Europa Universalis IV announced

[Ideologue]

Spain just fucks you in the ass. You just can't hope to have something comparable to the Spanish and Portugeues navies. I got close to France but they ended up getting fucking bukkaked after an attempted bobbing and now I'm getting fucked too. Shit, fuck this I'm playing Ming Dynasty.

You can be really sex negative, Psellus.

[PRC]

Yeah as Portugal only Europe wars I had were ones started by Spain and I never contributed.

In my game as Portugal I pitched in some blockading and swept the seas with my Grand Fleet but stayed out of any land battles from the numerous times Castile or England have declared war on France.

[Caliga]

@ide His mom is gonna wash his mouth out of he doesn't stop swearing so much.

[DGuller]

Doh, I didn't realize that you have to set the direction of trade steering manually.  All this time I was steering trade from Ragusa to Wien.  I kind of assumed that the trader would be default steer to Venice, since it's my capital node.    That extra 7 income would've quite useful as I'm struggling to hold back everyone on all fronts.

[Richard Hakluyt]

There also seems to be a bug, when you annex a country the trade steering can change direction.

[Queequeg]

Oh holy living Christ Fuck on the Fuck. 

I did really well as the Dutch.  Got all of the Flemish provinces out of the 80 Years' War, and have succeeded in largely staying out of the chaos of European politics.  Let the Habsurgs and French kill eachother.

But the "Dutch Republic" event hit when I had a regency council, and seeing as how elections are triggered by death of a Stadtholder, I think I'm fucked.

[Legbiter]

There also seems to be a bug, when you annex a country the trade steering can change direction.

Yikes, spotted this as well.

[Queequeg]

After about 5 years I got an election.

In a delicious historical irony, I'm really close allies with the Austrians, having fought three wars with the French.  I'm basically the naval wing of the Austrian Empire at this point, not giving a shit about the Thirty Year's War while I build my Empire in Africa, Indonesia and Australia.  It's awesome.

So how exactly does transfer trade power work?  I have 15 light ships patrolling all of the big trade centers near Antwerp and Malaaca, but I wonder if I would be making a lot of money if I had a merchant transfer trade from Canton down to Malacca?  Could it then be sent to Cape?

[The Brain]

After about 5 years I got an election.

Don't buy your Viagra from spam e-mails.

[DGuller]

After about 5 years I got an election.

In a delicious historical irony, I'm really close allies with the Austrians, having fought three wars with the French.  I'm basically the naval wing of the Austrian Empire at this point, not giving a shit about the Thirty Year's War while I build my Empire in Africa, Indonesia and Australia.  It's awesome.

So how exactly does transfer trade power work?  I have 15 light ships patrolling all of the big trade centers near Antwerp and Malaaca, but I wonder if I would be making a lot of money if I had a merchant transfer trade from Canton down to Malacca?  Could it then be sent to Cape?

You want to transfer trade from the nodes that flow into your capital node (or to the nodes that flow to the nodes to your capital node, and so on).  The key to trade is to make sure that your capital node collects as much stuff as possible, and not just what the provinces in it produce.

[Viking]

After about 5 years I got an election.

In a delicious historical irony, I'm really close allies with the Austrians, having fought three wars with the French.  I'm basically the naval wing of the Austrian Empire at this point, not giving a shit about the Thirty Year's War while I build my Empire in Africa, Indonesia and Australia.  It's awesome.

So how exactly does transfer trade power work?  I have 15 light ships patrolling all of the big trade centers near Antwerp and Malaaca, but I wonder if I would be making a lot of money if I had a merchant transfer trade from Canton down to Malacca?  Could it then be sent to Cape?

This is how trade works

http://forum.paradoxplaza.com/forum/showthread.php?707915-Oooh-Shinies!-A-Guide-to-the-EU4-Trade-System

Basically you want to move trade to where you can collect it.

You have a -50% malus to trade income collected outside your home node (the node in which you capital is)

Light Ships give you trade power which increases the percentage of trade you control in a node. In your home node you always collect, in upstream nodes you always forward on, in downstream node you always transfer upstream.

Placing a merchant means you can change the action and/or direct the trade. Having hundreds of light ships about will mean nothing if the second to last node is dominated by somebody else who can collect it all.

[Anatron]

Doh, I didn't realize that you have to set the direction of trade steering manually.  All this time I was steering trade from Ragusa to Wien.  I kind of assumed that the trader would be default steer to Venice, since it's my capital node.    That extra 7 income would've quite useful as I'm struggling to hold back everyone on all fronts.

Anyway the trade steering is bugged.After a certain time the merchants "loosing" the setted directions.I have to check them time after time.I hope in the next patch they will fix this too.

[HVC]

fucking france

[Queequeg]

My old Dutch game fucked up.  France attacked while I was building a new fleet and my army was in Australia and the Indies.  Austria didn't honor my alliance. 

Just in case anyone wonders what the key is to playing as the Dutch in 1587 is, I think I've found the few keys.

1) Don't have your fleet protect trade at first.  All that matters is defending the coast.  Only priority.
2) ROYAL MARRIAGE WITH FRANCE!  France will NOT allow Spain troop access if the United Provinces and are fuckbuddies with the House of Capet.  Amsterdam falls 2 years after France grants Spain military access.  NOT OPTIONAL.  Just quit once you see that 40k death stack moving across central France.
3) It's basically a game of isolating smaller siege Spanish armies, picking them off, and then fucking up the big Spanish army before the whole Royal Armada shows up.  There's a big 18-24 stack in Vlandeern, and if you have military access through France you can attack from Calais and not get the river penalty.  Fucks the Papists right up. 
4) You can ally right off with Switzerland and Scotland and they can help out.  The Swiss can take Spanish holdings in the Franche-Comte and Lombardia.

Why isn't there unique national options for Tuscany?  I find that really, really weird.  The Medicis?

[Anatron]

My old Dutch game fucked up.  France attacked while I was building a new fleet and my army was in Australia and the Indies.  Austria didn't honor my alliance. 

Just in case anyone wonders what the key is to playing as the Dutch in 1587 is, I think I've found the few keys.

1) Don't have your fleet protect trade at first.  All that matters is defending the coast.  Only priority.
2) ROYAL MARRIAGE WITH FRANCE!  France will NOT allow Spain troop access if the United Provinces and are fuckbuddies with the House of Capet.  Amsterdam falls 2 years after France grants Spain military access.  NOT OPTIONAL.  Just quit once you see that 40k death stack moving across central France.
3) It's basically a game of isolating smaller siege Spanish armies, picking them off, and then fucking up the big Spanish army before the whole Royal Armada shows up.  There's a big 18-24 stack in Vlandeern, and if you have military access through France you can attack from Calais and not get the river penalty.  Fucks the Papists right up. 
4) You can ally right off with Switzerland and Scotland and they can help out.  The Swiss can take Spanish holdings in the Franche-Comte and Lombardia.

Why isn't there unique national options for Tuscany?  I find that really, really weird.  The Medicis?

If you like challenges try Genoa.Its fucking hardcore at the first 50 years.If you can defeat and vassalize Milan then Savoy you have chance to grow to a power.Just stay out from the carbibe sea so the spanish and the portugals will not be dangerous for you.The naval bonuses what Genoa gets are awesome. +0,5 moral of navies ,+33% naval limit and -33% naval maintenance cost can form you into bigger naval power then even Spain.