Bored with playing Victoria on 1836

[Ksim3000]

Hi

I have a grasp on Vicky's Economy so I understand that aspect of the game plus The Military and Social Reforms is generally no problem. However, even though I understand this, everytime I crank up a game of 1836, I just get bored playing after 15 mins. It takes ages just to make £100 in profit and I just really want to get onto the fun stuff like Colonizing and Dominating aswell. For example, one of my games as England. I was playing and managed to balance my Economy by lowering The Military spending and Naval Spending. Still it would take me atleast 5 years to start making some proper income and it dosen't go very fast so gradually I just turned off the game and cranked up HOI instead. Now I like Vicky, don't get me wrong, it's a great game but the only scenario I am having fun on is 1881 but that dosen't work right with saving so I don't use that so when I play Vicky, mostly I just play 1914. I would really like to have a good game where I can get The Economy up and running pretty fast then concentrate on Diplomacy and other stuff like that whilst play in 1836, instead of just waiting aobut an hour to reach £100. Any tips or anything? I know some guys can literally get up to £1000 profit in 5 years and here's me only making £100 with hardly any army. Using 1.01 and I am playing on Very Easy though I am still having no luck.

Thanks.

 

[Darkrenown]

Using 1.01 and I am playing on Very Easy though I am still having no luck.

Thanks.

You know, the main complaint about 1.01 was it was far too easy to make huge amounts of money, so if you can't do that you're doing something far wrong. I don't mean that as an insult, I just mean I think you must be missing some vital step.

In general, in 1.01, you can convert your entire population into craftsmen and clerks and stick them into high value goods factories to make insane amounts of money. Perhaps keep some pops in Iron, coal and sulphur RGOs if the WM is short without your input.

Pick a high value good, like lux clothes, build a ton of factories and either build fabric and reg clothes factories to supply them or just import them. Build railroads all over to icrease your factories effectivness. Don't bother with low value goods, you can mostly import them easily in 1.01.

 

[mauzzer]

in 1.02 u really have to think bout which factories u build to make an efficient economy, like with prussia u need glass/paper/fabric/clothes factory which u just can build with ure starting Machine parts, when u have those factories u can convert crafstmen without having to depent on the world market thus increasing ure income.
And build a lot of steel factories, they cost little and make good profit (and u can use the steel for ure railroads)

Imho I think the 1836 scen is the most fun to play besides the italian and german unification which rarely seems to happen.

If u want an easy start go for the dutch, they have endless amounts of colonial troops and are the only nation I came across who started with a positive balance of income.

 

[Theodotus1]

If your primary interest is colonizing and dominating, the later scenarios should indeed be less frustrating at the beginning.

 

[Steel Beagle]

Boring? Maybe I amuse too easily.

I just got the game and maybe I'm playing at too low a level (normal), but having fun with 1.02. As Mexico I:
Sold a bunch of techs and invested in African colonies
Took Texas (gaining one craftsman who emigrated to one of my factories)
Got some machine parts by leaving my command on buy from day one (every so often there seems to be some limited availability).
Built a huff and puff factory situation rotating my one craftsman around from a lumber mill to a paper mill until I could get enough paper stock to create another craftsman in another province - clothing and furniture were rare but paper nonexistent
Built a huff and puff for cloth and clothing (took a long time to get the machine tools)
Took some US colonies and traded some of them and the African colonies to the Brits to consolidate holdings
- and so on. Lots of fun. Then I went down in flames trying to recover from the Mexican Civil War.
Next game I did similar stuff (more or less success) survived the Mexican Civil War, and cratered in an alliance with the CSA (and at the very end but too late the Brits) fighting the USA.
Next game I made it to the US Civil War and took a couple of CSA lands.
I'm not sure where I'm going to go next - attack central america or try to get some sort of alliance against the CSA or USA - but so far I haven't been bored.
One frustrating thing is losing factories, when the amount of machine tools is so limited.

 

[Ksim3000]

Thanks for your replies guys, Vicky is a good game I definatly agree. Well that is the main problem, you see when I play any country including GB, I cannot buy low value goods like Fabric, Glass, Reg Clothes, Lumber etc.....i can only buy goods from RGO's so I end up having to build Factories like Fabric, Glass etc Factories which indeed takes ages and uses up The Clerks and Craftsmen so when I am ready to build my Profitable Factories, I hardly have any at all. Has anyone else had this problem? If I could buy Fabric etc I would have a prob getting those Lux Clothes Factories open. Also another problem I am having is keeping my low value goods to build the goods I need to make cash. When I'm building Clippers for example, it's taking me three Fabric Factories just to build them without running out of goods. I love Vicky but I really need some help with getting my nation profitable within 2 years or so.

Thanks!

 

[Darkrenown]

When I'm building Clippers for example, it's taking me three Fabric Factories just to build them without running out of goods. I love Vicky but I really need some help with getting my nation profitable within 2 years or so.

Thanks!

Are you sure you have 1.01? That sounds more like 1.02 to me.

 

[Ksim3000]

No I'm definatly positive I have 1.01, I deleated and wiped out The Registery for 1.02, it even says 1.01 on my screen. Still it does sound a bit like 1.02 with me.

 

[unmerged(16133)]

hmm i couldn't get the registry cleared well didn't try to hard and since what i really wanted to do was run multiple copies to mark differences better not being able to install vic multiple times kinda nixed that idea, don't like nor understand why that limitation is there, it's not like i'm setting it up on multiploe machines which is my next step once i get the other machine shipped out here from my moms place back east.

but yes does sound like 1.02, did you defrag ?

 

[unmerged(21771)]

Actually, early heavy-taxes, low spending, and massive colonization is the secret to early industrialization in the game --- all the colonizing gives you enough prestige to purchase machine parts and other very scarce, very critical things.

Its not at all hard to get up to fiscal health --- just don't piss your money away on defense or crime-fighting...

 

[Ksim3000]

Okay thanks guys, well if I can remember correctly, no I didn't do a Defrag that day when I uninstalled Vicky. I Defrag at least once a month, hmmmmm......so if I Defrag even though I have Vicky installed, do you think it might help?

Also thanks for the tip, I will indeed think about doing that though the resources might be a bit hard to get for Colonization but I will indeed give it a shot.

Also what have I noticied with my game of 1.01 is that manpower is alot more easier to achieve, say in The Great War Scenario compared to in 1.02 so I guess some things are still running like 1.01. Still indeed weird....

 

[Gaijin de Moscu]

Here is my success formula which seems to have worked with Russia and Brasil (and to a limited extend with Mexico, where I did not use it fully). It mainly matches with all the advice in this thread:

- Temporarily put up high taxes and reasonably high tariffs. Cut all expenses apart from education and army maintenance.
- Colonise like a madman - esp. the one-province islands in Pacific; and get to the interior of Africa first. Run wild there, colonising and waging colonial wars. Normal war target is Ottomans. Trade techs/unneeded claims with Great Powers to consolidate.
- Focus Reseach initially on one line of techs - e.g. culture to gain high prestige - to have a ready supply of unique techs for trade.
- Have excellent relations with Portugal, England, Holland, Spain and China - they will trade good colonial lands for techs. This way I get lands with sulphur, tea, coffee, oil, gold etc.
- By early 50's, my prestige is normally #1. So I get loads of Machine tools to build factories; and increased DI to broaden my control. I use every single diplomat to gain lands or improve relations.
- Industrialise by late 50's, even if it means leaving some factories without workers (they will come or can be promoted with materials that tickle in from the WM). Do the 'musical chair' with early factories to produce at least some paper etc.
- Do all social reforms early with Conservatives and then push liberals with their 'Full Citizenship' agenda into power, to encourage immigration.
- Then convert to Democracy to avoid revolutions due to the high conscience because of all those earlier taxes

And then, frankly, I don't know what to do. Prestige is high, income is huge, territory is vast. I hate those partisans so I avoid wars. Last 30 years are a bit boring so I don't play them.

 

[Darkrenown]

Okay thanks guys, well if I can remember correctly, no I didn't do a Defrag that day when I uninstalled Vicky. I Defrag at least once a month, hmmmmm......so if I Defrag even though I have Vicky installed, do you think it might help?

I don't see why defragging would help. Anyway, don't be afraid to go into massive debt in 1.01 to build a ton of factories and railroads, the money from lux goods factories will pay it off with ease in a few years. And manpower is easier to get in 1.01 because turning non-national pops into soldiers gives you the same MP as national pops.

 

[Ksim3000]

Okay thanks guys for your advice, I appreciate it. Well Manpower isn't a problem, I also tried making Fabric availble on The WM, worked for a short while but then ran out I'm afraid. However I do have Fabric factories. I was wondering, would it be possible to someone change my output of Fabric so I can continue with my Lux Clothes buisness? Also Gaijin de Moscu, thanks for your tip, just wondering though, how did you get the resources to begin Colonizing very early? I find it difficult to Colonize at first.

Anyway thanks and I really appreciate all your help! As soon as I can get a successful game as Vicky going, I'll write up an AAR about it.

 

[Gaijin de Moscu]

Also Gaijin de Moscu, thanks for your tip, just wondering though, how did you get the resources to begin Colonizing very early? I find it difficult to Colonize at first.

I may be doing a very unwise thing but I am raising taxes and minimising all possible expenses for the first few years. Then I consolidate by trade (I put the right claim buildings in all colonies so I can trade some unneeded claims from them to gain something I need just before finally 'claiming' the colony.

An example of my current peaceful Russian campaign, green are my colonies seen in 'infrastructure' view:

Plus all English claims in US territory and most of the US claims in Canadian territory are mine... waiting for an eventual colonial war.

 

[unmerged(24060)]

Or you could just annex them all.

1)Find an uncivilized country
2)Check for allies
3)If no allies: declare colonial war.
4)Take every province of that country.
5)Open peace negotiation. You should have an option annexe.
6)Annexe.

Lots and lots of those places.
Take them.
They are already ½ developed.
Armies doesnt cost nearly as much as building houses in the middle of no where.

 

[Belissarius]

Thanks for your replies guys, Vicky is a good game I definatly agree. Well that is the main problem, you see when I play any country including GB, I cannot buy low value goods like Fabric, Glass, Reg Clothes, Lumber etc.....i can only buy goods from RGO's so I end up having to build Factories like Fabric, Glass etc Factories which indeed takes ages and uses up The Clerks and Craftsmen so when I am ready to build my Profitable Factories, I hardly have any at all. Has anyone else had this problem? If I could buy Fabric etc I would have a prob getting those Lux Clothes Factories open. Also another problem I am having is keeping my low value goods to build the goods I need to make cash. When I'm building Clippers for example, it's taking me three Fabric Factories just to build them without running out of goods. I love Vicky but I really need some help with getting my nation profitable within 2 years or so.

Thanks!

With in two years is a pipe dream. Do the following

Pick a nation you like to play

You are better off playing a slow methodical game for 10 to 20 years to build up your economy.

Save the game. Make that save game file your starting point.

Industrilzation isnt a 2 year process. You want to fight an industrial war with modern vessels and armies you have to build the infrastructer to do so. This process was difficult expensive and resulted in great pains for the nations that did so. It took decades to make the trasition into industrial nations. Victoria starts at the begining of this process for most nations (about a 1/3 to 1/2 into the process for great Britian) and so its really a game about navigating this transition more than it is about nation building like EU is. Which isnt to say that nation building isnt a major portion of the game.

My above suggestion allows you to build the basic industrial framework once and go from there but the game isnt really made for teh fast industrialization of a nation if it was that easy nations wouldnt have gone through the slow painful process they would have taken the two year quick industrialization route.

 

[Darkrenown]

Also Gaijin de Moscu, thanks for your tip, just wondering though, how did you get the resources to begin Colonizing very early? I find it difficult to Colonize at first.

You need glass and gold in 1.01 but not in 1.02 so it'll be harder for you.

 

[Ksim3000]

Okay then gents, thanks for all of your help and the screenshots has indeed given me some idea on how to play, thanks Gaijin de Moscu. Well okay, off to start a new game as Vicky, maybe as either Austria or Holland. Also sorry to pester you again LOL but before I start, should I go 1.02 since that helps with Colonizing early or should I stick with 1.01? What do you guys recommend? Once I get started I'll definatly write an AAR to thank you guys.

 

[Darkrenown]

Well overall i find 1.02 to be much beter, however the economy is MUCH harder to manage. I like it that way, but if you think it's hard to make money in 1.01 you're in for a shock. Still, you'll have to get used to it sometime as I doubt future patches will put production back up to 1.01 levels. I'd say go for 1.02.