Europa Universalis IV announced

[DGuller]

Edit2: the reason for the conficting ideas rules is to give choice at all. Rather than take all asap, you have to pick which suits you best and which of the other groups you prefer. Right now there is one best choice (take all of them) for all players.

The fact that you dont like people optimizing ideas for MP play isnt a very compelling reason to make a rule against optimizing ideas for MP play.

On the other hand, strategic games where the optimal moves are no-brainers are a bit flawed.

[Viking]

Edit2: the reason for the conficting ideas rules is to give choice at all. Rather than take all asap, you have to pick which suits you best and which of the other groups you prefer. Right now there is one best choice (take all of them) for all players.

The fact that you dont like people optimizing ideas for MP play isnt a very compelling reason to make a rule against optimizing ideas for MP play.

What I really don't like is new players bitching about how the game is broken when they try to fight with 110% discipline vs 156%.

[crazy canuck]

Edit2: the reason for the conficting ideas rules is to give choice at all. Rather than take all asap, you have to pick which suits you best and which of the other groups you prefer. Right now there is one best choice (take all of them) for all players.

The fact that you dont like people optimizing ideas for MP play isnt a very compelling reason to make a rule against optimizing ideas for MP play.

On the other hand, strategic games where the optimal moves are no-brainers are a bit flawed.

Human players are always going to optimize their chances in MP games.  But even Viking concedes that not everyone does the same thing all the time.  It would be pretty odd to see the potential exploration countries taking only military ideas as an example.

[Viking]

Edit2: the reason for the conficting ideas rules is to give choice at all. Rather than take all asap, you have to pick which suits you best and which of the other groups you prefer. Right now there is one best choice (take all of them) for all players.

The fact that you dont like people optimizing ideas for MP play isnt a very compelling reason to make a rule against optimizing ideas for MP play.

On the other hand, strategic games where the optimal moves are no-brainers are a bit flawed.

Human players are always going to optimize their chances in MP games.  But even Viking concedes that not everyone does the same thing all the time.  It would be pretty odd to see the potential exploration countries taking only military ideas as an example.

My Idea Choices as Spain in the Question of Initiative game, in order

Exploration
Offensive
Adminstrative (for the Militia Act)
Defensive
Quality
Naval

I managed to get up to 171% discipline with some nice events. My only reason for not going quantity too was that I had carpeted europe in stock exchanges and had the highest force limits.

[DGuller]

Speaking of unbalanced, the stock exchanges.  Why choose between land force limits, naval force limits, or income, when you can have all three?  In my Russia game, I find it very amusing that every Siberian province, within 10 years of being colonized, has a shiny new stock exchange.

[Viking]

Speaking of unbalanced, the stock exchanges.  Why choose between land force limits, naval force limits, or income, when you can have all three?  In my Russia game, I find it very amusing that every Siberian province, within 10 years of being colonized, has a shiny new stock exchange.

Comparing stock exchanges with naval and land buildings...

In coastal provinces two stock exchanges will give you 5 ships ans 2.5 regiments, one naval and one land will give you 4 ships and 2 regiments with the massive cash bonus replaced with naval repair and manpower in addition to recruitment time.

In countries with virtually only coastal provinces (scandinavia, portugal, britain, holland) you will need one naval base for repair and the peace time production line. If you are prussia you might want a conscription center just because your ideas give you 1 day recruitment.

Inland you might choose to build conscription centers in the most manpower heavy provinces and stock exchanges in the richest provinces (first)

I've never built a government level 6 building, but I have built a level 6 fort.. on my march.   

[DGuller]

I once built a couple of level 6 government buildings in dirt poor provinces, when I had more cash that I knew what to do with, and having a lock on every cardinal became more important.

[Viking]

I once built a couple of level 6 government buildings in dirt poor provinces, when I had more cash that I knew what to do with, and having a lock on every cardinal became more important.

in MP most people convert, the -1 RR for the true faith isn't good enough for catholicism, since spain usually corners most of the cardinals. Going protestant for ideas and production or reformed for trade is worth more.

[DGuller]

I once built a couple of level 6 government buildings in dirt poor provinces, when I had more cash that I knew what to do with, and having a lock on every cardinal became more important.

in MP most people convert, the -1 RR for the true faith isn't good enough for catholicism, since spain usually corners most of the cardinals. Going protestant for ideas and production or reformed for trade is worth more.

Agreed, but converting to Protestantism when none of your provinces actually flipped on their own can be very problematic.

[crazy canuck]

Agreed, but converting to Protestantism when none of your provinces actually flipped on their own can be very problematic.

One of the recent patches made it more likely that provinces would convert by event if the state religion converted.  I found it pretty easy to make the change.

[Viking]

I once built a couple of level 6 government buildings in dirt poor provinces, when I had more cash that I knew what to do with, and having a lock on every cardinal became more important.

in MP most people convert, the -1 RR for the true faith isn't good enough for catholicism, since spain usually corners most of the cardinals. Going protestant for ideas and production or reformed for trade is worth more.

Agreed, but converting to Protestantism when none of your provinces actually flipped on their own can be very problematic.

The most significant factor you need to consider when converting is that the mtth for the random conversions depend on state religion and time since reformation starting, adjacent province religion and if you are the source of the reformation.

So convert day 1 of the reformation and use your missionary to start with the quickest to convert province with the most neighbors. Sometimes only random events can convert some places (danzig has 12 initial tax base and you need quite a bit of modifiers to convert that place regularly). Basically convert day 1 and send a missionary to the lowest tax base province you have to get a province converted quickly so the free random events hit.

[Queequeg]

If you can afford DoF, that extra missionary really helps out a ton.  You can leave religious turmoil in a decade fairly easily. 

[Josquius]

I eventually did it with Byzantium! They decided to mop up Turkish minors rather than me which allowed me to declare war and grab a province in Europe, trapping their forces in Anatolia. Shortly after their peace treaty with me expired they got involved in a war with Crimea...so I again nipped in and grabbed a province. They had significant forces in Europe this time but combined with the Crimean armies I managed to pull through.
What really did it was when they were allied with Crimea and some eastern muslims decided to try and conquer Crimea. Whilst the Turks were away in the east with the Timurids I grabbed most of Europe. I'm now entering a normal game.


Two points:

Inability to take the Turkish capital in a peace deal SUCKS. But alas its a old problem in paradox games.
The lack of events about the restoration of Byzantium dissapoints me.

[garbon]

I believe the Byzantines got similar events as one of the preorder bonuses.

[Sophie Scholl]

I believe the Byzantines got similar events as one of the preorder bonuses.

Yep.  Purple Phoenix.