Is EU3 fun yet?

[Barrister]

EUIII without MMP - soon MMP2 - is like a toast without butter.   Those complaining about lack of depth or personality or flavor need MMP.  Simply check the sub-forum devoted to that mod - there are 10 previews of the new incarnation of the mod.

I didn't make any such complaints.

I tend to prefer my games mod-free, or at least mod-light.  The reason is that I find almost all mods to be unbalanced, or to greatly change the nature of the game.  I may well play around with mods later on (hell I made some minor suggestions to EEP back for EU2) but only once I am well done with the original game.

[Syt]

I agree with the esteemed beebster re: mods.

[Grallon]

I didn't make any such complaints.

I tend to prefer my games mod-free, or at least mod-light.  The reason is that I find almost all mods to be unbalanced, or to greatly change the nature of the game.  I may well play around with mods later on (hell I made some minor suggestions to EEP back for EU2) but only once I am well done with the original game.

I didn't say you said so.  It was a general comment.  But the whole mod is designed to straightened everything crooked in the vanilla game, as much as possible.

But then again to each his own. *shrug*



G.

[Barrister]

So I'm playing EU3 now, and finding that it is indeed fun.

EU3 complete, all patches, no mods.

Playing around as Venice - surprisingly I never played Venice in any previous incarnation.  Having fun, in particular by trying to be much more "Venetian" in my game style - heavy investments in trading, otherwise less militaristic.  Again, much different from how I usually played previous incarnations (which was either heavily militaristic/narrowminded, or a heavy colonizing game).

A few questions have popped into mind though:

-is there any way to reduce inflation?  In order to finance the few wars I did engage in, as well as to be able to utilize all of my merchants I have let inflation run up to 5% or so.  Not bad, but typically I like to keep it very close to zero.  It was governors in EU2 if I recall...

-you start out with a few off-culture provinces, such as Crete and Athens.  I wonder about just releasing them as vassals so I can maximize my tech spending.  Thoughts?

-Finally, once I hit 1500 I'm considering trying out the colonizing game.  Will I get any explorers?  Or do I need to start buttering up the Spanish/portuguese for some map trading?

Bumped to the second page.

Any suggestions?

[crazy canuck]

BB, you can use a government idea to reduce inflation. Forget the name of it.  Eventually when your government tech gets around 30 or so you will be able to build improvements that reduce inflation.  There are also random events which occur from time to time to reduce or increase inflation.

Keep in mind though that this game is balanced differently in regards to inflation and so inflation will always be with you to some degree if you want to keep spending on other things.

Regarding culture - Your culture will spread over time so dont dump provinces unless they are uneconomical (ie have bad resources/low incomes or tariffs).

You dont get explorers randomly anymore.   You need to buy them just as you would buy an admiral.  But you can only do that if you get the Quest for the New World Idea which you can select after your trading tech is 7 (I think).

There is no exchanging of maps in this game.  You will learn what others have discovered 50 years after the discovery.  50 years is the default setting which can be adjusted in the options before you start a game.

[Barrister]

Thaks CC.  That very nicely answers all of my questions.   

[ulmont]

-is there any way to reduce inflation?  In order to finance the few wars I did engage in, as well as to be able to utilize all of my merchants I have let inflation run up to 5% or so.  Not bad, but typically I like to keep it very close to zero.  It was governors in EU2 if I recall...

4 different ways.

1) The National Bank national idea lowers inflation by 0.1% annually.
2) The Master of Mint advisors lower inflation by 0.02% per level annually (so a level 6 Master of Mint lowers inflation by 0.12% per year).
3) Levels of centralization lower inflation by 0.02% per level annualy (so at 5 centralization inflation is lowered by 0.10% per year).
4) Tax assessors function like the old governors.

-Finally, once I hit 1500 I'm considering trying out the colonizing game.  Will I get any explorers?  Or do I need to start buttering up the Spanish/portuguese for some map trading?

To get an explorer, you must pick the national idea "Quest For The New World."  Then you can spend around 50 ducats and 1 colonist to buy an explorer or a conquistador.  Alternately, you will by default receive all latin nations' discoveries 50 years after they make them.

[Barrister]

Hmm... in order to do any serious exploring though I think I'll need a port somewhat closer to the Atlantic.  Hmmm... Perhaps a sudden strike on Granada would do...

[crazy canuck]

Thanks Ulmont.  I missed out the advisor and centralization options.


To your question BB.  Naval tech increases colonization range and you can get an advisor that also increases range.  Some nations can also pick events that will grant extended range - I think Portugual is the best for that.

By the time your naval tech gives you enough range as Venice all the good spots will probably already be taken by the traditional colonizers.  The best chance you have is if the game unfolds in a way that reduces the colonizing efforts of Spain and Portugual so that there are decent colonial choices left.  But then you have to hope that France and England have not already fillled the void - which they almost always do.

However I have seen the Papal States become a significant colonizer so its not impossible.

Note also that you cannot trace colonial range from non-core ports.  So when you do conquer a closer port you have to wait until it turns into a core province before you can use that to extend your range.

[Josquius]

I wonder; do you think reformatting my computer might make the game run faster?

[Barrister]

I have no problem with the speed of the game. 

Well, I suppose I do.  I find the very top speed too fast for me, but the lowest three speed settings are WAAAY too slow.  I wish there were a setting in between the 4th and 5th speed,,,

[garbon]

I may well play around with mods later on (hell I made some minor suggestions to EEP back for EU2) but only once I am well done with the original game.

Creating a Canada mod was hardly a helpful suggestion.

[sbr]

So I'm playing EU3 now, and finding that it is indeed fun.

EU3 complete, all patches, no mods.

Playing around as Venice - surprisingly I never played Venice in any previous incarnation.  Having fun, in particular by trying to be much more "Venetian" in my game style - heavy investments in trading, otherwise less militaristic.  Again, much different from how I usually played previous incarnations (which was either heavily militaristic/narrowminded, or a heavy colonizing game).

A few questions have popped into mind though:

-is there any way to reduce inflation?  In order to finance the few wars I did engage in, as well as to be able to utilize all of my merchants I have let inflation run up to 5% or so.  Not bad, but typically I like to keep it very close to zero.  It was governors in EU2 if I recall...

The National Bank national idea redues inflation, as do Tax assessors, which you can get at Gov Tech level 31.

-Finally, once I hit 1500 I'm considering trying out the colonizing game.  Will I get any explorers?  Or do I need to start buttering up the Spanish/portuguese for some map trading?

You need the Quest for the New World Idea then you recruit explorers just like leaders.

[Solmyr]

Played England under MMP in the last few days. Started by making peace with France and giving them Gascony and Calais (keeping my cores on French provinces for later to buy them off if needed). Scotland immediately DOWed me but I managed to crush them, reduced them to Lothian and vassalized. Puttered about until the Reformation came, converted to Protestantism, country went to shit. Main wave of conversion happened under the otherwise unremarkable Queen Jane I. At the same time the Irish and France DOWed me and I honestly thought I was screwed, but it turned out that France is unable to land troops in Britain so eventually I made a white peace and crushed the Irish.
Once that was done I let some pretender rebels win and the next king James I was a prodigy (as was his son Henry VII). England is now well on the way to becoming a great power (although it devolved to a Duchy during all the clusterfuck, since prestige went through the floor). I'm steadily colonizing North America and have already conquered the Injuns there. Most of England and Scotland and part of Ireland are Protestant by now. Diploannexed Scotland and recently Leinster, thus taking over the British Isles entirely; now just waiting for cores on some Scottish provinces to declare Great Britain.

Anyway, this game illustrates my problems with MMP. European colonization is woefully late; Aztecs and Incas haven't even had contact with Europeans yet in 1600, Spain just barely began colonizing the Carribean and Argentina; Portugal painted Brazil green but ignored Africa and India; France started on Canada. I guess more expensive colonies are to blame, but it just doesn't feel right. Also, the eastern majors (Austria, Russia, Ottomans) are completely unambitious. Russia took over the other minors and is now just sitting there doing nothing; Ottomans took over the Balkans but have no interest in Hungary or Egypt; and Austria is still divided and has never been elected HRE (they are actually electing Protestants now). I hope MMP can fix these things somehow.

[Caliga]

Colonization in the EU games is just flat-out broken and always has been.

I have NEVER seen the Portuguese Empire achieve what it did historically.  It can and usually does settle Brazil and portions of Africa, but it almost never seems to get a foothold in India and Ceylon, and I've never seen it take the Moluccas.