Paradox announces EU3: Heir to the Throne, Victoria 2, and For the Glory

[Big Fo]

Originally Posted by EU3: Heir to the Throne

Requested by the fans, Heir to the Throne is the third expansion to the
preeminent historical strategy game Europa Universalis III. The expansion takes the hugely successful game beyond complete, with improvements across the board:


Features
• Intriguing Casus Belli system, where wars have specific goals from start to finish.
• Monarchs now belong to dynasties, with far reaching effects on the diplomatic model.
• More involving and powerful Holy Roman Empire and Papacy options.
• Special diplomatic options for Republics.
• Set your National Focus in a province to enhance growth and strengthen your hold in the region.
• Permanent Terra Incognita removed and replaced with impassable regions.
• Cultural Tradition allows better advisors in the same way that Military Tradition allows better generals and admirals.
• Spheres of Influence simulate the Great Game of the major powers.
• More dynamic pirates. Issue letters of marque to plague the sea zones of rival nations.
• Monarchs need to uphold their legitimacy in the eyes of their subjects
• Many other additions and improvements.

Originally Posted by Victoria 2

A sequel to the 2003 cult-hit, with a large devout following around the world. Victoria 2 is a grand strategy game played during the colonial era of the 19th century, where the player takes control over a country, guiding it through industrialisation, political reforms, military conquest and colonisation. Guide the USA to its Manifest Destiny, Make United Kingdom into a world-spanning empire, and make Germany the dominating nation in Europe.


Features
• Deep engrossing political simulation, with dozens of different types of governments.
• Detailed economy with over fifty different type of goods and factories.
• Historical game-play on a large map covering the entire world.
• Over 200 different countries can be played, from 1835 to the start of world war 2.
• Advanced Technological system with thousands of inventions to be discovered.
• Possibility to export a save game at the end of the game into HoI3.
• A streamlined interface, which makes the game easily accessible.
• Automation of various tasks, including trade and population promotion.
• Advanced spheres of influences system, where the great powers battle over the control of the world.
• New types of pops, including bureaucrats and artisans.
• Cottage production simulating pre-industrial economies.
• Gunboat Diplomacy, no need for negotiate as a fleet outside a port may be a more persuasive argument.
• Overhaul of education, where clergy educates people of the same religion, and each pops have their own literacy levels.
• More reform categories with more options to select from in each.
• New election system with coalition governments and an upper house/senate.
• Historical and Dynamic missions guiding your country through the history.
• Thousands of historical events and decisions.

Originally Posted by For the Glory

For the Glory is a game in the Europa Universalis series, based on EU2 and the famous user modification AGCEEP.

Take up the reigns of your country, guide domestic and foreign policy, navigate thousands of historical events, engage in various struggles and lead your country to prosperity – all in the name of glory!
For the Glory offers full historical immersion, with a completely new in-depth
experience with over 10000 historically accurate events.
Take charge of the mighty Habsburg Empire, the aggressive Swedish state, or the seafaring Portuguese. Build up your empire through trade, diplomacy,
colonialism and war. Interact with real historical events and persons to determine what path your nation will take. Nothing is written in stone, and while a wise leader may choose to follow the path of history, you may also take advantage of opportunities for
change.


Features
• You can play as over 180 countries, on a map covering the entire world, in the
era spanning 1419-1819
• Experience unparalleled historical immersion with over 10000 historical events.
• Unparalleled mod-ability: unlimited timeframe and up to 1000 counties.
• Improved and modernised interface.
• Adapt your playing style to the personality of your nation’s various historical
monarchs.

Damn. All three sound kind of interesting.

EU3 with CK-like dynasties could be awesome. Or even if it's not quite that in depth it would still add something, I like that aspect of CK but find the time period the EU series covers to be far more interesting.

I loved and hated aspects of Victoria, the sequel sounds like it will fix a lot of the things I hated about it.

I'm not sure I completely understand what For the Glory is, some kind of fan project based on the AGCEEP where Paradox is helping to add more modibility, modern graphical resolutions, and other stuff. I love the AGCEEP so I'll keep an eye on this one for sure.

[Alan T]

Ooooh EU3 is by far my favorite Paradox game.. so I'm excited about this!

[Calis]

Cue the CK fans raging....

Victoria was a mess but I'd love to see that done right. An interesting time period we don't see much on.

That EU3 expansion sounds great. I might have to finally pick up EU3 and dive into that. Heard great things about the expansions for that but never got around to it.

The EU2 thing is odd, but it costing them next to nothing so what the hell. Not interested in it though.

[BishopMVP]

EU3 - Spheres of influence - a fantastic addition if done right. The most annoying part of EU is when every little podunk country is colonizing haphazardly and becoming impossible to annex.

[Izulde]

What? They release a sequel to Vicky and not CK?!

That said, Vicky 2 sounds intriguing and the EU3 expansion might convince me to blow the dust off of EU3.

[Coffee Warlord]

Originally Posted by Izulde

What? They release a sequel to Vicky and not CK?!

That said, Vicky 2 sounds intriguing and the EU3 expansion might convince me to blow the dust off of EU3.

I dunno if you ever played the mod before, but the Mega Super Duper Mod, Magna Mundi, is releasing their latest version on 10/2. It's reason enough to dust off EU3.

[Alan T]

Originally Posted by Coffee Warlord

I dunno if you ever played the mod before, but the Mega Super Duper Mod, Magna Mundi, is releasing their latest version on 10/2. It's reason enough to dust off EU3.

I still play a weekly multiplayer EU3 game with Barkeep and love the game.. but I never have gotten into Magna Mundi. Sure it makes things more challenging, but in a very non-fun way for me. Everything just feels too scripted and not enough free will in it. I'm hoping the expansion doesn't go in that direction as it would be a disappointment for me.

[JPhillips]

HOORAY Vicky2! Give it some time with the VIP folks and it will be fantastic.

[Passacaglia]

These sound cool. I haven't played anything since EU1. I'm not sure if I'll have the time to invest in these (and I really didn't for EU1 for that matter) but it sounds tempting.

[MrBug708]

Well, the EU game sounds good. Not a big fan of Wicky and still pinning for CK2. But I can't help but wonder if CK 2 is around the corner

[Alan T]

First Dev Diary entry for Heir to the Throne:

Heir to the Throne - Dev Diary 1 - Paradox Interactive Forums

A new train is rolling here at Paradox, and this one has "Heir to the Throne" painted on in big Gothic letters. This is the expansion we did not intend to make, but over time (and a few beers) the good ideas just kept piling up. Although, with the game already labeled "complete", we were in a bit of a pickle. So we asked you, our loyal and steadfast peons, ah, players, if you could stomach yet another EU3 expansion. It seemed you could, so now everybody is a winner! See how well these things always turn out? Now, since I am the Procurator of Paradox Expansions (or "POPE"), I'll be writing these dev diaries.

While this expansion is titled "Heir to the Throne" (more on heirs and dynasties in a later entry), perhaps the most central feature is the concept of war aims, which should make wars more interesting and counteract "blobbing". Casus Bellis are no longer generic, but divided into many different types, each one allowing a specific set of peace conditions. The resulting war will be named after the CB, so you will have the "Swedish Reconquest of Gotland", etc. Thus, while a nation may have sent you an insult, that does not really justify demanding half their country as recompense in the peace negotiations. (You still can, but it will give you mucho infamy/badboy.) Instead, taking gold or having them revoke core provinces will yield more prestige. Moreover, there are no longer any special stability rules for declarations of war; everything is now consolidated into proper (and easily moddable) Casus Bellis.

"What?", you say, "I want more land! Only provinces matter!" Well, if you want to expand rapidly, there are Casus Bellis for you too, like "Imperialism", "Nationalist Unification" and "Holy War". These are typically not available at the start, but require a certain level of government technology or a national idea. However, prestige will be not be anything to scoff at in "Heir" (another thing for a later dev diary.) In line with this, a new peace option has been added: "Concede Defeat". This is an alternative to White Peace which gives a prestige boost to the winner, and a corresponding loss to the loser.

That's all for now. I shall leave you with some screenshots to inspect and ponder.

[Abe Sargent]

Man I love EU/CK and happily consider the new expansion and For the Glory.

[Alan T]

Heir to the Throne - Dev Diary 2 - Paradox Interactive Forums

Have you ever been annoyed by people who do not seem to understand the concept of personal space? Maybe some relative with zombie halitosis? In international politics, this type of thing is common. Big countries like to stand much too close to small countries and, preferably, boss them around. If you think Aunt Josie is bad, you have not had a hug from Tsarist Russia... This brings us to a new concept in "Heir"; Spheres of Influence. At the cost of some prestige, powerful nations can extend their Sphere of Influence over weaker nations by means of a new diplomatic action. This is similar to a guarantee of independence, but any form of meddling (offers of alliance, guarantees, military access, etc) by an outside power will yield a Casus Belli. A sphere of influence can normally only be reduced by force (peace option) or if the balance of power shifts enough. The system provides a new use for prestige and a reason for the great powers to go to war with each other.

[DaddyTorgo]

cool idea - long overdue. now we'll see if they can implement it right. if so it could literally make the game.

[Big Fo]

The box art for Victoria II has upset some of the Euros on the Paradox forums because it's too focused on war and/or trying hard to appeal to Americans with the Confederate flag on there. I think it looks pretty cool though. And a scenario where the British intervene against a CSA that does very well in the game could be fun (or intervention on the CSA's side could be fun too). Anyway box art with an old woman looking at a pie chart or a ledger might not move too many units. I'm really looking forward to hearing more about the game, there hasn't been a developer's diary or anything yet though.

[Abe Sargent]

Originally Posted by Alan T

Heir to the Throne - Dev Diary 2 - Paradox Interactive Forums

That looks devastatingly awesome.

[ColtCrazy]

YES! I am very excited about Vicky 2. I really loved the original. Can't wait for this to come out.

I've always wanted a Vicky and CK sequel. I'm half way to getting my wish at least!

[Wolfpack]

Originally Posted by Big Fo

The box art for Victoria II has upset some of the Euros on the Paradox forums because it's too focused on war and/or trying hard to appeal to Americans with the Confederate flag on there. I think it looks pretty cool though. And a scenario where the British intervene against a CSA that does very well in the game could be fun (or intervention on the CSA's side could be fun too). Anyway box art with an old woman looking at a pie chart or a ledger might not move too many units. I'm really looking forward to hearing more about the game, there hasn't been a developer's diary or anything yet though.

There was an alt-history series of books put out a few years back that had the premise of an attempted British intervention because of the Trent Affair and the sudden death of Victoria's husband (supposedly he had a hand in quelling the issue in real life). The Brits attempted to aid the South by reinforcing through the Gulf, but wound up firing on CS forces after coming ashore. British hubris decided it made no difference, thereby re-uniting the North and South against the common invader, though the two nations remained technically separate until after the British were beaten back.

[Alan T]

This should appeal to some of the CK fans that only borderline like EU3. (I'm the opposite, I love EU3 far more than CK myself)

Heir to the Throne - Dev Diary 3 - Paradox Interactive Forums

New week, new diary. Since the last entry, 1,082,875 people have died in the world. Why do I mention this? Well, granted, I am slightly morbid, but also, the topic for today is death. And not just any kind of death, but the death of Kings.

While EU3 is not, and should not primarily be, a game of characters and noble houses, succession could be a lot more interesting. Thus, monarchs now belong to a dynasty. Countries with monarchs from the same dynasty get a bonus to their relations growth and may experience a variety of dynastic events. Monarchs can also have a legal heir. To keep things simple, the heir only has a name, an age, and a strength of claim (weak, average or strong.) In the tragic event of the monarch dying, a legal heir will ensure a minimum of fuss.

Long live the King, but should God in his mercy lift him up to Heaven, the worldly results are now predictable and shown in a handy tooltip. For example, an underage heir will result in a regency. An heir with a weak claim might encourage a Pretender to rise up, and the absence of an heir will cause a change of dynasty, the country getting inherited, or the formation of a personal union.

Apart from a more predictable succession, the new system allows players to manipulate the outcome. The "Claim Throne" diplomatic action has been revised to make more sense: it can only be used against countries that have no heir or an heir with a weak claim. Claimants have priority to form personal unions and dynasty changes. The downside is that only claimants can get dragged into Succession Wars... In the absence of claimants, Prestige determines which royal marriage can cause personal unions and dynasty changes.

Until next week!

[Izulde]

Originally Posted by Alan T

This should appeal to some of the CK fans that only borderline like EU3. (I'm the opposite, I love EU3 far more than CK myself)

Heir to the Throne - Dev Diary 3 - Paradox Interactive Forums

Hmm. Interesting.

[Alan T]

They have a demo up for the new expansion pack that is coming out next week for EU3:

Heir to the Throne - DEMO - Paradox Interactive Forums


I've been completely swamped this month, so no time to try it out myself. The expansion pack looks just short of incredible though, so I'm likely buying it for myself for Christmas with hopes things slow down for me to play it some next month

[Abe Sargent]

DLing the new expansion now....

[Abe Sargent]

Why are the Great Plains, upper section, wasteland and uncolonizable? There is nothing uncolonizable about South Dakota or Montana. I figured with the loss of Perm. Terra Incog. we would have a mor esensible map, but I see that may not be the case

[aran]

Seems like the removal of PTI is just a marketting bulletpoint that has no affect on gameplay.

[Alan T]

Originally Posted by aran

Seems like the removal of PTI is just a marketting bulletpoint that has no affect on gameplay.

This is what it sounds like to me as well. Supposedly there are some events that can make impassable terrain passable in some way, but I have no idea what those are or how they work in HTTT

[Abe Sargent]

As far as I care, the only place on the world that should be PTI is Antarica, and then the rest should have various negatives to colonizing, sending tropps there, etc. Massive attrition for trying the Sahara or disease for those entering the deep African jungle, etc.

[sabotai]

Originally Posted by Abe Sargent

As far as I care, the only place on the world that should be PTI is Antarica, and then the rest should have various negatives to colonizing, sending tropps there, etc. Massive attrition for trying the Sahara or disease for those entering the deep African jungle, etc.

Wonder if those provinces are open to being modded. If so, it shouldn't be too hard to put those things in. I haven't tried modding any of these games, but I'll try to dig into the scripts to see what I can find.

[Abe Sargent]

True, but they are really, really big. If that was their intent, they could have shrunk em

[aran]

The "Whole World Mod" removes all PTI aside from the poles and replaces it with real provinces. It also expands the game to 1920 and adds some other stuff, but I think it doesn't complicate the game too much if you only want to use it for PTI removal.

*Whole World Mod* - Paradox Interactive Forums

[sabotai]

Originally Posted by Abe Sargent

True, but they are really, really big. If that was their intent, they could have shrunk em

I've been mostly sticking to Europe right now with HTTT, and after I posted that I noticed them. They are pretty humongous in size. Gonna check out the Whole World mod.

[DaddyTorgo]

I guess I need to figure out how to play this game so that i can get the most out of the demo and see if i like it...