About previous patch-levels of Europa Universalis IV - How to's!

[BjornB]

Hi guys!

If you for whatever reason don't want to play the current version of Europa Universalis IV, here is how you can go about achieving that!

If your game is already up to date with the latest version of the game, but you want to go back to a previous version and still get achievements:
Select a previous patch level
1. Right click the game in Steam
2. Select Properties
3. Go to the tab BETAS
4. Select desired patch level in the drop down list
5. Download update
6. Start the game normally through Steam
You will of course only be able to obtain achievements available at that patch. Any achievements added in later patches will not be obtainable!

If you want your game to stay the exact way it is right now!:
1. Right click Europa Universalis IV in your Steam library and select Properties
2. Go to the tab called "Local Files" and press the button saying "Browse local files"
3. You should now have your "...\steamapps\common\Europa Universalis IV" folder open on your computer
4. Move/copy the entire Europa Universalis IV folder (move up one step in your directory hierarchy) to anywhere but the the steamapps-folder on your computer
5. Start the game by using eu4.exe in the folder rather than through Steam
This will prevent you from gaining any achievements whatsoever! This option is not recommended but may be desired by some. Please note that you should always have your Steam client running on your computer when playing EUIV to prevent issues with the AI and other things (You can have it in offline mode if you like, just as long as the client is running).

These procedures will work with any game from Paradox Development Studio. Just replace the game name in the instructions.

ForzaA edit, 10-06-2015
Please note:
If you revert back to an old patch after having played with patch 1.12, make sure to remove ALL savegames created or modified with patch 1.12 (for local savegames, renaming the save games folder or pointing to a different folder by using a userdir will also work) or the game may crash as soon as it attempts to read one of these new savegames (such as when switching to the savegame tab)

 

[Chrom]

So i just reverted through all available versions of euIV and this works great except for version 1.4.1 and 1.5.1 (the versions before the new launcher).
I disabled all DLCs through steam and deleted my mod folder.
According to the wiki i have the correct checksums but Ironman mode is disabled, thus no achievements.

Any idea?

 

[BjornB]

So i just reverted through all available versions of euIV and this works great except for version 1.4.1 and 1.5.1 (the versions before the new launcher).
I disabled all DLCs through steam and deleted my mod folder.
According to the wiki i have the correct checksums but Ironman mode is disabled, thus no achievements.

Any idea?

To be perfectly honest with you, I'm not quite sure. I have a memory of us being forced to disable ironman in some versions when they were current due to a CTD issue. Sadly we won't be able to fix it I'm afraid. We added "No ironman" to the description in Steam.

 

[Ultrix Prime]

Best feature in the game and I am truly thankful for it.

 

[Krajzen]

How can I disable automatic updates on Steam, so new hotfix/patch won't suddenly kill my save or mods?

 

[RobRoy3]

How can I disable automatic updates on Steam, so new hotfix/patch won't suddenly kill my save or mods?

You can't REALLY disable automatic updates on Steam. Steam implies that there is such a feature, but it appears to only work within a Steam session. Next time you log out/back in, you get updates.

The real solution, if you want to avoid Steam updates, is to copy the game folder from the Steam directory to another directory, and just play off-line. The second solution in the OP describes the necessary steps. This can provide a useful backup, too, if you decide you need/want to finish a particular game using a minor patch or hotfix that might not be available in the beta list. You should have the Steam Client running in the background, when you're playing offline, though, to avoid the occasional odd anomaly you may experience. Won't be able to use ironman or go for achievements, but if you're using mods, that's probably not your priority, anyway.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

Hi guys!

If you for whatever reason don't want to play the current version of Europa Universalis IV, here is how you can go about achieving that!


These procedures will work with any game from Paradox Development Studio. Just replace the game name in the instructions.

I tried to go back to the last version that worked for me but the version isn't there.

 

[jdrou]

I tried to go back to the last version that worked for me but the version isn't there.

What ver were you looking for? Only the last hotfix for each major patch seems to be available.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

What ver were you looking for? Only the last hotfix for each major patch seems to be available.

I'm not sure of the version--it was two patches ago. It didn't occur to me to remember exactly what it was. The patch after that caused unreasonable DoWs, the recent hotfix didn't fix it.

 

[solidprice]

I know it would be a monumental request, but i wish there was more beta patches for each patch.
A small nitpick, but would be cool to see the game's evolution and to appreciate the things we gained.

 

[jdrou]

I know it would be a monumental request, but i wish there was more beta patches for each patch.
A small nitpick, but would be cool to see the game's evolution and to appreciate the things we gained.

I would like this too (I have zipped versions of all old patches for EU3 for reference) but it would probably create a lot of clutter in the Steam beta menu for a relatively small number of people that would find it useful. For just historical purposes a collection of all the changelogs would probably be good enough (available on the wiki). Some annotations for undocumented changes and cases where the changelog's language was unclear could be useful.

 

[WaltherModel]

So I followed the first post and went back to a previous version to finish my ironman but now I want to go and get the new patch

I cant figure out how though to get to the latest version after I went back to an old patch. Can someone explain it to me please?

 

[chrnno]

So I followed the first post and went back to a previous version to finish my ironman but now I want to go and get the new patch

I cant figure out how though to get to the latest version after I went back to an old patch. Can someone explain it to me please?

Steam -> EU4 -> -> Game Properties -> Betas -> Select "None" to have the most recent

 

[WaltherModel]

Steam -> EU4 -> -> Game Properties -> Betas -> Select "None" to have the most recent

Thank you alot !

 

[RadRussian]

So which patch has the least AE and Ironman mode (I plan to do Norwegian Wood, Jihad, and WC)?

 

[Marquoz]

That's a great question. I'd love to hear an answer from someone who has experience with world conquests in those different patches.

 

[Kapibaro]

Really thanks

 

[Madloco]

As I can get the code from the beta to play the previous version?

 

[Sentinel1234567]

I have a game in 1700 so I want to play it till the end. With the new patch 1.12. it is unplayable. I loaded, saved and it does not crash, but buildings, money etc. doesn´t work.

So I wanted the patch to get away (and load it after finshing my game) and tried it like told in the opening post. So I patched to the latest possible version - 1.10. Every time I go on "saved games" the game crashes and I cannot load anything.
It seems, that there is no way playing my saved game till the end and that is very disappointing.
So my question: Is there a way, I cannot see yet? Why does the "downpatch" not work? Please help.

 

[ach9999]

please add the keyword "steam" in the topic name - didn't see this when having troubles. thanks