EU3 Modification Question

[DisturbedPervert]

Superfast colonization is a problem. In the game I'm playing, NA has almost filled up to the Mississippi by about 1575 (i started my game in 1493). I have most of them--I wouldn't have wanted to go so fast, but Portugal had already taken the southern US so I felt I had to go quickly to get the rest. Conquering the Cherokee and Iroquois was a big help (Plus when you convert those provinces, they not only become your religion but also your culture, and I've converted all of them).

I'm at 1600 and started the same date as you, and the entire eastern coast of the new world is taken, mostly at city level, split between me in the south, and England, France, and Spain in the north.  I also have South Africa and the Spice Islands built up to city level.  I know Portugal is kind of a noob country, but colonization and exploration now seems much easier than playing as any of the historical colonizers in EU2.

[alfred russel]

Superfast colonization is a problem. In the game I'm playing, NA has almost filled up to the Mississippi by about 1575 (i started my game in 1493). I have most of them--I wouldn't have wanted to go so fast, but Portugal had already taken the southern US so I felt I had to go quickly to get the rest. Conquering the Cherokee and Iroquois was a big help (Plus when you convert those provinces, they not only become your religion but also your culture, and I've converted all of them).

I'm at 1600 and started the same date as you, and the entire eastern coast of the new world is taken, mostly at city level, split between me in the south, and England, France, and Spain in the north.  I also have South Africa and the Spice Islands built up to city level.  I know Portugal is kind of a noob country, but colonization and exploration now seems much easier than playing as any of the historical colonizers in EU2.

For me, I (England) have most of Canada and America up to the Mississippi except for the American South and the Delaware, Maryland Pennsylvania region, which are primarily Portugese--that seems to be their spot for colonizing rather than Brazil--which makes sense I suppose.

France has the Aztecs, South America is sparsely colonized, with a variety of countries contributing, and Spaid has the Incas.

I'm thinking this could be tweaked: perhaps you should only get 1 colonist every 5 years, and only Spain and Portugal start with the ability to found colonies until about 1600, when France and England pick it up. Plus all the Indian tribes excluding the Aztecs and Inca should go.

[Barrister]

I'm thinking this could be tweaked: perhaps you should only get 1 colonist every 5 years, and only Spain and Portugal start with the ability to found colonies until about 1600, when France and England pick it up. Plus all the Indian tribes excluding the Aztecs and Inca should go.

That's very contrary to the intent of EU3 which was to get away from hard-coding certain things for certain countries...

[alfred russel]

I'm thinking this could be tweaked: perhaps you should only get 1 colonist every 5 years, and only Spain and Portugal start with the ability to found colonies until about 1600, when France and England pick it up. Plus all the Indian tribes excluding the Aztecs and Inca should go.

That's very contrary to the intent of EU3 which was to get away from hard-coding certain things for certain countries...

first, it already is hardcoded. But second and most important, I don't think it is sane that 50 years before the English made their first colony in America, I have more expensive North American holdings than they did in 1776. And the reason I got them was because if I didn't, Portugal seemed like they were about to.

[Barrister]

I'm thinking this could be tweaked: perhaps you should only get 1 colonist every 5 years, and only Spain and Portugal start with the ability to found colonies until about 1600, when France and England pick it up. Plus all the Indian tribes excluding the Aztecs and Inca should go.

That's very contrary to the intent of EU3 which was to get away from hard-coding certain things for certain countries...

first, it already is hardcoded. But second and most important, I don't think it is sane that 50 years before the English made their first colony in America, I have more expensive North American holdings than they did in 1776. And the reason I got them was because if I didn't, Portugal seemed like they were about to.

I wasn't arguing with your observation, only with your proposed solution.

And colonization isn't hardcoded.  It's shaped by the nature of the missions that are given to certain countries, but anybody if they take the right National Ideal can go exploring...

[ulmont]

And colonization isn't hardcoded.  It's shaped by the nature of the missions that are given to certain countries, but anybody if they take the right National Ideal can go exploring...

I think the order of National Ideas is hardcoded by country (see common/countries/*, look for historical_ideas).  In IN, I don't think any country is set with Quest For The New World first, and only a few have it second.

[crazy canuck]

In what situations does an inheritance/personal union situation happen?  If I'm at +200 relations, alliance, and royal marriage can a James I/VI situation happen?  And what happens in my gameplay?

Whenever you have a royal marriage with someone, upon the death of the king (yours or thiers) there is a chance that the nation who lost their king will be inherited by the other nation or enter a personal union.  A player nation can never be inherited by an AI nation but a player nation can be the junior partner in a personal union. 

I am not sure of all the modifiers for those chances.  I assume that things such as having a good relationship and alliance modify the chances.  But I dont think that relative size matters.  I have had a royal marriage with much smaller nations and still become a junior partner in a personal union when my monarch dies.

If a personal union occurs then the only way to break it is to have a poor relationship (cant remember if it is below 0 or below +100) at the time the monarch of the senior country dies.  If that occurs then you regain your nation.

The effect of being subject to a personal union is the same as being a vassal.  You can make no international diplomat moves on your own - eg declare war, sue for independant peace, arrange marriages etc.  You are effectively handcuffed for the period of the personal union.

On the bright side if as Scotland you were able to become the senior partner in such a personal union then the chances of inheriting England are much better.

[Drakken]

If a personal union occurs then the only way to break it is to have a poor relationship (cant remember if it is below 0 or below +100) at the time the monarch of the senior country dies.  If that occurs then you regain your nation.

Negative relations, so below 0.

[dps]

And colonization isn't hardcoded.  It's shaped by the nature of the missions that are given to certain countries, but anybody if they take the right National Ideal can go exploring...

I think the order of National Ideas is hardcoded by country (see common/countries/*, look for historical_ideas).  In IN, I don't think any country is set with Quest For The New World first, and only a few have it second.

I don't think it's hardcoded, but I'll run a few checks.  There is no doubt that with IN 3.1, countries tend not to take it as early as they used to (partly because you have to have Trade 7 first--which incidentally, the introduction of pre-recs for NI is one of the reasons I pretty sure that NIs aren't hardcoded).

[Barrister]

I'm finally making progress on a Scotland game.

I'm doing whatever I can to keep my French allies happy (which means joining every silly war they start, but not joining any other alliance and risk them starting a war with France).  I'm helped by England getting the mission to take Normandy.  England gets into a silly war with Morocco, then starts a war with an Irish minor.

I had warned England, and guaranteed Ireland, so that's my sign.  I crank up my spending slider to all income and pump out as many mercenaries as I can (my manpower is shot to hell after just a couple of units).  But England is largely distracted by Ireland, and by France taking England's French provinces.  I manage to beseige 5 or 6 English provinces, and one unit of rebels appears as well.

But then things start to go sideways.  All of my income is going towards unit maintenance - I'm so far beyond my support limits it isn't funny.  Which means no money for mercs.  England starts focusing on me, and takes back a province.  They vassalize the Irish minor (better than an annex I guss), and then France sues for a separate peace (those traitorous dogs) demanding England set Cornwall free.

So with no allies I sue for the best peace I can, and get Cumbria.

But I guess this sets the pattern for future wars.  Get England sidetracked elsewhere, keep France in the game (in retrospect it was good they didn't demand any of England's French territories), and then strike when the war exhaustion is up.  And also answers how to destroy England without becoming England - split it up instead.

[alfred russel]

I'm finally making progress on a Scotland game.

I'm doing whatever I can to keep my French allies happy (which means joining every silly war they start, but not joining any other alliance and risk them starting a war with France).  I'm helped by England getting the mission to take Normandy.  England gets into a silly war with Morocco, then starts a war with an Irish minor.

I had warned England, and guaranteed Ireland, so that's my sign.  I crank up my spending slider to all income and pump out as many mercenaries as I can (my manpower is shot to hell after just a couple of units).  But England is largely distracted by Ireland, and by France taking England's French provinces.  I manage to beseige 5 or 6 English provinces, and one unit of rebels appears as well.

But then things start to go sideways.  All of my income is going towards unit maintenance - I'm so far beyond my support limits it isn't funny.  Which means no money for mercs.  England starts focusing on me, and takes back a province.  They vassalize the Irish minor (better than an annex I guss), and then France sues for a separate peace (those traitorous dogs) demanding England set Cornwall free.

So with no allies I sue for the best peace I can, and get Cumbria.

But I guess this sets the pattern for future wars.  Get England sidetracked elsewhere, keep France in the game (in retrospect it was good they didn't demand any of England's French territories), and then strike when the war exhaustion is up.  And also answers how to destroy England without becoming England - split it up instead.

Sounds like you did well--every war should get easier as you lift provinces from them. Hopefully now they won't declare war on you and your French allies back out.

[Barrister]

Sounds like you did well--every war should get easier as you lift provinces from them. Hopefully now they won't declare war on you and your French allies back out.

That's the plan at least - but losing Cumbria and Cornwall isn't that big a loss, and now England has a big, fat CB on me.  We'll see though.

I also lucked out and got a 6* inflation busting great man to start, so even after running that war I'm down to about 1.3% inflation, and should have it at zero in a decade.

Man - why didn't I buy this game a long time ago?

[alfred russel]

Sounds like you did well--every war should get easier as you lift provinces from them. Hopefully now they won't declare war on you and your French allies back out.

That's the plan at least - but losing Cumbria and Cornwall isn't that big a loss, and now England has a big, fat CB on me.  We'll see though.

I also lucked out and got a 6* inflation busting great man to start, so even after running that war I'm down to about 1.3% inflation, and should have it at zero in a decade.

Man - why didn't I buy this game a long time ago?

It is probably a good thing because I bet it was overwhelmed with bugs and other quircky "features" that took two expansion packs and several patches to fix.

I'm fairly far into my game around 1650--though I've only fought one real war when Scotland and France attacked me around 1495 so I've basically been turning things up to the fastest speed my computer can take and watching the years roll by. Inflation isn't that big of a problem long term--if you get the national bank idea that gives you an automatic -0.1 inflation. My inflation was close to 9 and it is now down to 0, and I'm doing quite a bit of minting.

I'll say the game is better than I expected, with a real balance of power in the game I'm playing. But that probably has a lot to do with me not trying very hard to expand my power base.

[alfred russel]

Also, since you guys said that I should wait to get the game until I concluded it was too easy and needed the changes, I've now bought the game and come to the same conclusion.

Also, I'd like to tone down colonization and take out all the native countries besides the Aztecs and Incas.

[Barrister]

Also, since you guys said that I should wait to get the game until I concluded it was too easy and needed the changes, I've now bought the game and come to the same conclusion.

Also, I'd like to tone down colonization and take out all the native countries besides the Aztecs and Incas.

Well at least not you have a better idea what changes you'd like to make.

Yeah, reading a little bit on Paradox (I can't go there at work, which is why I'm posting here) complaints against colonization speed were numerous.  I wonder if the simple solution isn't to just reduce the rate you get colonists dramatically - like by a factor of ten.