Austria: Easiest country for WC? (A long read...)

[durvas]

Thanks for all the tips in this thread. I have followed them and I'm well on my way, though I'm probably in the running for the record of most non-coalition truces :laugh: They're ending now though and they're are still people I haven't attacked so I can't siege them fast enough.

http://cloud-3.steampowered.com/ugc/616154883289902109/89500FA740E0CE5DC46647DDA67E4A8D3CFE20FC/

But I have some questions about adding provinces to the empire. Do you simply have to conquer, then add everything before giving it to vassals? Or do you have to core it first? If you core it through using a vassal, add it to the HRE and then release the vassal again, will the vassal be a member of the HRE and thus not count towards the diplomatic relations number?

 

[anomalacaris]

You can't really add a province if it is not your core.
Or else... You can just enact last reform for hilarious number of cores...

 

[aqvamare]

A PU elector switch after integrateing to your country.

 

[calistoknight]

I would probably have to agree that Austria is probably the 'easiest' country to get WC in just by using the HRE mechanics and the fact that they can have a ridiculous amount of diplomatic relationships. Every major power but one (the ottoman) you can PU, PU France, GB/England, Spain, Portugal and they will colonize the world between them pretty easily. Meaning once you've beaten the ottoman's, the only people left to beat are of much lower tech levels and you should be able to steam roll them. Honestly I think the only issue is dealing with rebels and coring costs if you absorb to many lands and don't release them as vassals after you add the land to the HRE.

 

[drake000666]

A little update to my game with 155 years to go, made a mistake and never got the Asian CB before 1650 so its really costing me in AE and no CB ATM, still should have lots of time for WC. Just trying to think when to form the HRE now, all my vassals are getting in my way of feeding land to my PU's.


View attachment 91417

 

[Novacat]

A little update to my game with 155 years to go, made a mistake and never got the Asian CB before 1650 so its really costing me in AE and no CB ATM, still should have lots of time for WC. Just trying to think when to form the HRE now, want to do it long before end, never know if something might go wrong.

Only form the HRE at the very end, when you have the rest of the world under your thumb. Otherwise you will be killed by coring costs/coring time.

 

[drake000666]

Only form the HRE at the very end, when you have the rest of the world under your thumb. Otherwise you will be killed by coring costs/coring time.

I do not core so that's really not a problem, I just feed land to my vassals and PU's and they do that for me.

 

[Foxl]

Meh. I really dislike it how much of the WC is purely luck based. I started a new game today and only got BOH, MIL in a PU. Castille, France and even Burgundy were all too stable up to the point that France began to zergrush Burgundy and even the Inheritance event didn't happen. So now after trashing France what did Castille do? Yeah right they set me up as Rival because Guyene now borders him -_-

tbh these moments make me think that Castille is a better candidate - starting with PUing Portugal, getting Aragon and a good chance to PU France.

 

[RMcD94]

I think it would be way easier if the AI were better at blobbing which would reduce the number of countries you have to PU, if Castille successfully conquers Granada, gets the Iberian Wedding and integrates Naples it saves you a ton of time. If GB unites the British Isles, if Scandinavia is the only country in the North, if Russia has formed and wiped out competitors.

 

[Maggix]

Ehhh, how can one add provinces to the Empire/remove them?

 

[Foxl]

Ehhh, how can one add provinces to the Empire/remove them?

In the province view - to the right of the province history button - is the Imperial Eagle, you have to core territory to have it added to the HRE and you can also remove it that way.

 

[Foxl]

I think it would be way easier if the AI were better at blobbing which would reduce the number of countries you have to PU, if Castille successfully conquers Granada, gets the Iberian Wedding and integrates Naples it saves you a ton of time. If GB unites the British Isles, if Scandinavia is the only country in the North, if Russia has formed and wiped out competitors.

Indeed but the problem than arises that they will set you as a rival if you are close enough so you can't PU them anymore because they won't accept a RM, so you have to dismember them.

 

[RMcD94]

Indeed but the problem than arises that they will set you as a rival if you are close enough so you can't PU them anymore because they won't accept a RM, so you have to dismember them.

How does the rivaling decision making work, I thought Spain/Portugal would usually go for North African countries, and most colonial nations would set a native as rival, which leaves a couple and maybe you can hope they hate each other.

 

[drake000666]

Will with 150 years to go decided to form HRE nation.

Having a hard time feeding France, Spain or GB any more land because their so big, might just integrate them at this point to free up diplomatic slots for vassals. At this Its point its slow going into whats left of India and Asia and having to manage coalitions and break them up.

View attachment 91419

 

[durvas]

Meh. I really dislike it how much of the WC is purely luck based. I started a new game today and only got BOH, MIL in a PU. Castille, France and even Burgundy were all too stable up to the point that France began to zergrush Burgundy and even the Inheritance event didn't happen. So now after trashing France what did Castille do? Yeah right they set me up as Rival because Guyene now borders him -_-

tbh these moments make me think that Castille is a better candidate - starting with PUing Portugal, getting Aragon and a good chance to PU France.

Nah, WC is about diplomacy and vassals and no one does it better than Austria. Though I'm also in some bad luck. It's 1475 and there hasn't been any inheritance and there haven't been any defensive wars for the empire... at all, not one, ever. The Ottomans, Crimea and France are failing and Poland is off doing who knows what in Russia/Scandinavia some place so I'm stuck at Proclaim Erbkaisertum for almost 20 years. There aren't even any openings amongst the major players in Europe for PUs so I've been trying to deal with Venice and the Mamluks. I read in another thread that someone had to defend Ragusa a lot for IA. Is it possible to get them into the empire early (like take Lika then Dalmatia to open a path) or do you get IA from defender of the faith calls to arms?

Also, drake000666, did you release Styria and move your capital to Venice? It looks like it in the pics but I wasn't sure.

 

[RMcD94]

Will with 150 years to go decided to form HRE nation.

Having a hard time feeding France, Spain or GB any more land because their so big, Its slow going into whats left of India and Asia and having to manage coalitions and break them up.

View attachment 91419

Anyway to use your massive income to help them somehow?

 

[zaikantos]

Nah, WC is about diplomacy and vassals and no one does it better than Austria. Though I'm also in some bad luck. It's 1475 and there hasn't been any inheritance and there haven't been any defensive wars for the empire... at all, not one, ever. The Ottomans, Crimea and France are failing and Poland is off doing who knows what in Russia/Scandinavia some place so I'm stuck at Proclaim Erbkaisertum for almost 20 years. There aren't even any openings amongst the major players in Europe for PUs so I've been trying to deal with Venice and the Mamluks. I read in another thread that someone had to defend Ragusa a lot for IA. Is it possible to get them into the empire early (like take Lika then Dalmatia to open a path) or do you get IA from defender of the faith calls to arms?

I think you're referring to me with that ragusa
Yes, it's from DOTF. Ragusa will almost always get attacked by their bigger neighbor (serbia, often), which is an orthodox nation.

 

[Novacat]

A little update to my game with 155 years to go, made a mistake and never got the Asian CB before 1650 so its really costing me in AE and no CB ATM, still should have lots of time for WC. Just trying to think when to form the HRE now, all my vassals are getting in my way of feeding land to my PU's.

My thought on an Austria strategy involved PU, Annex, add all their provinces to HRE, than release as vassal. Even if they break apart in civil wars or whatever the resulting states just join the HRE. I imagine it only starts to slow down once you start hitting Muslim territories, but with religious idea group, religious NI, and some religious decisions (including counter-reformation) you can convert large swaths of land frighteningly quick. My thoughts on Idea groups would be Diplomatic (while your reuniting the Christian lands) -> Religious (for eating the Muslims) -> Expansion (once you get to Asia) -> Exploration (For Africa/America). The only headache spots would be territories impossible to HRE, like America, England, and Japan.

 

[Foxl]

Nah, WC is about diplomacy and vassals and no one does it better than Austria. Though I'm also in some bad luck. It's 1475 and there hasn't been any inheritance and there haven't been any defensive wars for the empire... at all, not one, ever. The Ottomans, Crimea and France are failing and Poland is off doing who knows what in Russia/Scandinavia some place so I'm stuck at Proclaim Erbkaisertum for almost 20 years. There aren't even any openings amongst the major players in Europe for PUs so I've been trying to deal with Venice and the Mamluks. I read in another thread that someone had to defend Ragusa a lot for IA. Is it possible to get them into the empire early (like take Lika then Dalmatia to open a path) or do you get IA from defender of the faith calls to arms?

Also, drake000666, did you release Styria and move your capital to Venice? It looks like it in the pics but I wasn't sure.

It's already 1514 and I didn't feel like I make any (meaningful) progress. At least the HRE is already secure because of my wars against France I had to vassal 2 Electors(too much aggro). That together with Milan(also Elector) and Bohemia secures my claim as Emperor pretty much, not much changed I'm currently fighting France to PU them which only was possible because they became so small that they chose new (smaller) rivals. Well here's a pic sadly I'm currently over my diplo limit due to bad luck with claiming thrones and them getting heirs before CB.

http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=177936938

BUR and GUY are vassals as are Cologne and Trier. PUs (HUN, BOH, MIL) and working on France.

 

[rekindledflame]

Meh. I really dislike it how much of the WC is purely luck based. I started a new game today and only got BOH, MIL in a PU. Castille, France and even Burgundy were all too stable up to the point that France began to zergrush Burgundy and even the Inheritance event didn't happen. So now after trashing France what did Castille do? Yeah right they set me up as Rival because Guyene now borders him -_-

tbh these moments make me think that Castille is a better candidate - starting with PUing Portugal, getting Aragon and a good chance to PU France.

Idk about that. France sets Castille to rival very early on and Aragon is pure luck as it requires opposite gender and you to not be at war. The first you can't control, the second is rare for a WC.