Just curious ... best PI game (EU engine evolution only)?

[MarkShot]

I've owned EUII, Victoria I, and HOI I.  I played the two former and hardly any of the third.

I am just curious what people think is the best PI game and why?  I would like to confined this to games based on the EU engine and its later evolution ... since PI these days markets many game.  So, just the descendants of the original EU.  The game put forth doesn't have to be the latest release of a series, but could be an earlier one.  I remember when EU3 was released there was a strong debate between EU2's historical context versus EU3's open sandbox.

I'm just curious.  Maybe in 2013, I may revisit the realtime grand strategy genre again.  I certainly won't be investing either time or money in 5 titles ... only one ... so, I am interested to hear your opinions.

Thanks.

[Nefaro]

Crusader Kings 2, without a doubt.

While still having all the trappings of the previous PI games, it also has the character/dynasty system so there's just a lot more to it.  The others often feel like I'm just punching high time compression and watching for long stints.  This one actually has me thinking up plots, and checking up on people in the game, while things are moving along. It also has many more events happening than previous ones and the political landscape doesn't just stay static over those long time-compressed periods, either.

[undercovergeek]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dRWH_seUNRo

CKII

[jomni]

Like everyone else, I'd go for CK2.
EU3 comes in second if you want more country management.

[Kushan]

CK2 hands down. I own both EU3 and Vicky 2 and havent been able to play more then a few minutes of each. I'm having a hard time putting CK2 down at the moment.

[MarkShot]

What engine was CKII built on? EUII or Clauswicz?

Is CKII the ultimate release or are their a series of expansions?

What about mods?

How important is warring in CKII? I am not interested in heavy warmongering.

Is there a CKIII on the horizon?

Thanks.

[Bison]

CK2 is like a wargaming chick-flick.  It's all about love, romance, relationships, backstabbing and gossip.

[jomni]

What engine was CKII built on? EUII or Clauswicz?

Is CKII the ultimate release or are their a series of expansions?

What about mods?

How important is warring in CKII? I am not interested in heavy warmongering.

Is there a CKIII on the horizon?

Thanks.

CKII already has one expansion (Islam) and another one is coming (Byzantine).   
CKIII is still quite distant I suppose.

War is just a means to expand your influence and prestige but it is not the main focus of the game.

[MarkShot]

Not a whole lot of enthusiasm for PI games here. For all you know, I could be talking about submarines!

[Nefaro]

What engine was CKII built on? EUII or Clauswicz?

It's a highly improved version of the EU3 Clausewitz engine, I believe.  I'd call it Clausewitz 1.5 or something as it's much improved.  They started using the new features in Sengoku and now Crusader Kings 2 so this iteration is pretty new.

More informative interface is the most notable change.  Note the little army icon panels in CK2 and Sengoku that shows army strength, coat of arms, and their relation to you via color(hostile/neutral/ally).   Such at-a-glance additions to the interface have been a nice improvement.  And it now auto-pauses when an event pops up requiring your decision (finally!)!!

[MetalDog]

I played a lot of HOI:2 vanilla and enjoyed it immensely.  It has enough of the country management aspects that I like.  I like the combat and the real time pause.

So far, I like CKII for the feel of belonging to history that I get in playing it.  Making the decisions for myself and my courtiers.  The playing of descendants keeps you invested in keeping them whole and prosperous.

However, those are the only two PI games I have played.