Don't shoot - But seriously, I can't see why Victoria is

[True Grit]

By that I mean, I've tried Revolutions and just didn't get it. By "tried" I should say I loaded it up, didn't really know what to do (even with some tutorials) and quit because I couldn't have any fun for the life of me.
I like PI games obviously - but can someone explain to (simple) me what Victoria is about and how you have fun with it in 500 words or less? And not just "its an economic and stragetic cultural simulation" or other such things that I've heard.
Truly, I'd like to know. Assume I haven't the foggiest idea about the franchise - which really isn't far from the truth. I appreciate any enlightenment.

 

[RedRalphWiggum]

By that I mean, I've tried Revolutions and just didn't get it. By "tried" I should say I loaded it up, didn't really know what to do (even with some tutorials) and quit because I couldn't have any fun for the life of me.
I like PI games obviously - but can someone explain to (simple) me what Victoria is about and how you have fun with it in 500 words or less? And not just "its an economic and stragetic cultural simulation" or other such things that I've heard.
Truly, I'd like to know. Assume I haven't the foggiest idea about the franchise - which really isn't far from the truth. I appreciate any enlightenment.

I did exactly the same thing first time. Came back a few months later and haven't looked back since.

For me its the best game because unlike every other PI game, a country is not just abtracted blobs, its a collection of people and industry. you're a real government, wich has to pay attention to your people, industry, military etc. They aren't pieces on a chess board, they are the country, not you.

In other PI games you are a God, in this you are a politician. I love having to take account of all my actions, think what effect they will have twenty years down the line and what is best for my country (and more territory often isn't best in vicky).

My advice is to wait for V2, which will likely have adecent tutorial, and take it form there. No point in learning V1, only to have to relearn everything in 4 months.

 

[Bezborg]

For me it's a sense of total social control. You play all those other strategy games but they all come down to either tactical combat with 50 units or so (on a lower scale), or developing a military infrastructure, building armies and drawing lines on a map (on a higher scale)...

Victoria has always been much more, with economics & social complexity - the needs of your whole population, not just the army, politics - different political parties struggling for influence in relation to how you maintaining your country's standard of living, the historic feel to it - Vicky has always had a high degree of historic detail, especially with all the nations and cultures that are represented...

In a nut shell - it's HUGE, even if you chose to focus on the building of armies and drawing lines on a map

 

[wilcoxchar]

For me it's because you really get to see the effects of your choices on the country. Try to stick with a conservative Russian monarchy for too long? The workers will probably revolt and, if you get them angry enough as I did in one multiplayer game, will throw out the Tsar and replace him with a proletariat dictatorship. Industrializing a country in the Americas? Watch Europeans flock to your country to fill in the available manufacturing jobs and upset the cultural balance of your country. With the POP system you can really see how your policies have influenced the society and you get a feeling of the difficulties that faced 19th century leaders. And so far, the changes in Vicky 2 make me think that the feeling will only be enhanced.

 

[Amallric]

I like PI games obviously - but can someone explain to (simple) me what Victoria is about and how you have fun with it in 500 words or less?

Oh you can go with one. Micromanagement.

 

[True Grit]

Oh you can go with one. Micromanagement.

Some micro is fine, but all micro all the time is not fun to me. Which is sort of what I got from Revolutions. As long as there are exciting things happening with semi-regularity I can handle micro. Assuming I won't have to drill down through 12 screens to get the info I need.

 

[nachinus]

If you can play HoI3 and manage your OOBs, then you are more than ready to handle micromanagement, and you should not fear Vicky.

 

[unmerged(71032)]

Most of the stuff was said already, I still have one small concern though...

While removal of direct POP spliting/promoting is certainly a good decision on many levels (realism, limiting micro, interface optimalization), it's also true that Vicky 1 was to large extend built over POP spliting. Direct, repetitive - but also giving sort of a satisfaction that you can control your "drones" in such way. With removal of certain part of similar direct control over factories (and relagating it to cappies) in Revolutions, some of the players felt that they have lost significant part of the game. For them, micro was what mattered and leaving industrial evolution to their drones was not direct enough.

Basically, what Vicky 2 will need is something to fill the void after the POP managament, to give players feeling of control. Sure, you will still control them indirectly, but it will more like setting pack of politics, then turning game speed on V. Fast to observe results, instead of constant tweaking and toying that Vicky 1 had. POPs will be to large extend indepent - which in turn might make some players feel like they are not involved enough in their country evolution.

 

[Colon]

Can't say I'll miss POP splitting, but I've always felt ambivalent about handing over control over factories/railroads to capitalists. The system works and mimics real life beautifully, but much of the joy of deciding where to build which factories was gone.

 

[JoeGiavani]

Wrong forum. Try Vicky 1.

 

[unmerged(71032)]

Can't say I'll miss POP splitting, but I've always felt ambivalent about handing over control over factories/railroads to capitalists. The system works and mimics real life beautifully, but much of the joy of deciding where to build which factories was gone.

And what if POP auto splitting/promoting system won't live up to the expectations either, leading to POPs evolving in the ways you don't want them to (analogically to the cappies building up "wrong" factories)?

I wish new game all well, but I'm feeling it might be kind of problem for players used to manual control of every facet of their virtual nation.

 

[Colon]

Well, in Vic1 the AI managed POP promotion on its own with computer controlled countries. It didn't do so perfectly, but by large it worked. In Vic2 the decision to promote will be delegated to the POP itself, but it's still the same computer, so I'm sure it at least won't work any worse.

 

[unmerged(71032)]

It's not exactly what I mean.

Indirect control and opinions on its quality are always subjective. Truth is, it's not always about the quality of AI, but often about control itself, the fact that YOU can tweak stuff, instead of setting the parameters and watching how they will affect the enviroment.

To keep such players happy, if you remove some of their control in one part of the game mechanics, you have to balance it by giving them more control over something else, to compensate.

 

[Gurag]

I think one of the best reasons for (suffering) Ricky is if you enjoy the timeframe. Its amazing how much you can suffer if just one feature is entertaining for you

 

[alvaro]

i like it because in other strategy games you do what you want but in Victoria you have to deal with what the people want you to do. the more V2 go to this point the better i will enjoy it. it's more country modeling than history modeling.

BTW, excelent RedRalphWiggum there.
the main thing is that you deal with population rather than empty programmer-designed abstractions like any other strategy game.

 

[telesien]

Basically, what Vicky 2 will need is something to fill the void after the POP managament, to give players feeling of control. Sure, you will still control them indirectly, but it will more like setting pack of politics, then turning game speed on V. Fast to observe results, instead of constant tweaking and toying that Vicky 1 had. POPs will be to large extend indepent - which in turn might make some players feel like they are not involved enough in their country evolution.

+1
Vicky 1 was the only PI game, where I never felt ANY NEED AT ALL to wage war. Peace work was much more fun. Now I am slightely concerned, how the game will keep its fun potential without wars. Of course we don't know much about the game yet, but right now there are high chances of warmongering just for fun. It won't probably be as "bad" as in EU3, but then again I am maybe some sort of lunatic. I even enjoyed pre-war preparations in HoI games...

 

[Erispoe]

Victoria is able to give different feelings of warfare during the first part of the game (up to the machine gun ~1860), the middle part (up to the late development of artillery) and the beginning of the XX century. It's the only game with such continuous gradation of gameplay

 

[unmerged(81228)]

And what if POP auto splitting/promoting system won't live up to the expectations either, leading to POPs evolving in the ways you don't want them to (analogically to the cappies building up "wrong" factories)?

I wish new game all well, but I'm feeling it might be kind of problem for players used to manual control of every facet of their virtual nation.

+1

That's why manual POP conversion should still be possible (at least for some POP types) in dictatorship countries. This way everybody could have a bit he likes - by simply chooisng form of governement.

 

[Erispoe]

If you like the silly manual POP conversion, keep playing Vicky 1 which is still a great game

 

[unmerged(81228)]

If you like the silly manual POP conversion, keep playing Vicky 1 which is still a great game

If you don't have any intelligent comment about a GAME, not about somebody's preferences, why don't you shut up?