Europa Universalis IV announced

[The Brain]

I suggest a victory condition of having fun.

[Solmyr]

One quick example is when Alci played France, and you played Spain.  France needed to be contained to keep the game balanced, and Brandenburg/Austria/Italy were willing to do that on the other side of it, but after one lost war you basically gave up on that and played for second place.

Well excuse me for not trusting Austria after Tamas fucked up our first war so badly that my country got thrown into chaos for decades right in the beginning of the game. I wasn't eager to let myself be caught in the same situation again. In the same game though I was involved in every war against the Ottomans, and took a crack at the Mughals (who were probably stronger than France, overall, having no direct competitors in all of Asia).

Anyway, I've learned things from our games and am willing to give it a shot. Even limited fun is better than none. Can't play tomorrow or for most of next week though, as I'll be traveling; can play after that. Would really like to see the old MP gang back. Can't hurt to see how it plays, eh?

[Anatron]

One quick example is when Alci played France, and you played Spain.  France needed to be contained to keep the game balanced, and Brandenburg/Austria/Italy were willing to do that on the other side of it, but after one lost war you basically gave up on that and played for second place.

Well excuse me for not trusting Austria after Tamas fucked up our first war so badly that my country got thrown into chaos for decades right in the beginning of the game. I wasn't eager to let myself be caught in the same situation again. In the same game though I was involved in every war against the Ottomans, and took a crack at the Mughals (who were probably stronger than France, overall, having no direct competitors in all of Asia).

Anyway, I've learned things from our games and am willing to give it a shot. Even limited fun is better than none. Can't play tomorrow or for most of next week though, as I'll be traveling; can play after that. Would really like to see the old MP gang back. Can't hurt to see how it plays, eh?

The Mughals are stronger now compaired what they were in eu3.

[DGuller]

Anyway, we should probably wait for 1.3 before starting any games.  The combat is uber-fucked right now, from what I'm hearing.

[Solmyr]

It is, how?

[DGuller]

It is, how?

http://forum.paradoxplaza.com/forum/showthread.php?728878-Extensive-combat-testing-in-1.22-and-why-combat-number-are-so-skewed

[Zanza]

I played a bit as Brandenburg, but the whacky way the AI determines who is a friend and who is hostile put me off that. Some of it makes sense like Poland hating me for taking Danzig. Same for Bohemia when I started growing at their northern border or Denmark because they want Danzig as well or The Hansa because I rival their hegemony over northern Germany.

But when my former stalwart ally Austria which has +40 trust with me all of a sudden decides that they hate me, it's too random for my taste. I was certainly not the worst blobber in the HRE (Bohemia, Brabant, The Hansa, Austria itself all took more provinces) and I don't understand why they would consider me "hostile" when I joined all their wars, voted for them, didn't have imperial territory without a core etc.

[Anatron]

I played a bit as Brandenburg, but the whacky way the AI determines who is a friend and who is hostile put me off that. Some of it makes sense like Poland hating me for taking Danzig. Same for Bohemia when I started growing at their northern border or Denmark because they want Danzig as well or The Hansa because I rival their hegemony over northern Germany.

But when my former stalwart ally Austria which has +40 trust with me all of a sudden decides that they hate me, it's too random for my taste. I was certainly not the worst blobber in the HRE (Bohemia, Brabant, The Hansa, Austria itself all took more provinces) and I don't understand why they would consider me "hostile" when I joined all their wars, voted for them, didn't have imperial territory without a core etc.

The AI always cheking the power of their negbours.If you are mutch weaker, their attitude will be hostile or dominating.If your power grows fast what means danger to them, they will drop alliances and become rival.You can only keep alliances with an AI long term if you have no borders with your ally.

[Zanza]

I wasn't a neighbor of Austria in this case though, so I have no idea why they all of a sudden switched from friendly to hostile without any observable reason whatsoever.  I had +40 trust, I had joined all their wars, I had voted for them as emperor, I had one of their rivals as my rival too, I had no unlawful imperial territory, I had negligible AE. I had annexed one HRE vassal, but that's all. If you read the Paradox forum, I am not alone complaining about the AI behavior being seemingly completely random in this regard. There doesn't seem to be anything you as a player can do to keep an AI ally as your friend, which is bad game design.

[Anatron]

I wasn't a neighbor of Austria in this case though, so I have no idea why they all of a sudden switched from friendly to hostile without any observable reason whatsoever.  I had +40 trust, I had joined all their wars, I had voted for them as emperor, I had one of their rivals as my rival too, I had no unlawful imperial territory, I had negligible AE. I had annexed one HRE vassal, but that's all. If you read the Paradox forum, I am not alone complaining about the AI behavior being seemingly completely random in this regard. There doesn't seem to be anything you as a player can do to keep an AI ally as your friend, which is bad game design.

Maybe as your power grow, Austria decided you are a threat from now on.

[Zanza]

Seems like it. I tried again and didn't take Danzig this time as I had learned that it is poisonous in my last game. Both Poland and Denmark hate you when you own it, so it is not worth it.

Austria apparently will always start to go hostile against you eventually. This time I got Poland-Lithuania and Greater Denmark as my allies though, so it should be okay.

[Queequeg]

Both are unwise. You'll want Holstein and Lübeck eventually. Go with France and Muscovy.

[Queequeg]

Also getting the Diplomacy idea helps a ton, I can run an alliance of France, GB and Russia as Brandenberg-Prussia.

[Anatron]

Seems like it. I tried again and didn't take Danzig this time as I had learned that it is poisonous in my last game. Both Poland and Denmark hate you when you own it, so it is not worth it.

Austria apparently will always start to go hostile against you eventually. This time I got Poland-Lithuania and Greater Denmark as my allies though, so it should be okay.

Similar thing happened with me when I played as The Papal State.I vassalized Savoy and about 20 years later attacked Aragon for Liguria and Provence.After having Provence I sold it to Savoy to keep the good relation with France.But it does not matter for my France ally.He dropped the alliance immediately and attacked me about 5 year later for Provence.It seems the AI is sensitive for certain provinces or maybe becouse it was in the french region?

[Zanza]

Both are unwise. You'll want Holstein and Lübeck eventually. Go with France and Muscovy.

Muscovy and France are certainly options for the mid- to late game, but right now they are too far away to be of any help. I need allies that send ships and men, not allies that look good on paper.

I assume Denmark will leave me alone for a while as I diplo-annex countries in the HRE. And if they attack me, the Austrian emperor would still come to my defense as an HRE country anyway, so right now I don't need to fear them, but they are immensely helpful against The Hansa or Teutonic Order and the like. And they battle with Poland, so both of them keep each other weak.