• We have updated our Community Code of Conduct. Please read through the new rules for the forum that are an integral part of Paradox Interactive’s User Agreement.

Victoria 3 - Dev Diary #73 - Open Beta and Update 1.2 overview

16_9.jpg

Hello and welcome! Today we'll be covering several topics relating to Update 1.2:

  • Open 1.2 Beta
  • Feature Overview
  • Anticipated 1.2 Release Date

As mentioned in our last dev diary, 1.2 is a big update with some far-reaching changes, and we don't want to push it out before we feel it's ready for primetime. We're happy overall with the reception of Update 1.1, but those of you who were with us during its initial release will remember - perhaps fondly, perhaps not - how the Legitimacy mechanics seemed to change from day to day for a while there. While we finally managed to iron out most of the kinks in 1.1.2 (more on that later) this is the kind of scenario we'd like to avoid going forward. With a game as highly interconnected and complex as Victoria 3, the only way to do that is to give the patch enough time in the oven, letting our playtesters really give everything a solid rundown.

At the same time, Update 1.2 brings some substantial improvements in several areas that we know are important to you, and we don't want to keep those away from you longer than we absolutely have to. Disentangling specific improvements and bug fixes from the rest of the changes that have already been done to the branch is itself laborious and error-prone. Our assessment is that releasing those in hotfixes would be risky.

So how do we marry these two things together - giving you access to upcoming content as soon as possible, while ensuring high quality of the upcoming update? By launching our first Open Beta, of course! In this way you will have a chance to experience all the juicy parts of Update 1.2, but also share your feedback with us in advance, allowing us to improve what we are currently working on.

Our planned beta launch date is February 8th at 10:00 CET. At that point a new Steam beta branch 1.2-beta will become available to anyone who owns Victoria 3. A new forum post will be made with step-by-step instructions for how to enable it. Once you've started playing the beta, you can always switch back to the live branch in the same way. As always, your existing save games might not be fully compatible with this new version, and you should definitely not expect saves made in 1.2 to be backwards compatible with 1.1.2.

We will also launch a new beta section on our Victoria 3 Discord server where you can discuss the update with other players and report any bugs or balance issues you find. Our moderators will be active on this channel, and so will developers and QA team members as time permits. If you prefer not to use Discord you can also file bugs using our forum bug report tool, even for the beta version.

After the initial beta release, we plan on releasing two additional updates on the beta branch on a weekly basis, containing additional bug fixes, performance improvements, etc and also adjustments we've made according to your feedback. The exact release dates and times of these updates are to be confirmed, but we will keep you posted on the Discord channel.

To set expectations at the right level, playing the beta build will not be a buttery-smooth experience! Some aspects of the game will be greatly improved, but other things will be in a rougher state, and there will be bugs (if not, we'd just launch it without a beta phase!)

Also, some features will be in a less mature state at the beginning of beta than they will be at release. For example, Strategic Objectives will be limited to one per country during the beta, but the intent is to expand this to allow for designating multiple Strategic Objectives. This slimmed-down version is included in the beta to allow you to try it out and feedback on how it feels in general while we continue to work on the full implementation.

So do keep in mind that while you'll get a sneak peek at the latest features and will see many improvements, you should expect some speed bumps along the way. And when you do, we want to hear about it!

Below you can find a short list of some of the new features and improvements made in 1.2. As always, just because something is not on this list doesn't mean we're not aware of it, and may even have addressed it already! The full changelog will be published closer to the release date.

image1.jpg

New Features
  • Autonomous Investment system
  • Strategic Objectives for planning military campaigns
  • Customizable notification settings
  • In-game music player
  • Key rebinding

Improvements and bug fixes
  • Performance optimization
  • Improved AI handling of economy and military, including port management
  • Greater differences in economic systems
  • More realistic modeling of trade route profits and GDP
  • Worldwide Arable Land revision and migration balancing
  • Mega-parties limited by tweaks to party formation logic and ideology

Interface
  • Trade panel overhaul for easier route management
  • More clarity on Pop Needs, Convoys, Radicals and Loyalists
  • Visual upgrades to mapmodes and lenses, such as showing Infrastructure and employable Pops when expanding buildings
  • Outliner enhanced with pinnable market goods and characters
  • Reduced notification spam


We are going to cover most of these things in dev diaries leading up to the release of 1.2, so details on what exactly these entail may be sparse until then. However, all of these will be in the beta build when we release it (although to reiterate, perhaps not in their final form) so come February 8th you can explore them for yourself!

After the third and final beta release, but before the live release of Update 1.2, you can expect the beta build and the beta section on Discord to become unavailable, as we will be channeling all our resources into the release. We will keep you updated on the expected beta shutdown date on Discord as well, of course.

Our preliminary release date for Update 1.2, assuming all goes according to plan, is March 13th. For those of you who opt to continue playing 1.1.2 until then you can follow the new features in upcoming dev diaries. For the rest of you, I'll see you on Discord on Feb 8!

v3_discordbanner.jpg
 
Last edited by a moderator:
  • 144Like
  • 69Love
  • 12
  • 7
  • 1
Reactions:
Do you mean "can we just get tin soldiers/cardboard chits we can push around the map?" If so, then no, we can't.

If not, then you'll need to be clearer, because it seems like most people who say that mean "I want tin soldiers / cardboard chits to push around the map".
The ability to actually manage fronts would be nice, though unfortunately based on the OPB interview it doesn't sound like that will be in the cards for a long time, if at all
 
  • 1
  • 1Like
Reactions:
rather than adding new type of plantations/building... why not change so the player can balance amount of output (with a ledger or something). so if you want a plantation to produce 100% and no wheat, it should be able.

this should also be added for every building that has 2 types of output good.

also, there should generally be less type of buildings, or atleast we should be able to group them somehow rather than have a long list of buildings to scroll down to. quantity of buildings (or anything really) doesnt equate quality, rather it is the gameplay that gives quality.

iron/coal/lead etc should be grouped, food sources (farms) like wheat, rice etc etc should be grouped, opium and other plantations should be grouped. consumer goods should be grouped etc etc
Because it would introduce an absolutely insane amount of micro to manually set sliders of PM distributions on individual buildings.

We're considering different solutions to the industrial good output substitution problem long-term, but at the moment balancing the system we have is better.
 
  • 17
  • 8Like
  • 3
  • 1
Reactions:
I vaguely recall a dev saying that yall were looking into modifying the colonization system to account for claims in 1.2, to help stop the sort of sillyness the current game has in places like Hokkaido and the Alberta/Montana area, etc. Should I expect to see that in the patch, or has that been pushed back?
That's going to be in the update (and the beta).
 
  • 24Like
  • 9Love
  • 6
  • 2
Reactions:
Great!) looking forward to patch 1.2!
I am glad that the redevelopment of arable land in the world has finally passed.
Since we are talking about separate plantations for growing grapes. Can we expect sugar beet plantations to appear as well? For the same reason as stated above.
Sugar beets have a really interesting history I'd love to represent in the game, but I think it's better served as something other than a distinct building, personally.
 
  • 14
  • 7Like
  • 1
Reactions:
For the love of god, can we just get actual control over our military?
I mean, aren't you getting some of that with "Strategic Objectives for planning military campaigns"? Not enough for you, I imagine, but it's not like they are ignoring the issue you have.

The ability to actually manage fronts would be nice, though unfortunately based on the OPB interview it doesn't sound like that will be in the cards for a long time, if at all
If by "manage" you mean splitting fronts, then that seems to be on their roadmap according to the post-release DD, though probably not for this patch:
 
  • 3
  • 1
  • 1
Reactions:
Would appreciate seeing the strange situation regarding Spain being addressed sooner rather than later, as to why some Spanish captaincies such as Cuba start as colonies under Spain in-game but another with the same status historically, Puerto Rico, starts as fully integrated. If you are needing direction as to where to go for colonial leadership of Puerto Rico, this is the list of governors since 1509 (It currently tends to release as a monarchy, which fails this long history). Puerto Rico's default flag is also still the flag it was given under the United States past the timescale of Victoria 3, would be nice for the tag to be given appropriate flags for both the timescale of the game as well as flags for appropriate colonial/independent status.
 
Last edited:
  • 4
  • 1Like
  • 1
Reactions:
I appreciate this. My only regret is that as a business Paradox did not label this early access because lets face it there's a lot of work to be done yet before this diamond can really shine.
 
  • 7
  • 3
  • 2Haha
Reactions:
Hallo! Automation of Production methods is on the plan? Don't make sense in nation without planned economy.
 
  • 6
Reactions:
I appreciate this. My only regret is that as a business Paradox did not label this early access because lets face it there's a lot of work to be done yet before this diamond can really shine.
I wouldn't personally say the game launched at an 'early access level' but yeah, it definitely launched as a 'brute diamond'. The good part is: they're adressing (most of) our complaints, even some I never even imagined they would. Vic 3, at least for me, it's already one of Pdxs best games, and it has the potential to be their best yet (until Vic 4 :D).
 
  • 4
  • 2
Reactions:
Out of curiosity, is the infrastructure for the message settings part of the engine or specific to Vic3? In other words, how easy/difficult would it be to port the system over to CK3?
Game specific
 
  • 16
  • 3Like
Reactions:
I vaguely recall a dev saying that yall were looking into modifying the colonization system to account for claims in 1.2, to help stop the sort of sillyness the current game has in places like Hokkaido and the Alberta/Montana area, etc. Should I expect to see that in the patch, or has that been pushed back?
Part of the Canada (and Mexico) colonization issue is that they no longer have 'interest' in the area (as all they have is colonies) and they fixed the bug where colonies continue to grow in areas that you no longer have an interest. This leaves the majority of the Canada (and Mexico) colonies sitting idle. Hopefully what ever they did to fix this issue also takes care of this oversight.
 
  • 2
Reactions:
Great!) looking forward to patch 1.2!
I am glad that the redevelopment of arable land in the world has finally passed.
Since we are talking about separate plantations for growing grapes. Can we expect sugar beet plantations to appear as well? For the same reason as stated above.

I kinda assume that's represented by the pms that let you get sugar out of farms. If they eventually impllement sliders, you'll have more control on how much sugar is produced.

A new building would of course also work, but you'd have to balance sugar production worldwide so as not to have a synthetics industry problem where it's rarely worth building.

(On that note, cultures should be more prone to get sugar obsessions as it becomes cheaper and more available to the lower classes, as they certainly did in real life, Sugared fish, anyone?
 
  • 3
Reactions:
Because it would introduce an absolutely insane amount of micro to manually set sliders of PM distributions on individual buildings.

We're considering different solutions to the industrial good output substitution problem long-term, but at the moment balancing the system we have is better.

For at least some specific situations, like growing wine in France, would it be reasonable/possible to have province modifiers that increase output of the secondary production?
 
  • 3
  • 1Like
Reactions:
People complaining about the state of the game at release tend to forget that Paradox always follows this way: A playable, very solid base game at release and then expand it while also listening to the opinions and desires of the players.

I want to remind these people complaining, that they should roll back other recent Paradox titles to version 1.0 and look how they were before comparing them. HoI4 with only a few focus trees and basic mechanics. Stellaris was visually a gem but gameplay was also quite lackluster at the beginning. EU4 is compared to its current state literally unplayable in 1.0.
We all just tend to forget how these games were at the beginning, but if we think about it: They all started the same. And in the end we sink thousands of hours into them because they just are like a fine wine: Become better the older they get.

And honestly: Vic3's dev team here is on a very good way, assessing the major things very fast, communicating with us and don't instantly concentrate on the first paid DLC.

The game has tons of potential, and I'm excited as to where the road will guide us with this.
 
  • 9
  • 1Like
  • 1
Reactions:
As part of the update can we get a rework of religious law. Perhaps something about heritage like accepting all: Abrahamic, Eastern, or Indic religions

Or you could have tolerance for all "organized religions" (to borrow from CK)

Or you could have an "emancipation of [your country's largest minority religion]"

We just need some other religion law.
 
  • 2
Reactions:
Exact dates of the subsequent releases aren't confirmed but we're actually aiming for 1 / week, with a longer period between the last beta update and the live release. The reason for this is because we need to freeze the build for final testing a bit ahead of release.
It sounds like you're going to shut down the beta branch after the feedback cut-off date. For players going from 1.1 to the 1.2 beta, that means there'll likely be a week or two where they have to go back to 1.1, which may be a disappointing readjustment.

Can you consider doing something like the Stellaris team where they have an explicit feedback cutoff date, but they leave the beta branch up to play around with until the official patch releases?
 
  • 2
  • 1
Reactions:
I hope to see the cabinet, parliament and intelligence system in V3 in the future. The parliamentary system can have the struggle of political parties and factions, the cabinet system can have the union of political parties and the allocation of seats, and the intelligence system can have subversion and rebellion.
 
  • 2
  • 1
Reactions:
Looks like a cool update, but why does the world map barely change from 1836 to 1936, it is practically identical. Barely any independence rebellions happen, countries don't collapse, etc.
That's a fair point, especially considering how significant the victorian era was for humanity. In my experience, changes do happen quite frequently but not in a very organical manner, like fascist France for the 35th time in a row. Perhaps a solution to that could be having more events related to political movements of the period for a particular country, or having more granularity between interest groups from different countries to allow local idiosyncrasies to arise more frequently, giving birth to movements advocating for things like, idk, afro-brazilian ethnostate. Would add a lot of depth and interesting flavors (like smoked paprika) to gameplay.
 
  • 3
  • 1Like
Reactions: