Mostly, this post is a rant - you can go to tl:dr part and see the point.
It all started not that long ago - 9 years ago. I was young, full of hopes and big fan of strategies. At this time my friend showed me Europa Universalis 3 and, oh boi, i was overwhelmed. It was completely new game for me and, well, it was really hard. Then i heard about Victoria 2. OH BOI! I think it is still the title i love the most - even with all its flaws and GLOBAL MARKET. Then Crusader Kings 2 came out and i understood - Paradox is the game studio i was dreaming about.
Or so i thought.
I never mind CK2 dlcs, cause i wasn't buying that many games. Occasionally i found something interesting and play it, but, often, it was baught during Steam sales or cause i loved the concept. Then EU4 came around and i felt "Boi, how GREAT this game will be with DLCs". Time proved me both right and wrong. You see, even during that time some of my friends, to whom i advertised CK2, were saying "How much should i pay? So, for this money i won't get full experience?", but changing their mind about it was pretty easy by just talking about sheer number of possibilities without DLCs (and that they could play with me or another friend of mine who also owned most of dlcs). And, well, i felt that EU4 will be close to that. So, started it all good and i really liked how the game developed and, well, paying more money wasn't the problem either - felt like good ol' mmorpg subscription days. I, often, felt bad about some features which were behind paywall, cause they felt like they should be part of base experience, but who am i to judge?
It was going pretty well for me until i noticed, that a lot of people starting to talk negatively about DLC policy and, after some time, i also joined that camp cause, hell, they have a point. DLC were really getting out of hand. Changing them wasn't good decision because it will take what people paid for, but, in the end, will be weaker than what will come later (example - Merchant Republic factions and Estates), or closing aspect of patch behind DLC paywall (like it happened with insitutions and development), or strange static modifiers that will appear even if country who should get it disappears (yeah, ages mechanic is how ideas should be, but this is imho), or now when we came to nearly pay2win DLC type (yap, Third Rome). And, well, with new type of DLC and sneaky price increase, i feel like PDX is going bad way. Yap, they said that they are sorry, but price increase just before sales? Meh, who would believe that it was coincidence.
This new type of dlcs, called "Immersion pack", should have enhanced experience while playing specific country. I was blinded that it was made about Russia and Muscovy - at last we will see how peasants became serfs, how economy would stagnate, how balance of power will be maintained within the realm. Choosing between orthodox church or going heretical cause it will benefit state. But, welp, what we got is duchy rank for ~80 years, full dip slots at start, new system that helps you to summon people from air (TAKE THAT MERCENARY CLONING FACILITIES) and, well, which doesn't offer nor different gameplay, neither good experience. You want to play diplomacy? HAHAHAHA NO WAY NO SLOTS SOISOISOISOISOI! Oh, you get PU with another russian principality? GET PUNISHED! Ah, you don't have manpower and cash? SUMMON ARMY FROM ANOTHER DIMENSION! You want to expand and get better regions? HAH NOOB DUCHY FOR SEVENTY YEARS WITHOUT FREE ESTATES SOISOISOISOISOI. And i could go on, and on, and on, and on...
The whole thing isn't immersive. Maybe i would be banned for it, but is it immersive to use another type of some strange magical energy (aka mana) to summon spirits, deal with rebels and lower autonomy? I expected something like deeper estate system (trying to balance between nobles and clergy OR rely on common men and develop cities while getting some penalties), or patriarch/metropolit to affect state of affairs in country, or working with foreigners and trying to deal with clergy who hates them for heretical believes. To feel what happened to state, to get IMMERSION. Not just periodically click button to get free army. Event system tries to do it, but, often, takes it away, cause choice is obvious - quality is always better, you need monarch power etc. Another "immersive" thing is not the one that i totally agree with, but Kakatua (the guy whom i respect) thinks is strange that your troops unlearn how to fight when you create Russia and how your bearocracy (pun intended) becomes less efficient (you lose 10% shock, 0.25 AT and 10% tax). Yes, Russian ideas give you A LOT of bonuses which are, frankly, useless until, at least, 16th tech. BUT the game FORCES you - if you won't become Russia, you will have less diplomats, less states and will be capped as duchy just...because "immersion". Immersion block you from different approach, immersion makes you bureaucracy and army less efficient, immersion gives you ability to push buttons (YAY).
Another point is - Immersion Pack rises power level of country it is focused on and, frankly speaking, PDX isn't known for balance and/or historical accuracy (depends on country). So, buffing something weak is good , but imagine, just for a second, Ottoman-focused or France-focused immersion pack. And, well, i would be honest that Muscovy even with immersion pack is still weaker than Ottos.
And, heck, even reviews are MOSTLY NEGATIVE. It could be something good, but selling just buffs is bad practice.
TL;DR: There is no immersion in immersion pack - just buffs for which you pay. Considering sneaky price increase before sales it feels like they are looking for some new ways of milking us. It is bad when bastion of grand strategy fans becomes "efficient company".
Soon (i hope) i will write about Russian events and ideas and other stuff from Third Rome with information about what is missing, what is not necessary and how it could be better.
It all started not that long ago - 9 years ago. I was young, full of hopes and big fan of strategies. At this time my friend showed me Europa Universalis 3 and, oh boi, i was overwhelmed. It was completely new game for me and, well, it was really hard. Then i heard about Victoria 2. OH BOI! I think it is still the title i love the most - even with all its flaws and GLOBAL MARKET. Then Crusader Kings 2 came out and i understood - Paradox is the game studio i was dreaming about.
Or so i thought.
I never mind CK2 dlcs, cause i wasn't buying that many games. Occasionally i found something interesting and play it, but, often, it was baught during Steam sales or cause i loved the concept. Then EU4 came around and i felt "Boi, how GREAT this game will be with DLCs". Time proved me both right and wrong. You see, even during that time some of my friends, to whom i advertised CK2, were saying "How much should i pay? So, for this money i won't get full experience?", but changing their mind about it was pretty easy by just talking about sheer number of possibilities without DLCs (and that they could play with me or another friend of mine who also owned most of dlcs). And, well, i felt that EU4 will be close to that. So, started it all good and i really liked how the game developed and, well, paying more money wasn't the problem either - felt like good ol' mmorpg subscription days. I, often, felt bad about some features which were behind paywall, cause they felt like they should be part of base experience, but who am i to judge?
It was going pretty well for me until i noticed, that a lot of people starting to talk negatively about DLC policy and, after some time, i also joined that camp cause, hell, they have a point. DLC were really getting out of hand. Changing them wasn't good decision because it will take what people paid for, but, in the end, will be weaker than what will come later (example - Merchant Republic factions and Estates), or closing aspect of patch behind DLC paywall (like it happened with insitutions and development), or strange static modifiers that will appear even if country who should get it disappears (yeah, ages mechanic is how ideas should be, but this is imho), or now when we came to nearly pay2win DLC type (yap, Third Rome). And, well, with new type of DLC and sneaky price increase, i feel like PDX is going bad way. Yap, they said that they are sorry, but price increase just before sales? Meh, who would believe that it was coincidence.
This new type of dlcs, called "Immersion pack", should have enhanced experience while playing specific country. I was blinded that it was made about Russia and Muscovy - at last we will see how peasants became serfs, how economy would stagnate, how balance of power will be maintained within the realm. Choosing between orthodox church or going heretical cause it will benefit state. But, welp, what we got is duchy rank for ~80 years, full dip slots at start, new system that helps you to summon people from air (TAKE THAT MERCENARY CLONING FACILITIES) and, well, which doesn't offer nor different gameplay, neither good experience. You want to play diplomacy? HAHAHAHA NO WAY NO SLOTS SOISOISOISOISOI! Oh, you get PU with another russian principality? GET PUNISHED! Ah, you don't have manpower and cash? SUMMON ARMY FROM ANOTHER DIMENSION! You want to expand and get better regions? HAH NOOB DUCHY FOR SEVENTY YEARS WITHOUT FREE ESTATES SOISOISOISOISOI. And i could go on, and on, and on, and on...
The whole thing isn't immersive. Maybe i would be banned for it, but is it immersive to use another type of some strange magical energy (aka mana) to summon spirits, deal with rebels and lower autonomy? I expected something like deeper estate system (trying to balance between nobles and clergy OR rely on common men and develop cities while getting some penalties), or patriarch/metropolit to affect state of affairs in country, or working with foreigners and trying to deal with clergy who hates them for heretical believes. To feel what happened to state, to get IMMERSION. Not just periodically click button to get free army. Event system tries to do it, but, often, takes it away, cause choice is obvious - quality is always better, you need monarch power etc. Another "immersive" thing is not the one that i totally agree with, but Kakatua (the guy whom i respect) thinks is strange that your troops unlearn how to fight when you create Russia and how your bearocracy (pun intended) becomes less efficient (you lose 10% shock, 0.25 AT and 10% tax). Yes, Russian ideas give you A LOT of bonuses which are, frankly, useless until, at least, 16th tech. BUT the game FORCES you - if you won't become Russia, you will have less diplomats, less states and will be capped as duchy just...because "immersion". Immersion block you from different approach, immersion makes you bureaucracy and army less efficient, immersion gives you ability to push buttons (YAY).
Another point is - Immersion Pack rises power level of country it is focused on and, frankly speaking, PDX isn't known for balance and/or historical accuracy (depends on country). So, buffing something weak is good , but imagine, just for a second, Ottoman-focused or France-focused immersion pack. And, well, i would be honest that Muscovy even with immersion pack is still weaker than Ottos.
And, heck, even reviews are MOSTLY NEGATIVE. It could be something good, but selling just buffs is bad practice.
TL;DR: There is no immersion in immersion pack - just buffs for which you pay. Considering sneaky price increase before sales it feels like they are looking for some new ways of milking us. It is bad when bastion of grand strategy fans becomes "efficient company".
Soon (i hope) i will write about Russian events and ideas and other stuff from Third Rome with information about what is missing, what is not necessary and how it could be better.
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