To restate my proposals...
I've read a lot of great ideas here, some I've outlined as well and agree with, some I disagree with.
To not re-state what has already been stated, I will outline the proposals I have that others do not have in such great number.
1 - Parliament and Politics
The Victorian area was high time for Parliamentary debate, and hijinks in the Congress. Big names like Henry Clay, Benjamin Disraeli, John C Calhoun, William Gladstone, and many others made their fame by what they said and did in Parliament/Congress. Even countries that spoke languages I did not had their famous parliamentarians, like Adolphe Thiers or Otto Von Bismarck.
I'd like more interaction with Parliament. You don't need skyrim-style sprites with japanese-video-game-level personalities to speak with, but having more interaction beyond "press button X to change government and button Y to hold election" is something I'd really very much like to see.
Allow the parties to interact. Either with us, the player, or with one another. Create a "loyalty" to a particular party among pops. Also separate out different parties of the same stripe, and perhaps even, add a new stripe for us to play with, social-liberalism and allow the stripes to change their loyalties over time; so that Socialists and Communists may not always be pals, and upon the rise of Social-Liberalism, many Socialist groups would need to decide which (S-L or Comm) they want to be their best bud. Allow Nationalists to break away from Conservatives and ally with Fascist movements when they become strong enough, as happened in reality in most Fascist countries.
Also, add new politics based restrictions. Having "State Controlled" or "Laissez-Faire" is too broad; have forms of government, or political factions, that demand, for example, Parliamentary approval before going to war. If Parliament says "no" it might take two times as long to build a CB, but if they say "yes" it might cut the time in half.
I'd also add a "lower house" tab, and give it things to do. Again, exactly what can be up to you, but I would tie this to economics and budgets, and/or legal matters that are not tied to morality, like whom to tax, or how long a convicted rebel would serve in Jail (the latter would impact rebellion tendency modifiers, etc)
2 - Alternate History
This is one of the most popular periods for AH stories beyond the post-WW2 time. I would pick the most likely/plausible and include events for them should they happen. I'd also include ones that would be interesting to think about; for example, rather than keeping the Empire of "Portugal-Brazil" together, or have it fall apart, have a 3rd possibility of the empire of "Brazil-Portugal" being formed, ruled from the new world, with old world conservatives very unhappy with this idea.
3 - More AI and Starting customization
One of the big problems I found with V2 and making any mods for it was AI actions did not always match up properly with real history. For example, I found Prussia liked to annex Moravia more than Bohemia, whereas the opposite should be true. Find ways to encourage the AI to take specific paths (for example, give them a +2 modifier on their perceived value of a particular state in peace talks, or a -3 modifier, etc) Also allow and modify nation-to-nation relationships, so they can be adjusted as needed.
4 - Detach AI management from Gameplay mechanics
I find I pick my economic policy, Laissez-Faire or State Controlled, based on if I feel like factories by hand or not. Detach this. Allow players of all economies to create factories, but place limits on it. For example, a LF government, rather than building the factory brick by brick, could put out a "tax break" for building a particular factory in a particular state. On the other hand, under Communism, a high-ranking-bureaucrat could propose to the government a factory location, and all you'd need to do is "okay" it.
This would allow the existing restrictions to remain while also opening things up to the player to avoid either micromanagement boredom or poor AI factory placement. LF would no longer mean 0 control, but it wouldn't mean 100% control either, it would mean you get to play the invisible hand.
I've read a lot of great ideas here, some I've outlined as well and agree with, some I disagree with.
To not re-state what has already been stated, I will outline the proposals I have that others do not have in such great number.
1 - Parliament and Politics
The Victorian area was high time for Parliamentary debate, and hijinks in the Congress. Big names like Henry Clay, Benjamin Disraeli, John C Calhoun, William Gladstone, and many others made their fame by what they said and did in Parliament/Congress. Even countries that spoke languages I did not had their famous parliamentarians, like Adolphe Thiers or Otto Von Bismarck.
I'd like more interaction with Parliament. You don't need skyrim-style sprites with japanese-video-game-level personalities to speak with, but having more interaction beyond "press button X to change government and button Y to hold election" is something I'd really very much like to see.
Allow the parties to interact. Either with us, the player, or with one another. Create a "loyalty" to a particular party among pops. Also separate out different parties of the same stripe, and perhaps even, add a new stripe for us to play with, social-liberalism and allow the stripes to change their loyalties over time; so that Socialists and Communists may not always be pals, and upon the rise of Social-Liberalism, many Socialist groups would need to decide which (S-L or Comm) they want to be their best bud. Allow Nationalists to break away from Conservatives and ally with Fascist movements when they become strong enough, as happened in reality in most Fascist countries.
Also, add new politics based restrictions. Having "State Controlled" or "Laissez-Faire" is too broad; have forms of government, or political factions, that demand, for example, Parliamentary approval before going to war. If Parliament says "no" it might take two times as long to build a CB, but if they say "yes" it might cut the time in half.
I'd also add a "lower house" tab, and give it things to do. Again, exactly what can be up to you, but I would tie this to economics and budgets, and/or legal matters that are not tied to morality, like whom to tax, or how long a convicted rebel would serve in Jail (the latter would impact rebellion tendency modifiers, etc)
2 - Alternate History
This is one of the most popular periods for AH stories beyond the post-WW2 time. I would pick the most likely/plausible and include events for them should they happen. I'd also include ones that would be interesting to think about; for example, rather than keeping the Empire of "Portugal-Brazil" together, or have it fall apart, have a 3rd possibility of the empire of "Brazil-Portugal" being formed, ruled from the new world, with old world conservatives very unhappy with this idea.
3 - More AI and Starting customization
One of the big problems I found with V2 and making any mods for it was AI actions did not always match up properly with real history. For example, I found Prussia liked to annex Moravia more than Bohemia, whereas the opposite should be true. Find ways to encourage the AI to take specific paths (for example, give them a +2 modifier on their perceived value of a particular state in peace talks, or a -3 modifier, etc) Also allow and modify nation-to-nation relationships, so they can be adjusted as needed.
4 - Detach AI management from Gameplay mechanics
I find I pick my economic policy, Laissez-Faire or State Controlled, based on if I feel like factories by hand or not. Detach this. Allow players of all economies to create factories, but place limits on it. For example, a LF government, rather than building the factory brick by brick, could put out a "tax break" for building a particular factory in a particular state. On the other hand, under Communism, a high-ranking-bureaucrat could propose to the government a factory location, and all you'd need to do is "okay" it.
This would allow the existing restrictions to remain while also opening things up to the player to avoid either micromanagement boredom or poor AI factory placement. LF would no longer mean 0 control, but it wouldn't mean 100% control either, it would mean you get to play the invisible hand.
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