I have gotten back into VII with Heart of Darkness and am pleased with the latest add-on. You can no longer spam ships and I really like how small disputes can escalate into wars if not resolved. The crisis system has added a new flavor to the game. The newspaper is a nice touch at first, however I slowly just ignore it.
Colonization is not as easy as before as others and can become quit costly if others are interested in the same area as you are.....
VII has shaped up into a great game and I see Hear of Darkness as a required expansion.
PE
Thanks for that PE. I'm getting back into VII again, and have fired up a game using the PMD mod. I hadn't looked at Heart of Darkness yet, but I will.
Have they added any method to destabilize or undermine a neighboring country besides lowering diplomatic relations or going to war? Funding insurgents, increasing dissent, or other forms of unconventional warfare?
I am looking at Victoria II (base game) right now. Is it worth 40.00 to get the base game and Heart of Darkness? I haven't played a Paradox game since EUI because I found EUI too difficult to get into. Is this a little more accessible?
http://www.amazon.com/Paradox-Interactive-Seas-Bundle-Download/dp/B00AB0RX3Q
Victoria II & House Divided expansion is on sale for $10 right now
Quote from: Gusington on May 22, 2013, 06:36:27 PM
I am looking at Victoria II (base game) right now. Is it worth 40.00 to get the base game and Heart of Darkness? I haven't played a Paradox game since EUI because I found EUI too difficult to get into. Is this a little more accessible?
Amazon has it for sale.... and I feel it is totally worth it. No other game gives you the various aspects of running/guiding a country. It will seem overwhelming at first, however once you get the mechanics down, there is no other game like it... it is really unique from all the other Paradox titles. Das has a lets play on Youtube -> http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLGB6RkFB7ZmM7vLT_QyXV1IO9oMGBuzbI
Dealing with your population is really unique and with other countries.... the politics both internal and external are very fun and can give you fits!
If you go with the Steam version on Amazon
Victoria II $7.49
http://www.amazon.com/Victoria-II-Online-Game-Code/dp/B008EW7S0Q/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1369266060&sr=8-5&keywords=victoria+2
A House Divided DLC $3.49
http://www.amazon.com/Victoria-II-Divided-Expansion-Download/dp/B00A7YY3QG/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1369266060&sr=8-6&keywords=victoria+2
Heart of Darkness $13.99
http://www.amazon.com/Victoria-II-Heart-Darkness-Online/dp/B00C2UC7AC/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1369266060&sr=8-3&keywords=victoria+2
Or the Bundle Above!
The Amazon download version is the same price, however Heart of Darkness is $19.99 with download from Amazon and not Steam Code.
Damn you guys are fast! Thank you!!
But as far as accessibility...have these games evolved since the first EUI? Will I smash my monitor in frustration?
Quote from: eyebiter on May 22, 2013, 05:14:09 PM
Have they added any method to destabilize or undermine a neighboring country besides lowering diplomatic relations or going to war? Funding insurgents, increasing dissent, or other forms of unconventional warfare?
Those are still in place, however when you have a disputed territory things can escalate quick. Major powers can be pulled into the dispute which can escalate to war as powers choose a side of the dispute. If no diplomatic means are met, it can turn into a full fledged regional or world war.
Quote from: Gusington on May 22, 2013, 06:49:43 PM
Damn you guys are fast! Thank you!!
But as far as accessibility...have these games evolved since the first EUI? Will I smash my monitor in frustration?
My advice is to let things play out.... don't try to tweak too much at first, let them happen. I found once I did this, I enjoyed it more. The one thing I love about this game is that every country plays differently and has different set of problems. Other Paradox games are close to being the same as different countries.
Ease into it at first, let things play out and don't feel too rushed. As you play through begin to tweak things and the more you play the more you will learn what and when you want to tweak. Most people quit at first because they try to do too much....
Vic II is a game you ease into, don't try it in one biet and watch Das's videos will help a lot.
OK thanks man. Who do you like to play as?
Quote from: Gusington on May 22, 2013, 06:59:40 PM
OK thanks man. Who do you like to play as?
I do not suggest UK or a Major power at first.... I believe in Das's video he plays Argentina which is a pretty mellow start... however there are issues with the country. Your economic base is not that great and you really have to watch your budget starting out. You are far removed and it would be an interesting goal to try and dominate South America, however Brazil will have something to say about that.
I would recommend following Das's video and maybe playing as Argentina and using Das as a reference. That should help get you off the ground.... then maybe play as Prussia or Austria or another power.
Cool thank you.
Gus, your ADD can't handle that game. Who are you kidding? On topic, I've yet to play the vanilla game I have installed, but, would you recommend having the expansions before I get into it, or should I get some experience under my belt with the base game and THEN go for the expansions?
Quote from: MetalDog on May 22, 2013, 10:07:52 PM
Gus, your ADD can't handle that game. Who are you kidding? On topic, I've yet to play the vanilla game I have installed, but, would you recommend having the expansions before I get into it, or should I get some experience under my belt with the base game and THEN go for the expansions?
I would recommend getting the expansions first.... at least start with A House Divided, it makes the game a lot better. If you wanted to wait on Heart of Darkness then that would be ok, but I really like heart of darkness... I feel they finally got Vik II right.
Some felt the vanilla was a watch and see it happening (hands off), but it is not that way now. The expansions add a lot of interesting elements to the game.... don't let it scare you off, most give up on it because they try to jump in head first.... as you learn the game it is very rewarding, so much so I love failing :-) Being drawn into a world war when you economy is not doing so well makes for a fun day!
PE
Das24680 Vic2 HoD Lets Play
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLGB6RkFB7ZmM7vLT_QyXV1IO9oMGBuzbI (http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLGB6RkFB7ZmM7vLT_QyXV1IO9oMGBuzbI)
Three Moves Ahead also talked about Vic 2/HoD on this weeks podcast.
http://www.idlethumbs.net/3ma/episodes/victoria-day (http://www.idlethumbs.net/3ma/episodes/victoria-day)
Thanks, PE. Paradox is probably my favorite game maker. I've been a huge HOI 2 fan for years and they make my current favorite, Warlock. I will say that they can make games that escape me. Europa Universalis being a prime example.
Quote from: MetalDog on May 22, 2013, 10:33:42 PM
Thanks, PE. Paradox is probably my favorite game maker. I've been a huge HOI 2 fan for years and they make my current favorite, Warlock. I will say that they can make games that escape me. Europa Universalis being a prime example.
Vic II just takes some time learning. I found that having played HOI series it was not too bad, although Vic II is the most complicated game that Paradox has put out...... but just like HOI, once you learn the mechanics of the game you are set. Vic II is a simulator, there really is no right or wrong here, you will make mistakes even when you learn the game and that is where I like the game. There are no set rules before you, you navigate your country through a time period where a lot of things were happening.... colonization , social and political reform, industrialization, and political tottering... which will probably lead to the first world war..... it is all there and I feel makes it very unique and where your decisions can have huge effects.... just have fun and watch it blow up ;-)
PE
Ye of little faith, Dog. And BTW I have OCD not ADD. With Victoria II being based on my favorite historical era, I am willing to give it more time than I usually would.
Ten minutes STILL isn't going to do it ;)
OK what is happening...I fired up Victoria II with Heart of Darkness and got this error twice while the game was doing 'map initialization':
File Exception: Exception in: virtualfilesystem.cpp, line 622. Description: the system cannot find the file specified.
Any suggestions? Remove and reinstall?
Quote from: Gusington on May 22, 2013, 11:09:11 PM
OK what is happening...I fired up Victoria II with Heart of Darkness and got this error twice while the game was doing 'map initialization':
File Exception: Exception in: virtualfilesystem.cpp, line 622. Description: the system cannot find the file specified.
Any suggestions? Remove and reinstall?
Try this...
Go to the game folder, and to the maps folder and empty the cache folder you find there.
\Steam\SteamApps\common\Victoria 2\map\cache
Then go to the Documents\Paradox Interactive\Victoria II\map\cache and delete any cache
Then start up the game 'manually' (not through steam) by double clicking on the v2game.exe file in the game dir. After the cache has been built up properly it now works fine in steam for me.
What PzE said.
The map cache in the Clausewitz games has to be deleted when changes are made to any files. It's just some odd side effect of the Steam install (or SPIES!???).
Supposedly we don't have to do this anymore with CK2 or anything coming up. They must've finally fixed the issue. However - Vic 2, EU3, etc all have this bitchy attitude regarding the map cache.
I can't get Vic II with HoD to run either. It worked fine until I got HoD. I'm not getting that map initialization error. It just doesn't load at all. I get that start up box where you can check for updates, or select mods, and then when click on start game the window disappears and nothing happens. I've tried deleting the map cache and it has made no difference.
I have steam version. Does HoD require all prior dlcs to run?
"- If you installed the Steam version of HoD and the game won't start. Verify game cache to ensure you downloaded the expansion properly."
http://forum.paradoxplaza.com/forum/showthread.php?682942-Victoria-2-Heart-of-Darkness-Release-FAQ
Do you have Victoria 2, A House Divided, and Heart of Darkness? Don't think it will run properly without AHD.
Quote from: eyebiter on May 23, 2013, 06:49:15 AM
Do you have Victoria 2, A House Divided, and Heart of Darkness? Don't think it will run properly without AHD.
I'm pretty sure this is the problem. I do not have a House Divided. Damn it...
^Yeah you need A House Divided.
Thanks for the above guys I will try now (off from work today).
Viola! The above fixes worked :) Thank you guys.
So I see in the starting screen, there is a Grand Campaign selection and a House Divided selection. Features for Heart of Darkness are integrated into the main Grand Campaign?
Quote from: Gusington on May 23, 2013, 08:21:54 AM
Viola! The above fixes worked :) Thank you guys.
So I see in the starting screen, there is a Grand Campaign selection and a House Divided selection. Features for Heart of Darkness are integrated into the main Grand Campaign?
Yes they are incorporated in both... it is the underlying mechanics of the game that has changed.... although I have only started with the Grand Campaign.
PE
Cool. So if I wanted to play as a small Italian kingdom like Piedmont starting in 1861...I could do that?
I believe you can play Sardinia Piedmont which is an secondary power and absolute monarchy....
PE
That...rocks.
Don't go getting all Garibaldi on us!
I may just do that but change the name slightly to Garibaldy.
So I've been going through the basic tutorials, so far so good. I can see how maybe the game can become a sliderfest, and then just waiting for events to unfold. How do all like to play? How does your personal strategy fit in?
This is my personal favorite historical time period so I am willing to go that extra mile to get immersed in it.
I usually find it's better to have a broad outline of where I want to go and then take advantage of those short term opportunities as they occur. You should never neglect one area for too long as your opponents will know and strike you there. It's definitely a balancing act. And yes, there is a lot of slider-ing and wating for stuff to happen, but it always seems like there's not enough time or resources to get done everything you want.
It does seem to have that certain something that captures the era though, which is exactly what I am looking for.
Quote from: Gusington on May 26, 2013, 12:20:12 PM
It does seem to have that certain something that captures the era though, which is exactly what I am looking for.
Is it Muttonchops?
Terrapin soup.
Nice big set of mutton chops dipped in the terrapin soup.
Not sure what it is besides that...the art style, or the music...maybe the map style?
*monocle pops out*
^Get that man a pince nez, whatever that is.
No. He'll just make a spectacle out of himself.
Don't grind it into the dirt, Bob.
I can see clearly this crap is never going to stop.
You just have to stay focused.
You people and your fuzzy thinking.
You're putting me in the frame for that.
Is there a manual to go along with AHoD
Quote from: OJsDad on June 08, 2013, 02:04:46 PM
Is there a manual to go along with AHoD
I think so, yes.
Found it;
http://www.paradoxplaza.com/in-game/v2/Victoria_II_Heart_of_Darkness_Manual.pdf
Arise thread!
Looks like Victoria 2 received a patch (https://forum.paradoxplaza.com/forum/index.php?threads/victoria-2-3-04-beta-patch-merry-christmas.898844/) today.
Wait, what??
Is this out-of-nowhere patch going to screw everything up with POP Demand mod and such? I.e. mods that are no longer under development but which I can't play Vicky II without... ?
EDIT -- I see it's an opt-in Beta patch. phew.
What mods do you recommend?
The only mod I've spent much time with is POP Demand Mod --
https://forum.paradoxplaza.com/forum/index.php?forums/pop-demand-mod.562/ (https://forum.paradoxplaza.com/forum/index.php?forums/pop-demand-mod.562/)
It gives a lot more flavor to the global map (more and more historically correct nations), improves the commodities market and in general makes a lot of good balance tweaks.
It's been many moons since I played Vicky II, but I won't play vanilla after getting used to PDM.