We called and you came!
Here are the highlights from the Call to Arms stream, enjoy

Europa Universalis IV - Call to Arms Stream Highlights Part I

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gB1GZwmUnAE
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Dare to go berserk and create a pagan event – the winners will have their events put into the game.

The heathens are coming, prepare for the wrath of Odin! Here is your chance to invade the game yourself and create your own event for Crusader Kings II: The Old Gods.
Go forth to loot and pillage history in search of creative ideas for events and ravage the internet for ideas that garner gold, prestige or the means to conquer. Above all, destroy and sacrifice to the Old Gods.

We will pick three winners and add their events into Crusader Kings II. No prior scripting knowledge is needed, we're only looking for a basic design and the event text. Just send over your ideas and we'll take care of the rest.

The Rules: ...

Hey everyone!

Interesting read about strategy gaming at Gamasutra, enjoy!

The 4 biggest lessons from the year in strategy gaming:
"2012 was a godsend for those suffering from the strategy game itch. Everyone from the strategy veteran to the genre neophyte had a breathtaking library of new releases that all showcased the very best that strategy has to offer. Most surprising was that this came at a time when some were wondering whether strategy, specifically turn-based strategy was on the verge of becoming a dead genre on the level of point and click adventures (which, I must point out, are also somewhat on the rise again)."
http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/MarkS...egy_gaming.php

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Hey everyone!

Feast thy eyes on the first developer diary for Crusader Kings II: The Old Gods expansion below!
More is to come on these pagans, so be prepared...

And don´t miss the web comic: Ulm plays Crusader Kings II: The Old Gods as Someone
http://forum.paradoxplaza.com/forum/...omeone-Archive

Cheers,
regina


Crusader Kings II: The Old Gods - Dev Diary 1 - A Different Europe
http://forum.paradoxplaza.com/forum/...fferent-Europe

Crusader Kings II: The Old Gods - Dev Diary 2 - The Wrath of Odin
http://forum.paradoxplaza.com/forum/showthread.php?680207-Crusader-Kings-II-The-Old-Gods-Dev-Diary-2-The-Wrath-of-Odin

Crusader Kings II: The Old Gods - Dev Diary 3 - The Heathens Are Coming!
http://forum.paradoxplaza.com/forum/...ens-Are-Coming

Crusader Kings II: The Old Gods - Dev Diary 4 - The Pagan Reformation
http://forum.paradoxplaza.com/forum/...an-Reformation

Crusader Kings II: The Old Gods - Dev Diary 5 - Events, Decisions and Zoroastrians
http://forum.paradoxplaza.com/forum/...d-Zoroastrians

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Everything you want to know, but haven´t dared to ask?

“It’s less than a month until the longships land to bring us The Old Gods, the pagan-focused expansion for Crusader Kings II. We’ve been keeping close tabs on new details at our Viking Analysis Desk, and today, we’ve got some extra meaty details for you. Below you’ll find our massive Q&A with project lead Henrik Fåhraeus, covering everything from concubines to pagan sacred kings.”
Read the full Q&A here: http://www.pcgamer.com/2013/05/01/crusader-kings-2-the-old-gods-in-depth-qa/

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I spy with my little eye... Alpha screens from East vs. West: A Hearts of Iron Game!


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Hey everyone!

Feast thy eyes on the developer diaries for Crusader Kings II: The Old Gods expansion below!
More is to come on these pagans, so be prepared...

And don´t miss the web comic: Ulm plays Crusader Kings II: The Old Gods as Someone
http://forum.paradoxplaza.com/forum/...omeone-Archive

Cheers,
regina


Crusader Kings II: The Old Gods - Dev Diary 1 - A Different Europe
http://forum.paradoxplaza.com/forum/...fferent-Europe

Crusader Kings II: The Old Gods - Dev Diary 2 - The Wrath of Odin
http://forum.paradoxplaza.com/forum/showthread.php?680207-Crusader-Kings-II-The-Old-Gods-Dev-Diary-2-The-Wrath-of-Odin

Crusader Kings II: The Old Gods - Dev Diary 3 - The Heathens Are Coming!
http://forum.paradoxplaza.com/forum/showthread.php?683263-Crusader-Kings-II-The-Old-Gods-Dev-Diary-3-The-Heathens-Are-Coming

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"Think of it like playing chess with your little brother and he annoys the crap out of you, so you just sweep his pieces off the board,” says Gellert Keresztes. “That’s pretty much what nukes do.”
The lead designer of East vs. West is selling me on the advantages of global thermonuclear war. He doesn’t have to sell me very hard: the cold war is the perfect setting for a grand strategy game, because like grand strategy games, the cold war was about more than straightforward military combat. It was about politics, economics, culture and how even small countries can have a large impact on the world stage."
http://www.pcgamer.com/previews/east-vs-west-preview/

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"Before my laptop went belly-up, one of my favourite developers was Paradox Development Studio. Best known for producing the most hardcore of hardcore strategy games, Paradox games, like Europa Universalis, Hearts of Iron and my personal favourite, Sengoku, all share one thing in common - you can lose months of your life to each and everyone one of them. From intricate political systems to empire building that makes Civilization look like Angry Birds, this is a studio for genuine fans of strategy games.

The studio's lead, Johan Andersson, sat down with us to have a chat about the team's design philosophy, and where the studio is heading in the future. While it's a little disappointing that there is no intention there to build games for the consoles (surely the PlayStation 4 would be able to handle a Hearts of Iron game!) it's good to see that there are developers out there of a substantial size that are still committed to a purity of vision, rather than chasing after a mass-market that might not be there for their games."

Read the interview here:
http://www.digitallydownloaded.net/2...active-on.html


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"Heart of Darkness has quite a few improvements and new mechanics and it’s a worthy purchase for any player who is interested in dominating Europe and the world during the XIX and the early XX century.
With Victoria II, the improvements aren’t necessarily front and center, but as time progresses, they come to light and increase the depth of the experience."
http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/games/pc/Victoria-II-Heart-of-Darkness-Review-346881.shtml
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Ladies & gentlemen,
if you wish to try Victoria II or wish to introduce your friends to the world of politics, now is your chance!

The Victoria franchise is 75% OFF on Steam:
http://store.steampowered.com/sub/15...r=1_4_4__104_4

Remember, there is no gambling like politics.

cheers,
regina
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Ladies & Gentlemen,
the time has come to take action!
We are very happy to let thy know that Victoria II: Heart of Darkness has been make available to the people!

It is truly a bloody job running a country,
But at least you are lord and master of all your survey and answer to no one but yourself.
No, wait a minute… You aren't... Because of those damned people!
So, let’s enter the glorious world of politics!

We do recommend that you consider purchasing the Victoria II: Heart of Darkness expansion here:
http://www.victoria2.com/game-info/buy-the-game

Read the manual here:
http://www.paradoxplaza.com/in-game/v2/Victoria_II_Heart_of_Darkness_Manual.pdf

Oh, and if you haven´t played Vicky2 before, now is your chance
- because the previous games and expansions are currently on 75% off on some online retailers to celebrate the release of the expansion!

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“What separates Crusader Kings II from most other strategy games is it simulates the behaviours of hundreds of individual characters, from Emperors and Kings right down to courtiers and city mayors. Each of these characters has their own personality, created using a pool of personality “traits” gained and lost through genetics, education and decisions made during gameplay.

“The underlying assumption is that every character desires to protect what it already controls and to expand if possible, perhaps militarily, perhaps through marriage,” explains Fåhraeus “The personality traits modify these desires. For example, a character with the 'Ambitious' trait is more aggressive both towards external enemies and towards its liege lord, whereas a 'Craven' and 'Content' character is more likely to just sit tight.”

This means individual characters behave in a logical manner consistent with their personality (unless they have traits like “Lunatic” or “Arbitrary”, in which case their actions will be more random). Yet characters aren't given completely free reign, or the game would fall apart. There is a longer term component of CK II's AI which affects entire regions, giving states and countries historically logical goals such conquering specific lands and setting up certain trade routes.”

Read the full article at IGN:
http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/04/08/whatever-happened-to-video-game-ai

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Hey everyone!
Here I will gather interviews and previews for Victoria II: Heart of Darkness, so be on the look-out!
Pre-order the expansion here: http://www.victoria2.com/game-info/buy-the-game
cheers,
regina

NEW! Hardcore facts about Heart of Darkness
AV: The developer diaries have mentioned that there is a colonial influence race when multiple countries try to colonize an area. What actions can a player take to speed up their own colonization, or hamper the colonization efforts of others?
DB: It all comes down to how many colonial points you are willing to use in Heart of Darkness. At the most basic level, it’s a bidding war. Can you really afford to throw more and more points into this one area instead of picking up less-fought-over states? You need to decide how many points you’re willing to invest for your pretty borders. On the other hand, getting into a colonial race with someone speeds up the generation of war justifications, so you could always whip one up and then just fight them for the colony afterwards. Unlike in previous versions, the presence of troops in the area doesn’t speed up the colonization process, but it does further speed war justifying.
Find out more: http://www.avault.com/features/hardc...eart-darkness/

NEW! Victoria 2: Heart of Darkness interview live at PC Gamer
“The second expansion for Paradox’s 19th/20th Century global grand strategy sandbox, Victoria II, is set to release in just a couple weeks. It’s bringing improvements to just about all of the game’s rabbit-hole-deep systems, from naval combat to colonization to the complex, dynamic economy and politics. We had our secret police round up Game Designer Chris King to ask about all of these changes, which you can read more about in the official developer diaries.”
http://www.pcgamer.com/2013/04/06/victoria-ii-heart-of-darkness-interview/

NEW! Getting the lowdown on Victoria II: Heart of Darkness at Destructoid
I've been seeking new challenges recently, though, and after Paradox announced a new expansion to Victoria II, Heart of Darkness, I decided to spend more time with the complex political and economic simulator. I'm glad that I did, because it's really got its hooks in me now.
With the Heart of Darkness' release drawing ever closer, I had a chat with designer David Ballantyne to get the skinny on the latest expansion.
http://www.destructoid.com/getting-the-lowdown-on-victoria-ii-heart-of-darkness-250883.phtml

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Hey everyone!

Ok, so yes, we were pulling your leg with Europa Universalis: The Musical yesterday,
but that doesn´t mean that the songs aren´t real

Download the songs Empire Borders, Casus Belli & Prestige here!

Europa Universalis: The Musical - Behind the Scenes Video
​http://youtu.be/3H67FQX5ZLE

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STOCKHOLM – April 1st, 2013 – Paradox Development Studio and Paradox Interactive will soon bring Crusader Kings Z to the masses, the fifth expansion to one of 2012’s most acclaimed strategy/RPG games and inspired by zombies.

Crusader Kings Z adds a zombie invasion to the medieval Europe, as a way to make the Black Death come alive in a physical form. This is a world where gruesome death dominates Europe, when zombie armies pillaged towns and monasteries in their search for brains, slowly walking to wherever the promise of human flesh awaits them.

Expanded gameplay mechanics will allow you as a player to become a zombie ruler, rallying your undead hordes throughout Europe or a Zombie Survivor fighting for your dynasty’s survival. ...

Crack the World Wide Open!
Happy Easter from everyone at Paradox Development Studio



Ps. You can also view it here!


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The live stream with Paradox Development Studio is now live on Twitch!
Prepare for a First Look at Crusader Kings II: The Old Gods AND Victoria II: Heart of Darkness AND a sneak peak at Europa Universalis IV!

Check out the live stream now at:
http://www.twitch.tv/paradoxinteractive
(If you missed it, be sure to subscribe to the channel for future live streams!)

Have a blast!

Cheers,
regina

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"Despite continual gloomy proclamations by some individuals in the games industry, strategy gaming on the PC appears to be in rude health in 2013, including that traditionally most niche of genres: the historical grand strategy title. We spoke to Victoria II game designer Chris King about upcoming expansion Heart of Darkness, his own background in Paradox's Development Studio and historical gaming and why he thinks its popularity is on the rise once again"
http://www.strategyinformer.com/pc/v...interview.html
Enjoy!

Cheers,
regina

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