Obviously the first place you (generic you) found that you liked. I know enough about the average gamer to say that most of them will just repeat the first thing they find that works until such time as it ceases to work, at which point they will find a new thing that works, and just keep using that until it doesn't work any more.
This...
The general consensus on the forums was full centralized, full free trade, full quality, etc...
The point is, though, that you used your personal "ideal" in every game no matter who you were playing (mostly also applied to the ideas as well as the sliders) because every nation was exactly the same other than the starting geography. The only difference was how long it took to get there.
Of course. Which applies to Ideas in EU4, as well. And it's called "having a game style". You can follow it every game, or you can fill the mold a nation gives you.
Except this isn't entirely true for EU 4. There are a number of idea groups that you don't select every single game because national circumstances are different. Just for an obvious example, a Novgorod or minor nation forming Russia will absolutely take exploration or expansion as they otherwise can't settle Siberia. While a Muscovy based Russia generally will as well, they don't have to (although the abomination that is Iberian Siberia makes it less optional). There are other examples where idea groups that are nigh mandatory for some nations can be completely ignored by others...
