EU3 Multiplayer Help Center

[FAL]

What do you need to know to play EU3 MP?

1. If you want to host an EU3 MP game and if you connect to the internet through a router then you must adopt certain port-forwarding policies.
   In short, your firewall needs to have open the UDP ports 1630-1638, while your router needs to forward those ports.
   This is also necessary for a player (client) to do if you want to be able to connect to the meta server.
2. Make sure you have the same checksum as the host. This means that you have exactly the same version of the game as the host and thus means you are able to join his game. The checksum of the game can be found in the lower left corner after you have launched it.
   The checksum of a fresh installed EU3 game with the 1.3 patch should be PMKQ.
   The checksum of a fresh installed EU3 NA game with the 2.2 patch should be SPEF.
   The checksum of a fresh installed EU3 IN/EU3:Complete game with the 3.1 patch should be QKVH.
   The checksum of a fresh installed EU3 IN/EU3:Complete game with the 3.1 patch and November 3.2 beta patch should be LCTH.
   Checksums of later game versions can be found in a sticky thread in the EU3 Tech Support forum.
   
3. Games are organised by creating threads in this subforum and usually per ICQ. Games usually start in the metaserver (sometimes players will join the host per IP). The host sets up the game, others join. The gamemaster of a game (usually the one starting a thread) can let you know where and how the game is organised.
4. If you join a hosted game in the metaserver, ask if you can play. If it turns out that you are not welcome in the game, please leave it if players ask you to do so.
5. If you can play, ask which country you will play. Don't start moaning if the country in question doesn't suit your tastes, that simply is bad manners. Also, remember to ask if there are any rules for the game that you need to observe and what the regular player was up to.
6. You'll most probably lose big time in your first game(s). Don't fret because of that. You are probably used to win in single player against the AI, but humans are much smarter than the AI. So when you get kicked around in MP, don't get angry or take it personally. The learning curve is hard, but you also will learn *fast* from these experiences.
7. Most games are set up to be long term, this means players expect to play the game for the whole timespan. So, if you play with a player group, do not ruin your nation. If you are losing a war, make peace. It is better to cede a province than to have your nation ruined.
8. If you somehow don't like the game where you are in, do not leave it in a hurry, but inform everyone you are about to leave.
9. Do not pause the game, unless you *absolutely* must do so. If you pause the game, the rest of the players can't play. If the game runs too fast for you, ask the host to slow the game speed.
10. Do not alt-tab out of the game. You might lose connection to the host if you alt-tab.
11. If you have to go somewhere for a moment (toilet, eat, fridge etc), type AFK and how long you intend to be away (for example "AFK 2 minutes"). Do not pause for this. If something happens to your nation in the meantime, the others (presumably the host) will pause the game. When you get back type "back" so that others know you are back again.
12. If you possibly can't wait until re-host before you have to leave, explain the situation to others (preferably telling the time you have to leave before the session starts) before leaving. It is especialy considered to be very rude to leave the game if your country is at war.
13. You can chat to a specific player in the game (instead of to all players), by selecting the shields to whom you want to talk after pressing TAB. When chatting privately, use either * or pm to denote that it is a private message. This way you too will know when you get a private message. For example PM My country is ready to hit Poland now, are you in?
14. Be on time! If a game is supposed to start at 20:00 CET, then it means everybody should have by then joined and the game is ready to be launched. During rehost you shouldn't go away from your PC, unless you are pretty damn sure you'll be back in less than a minute. It is very frustrating that a group of players have to wait for a single individual player.

Short list of multiplayer terms/acronyms

• MP : Multiplayer
• SP : Singleplayer
• AFK : Away from keyboard
• tabbed : Someone has alt-tabbed
• perm: The permanent player of a certain country.
• sub : A substitute in a long-term game. A perm is supposed to inform the sub about the house-rules of the game in effect, diplomatic deals and so on. This means minimal hassle for the rest of the players in a game.
• rehost : The host saves the game, exits back to the metaserver and hosts the game again. This may be needed for example when a player has crashed. Usually a rehost is only done immediatly if the crashed player is at war. This can be very frustrating for the crashed player who has to sit and wait at the metaserver, so be prepared to have some patience.
• lag : Internet lag can cause all sorts of problems and it usually means the game won't process your actions immediately, because the action has to be accepted by the host before it is carried out in the game on client computers. Lag can be lowered by one of four actions:
  1. The host slows the pace of the game
  2. A player constantly suffering from lag tries to improve his connection (sometimes a reboot is all that is needed)
  3. Another player hosts
  4. The number of players participating in the game is dropped.
  A host should react to a player complaing about lag by lowering the game speed.

Kudos to Jarkko Suvinen for making the first version of this post for Europa Universalis 2 multiplayer.

[Besuchov]

In addition, port 1636 is needed for the metaserver.

[Smowz]

Ok hi all,

I have been playing EU3 for a couple of months and I really LOVE the game. It is hugely better than M2TW and Civ 4 in my opinion. I have began to dabble in the world of EU3 MP and after playing intensely for the last 4 weeks (see my sig!!!), I have found a rich, fulfilling, interactive and intellictally stimulating hobby to go with my other outdoor hobbies.

When playing MP EU3 i feel that there are some key unwritten rules that make new players make a lot of mistakes that greatly upset experienced players. In a lot of cases it isn't really the new players fault per se, it is just a case of them needing to learn what I dub 'THE MULTIPLAYER CREED'.

Here is my version 1.0.4 of the EU3 MULTIPLAYER CREED.


Part 1 - Game organization

a) The online paradox multiplayer forum shall be used to set-up long term multiplayer games

There are several games going on regularly once a week, with usually two/three games a day in various regions of the world. Pick the days when you know you will be able to play regularly and make it an EU3 night or EU3 Day. By joining a pre-organized game you will meet other experienced gamers. I for one have learned so much about the game from playing with some super players. These games can be viewed and joined via the threads on this forum, the threads will usually give a lot of information about the state of the game, when and how it will be played, nations available etc.
Hanging around all day on the Metaserver is NOT an efficient way of getting involved. Instant messaging services like ICQ or MSN can be a good way of chatting to other players outside of the game. The forums Private messaging (PM) service is also available. The forums are moderated to some degree

b) A successful MP game requires a host and a general manager (GM)

A 'host' is the player who sets up the multiplayer game online in the actual game of EU3. This player will have the ability to kick players and set-up passwords. To host a game you need to set up your router as outlined in this manual and elsewhere in the forum. The 'host' can also be the GM, but doesn't have to be. The GM holds a kind of Jedi master type of role and is generally responsible for the general running of the game, assigning nations, solving disputes and keeping things from generally going unplayable. Non-GM players should co-operate with the GM. A game can also have what is known as a 'thread-organizer' who is responsible for updating the threads. Again a player could be a GM, Host and Thread organizer or this could be three seperate entities or any combination. Third parties could also be sometimes involved including a player who 'edits' files in between sessions to iron out any game bugs.

c) Pick up games to be set up in pick up thread

There is a 'stickied' Pick-up games thread which is designed so that a player who just wants to join a game can go there and ask for one. If there is no-one on the meta-server it is likely there is no-one who really wants to play. Please do not clog up the multiplayer forum by endlessly requesting pick-up games.

d) Learn the terminology

The terms 'host', 'GM' and 'MP' have been covered. There is a whole host of in-game terms which will be covered later. But other worthwhile terms to know in game organization is the concept of a 'perm' and a 'sub'. A 'perm' stands for perminent player who is essentially in charge of a country for the long term. A 'perm' should be available and play in most sessions, however we all have real lives and occasionally will not be able to make it to a pre-organized session. In this case a 'sub' is required, experienced players usually try and find a sub long in advance of the advertised session and use the forums to try and find one. Usually most organized games require subs even at the time of hosting, so if you want to join a game then be in the metaserver and ask the GM (or other players). A 'sub' will be replaced when the 'perm' player returns however. 'subbing' will be referred to later.

e) Get the MP Mod

Most games either use 'Vanillia' (i.e. the plain old original (but patched) EU3 game) or the MP Mod. The MP Mod has been designed to balance MP gameplay and may well continue to be developed as experienced players try to fix things that have a detrimental effect on gameplay. How to download and find the mod can be found elsewhere in the forum

continued in next post (Part 2 - IN THE METASERVER, Part 3 - IN THE GAME, Part 4 - POST GAMING SESSION)
edit: changed text size edit2: changed small print into boxed text edit 3: removed do not attack a player nations vassels from the creed.
edit 4: changed small print to be in quote boxes.

[Smowz]

PART 2 - IN THE METASERVER

a) Only join games you are interested in entering

The metaserver original screen is a basic chatroom.
It is a good idea to ask if you can join a game. Sometimes a game is full or is on a rehost and it will not be available to play, in which case you will slow down the game hosting by joining the game. You can also crash the game by joining whilst the gamers are loading their save. Use the original chatroom screen to ask if you can join. Just joining a game to browse around is bad manners (though is rife in other MP games). A game may be considered full at anywhere from 8 - > 16 players, games with huge amounts of players can be laggy and difficult to run.

b) In the hosting procedure, try not to engage in inane chat

It is hard to contain your excitement when joining the game, I am guilty of this myself.But you will notice that when you join a game in the hosting screen the chat window is fairly small, this should be reserved for important chat from the GM, potential subs and important issues. It is important to be patient during this procedure and not endlessly typing 'gogogogo' OR 'ffs lets go' OR just typing 'k' when the GM issues a generel instruction, at this time. It can be hard to sort out various hosting issues and placing subs. Remember the host can kick you out of the game if you are too unruly.

c) select a sensible country to play. (New players should be prepared to select smaller nations see part (iv)

This is really a gaming choice, and there are loads of countries to choose from.
The selecting of key nations is usually done in the forums see iv) for some general tips.
Some countries will be considered off limits for a variety of reasons, here are a few guidelines i can think of:

i) Thou shalt not take MING.

Whilst China seems a tempting nation to play, with all those juicy chinaware provences and nice weak nations to conquer, it is well agreed that Ming is too overpowered and isolated to play in MP. It is almost always reserved for the competetive but not humen AI to play. It serves as a challenging late game opponent for strong human players, but in most players opinions is a flawed human player choice. It can be quite a boring nation to play, you probably will not tech up and it will take forever to move your stability.

ii) Pagan countires are unplayable

In the most recent patch pagan countries such as the native americans have had their already weak power undermined. In SP these nations can be a challenging alternative against AI, but in MP it is going to be virtually impossible to stop players from conquering you.

iii) Do not choose a nation that is already controlled by another player

Countries have often been pre-selected in the forum organizing a game. It does NOT operate on a FIRST-COME FIRST-SERVE basis within the hosting procedure. The host will not start the game until everyone has a unique nation, if you do not have a pre-assigned nation you will need to ask whether a nation is free.

iv) Try to pick a country you will enjoy playing

The great thing about EU3 is the variety of choices of nations. New players should be prepared to take a smaller nation. With smaller nations there is less to do and whilst you may think it will be vunerable experienced players with larger nations will usually help you out.
There are several nations that are very enriching to play: France, Castille and England are usually the strongest colonial nations to choose. To a lesser degree Portugal and Aragon can be as well. Austria, Poland, Hungary and Lithunia have lots of provences to begin with and could expand in any direction. Venice and Genoa have the potential to be trading powers and to unite Italy, (though smaller italian nations like the papal states, Sicily, Tiscany or Modena are certainly playable). Sweden or Denmark are popular with the large amount of scandenavian players. Novgorad/moscovny could unite Russia and expand. Germanic nations like Brandenburg and Mecklenburg (or even the Tuetinic Order) have possibilities. You of course do not have to be a christian nation. The mamluks and the Ottomans are in the European sphere, are large and so are interesting to play. Qara Konyalu (Persia), Oman, the golden horde, Hejdaz have possibilities. Even further east the Timurads are large enough and major Indian nations such as Rajiputinia or Vijay... are fun if isolated for a time. Even further east players sometimes like to play as Japan, Khmer or Malacca. There is over 30 nations at least, and there are plenty of others.
Again if you are joining a pre-established game you will need to check to see if nations are available or playable.

d) If joining a pre-established game, try to to download the save from the forum. THIS APPLIES TO REHOSTS AS WELL

The save can be downloaded in the hosting procedure, but this takes quite a long time and it can be much faster to download this from the forum.
Usually the host will upload the save (this applies to rehosting as well) into the game thread somewhere.
It will usually take a very short time to download and unzip into your EU3 save game directory.

ISSUES: Some players have had difficulties downloading and putting this in their game file for a number of reasons issues with winrar or it just not working right. If this is the case make this known to the GM so that everyone knows why you haven't downloaded.

e) Be patient and be prepared for re-hosts even at this stage

When the host clicks play the game will load, but there is still a sub-siduary screen in which the players are checked to see of they connect.
Again the chat window is limited and often disappears quickly endless saying 'hello' is not really appropriate.
A player who does not connect may be kicked or everyone may have to re-host depending on the GMs opinion.

[Smowz]

PART 3 - IN THE GAME

In the game itself you are free to play the nation any way you choose, that is the joy of the game. But there are a few DO's and DON'Ts that will incur other players wrath if you choose not to adher to them. Again bear in mind that the GM and Host have the power to kick you.

a) Do not pause unless it is absolutely necessery

If you pause the game it pauses for everybody.
When I play SP (single player) I pause all the time espiecially when i am at war or sending merchents. But it is considered espiecially selfish to pause continuously in the game for any reason. If you need to leave the game for a couple of minutes to go to toilet or for a drink just let it run and fix any potential damage when you get back. Not being able to pause does have implications on the way you play the game, it is one of the most interesting challenges of MP to adapt to them. The GM is allowed to pause to communicate any important messages. The host will automatically pause if a player disconnects.

b) the game speed is usually set to 3 or 4

It is ultimately up to the GM or the host what the game speed's contant rate is. Usually when player nations are at a major war it is set at relatively slow speed of 3. Things are sped up to speed 4 sometimes when most players have a not a lot to do. If you would like the speed decreased or increased request this from the GM.

c) Learn how to use the Chat effectively in game

Multiplayer diplomacy can be a key component of the EU3 MP experience. Learning how to use the TAB and the messaging system is crucial to gameplay. When chatting to someone try and address them by name or thair nation.Here are a few other pointers:

i) Do NOT clog up the screen with too many chat messages
Chat messages sent out to everybody clog up their screens. I do enjoy hearing from everybody from time to time. Regal announcements like Spain is proud to annonce it has established the indian trade route - or international boasts are great. A general query like 'how do i unite persia?' or does any want to buy such and such provence is fine. Also jokes or Real life updates are great. But having an open diplomatic discussion that is meant only for your allies or one nation is lazy.

ii) Be patient when chatting with somebody and try to use good language
In all games I play English is the language used. That is not to say that everybody is fluent in English. So it may take some players some time to understand what it read, it will take longer if the language is poor. Also consider that some countries may be busy either chatting to other players or dealing with there own countries matters. Sometimes you will find you need to repeat a request bacause chat messages disappear pretty fast.

iii) When you have made an agreement in the chat messages players expect you to adhere to them
Try not to do what many countries have done over the years and go back on your word. You will find that if you tell a player that you will sell a provence to them for 60 ducats at the end of the year they will be rightly angry if you change your mind at the time and up the price to 160 ducats.

d) A game will rehost when the GM and the host decide

Some sessions can be blighted by numerous rehosts and it can be frustrating, but usually there are important reasons why it has to happen.
Rehosting can happen for a number of reasons listed below is a few common reasons:

i) A player forms a nation
such as Castille forms Spain, England forms Great Britian, QK forms Persia and so on. For some reason the program does not assign the player to play on as the country and the AI takes over. In this case there will be a rehost either immiediately or after a short time.
ii) A player disconnects
If a player (espiecially a 'perm' player) disconnects unexpectedly (that is, is gives no warning), the GM and host will usually rehost. It is important to note that sometimes the GM will allow the game to continue without rehosting if a player suddenly disconnects.
iii) A rehost has been prearranged to give players a mid-session break
If in an (admittedly) rare session there has been no rehosts the host and the GM will generally rehost at some point to give players a break from the intense experience of playing.
iv) If a 'perm' player wants to rejoin
Self-explanatory. You may notice that it is important if you want players to rehost for you then you will need to be a 'perm' player and to be shown to be reliable. But even 'perm' players have to accept defeat (as in there will not be a rehost) on particularly difficult sessions.

WHILST REHOSTING CAN BE FRUSTRATING, TRY TO BE PATIENT. IN ALL CASES THE GAME WILL GET GOING.

e) when joining a rehost try to download the save and get to the rehost quickly

for more about downloading the save read in Part 2 d).
It is important to return promptly when rehosting else you will hold players up. The exception to this is if the GM has decided that a break is needed and will say how long such a break will take.

f) When rehosting use Alt-f4 and reboot the game

Alt-f4 is a shortcut to exiting the game.
Make sure when you reboot you use the correct mod you were previously playing with.

g) Do not 'ruin' nations

You may decide you wish to try and play MP for one session and go on a mass war rampage.
In order to fund such a rampage you set your monthly finances so that you mint all the money you can (nothing wrong with this strategy in the short term if you are faced with a hard war).
You are not bothered about inflation because you have no intention of playing full time.
Of course with all this money in the short term you can fight impressive wars, but the nation will be damaged in the long term.
Minting money monthly in such a way should be seen as a short term measure rather than a long term financial plan.
It is a bit like taking out multiple credit cards and maxing them out!!!
If the inflation gets past 10% it becomes difficult, past 20% nearly unplayable in the future. Playing in this way ruins the game for everybody.

There are other ways of ruining nations/games in one session.
Ceding colonies or provences to one player without legitamate game reasons is one, there are others, try to play a nation as you think it should be played.

h) Follow the GM's instructions

Different GM's play by different rules, this is fun it makes the games all different and challenging.
If you don't like or find a GM upsets you then don't play in their game.
It is their game that they are hosting for you so if you don't want to play by their rules then do not play (I say this as a player who does not GM ever).
Some GM's look unfavourably on AI rampages, some GM's don't like inexperienced players selecting strong nations, some GM's don't like players making unholy unreleastic alliances ... and so on.
Another common GM instruction is to not attack a particular country so that it can remain playable for a future session or for a retuning 'perm'.
Try to co-operate with the GM, by the way that doesn't mean their countries are off limits to attack, just follow their general instructions.

i) Do not pick on new players or players with small nations

Killing another players nation so that they cannot play in the game anymore is seen as very poor form and usually will incure the wrath of the other players.
There are exceptions to this rule espiecially if players declare that they wish to declare total war or if it is pre-arranged that two players are allowed to 'fight to the death'.
New players are can often be seen as easy prey, but more enjoyment can be gained by chatting too them and suggesting more peaceful resolutions then brutal Annexation.

k) Perm players are expected to play as the same nation for the whole game

It can be tempting if things are going badly for your nation to try and select another for which AI or a now departed player has done well with.
This will met with disapproval if you do this without the GM's concession, you will usually find if you pick an AI nation that another player had its designs on them. This all comes down to picking a nation at the beginning that you will enjoy playing with.

j) Accepting the role in which subs come into play in long term games

There are occasions in which 'perms' cannot play as their assigned country because they are available to play. In which case a sub is often assigned. Subbing is an excellent way to learn other players strategies and how to learn to play other nations without actually taking them on full time. A lot of the time experienced players will sub because they are available at a time of the week they are usually unavailable for. There are a few important things to apprieciate about being a sub which are covered else where in the forum. A 'sub' should certainly not ruin a nation for the 'perm'. A 'sub' should try and play the nation as best they can. Other players should refrain from attacking a 'subbed' nation unless it has absolute reason to.

ISSUE: Sometimes subs are unavailable so the undesirable but only acceptable solution of good old AI will have to run the nation. It is important to understand that AI does not usually run a country as well as a player and there will be some misgivings about playing on with a sub AI large nation. If too many 'perm' players are missing from a session a GM may decide to postpone.

l) If you have to leave the game let the GM and the Host know

That way they do not necesserily have to rehost.
Leaving a game midgame is very undesirable.
From what i understand if you leave the AI does not pick up from you, your former nation is 'braindead' that is acting as if you are afk.

n) Learn the game terminology

BB = Bad Boy (or Brandenburg!!!)
RR = Revolt Risk
CB = Casus Belli (just cause to attack another country)
Stab = Stability
SA = South America or South Africa
NA = North America
CoT = Centre of Trade
OE = Ottoman Empire#
NAP = Non-Aggression Pact
there are many others I cannot think of now please can long time players help me out here!!!

[Smowz]

PART 4 - Post gaming session

So you have a thrilling 3-10 hour session online with other players and you get to the end of the session. It is unlikely that the game will have ended and the GM will let players know when the game will continue.

Most experienced players will then check the game thread every now and again (some every hour of every day!!!) and perhaps add a comment or discuss something related to the game. Here is a few more regulations to look out for.

1) If you have agreed to 'perm' a nation, turn up and play in the next session or tell the GM that you will not be there

It is polite to let the GM know if you are not going to turn up.
If you are unhappy with the game and want to drop out please try and tell somebody, so that a suitable replacement can be found. It is frustrating for players who have arranged themselves so that they can play to turn up and have to postpone a session just because ppl did not show up.ContInually not turning will give you a bad rep.

2) GMs' will issue instructions through the game thread

It is worth checking the thread a couple of days before the anticipated return session to see if a game is still running or for further developments. GMs' may have decided to make edits to the save game to balance gameplay. They may have decided to kick players who failed the follow the creed!!!

3) If you can, write an AAR. This is NOT a rule, but often enriches the game experience

An AAR is an After Action Report. This means that a player writes a report based on events that happened in game previously. You can write the report in any way you feel is necessary. You can go all creative or write a more fact based report.Often players will be more willing to work with you on the next game, if they can understand your point of view, by writing an AAR you can give your opposition an insight into your world.

So completes my Multiplayer Creed, what do players or the moderators think?

Is this still too long? Is it useful? Will it be stickied? I would have liked to have seen this when i started MP gaming in EU3, i found my first couple of sessions very stressful.

[FAL]

Tonio's EU3 MP stats site can be found here:

http://www.europa3.ru/cgi-bin/mpstat...gi?action=show

The thread with info is here:

http://www.europa-universalis.com/fo...4&page=1&pp=20