Get this game.

[unmerged(349)]

After playing for most of the day, I wanted to say a couple of things about what I have experienced so far.

1) There have been several posts today about 'bugs' in the game, and I was tempted to post some myself, but the longer I played the more I realized just how complicated this game really is. And since I don't enjoy reading game manuals in German, I only go to it when something isn't working for me. And what I keep finding out is that this game is VERY complicated--but in a good way! What I initially think is a bug (I am kicking France's ass in North America, but when I go to the Diplomacy screen, I can't demand peace!) turns out not really to be a bug. Instead, I simply hadn't been as successful as I thought and the AI was just refusing to accept peace talks until the situation really was out of control... It probably didn't help that the computer may have looked at me (England), with my 60,000 troops scattered across the world as much of a threat since France had 55,000 in Calais alone! But after I sank all his fleets, took control of his trading posts in North America and laid siege to Quebec City, he finally was willing to talk peace (though I still had to initiate it). Anyway, the point is, I have found the game is more complicated than most of us are used to and it will take time to see what really is a bug and what isn't.

2) This game, partly because it is so epic in scale and so complicated, is a GREAT game. I loved Imperialism, but this makes that look like Seven Cities of Gold on my old Commodore 64. There definitely are some bugs (despite what I said above), the most problematic being that some of us have trouble loading save games, but these things are fixable, and they should not scare anyone away from this game.

As much fun as I have alread had, all I have done today is play the tutorial for a while, and then play as England in the late campaign (starting about 1700) --- I haven't even begun to touch on what this game has to offer! Not to mention I haven't even played against a human opponent yet.

Blah, blah, blah. I'll shut up now.

Get this game,
von Curow



------------------
'Therefore take heed how you impawn our person,
How you awake our sleeping sword of war.
We charge you in the name of God, take heed;
For never two such kingdoms did contend
Without much fall of blood...'
Henry V (a la Shakespeare)

 

[Generalfeldmarschall]

my game is coming in on saturday or monday, i am not sure yet.... i am glad to see that at least one person has good things to say about the game.

 

[KRonn]

What you describe about the 'epic scope' and the complex detail of gameplay is about what I expected. That's excellent!! This is a game that raises the strategy quality/quantity level well above the rest of them!

The minor issues will be fixed -- happens to any game, even the simple ones.

 

[Generalfeldmarschall]

yes i am glad that there are not too many bugs in this near perfect game...

 

[Dark Knight]

Originally posted by von Curow:
but this makes that look like Seven Cities of Gold on my old Commodore 64.

Now there was a classy game . I actually tried downloading it from The Underdogs a few months ago for old time's sake, but it wouldn't work on my computer.

 

[Generalfeldmarschall]

what is that game like? is it action/adventure or strategy?

 

[unmerged(349)]

7 Cities of Gold was an Explore/Conquer/Exploit the New World game. You took the role of one of the major exploring powers and you headed for North America (or wherever, you could even randomize the New World) to trade with the natives, conquer the natives, beat up on other Europeans you met along the way, etc. I guess you would have to call it strategy, though the fact that you were actually just a captain trying to please the monarch and get rich at the same time makes it a bit of a business strategy game as well.

I played some of the Grand Campaign tonight as Austria and I must be doing something wrong. Twice I beat the hell out of Bohemia (after a LONG struggle), and when we talked peace, they seemed to offer me provinces but the only way I could press the button to 'Send Offer' was to add some money to the deal... and whenever I did that, Bohemia gave me the money but not the provinces. Am I missing something???



------------------
'Therefore take heed how you impawn our person,
How you awake our sleeping sword of war.
We charge you in the name of God, take heed;
For never two such kingdoms did contend
Without much fall of blood...'
Henry V (a la Shakespeare)

 

[unmerged(13)]

I'm sure Paradox, Johan and everyone else that worked on the game appreciate comments such as this. He worked on it with Paradox for 3 years ..


Sapura

 

[Dark Knight]

Originally posted by von Curow:
I played some of the Grand Campaign tonight as Austria and I must be doing something wrong. Twice I beat the hell out of Bohemia (after a LONG struggle), and when we talked peace, they seemed to offer me provinces but the only way I could press the button to 'Send Offer' was to add some money to the deal... and whenever I did that, Bohemia gave me the money but not the provinces. Am I missing something???

Have you looked at the thread titled 'Two Minor Bugs'? Maybe you're having the same problem as Laruku.

 

[unmerged(90)]

von Curow:
you can always demand peace as long as you have a diplomat. No diplomat, no peace talks.

For Bohemia, I do not quite understand what happens. You can ask for provinces in peace talk by selecting those you want (you have to control them, ie to have successfully assaulted/besieged them) in the list that appears in the peace screen.

 

[unmerged(349)]

I am convinced that I just didn't realize what it was I had to click on in the peace treaty screen... My bad, not a bug.

As for being able to sue for peace at any time... Nope. Doesn't work. Does it cost money, maybe, to sue for peace? Several times during the war I tried to send diplomats to Bohemia and usually the option 'Friedensangebot' was not available. I definitely had diplomats (Austria seems to grow them on trees), but my cash supply was undoubtedly very low.

I did try another game as Spain just to see if I could annex Granada, and it worked, but... To begin with I sent my whole army into Granada's sole province and laid siege to their city. At the same time they sent their army into Andalusia and laid siege. We both stormed and took the citadels, and then I sent my army into Andalusia and destroyed his army. I had to wait a month until my morale rose again before I could storm and take the citadel in Andalusia. At that point Grenada had no provinces, no cities and no armies. I won. But i had to wait until the next month to be able to send a diplomat demanding annexation. Before that the option simply was not available. Why is that? Is the program essentially a turn-based game underneath the real-time surface?

Last question (for now): When one has a vassal, I understand that you gain some tribute from them in the form of money every year (or month). What else do you get? I cannot control their armies, right? I have tried to move their armies around and I cannot (even staying within their own domain). If I go to war will they automatically come to my aid, or do nothing?



------------------
'Therefore take heed how you impawn our person,
How you awake our sleeping sword of war.
We charge you in the name of God, take heed;
For never two such kingdoms did contend
Without much fall of blood...'
Henry V (a la Shakespeare)

 

[Johan]

You may not send a diplomat within one month since the last one you sent to that country.

/Johan

 

[unmerged(13)]

When one has a vassal, I understand that you gain some tribute from them in the form of money every year (or month).

50% of their earnings are yours.


What else do you get? I cannot control their armies, right?

Nein mein Von.


I have tried to move their armies around and I cannot


Aye, ye canne laddie!


If I go to war will they automatically come to my aid, or do nothing?


Depends, are you in an alliance with them or not? If ye are, then they will support thy troops, sire. Also depends on your relationship with them. e.g. Poles, their vassals Prussia are usually in a very bad relationship. There's more chance of Sweden inheriting the US than there is of the Prussians helping the Poles. Mangy b'stards!

As for the other thing you can do with vassals, you can move your troops through their territory at will, at reduced attrition (or no attrition?), I'm not sure exactly.

Sapura

 

[unmerged(349)]

I see... Well, bummer. I was hoping that vassalization would bring me a free bunch of troops. Maybe that's why Saxony keeps refusing to become my vassal: they know I am going to go after their neighbor Bohemia and they don't want to get involved!

Btw, I was in a military alliance with 3 other states, two of which (Saxony and Hungary) bordered on Bohemia, when I attacked Bohemia. The manual implies that your allies are only obliged to help you when you are the one attacked. In other words, it is a defensive alliance. But other things (including the AARs) imply that allies have the option to honor their alliance even in offensive situations. Yet no one ever comes to help me... I feel so betrayed.



------------------
'Therefore take heed how you impawn our person,
How you awake our sleeping sword of war.
We charge you in the name of God, take heed;
For never two such kingdoms did contend
Without much fall of blood...'
Henry V (a la Shakespeare)

 

[Johan]

If you have allies and declare war, you'll get a little diplomatic icon with a fire burning in the top left corner. Click on it and you can call allies with it. (You can change settings to make this come up as a dialogbox)


/Johan

 

[unmerged(349)]

Two other things to mention. Some people have posted that they cannot get the music or the sound to stop playing. In a couple of threads I reported that there was a lag problem, and that once you turned it off it would eventually turn itself off. Well, it worked for me in the Tutorial and one of the scenarios, but in the Grand Campaign it simply would not work. It stayed on forever. Doesn't make much sense from a programming standpoint, does it?

The other thing is a very minor thing. In the Grand Campaign setup screen, when you click on a country it brings up the Hintergrund (Background) for that country. Whe I click on Austria, it shows the map, and it says Hintergrund, but the only text which appears is:
UNKNOWN STRING WANTED

I assume there is simply some text missing.

Back to the wars!


------------------
'Therefore take heed how you impawn our person,
How you awake our sleeping sword of war.
We charge you in the name of God, take heed;
For never two such kingdoms did contend
Without much fall of blood...'
Henry V (a la Shakespeare)

 

[unmerged(349)]

Originally posted by Johan:
If you have allies and declare war, you'll get a little diplomatic icon with a fire burning in the top left corner. Click on it and you can call allies with it. (You can change settings to make this come up as a dialogbox)

/Johan

In the immortal words of Homer Simpson: DOH!

Can't believe I missed that...