Hands-Off EU3 Games

[scholar]

For a long time I've had an interest in hands-off Europa Universalis Games. I enjoyed seeing how the world would change without any interference from the player, though in almost every instance I couldn't resist changing something. Recently I've starting an AAR based around the concept of a hands-off game, though its taking place in an aged version of the game (In Nomine). Now a few months, to a year ago, I believe there may have been a similar topic but I'm not one for reviving long dead topics unless they are truly important. I'm interested in seeing how many other people enjoy hands-off games or if anyone wants to share their any stories (or AARs) they have about some of their games. Maps are always welcome.

Here's one that I did with Cyprus:



So what do you think about hands-off games and what value do you think they have to a game like Europa Universalis and the player? Who knows, maybe in the future EU games will have an 'autorun'/'autoplay' option.

[Trololord]

I never "played" a hands off game. How exactly can I let the game play by itself without risking being annexed or vassalized or somehow become part the changes in the world. You said you played Cyprus. I wonder, is there no country that would have any interest in annexing Cyprus? Imagine that the Byzantine Empire would somehow regain Ottoman lands, which is not completeley impossible due to the Ottoman AI being a total moron. Doesn't the Byzantine Empire have a core on Cyprus? How can you be certain you wouldn't get out of the game, before seeing any result?

[Dutchemperor]

Look to that Byzantium. The problem is Cyprus quickly assilimates into Cosmopolitan.

[Sarius1997]

I think he changed the goverment of cyprus in the game files to steppe horde, so no one could attack him.

[Cpl Wilding]

How did Italy form? O.o

[Trololord]

Hey, you also renamed Byzantium to Byzantine Empire!

[Brasem]

How on earth did the golden horde survive

[glen55]

I don't play hands-off, but in some games I make an effort to disrupt the world as little as possible, consistent with my goals. My goals usually involve becoming a superpower, and of course it's not really possible to do that in a live and let live fashion, but if I'm playing that way I make sure some powerful nations survive, and when I'm an ally in a war between two powers I try not to tip the balance so hard that one power munches the other one. The only must thing is to make sure that no one nation becomes such a conglomeration of power that I can't defeat it.

Because I am also interested in seeing what the AI does in games when I'm not forcing the issue too much. A few things I have noticed:

- France usually gets busted into a million pieces after Burgundy takes it to the cleaners; if "France" survives, it's a tiny little thing hoping you'll vassalize it
- England frequently has serious problems in the 15th century and gets broken down to a medium-sized power, but if it manages to survive the early problems and form Britain, it's a real power
- Speaking of forming nations, Britain is not uncommon but I've never seen an AI Italy, Spain, HRE or Germany; I saw Russia once, but it wasn't very big and didn't last long; saw the Netherlands once, it also didn't last. I've never seen the AI put Northern Italy together into a single bloc
- Either Denmark or Sweden usually takes the other one down hard early (and it's usually Sweden)
- Aragon tends to do something flashy in the 15th century, but then it gets munched; Teutonic Order, same song, 2nd verse
- Ottomans might make an early push, but they usually don't, and if they do it doesn't last and they get eliminated or shrinkwrapped for vassalization
- If you're not in a position to do it yourself, one of the big early questions is whether anybody will control the Golden Horde; they can get out of hand
- Not surprised to see Austria atop that list, as the human player you are usually going to have to go in and get Austria at some point or it can get ugly; my easiest SP game was as Austria, too, what a breeze!

All these observations are DW 5.1 vanilla. Also, I have never played past 1750, and usually it's really over by 1650 or so and I quit, so different types of things might happen in the late game - couldn't say. Also, as you can tell, I have little to say about Asia or Africa.

[Notlupus]

Awesome to read/look at, terribly boring to play. I'm a sucker for maps and alternate histories, Ming Scandinavia, Ottoman Australia. Songai Italy and Cherokee Great Britain are all things you may wake me for in the middle of the night.

[Gzav8]

I don't play hands-off, but in some games I make an effort to disrupt the world as little as possible, consistent with my goals. My goals usually involve becoming a superpower, and of course it's not really possible to do that in a live and let live fashion, but if I'm playing that way I make sure some powerful nations survive, and when I'm an ally in a war between two powers I try not to tip the balance so hard that one power munches the other one. The only must thing is to make sure that no one nation becomes such a conglomeration of power that I can't defeat it.

Thats what European foreign policy was all about till WW1. If you are playing in the major league you don't want anyone bigger than the others. And that is where the AI sucks so much tho in every game I've played. When you have a BBB every single major power should ally to dismember it like back in 1815. I'm playing as Grand Britain, Castilla is a big superpower in both land and sea, I managed alone to destroy its navy but I wasn't even close to make France join me and beats Castilla on land, sad !

Back to topic:
I don't have enough time to play, can't even think about a "hand-off game". Sometimes I just load my save and check what happends in others parts of the world

[Hatkah]

In so many of my games now i see france blob to take the whole of france burgundy nothern castille italy etc..
The problem i ALWAYS see with france is within 100 years 30+ inflation then they get into too many wars and get torn to pieces. In my netherlands game i declared war on a fance like this thinking it would be nice to have a good fight. I had only 2 32k stacks on ML europe and i wanted to make it a challenge france had 120k troops.
It was like attacking native americans.
AI sucks badly and makes my games dull after 100 years since i have yet to see a tough AI that won't crumble from the slightest player pressure by 1600. I am thinking of playing with no inflation and lucky nations to see if it helps...

Also in my netherlands game while i was still holland with 2 provs and some colonies in the caribbean i literally tore apart half the HRE including a blobbed austria who has inherited about 5 HRE nations this i did by about 1500 with 1 20k stack. Its pathetic that the AI is so useless.

Sorry i just wanted a rant.

[king hannibal]

The closest I've ever come is playing an Asian nation and seeing Europe go to hell

[Hatkah]

Its just so disappointing that i see on the forums people who have MASSIVE austria or bohemia or HRE blobs as endgame bosses and the biggest i get to fight is ming who i can stomp with a 16k stack .

[_anomaly]

Rev France, Surviving GH Blob, AI Japan/Italy; if only that stuff happened in an actual game

[Junuxx]

Rev France, Surviving GH Blob, AI Japan/Italy; if only that stuff happened in an actual game

You can tell from the Permanent Terra Incognita that it's In Nomine. With that version, a surviving GH wasn't unusual, and Japan was there at the start. AI Italy is very rare though.

[scholar]

Its not every day that a topic you make a year ago comes back to the front page!

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I never "played" a hands off game. How exactly can I let the game play by itself without risking being annexed or vassalized or somehow become part the changes in the world. You said you played Cyprus. I wonder, is there no country that would have any interest in annexing Cyprus? Imagine that the Byzantine Empire would somehow regain Ottoman lands, which is not completeley impossible due to the Ottoman AI being a total moron. Doesn't the Byzantine Empire have a core on Cyprus? How can you be certain you wouldn't get out of the game, before seeing any result?

My memory is fuzzy, but now that I think about it I was only attacked a couple of times, maybe three or four times. Most of the time they never attacked me after declaring war, or my rather tiny navy of large ships was able to beat back the galleys and cogs sent to take me out. After the Ottomans got beaten, I maintained royal marriages with almost all big competitions, and that saved me a lot of trouble. Good relations + Marriage = Not a target when you don't share a border and have no allies.

Look to that Byzantium. The problem is Cyprus quickly assilimates into Cosmopolitan.

I know I became Orthodox, but I'm not sure if I culture shifted, so it might or might not still be Greek.

I think he changed the goverment of cyprus in the game files to steppe horde, so no one could attack him.

No Steppe Hordes inside of IN, but if I want to do another one in DW I'll actually do that.

Hey, you also renamed Byzantium to Byzantine Empire!

I didn't mod that, its the original name for IN.

How on earth did the golden horde survive

By having Russia fall apart into nothing leaving it free reign to capture OPMs and take colonies from revolutionary swamped nations. More than half of its state was not Tartar at the end, if I recall.

How did Italy form? O.o

Either the Pope moved to the new world and lost Rome in a war, or Rome was annexed by a muslim state, moved to the HRE, and was then taken over by the Italians. I'm not sure which, my memory isn't exactly strong on this. I just noted that catholic zealots revolted all over the New World when the regime changed faiths and they all defected to the Pope. All I can say is that it wasn't Tuscany that formed Italy (it might have been Naples), as if I remember correctly it got kicked out of Italy and set up shop in South Africa.

Its just so disappointing that i see on the forums people who have MASSIVE austria or bohemia or HRE blobs as endgame bosses and the biggest i get to fight is ming who i can stomp with a 16k stack .

They probably play with house rules and have historical lucky nations. Instantly France, Austria, Sweden, England, Castille, and the Ottomans become stronger. If you allow them to grow at their own pace they'll be challenges for you in the late game if you aren't conquering every single province you can grab. RP and take it slow, you'll get a challenge at the end.

Rev France, Surviving GH Blob, AI Japan/Italy; if only that stuff happened in an actual game

Rev France is practically a mandatory event inside of IN, happening at least half the games I played. The GH blob was a freak of circumstance, while Japan came at the start. Italy's really the only rarity in this, though a Lithuania inheriting Great Britain, an AI Scandinavia with near perfect borders, and both France and Burgundy being major powers at the same time are novelties. The Timurids also did unusually well, but it seems common in comparison to the rest.