GreyHugeGreyHuge
    That's way too early for me, being 6am Monday where I am. If you started at 6pm EST I might be able to join you.
    and then we might not have enough time to do anything cool.
  • GreyHugeGreyHuge
    I guess if it's just going to be you and me that it might as well be 6PM EST.
    See you then?
  • CremlianCremlian
    I'm up for a "learn the game" multiplayer game, might be able to convince Rubin as well.
  • AprecheApreche
    edited January 2011
    I'm up for a "learn the game" multiplayer game, might be able to convince Rubin as well.
    I already sorta learned halfway.
    Post edited by Apreche on
  • GreyHugeGreyHuge
    I already sorta learned halfway.
    Then help me teach. or show us your skillz.
  • AprecheApreche
    I already sorta learned halfway.
    Then help me teach. or show us your skillz.
    You mean my complete lack of skills.
  • lackofcheeselackofcheese
    edited January 2011
    Hmm, 6PM EST is 9AM on Monday for me, but a "learn the game" game could be fun.
    Post edited by lackofcheese on
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