Am I missing the point?

[zhivago6]

I have played Crusader Kings more than most wives would tolerate (luckily mine does) but I really want to play as a Muslim/Pagan, and short of modding (which still does not work good) I had to upgrade to EU. I tried EU3, but my computer is too old, so I just bought a copy of EU2.

I installed and played it, but, well, this game does not really seem fun. Am I missing something? There does not seem to be much relation to CK at all. There is no dynasty that I can tell and the 'improvements' are few and far between. I get messages about the king and all that, but I can't see him or any info about him. Maybe I just don't know where to look. It seems like mostly I just wait until I can send merchents out to different areas. If I play as a muslim/hindu/pagan it seems like I am never going to advance in technology, and I can't even explore areas that are right next to my capital! Nothing extra-ordinary seems to happen even playing at max speed for hours on end. I played as a hindu nation for 100 years and the most interesting thing that happened was I figured out that if you build an art school or whatever, then you screw yourself and can't build anything else!

Please tell me I am missing something!

 

[Orm]

I have played Crusader Kings more than most wives would tolerate (luckily mine does) but I really want to play as a Muslim/Pagan, and short of modding (which still does not work good) I had to upgrade to EU. I tried EU3, but my computer is too old, so I just bought a copy of EU2.

I installed and played it, but, well, this game does not really seem fun. Am I missing something? There does not seem to be much relation to CK at all. There is no dynasty that I can tell and the 'improvements' are few and far between. I get messages about the king and all that, but I can't see him or any info about him. Maybe I just don't know where to look. It seems like mostly I just wait until I can send merchents out to different areas. If I play as a muslim/hindu/pagan it seems like I am never going to advance in technology, and I can't even explore areas that are right next to my capital! Nothing extra-ordinary seems to happen even playing at max speed for hours on end. I played as a hindu nation for 100 years and the most interesting thing that happened was I figured out that if you build an art school or whatever, then you screw yourself and can't build anything else!

Please tell me I am missing something!

The name of the game is Europa Universalis. While powers outside of Europe are playable, with most of them you're not really meant to. Also keep in mind that EU2 is significantly older than CK, it wasn't made to be a sequel to CK.

 

[KINGBEN]

I have played Crusader Kings more than most wives would tolerate (luckily mine does) but I really want to play as a Muslim/Pagan, and short of modding (which still does not work good) I had to upgrade to EU. I tried EU3, but my computer is too old, so I just bought a copy of EU2.

I installed and played it, but, well, this game does not really seem fun. Am I missing something? There does not seem to be much relation to CK at all. There is no dynasty that I can tell and the 'improvements' are few and far between. I get messages about the king and all that, but I can't see him or any info about him. Maybe I just don't know where to look. It seems like mostly I just wait until I can send merchents out to different areas. If I play as a muslim/hindu/pagan it seems like I am never going to advance in technology, and I can't even explore areas that are right next to my capital! Nothing extra-ordinary seems to happen even playing at max speed for hours on end. I played as a hindu nation for 100 years and the most interesting thing that happened was I figured out that if you build an art school or whatever, then you screw yourself and can't build anything else!

Please tell me I am missing something!

In EU2 you play a country, rather than a dynasty.

 

[unmerged(148116)]

To get the hang of EU2 you should really start as a European country, as even though you can play any country in the world, the game is focused on Europe. Non-European countries are more difficult to play, but once you figure out the controls, they become more feasible. I played a game as the Songhai in Africa once and managed to conquer half the continent by the end of the game.

And yes, there is no relation to CK. EU2 was made several years before. CK was originally made by a different company, so CK is actually the oddball.

There is very little information on the king, as in EU2 you're playing the country not the character. All the information on the king is his name and three stats which I can't remember at the moment.

You should eventually receive a explorer/conquistador that will let you explore nearby territories, but you have to wait around a long time if you don't automatically start with them like Spain and Portugal do.

As for the art school style improvements, yes, you are limited to just one in each province. You just need to read the description to decide which one you should build in each province. You should almost always build the art school in your capital.

There used to be an EU2wiki that would have been very helpful to you, but unfortunately it is no longer available.

 

[unmerged(45368)]

I will quote one of the first paragraphs from the Europa Universalis Manual:

"You lead a country and have a great number of choices regarding war and peace, politics, economics, and religion, but at the same time your resources are limited because of the size and traditions of your nation. You are simply "The Grey Eminence" behind all of the monarchs of your country during the period of the game.

Despite that this Manual is ancient, this is still what it's all about: it's the nation which you lead under your command. Monarchs are just a limited factor in your road to succes. But nevertheless they are there, and do influence the course of your future with the nation.

I too strongly recommend you start with a European nation, most notably Spain, England and Portugal (in that order), because of the extended possibilities those nations have. Non-European nations that can be worthwhile playing are China or Mughal Empire.
If you feel the game is still a bit bland, try downloading the AGCEEP historical mod: http://www.agceep.net/introduction.htm
This mod has a lot of extra events and dynamics added to the game, which will keep you much more on your toes.

 

[unmerged(163362)]

I have played Crusader Kings more than most wives would tolerate (luckily mine does) but I really want to play as a Muslim/Pagan, and short of modding (which still does not work good) I had to upgrade to EU. I tried EU3, but my computer is too old, so I just bought a copy of EU2.

I installed and played it, but, well, this game does not really seem fun. Am I missing something? There does not seem to be much relation to CK at all. There is no dynasty that I can tell and the 'improvements' are few and far between. I get messages about the king and all that, but I can't see him or any info about him. Maybe I just don't know where to look. It seems like mostly I just wait until I can send merchents out to different areas. If I play as a muslim/hindu/pagan it seems like I am never going to advance in technology, and I can't even explore areas that are right next to my capital! Nothing extra-ordinary seems to happen even playing at max speed for hours on end. I played as a hindu nation for 100 years and the most interesting thing that happened was I figured out that if you build an art school or whatever, then you screw yourself and can't build anything else!

Please tell me I am missing something!

EU 2 lets you play the historical period during the European transition from feudalism to more centralized forms of national government; so it's no surprise that dynasties are given short shrift. Dynastic changes, when they need to occur, are handled via event. I think one of the latest expansions for EU 3 includes a dynastic model, if you're interested.

Anyway, to make the game fun, try giving yourself some missions. Play as Benin and try to "civilize" Europe if you want a bit of a challenge.

 

[Mats_SX]

There used to be an EU2wiki that would have been very helpful to you, but unfortunately it is no longer available.

Incorrect. The eu2 wiki is both alive and extremely helpful.

Here.