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He changed the conditions of the test. The Jim Kirk method. 
A Proletarian Dictatorship would have let you pass all the social reforms you wanted...
A Proletarian Dictatorship would have let you pass all the social reforms you wanted...
He changed the conditions of the test. The Jim Kirk method.
I asked the King about that.... He didn't like the suggestion very much!
Rensslaer
:I asked the King about that.... He didn't like the suggestion very much!
Rensslaer
maybe he'd be easier to convince if you offered the North Korean version?
Or maybe the Egyptian version...
My Mideast Studies professor once told me that he saw an election ballot in Egypt. Mubarak's smiling image was shown next to his check-box, and all the other candidates had none. Kind of a hint, eh?
Renss
Or maybe the Egyptian version...
My Mideast Studies professor once told me that he saw an election ballot in Egypt. Mubarak's smiling image was shown next to his check-box, and all the other candidates had none. Kind of a hint, eh?
Renss
Not any more.
I am not as active as I could be on these fourms, but I feel I ought to say this. Your AAR is one of the single most engaging I have read in my time here. Please carry on and do not stop (what will the end date be?).
Ahh, this is true. Though, truth be told, I prefer the conservatives. I would prefer Liberals (classical liberal) in real life, but in the game the Conservatives are more or less middle of the road and the liberals are more libertarian, which I can't handle. If the AI (this is still v1.1 -- maybe it's improved) were more sane/smart in its choices of which factories the capitalists should build, or if I had some small control over which they would build and/or not destroy then I would be much happier with liberals.
What next? I dunno, that Communist rebellion seemed like a lot of fun, why not have another one?
:rofl: It was kind of fun to have the rebels give me a challenge for a change. I'm such a control freak, though, that I was horrified to think I'd lost a year of micromanagement!
No dismissal of the Socialist government -- not yet. In a real world I'm sure there would have been a connection, but I'm not so sure here -- seems like it would cause the Socialists to grow in size, not the Communists. I'm all for anti-Bolshevism, though!
The Socialists will be gone as soon as they've proved their (temporary) usefulness.Yeah, no more Mubarak mug shots. Or did you mean they stopped doing that?
Thank you, Midge! I really appreciate that.
I've played up to 1934 already, so you can expect the full timeline. Lots of interesting action ahead!Okay, another update soon -- next couple of days or so, I think. I've just updated Imperio Novo (a narrative scene) and this one, so Sforza is next. This comes afterward.
Thanks for reading, everybody! Do remember this is the FINAL day to vote in the AARLand Choice Awards! Some great V2 AARs vying for top spot -- at least one category is a 2 or 4 way race!
Rensslaer
Well, that was a fun ride with your friendly neighborhood communists.
What was the effect on your economy (or, more precise, your daily budget and the industrial score) once you added those states?
What was the effect on your economy (or, more precise, your daily budget and the industrial score) once you added those states?
I can't believe you let ANY program steal control from your hands... I presume you don't like to play in window mode to prevent these eventualities?
Ah, that explains why Mogadishu never assimilated any of the huge amount of Russian bureaucrats, in my game. I would have modded it as well if I had known
I presume you don't like to play in window mode to prevent these eventualities?Ah, that explains why Mogadishu never assimilated any of the huge amount of Russian bureaucrats, in my game. I would have modded it as well if I had known
just read the whole AAR past 2 days. Awesome work. I always like your AARs. Great reads and alot to learn from
Let the communists join your government and they think it's an invitation to take over the country. At least the ai has the communists figured. I'd like to know why the anarcho-liberal get allocated upper house seats, when the party is not allowed. In fact there doesn't seem to be any way to allow the Radical party to be a legitimate party -you get socialists, communists and fascists, but no Radicals. Oh and I'd like a CB I can use against a civilised state as an uncivilised country.
Oddly, I did do feedback this week, but i think I missed some older comments, so I'll go back and catch those... (if my response to your comment is not here, go back about 5 posts and see if it's in the other one).
...
Since I'm updating 3 AARs (soon to be 4!), I naturally have to spend alot of time on the AARs vs. playing. I do still find time to do both, though I don't know how -- I'm not exactly flush with time. Dunno. Doing the AARs keeps my creative juices flowing, which I think helps with other more mundane projects which I must finish. The break from "real life" helps too. Glad it keeps you buying the games! It keeps Pdx around so they can make more! I often play alot during beta, then not as much after (probably because my time goes partly to AARs). More fun? Fire Warms surely was. But these most recent AARs are fun because they're part of the game-playing process for me.
I completely agree! So many games are so scripted that it's hard to have fun unless that's exactly what you're looking for. Anyone heard of a game called Darklands? It is pretty old by now, but it was an RPG set in the Middle Ages (mostly historical, non-fantasy, though it did allow superstitions to impact the game), and there was no plot -- just a historical environment where you could wander to and fro as you wished, DOING whatever you wished, and reacting to historical events as they came along. You could even settle down in a town and work as a clerk or blacksmith if you wanted to, earning money for years without actually going outside of the town or getting into fights. For a while I toyed with the idea of making a game like that -- me doing the story/setup and a friend doing the programming. I guess these MMORGs are alot like that now. I used to play one called Dragonrealms (coincidentally, as Rensslaer).
Hmm... I'm not sure which economic plan you're thinking of, but while I had socialists in power I still had control over whether to subsidize or not.
:rofl: Well, the warfare isn't as heated as I was expecting. Most of the world powers leave themselves to themselves in this game. I seem to be stirring the pot some, but otherwise not much would be happening. Strangely, I'm having that experience in Semper Fi too, as I start to try out that game. Any ideas how to mod the files to get more action going? I've never gotten that deep into modding AI.
Well, it was meant as a long-term strategy, to eventually get enough reformists together to get something passed.
:rofl: The flag, yes... I did address this a bit in the update after your comment, but the anti-military stance was pretty moderate -- I was still able to get the soldierrs I needed, etc.
Since I'm updating 3 AARs (soon to be 4!), I naturally have to spend alot of time on the AARs vs. playing. I do still find time to do both, though I don't know how -- I'm not exactly flush with time. Dunno. Doing the AARs keeps my creative juices flowing, which I think helps with other more mundane projects which I must finish. The break from "real life" helps too. Glad it keeps you buying the games! It keeps Pdx around so they can make more! I often play alot during beta, then not as much after (probably because my time goes partly to AARs). More fun? Fire Warms surely was. But these most recent AARs are fun because they're part of the game-playing process for me.
I completely agree! So many games are so scripted that it's hard to have fun unless that's exactly what you're looking for. Anyone heard of a game called Darklands? It is pretty old by now, but it was an RPG set in the Middle Ages (mostly historical, non-fantasy, though it did allow superstitions to impact the game), and there was no plot -- just a historical environment where you could wander to and fro as you wished, DOING whatever you wished, and reacting to historical events as they came along. You could even settle down in a town and work as a clerk or blacksmith if you wanted to, earning money for years without actually going outside of the town or getting into fights. For a while I toyed with the idea of making a game like that -- me doing the story/setup and a friend doing the programming. I guess these MMORGs are alot like that now. I used to play one called Dragonrealms (coincidentally, as Rensslaer).
Hmm... I'm not sure which economic plan you're thinking of, but while I had socialists in power I still had control over whether to subsidize or not.
:rofl: Well, the warfare isn't as heated as I was expecting. Most of the world powers leave themselves to themselves in this game. I seem to be stirring the pot some, but otherwise not much would be happening. Strangely, I'm having that experience in Semper Fi too, as I start to try out that game. Any ideas how to mod the files to get more action going? I've never gotten that deep into modding AI.
Well, it was meant as a long-term strategy, to eventually get enough reformists together to get something passed.
:rofl: The flag, yes... I did address this a bit in the update after your comment, but the anti-military stance was pretty moderate -- I was still able to get the soldierrs I needed, etc.
Yes... Western. Not reorganizing, per se... Just want the reform. My government seems to have become stagnated in a conservative pattern, preventing reform. I wanted to shake it up a bit.
It does turn nasty. Arabia becomes something of a battleground.
Thanks! Only going to Australia if I'm forced into war with the UK. And if I am, there's question as to whether I'd have the capability to ignore my homeland in favor of foreign adventure. I suspect I would be stuck at home defending against doomstacks!
I appreciate your vote, and the votes of others, for AARLand Choice! I was tracking votes, and I thought it was funny that I voted for yours, and you voted for mine, and at that time I think we were tied for first! lol Then Naggy's took over, and that was just as well -- great AARs all!
Well... It fluctuates, so it's a little hard to tell. But in December 1917 my Industry was 560, and the next savegame was August 1919 (so almost TWO whole years -- a year and a half at least -- on autopilot!), where my Industry was 540. That doesn't sound like much of a fall, however, you have to realize that I was gaining Industry score pretty quickly during this period, so I might have missed 50 or more Industry points -- I could probably have broken 600 if I'd not had the rebellion. Just a guess, but I think that's accurate.
No, I've never been a fan of windowed mode. I don't know if I can say why, just personal preference. I'd been reading your AAR, but somehow I missed that about Mogadishu -- maybe I saw it and just didn't connect it with what I was seeing.
Wow, thanks, HDK! And Welcome! I appreciate your past readership too -- always good to see folks who have read my others, too.
Yeah - I wish the game worked that way, as that would be realistic, but it doesn't. I'll just put them out when I am done with them. As for Anarcho-Liberals, I think the game considers them to be anti-government in all cases unless they're in total charge (which makes sense). They're just rabble rousers, or people who want to be left alone, or both. They don't want to run anything unless they have the whole say.
Hey - I want to do an update soon, but I haven't quite started yet. Busy with alot of different things. But I hope to be able to do some work on the update today, and maybe post it tomorrow sometime.
Thanks for reading! And especially for commenting!
Rensslaer
...
For me, the AARs are even more addictive than the games - I can almost never find enough time to actually play, but I can almost always find a little time for AARland... And then the Developer Diaries and the Beta-AARs and the regular AARs convince me to buy the next game in line, even though I know I won't be playing it much. Somehow, the AARs always make it feel like a good deal, regardless.
Since I'm updating 3 AARs (soon to be 4!), I naturally have to spend alot of time on the AARs vs. playing. I do still find time to do both, though I don't know how -- I'm not exactly flush with time. Dunno. Doing the AARs keeps my creative juices flowing, which I think helps with other more mundane projects which I must finish.
The break from "real life" helps too. Glad it keeps you buying the games! It keeps Pdx around so they can make more! I often play alot during beta, then not as much after (probably because my time goes partly to AARs). More fun? Fire Warms surely was. But these most recent AARs are fun because they're part of the game-playing process for me.I completely agree! So many games are so scripted that it's hard to have fun unless that's exactly what you're looking for. Anyone heard of a game called Darklands? It is pretty old by now, but it was an RPG set in the Middle Ages (mostly historical, non-fantasy, though it did allow superstitions to impact the game), and there was no plot -- just a historical environment where you could wander to and fro as you wished, DOING whatever you wished, and reacting to historical events as they came along. You could even settle down in a town and work as a clerk or blacksmith if you wanted to, earning money for years without actually going outside of the town or getting into fights. For a while I toyed with the idea of making a game like that -- me doing the story/setup and a friend doing the programming. I guess these MMORGs are alot like that now. I used to play one called Dragonrealms (coincidentally, as Rensslaer).
Hmm... I'm not sure which economic plan you're thinking of, but while I had socialists in power I still had control over whether to subsidize or not.
:rofl: Well, the warfare isn't as heated as I was expecting. Most of the world powers leave themselves to themselves in this game. I seem to be stirring the pot some, but otherwise not much would be happening. Strangely, I'm having that experience in Semper Fi too, as I start to try out that game. Any ideas how to mod the files to get more action going? I've never gotten that deep into modding AI.
Well, it was meant as a long-term strategy, to eventually get enough reformists together to get something passed.
Hm, Siam's flag is the right color, but there's still something missing... I think that elephant needs a hammer and sickle on his trunk.
Planned economy/protectionism is probably not a bad idea for a developing economy like Siam's, but isn't the anti-military stance going to hurt your military? That would not be helpful, if the French come knocking again...
:rofl: The flag, yes... I did address this a bit in the update after your comment, but the anti-military stance was pretty moderate -- I was still able to get the soldierrs I needed, etc.
For me, the AARs are even more addictive than the games - I can almost never find enough time to actually play, but I can almost always find a little time for AARland... And then the Developer Diaries and the Beta-AARs and the regular AARs convince me to buy the next game in line, even though I know I won't be playing it much. Somehow, the AARs always make it feel like a good deal, regardless.
Since I'm updating 3 AARs (soon to be 4!), I naturally have to spend alot of time on the AARs vs. playing. I do still find time to do both, though I don't know how -- I'm not exactly flush with time. Dunno. Doing the AARs keeps my creative juices flowing, which I think helps with other more mundane projects which I must finish.
The break from "real life" helps too. Glad it keeps you buying the games! It keeps Pdx around so they can make more! I often play alot during beta, then not as much after (probably because my time goes partly to AARs). More fun? Fire Warms surely was. But these most recent AARs are fun because they're part of the game-playing process for me.I completely agree! So many games are so scripted that it's hard to have fun unless that's exactly what you're looking for. Anyone heard of a game called Darklands? It is pretty old by now, but it was an RPG set in the Middle Ages (mostly historical, non-fantasy, though it did allow superstitions to impact the game), and there was no plot -- just a historical environment where you could wander to and fro as you wished, DOING whatever you wished, and reacting to historical events as they came along. You could even settle down in a town and work as a clerk or blacksmith if you wanted to, earning money for years without actually going outside of the town or getting into fights. For a while I toyed with the idea of making a game like that -- me doing the story/setup and a friend doing the programming. I guess these MMORGs are alot like that now. I used to play one called Dragonrealms (coincidentally, as Rensslaer).
Hmm... I'm not sure which economic plan you're thinking of, but while I had socialists in power I still had control over whether to subsidize or not.
:rofl: Well, the warfare isn't as heated as I was expecting. Most of the world powers leave themselves to themselves in this game. I seem to be stirring the pot some, but otherwise not much would be happening. Strangely, I'm having that experience in Semper Fi too, as I start to try out that game. Any ideas how to mod the files to get more action going? I've never gotten that deep into modding AI.
Well, it was meant as a long-term strategy, to eventually get enough reformists together to get something passed.
Hm, Siam's flag is the right color, but there's still something missing... I think that elephant needs a hammer and sickle on his trunk.
Planned economy/protectionism is probably not a bad idea for a developing economy like Siam's, but isn't the anti-military stance going to hurt your military? That would not be helpful, if the French come knocking again...
:rofl: The flag, yes... I did address this a bit in the update after your comment, but the anti-military stance was pretty moderate -- I was still able to get the soldierrs I needed, etc.
Yes... Western.
Not reorganizing, per se... Just want the reform. My government seems to have become stagnated in a conservative pattern, preventing reform. I wanted to shake it up a bit.It does turn nasty. Arabia becomes something of a battleground.
Thanks! Only going to Australia if I'm forced into war with the UK. And if I am, there's question as to whether I'd have the capability to ignore my homeland in favor of foreign adventure. I suspect I would be stuck at home defending against doomstacks!
Socialist Siam!
Nearly forgot, I'd better prepare my ballot.
I appreciate your vote, and the votes of others, for AARLand Choice! I was tracking votes, and I thought it was funny that I voted for yours, and you voted for mine, and at that time I think we were tied for first! lol Then Naggy's took over, and that was just as well -- great AARs all!
Well, that was a fun ride with your friendly neighborhood communists.
What was the effect on your economy (or, more precise, your daily budget and the industrial score) once you added those states?
Well... It fluctuates, so it's a little hard to tell. But in December 1917 my Industry was 560, and the next savegame was August 1919 (so almost TWO whole years -- a year and a half at least -- on autopilot!), where my Industry was 540. That doesn't sound like much of a fall, however, you have to realize that I was gaining Industry score pretty quickly during this period, so I might have missed 50 or more Industry points -- I could probably have broken 600 if I'd not had the rebellion. Just a guess, but I think that's accurate.
I can't believe you let ANY program steal control from your hands...
Ah, that explains why Mogadishu never assimilated any of the huge amount of Russian bureaucrats, in my game. I would have modded it as well if I had known
No, I've never been a fan of windowed mode. I don't know if I can say why, just personal preference. I'd been reading your AAR, but somehow I missed that about Mogadishu -- maybe I saw it and just didn't connect it with what I was seeing.
just read the whole AAR past 2 days. Awesome work. I always like your AARs. Great reads and alot to learn from
Wow, thanks, HDK! And Welcome! I appreciate your past readership too -- always good to see folks who have read my others, too.
Yeah - I wish the game worked that way, as that would be realistic, but it doesn't. I'll just put them out when I am done with them. As for Anarcho-Liberals, I think the game considers them to be anti-government in all cases unless they're in total charge (which makes sense). They're just rabble rousers, or people who want to be left alone, or both. They don't want to run anything unless they have the whole say.
Hey - I want to do an update soon, but I haven't quite started yet. Busy with alot of different things. But I hope to be able to do some work on the update today, and maybe post it tomorrow sometime.
Thanks for reading! And especially for commenting!
Rensslaer
I'm not sufficiently good at mods to really make any coherent suggestions. I mainly change one or two relatively minor things and see how they change the dynamic, whenever I go and muck around in the files. Anyone out there more familiar than myself can feel free to comment.
Okay… With impeccable timing, we are doing the VERY SAME THING as CNN today! We’re covering EGYPT! All Egypt, All the time! 24/7
Okay, well… Mostly Egypt all the time.
We’ve been trying to get Egypt into our Sphere. This is one of those places where the USA has been working too. You may even recall that Egypt was involved in the USA’s war with the UK, which… Which might still be going on, for all I know. Maybe they came to a White Peace. The UK didn’t do so well in Canada, so maybe they went home.
We get a “Friendly” Opinion, which is what we need to play with the big dogs. Which, as it stands right now, means France, the USA and the Ottomans, all of whom are rivals for this rich spot. The French look like they’re in good position.
Oh, and on the subject of something other than Egypt for a minute….
Does anybody REALLY know how much I dislike the Socialists, and loathe the fact that they’re part of my government? REALLY?
Let me give you a hint….
On January 1, 1920, the Socialists finally win a majority of seats in the Upper House, giving them/me the ability to enact reforms. I do so on January 2nd – I pass Trinket Pensions, which is the most preferred policy reform of the people – and immediately afterward, I dismiss the Socialist Prime Minister and replace him with a Royalist!
They lasted ONE day, once their usefulness was past!
In March, we acquire a Casus Belli against Egypt! This may be the first useful Casus Belli that I have gotten the whole game. I got an “Acquire State” CB against Japan once, but Japan was uncivilized, so I couldn’t use it. The CB apparently says that I can take any state that I want. So what do I want???
Believe it or not, I decided I didn’t want to use it. More explanation later.
In Spring of 1920, the French batted the USA off the top of the pyramid in Egypt, and it was outside of any Sphere again. France spent their last Influence Points doing that. The USA didn’t have enough to grab it back. The Ottomans were still quite a ways from having 100 IP to do anything, so….
Meanwhile, I’m improving my navy. My naval base in Muscat, Oman, is completed – good for being able to hang my ships around the Egypt area, eh? And I also complete research on Steam Turbine Ships. That means Dreadnoughts soon!
So, there I was contemplating what to do about Egypt, when….
Darn them! I had dibs! What’s more, Egypt’s allies abandoned her. What to do? This meant that Egypt didn’t have the USA to protect her anymore…. Hmm…
I pre-loaded my troops on transports, sent all my commerce raiders and cruisers, and even all my sailing ships (yes, I still had some – they’re mostly disbanded by the end of this war) toward Egypt, and then declared war once everybody was ready.
Now… I didn’t use my Acquire State CB, because I didn’t want just a state. Actually, this seemed like the perfect opportunity – maybe even the LAST opportunity – and so I made Protectorate status my War Aim (something I didn’t have a CB for, but something that would allow me to take the whole country without a whole lot of Infamy).
Instantly, we had troops all over, and ships all over. It was almost all over before it even began!
Except…
Except that I would need every Warscore point I could get! And Egypt is a huge country – it was back then, anyway. And the Spanish were already sending troops to start occupying land… I was in a race! I had to capture those lands before the Spanish could, or else I’d be losing out on Warscore.
So, sure enough, I was swarming every province I could get to. And I had enough troops and transports in the region that I could get just about everything.
The Spanish were kind of late to the party, for the most part, except for a fleet they sent to loiter off the Red Sea coast with some troops who were taking their time deciding where to land.
And Spain was too late in another respect, too. In August, they lost their Great Power status to Mexico! Just think if they had declared war on Egypt earlier, and taken that great wealth. Or if they’d declared war upon another Great Power – that was the formula for retaining your GP status. Then again, maybe Egypt was an oblique means of getting themselves into a Great Power War with the USA, except the USA didn’t cooperate. Even so, taking on the #3 Great Power is probably not the best recommended method of retaining your GP status. Their empire consists only of basically what you see here (Algeria is not theirs, just a similar color), plus the Philippines. Maybe Cuba… don’t remember when that came into their possession.
The swarms kept swarming. We got into a fight with their army, and we had a 25:1 casualty rate – obviously, the Egyptians are outclassed. Later, we sunk 12 of their ships, for the loss of none of our own.
We achieve Raider Group Doctrine, and immediately set out to expand our naval bases. This will lead to other things.
Spain is slow to occupy anything, which is good for us. We speed ahead of them in gathering Warscore – quickly enough, I hope, that all the good properties which the Spaniards could access will already be in our hands before they can get there.
In November, 1921, we finally discover the key to defending against those French gas attacks! This is a critical turning point for us. Not only does it mean we’ve crossed the chasm between the “haves” and “have-nots” in military power, but it also means we will be on more equal terms with the French, should we come up against them again.
We continue to occupy land.
In December, the theories to develop our first Dreadnoughts are completed! This is a big deal, because to my knowledge there are no other countries who have Dreadnoughts – we’ve been watching, and I sure haven’t seen any.
It quickly becomes apparent to me why that might be. There cannot be any Dreadnoughts, because one of the critical elements necessary to build them is Telephones…
And no one has developed the technology to manufacture Telephones yet!!!
Grr… I should have seen this coming. In fact, I did, early in the game, but then other things got in the way and I got distracted. So… Must develop Telephones… The other main components are easier to get. Siam is one of only three countries, remarkably, who produces Steamships! At least I know I’m in good shape to reach these higher technologies before other countries do.
As we’re finishing our occupation of Egypt, we complete colonization of yet another nearby territory in the Horn of Africa. It looks like we’re competing primarily with the dreaded Ottomans for possession of most of Africa. France has most of the rest of Africa. The Spaniards have some – as shown in a screenshot of their empire above – and of course the British have spots along the coast, as well as South Africa.
Another thing not many countries can produce is Fuel, for cars, tanks, etc.. But Siam becomes only the second country to be able to produce this commodity, as well!
When, in February, 1922, we completely and comprehensively defeat Egypt, we Annex them, adding them to our empire! Egypt is well populated, and though they don’t produce a lot of important materials, they do have quite a large number of provinces with farmers, and we can sell that stuff for the benefit of the Empire just as easily as the products of our own farmers.
It should be noted that this is Victoria 2 v1.1 – in v1.2, I believe they fixed it so it is impossible to annex an entire uncivilized country like Egypt anymore. There’s a restriction of only 3 or 4 states, I believe.
24/7Okay, well… Mostly Egypt all the time.
We’ve been trying to get Egypt into our Sphere. This is one of those places where the USA has been working too. You may even recall that Egypt was involved in the USA’s war with the UK, which… Which might still be going on, for all I know. Maybe they came to a White Peace. The UK didn’t do so well in Canada, so maybe they went home.
We get a “Friendly” Opinion, which is what we need to play with the big dogs. Which, as it stands right now, means France, the USA and the Ottomans, all of whom are rivals for this rich spot. The French look like they’re in good position.
Oh, and on the subject of something other than Egypt for a minute….
Does anybody REALLY know how much I dislike the Socialists, and loathe the fact that they’re part of my government? REALLY?
Let me give you a hint….
On January 1, 1920, the Socialists finally win a majority of seats in the Upper House, giving them/me the ability to enact reforms. I do so on January 2nd – I pass Trinket Pensions, which is the most preferred policy reform of the people – and immediately afterward, I dismiss the Socialist Prime Minister and replace him with a Royalist!
They lasted ONE day, once their usefulness was past!
In March, we acquire a Casus Belli against Egypt! This may be the first useful Casus Belli that I have gotten the whole game. I got an “Acquire State” CB against Japan once, but Japan was uncivilized, so I couldn’t use it. The CB apparently says that I can take any state that I want. So what do I want???
Believe it or not, I decided I didn’t want to use it. More explanation later.
In Spring of 1920, the French batted the USA off the top of the pyramid in Egypt, and it was outside of any Sphere again. France spent their last Influence Points doing that. The USA didn’t have enough to grab it back. The Ottomans were still quite a ways from having 100 IP to do anything, so….
Meanwhile, I’m improving my navy. My naval base in Muscat, Oman, is completed – good for being able to hang my ships around the Egypt area, eh? And I also complete research on Steam Turbine Ships. That means Dreadnoughts soon!
So, there I was contemplating what to do about Egypt, when….
Darn them! I had dibs! What’s more, Egypt’s allies abandoned her. What to do? This meant that Egypt didn’t have the USA to protect her anymore…. Hmm…
I pre-loaded my troops on transports, sent all my commerce raiders and cruisers, and even all my sailing ships (yes, I still had some – they’re mostly disbanded by the end of this war) toward Egypt, and then declared war once everybody was ready.
Now… I didn’t use my Acquire State CB, because I didn’t want just a state. Actually, this seemed like the perfect opportunity – maybe even the LAST opportunity – and so I made Protectorate status my War Aim (something I didn’t have a CB for, but something that would allow me to take the whole country without a whole lot of Infamy).
Instantly, we had troops all over, and ships all over. It was almost all over before it even began!
Except…
Except that I would need every Warscore point I could get! And Egypt is a huge country – it was back then, anyway. And the Spanish were already sending troops to start occupying land… I was in a race! I had to capture those lands before the Spanish could, or else I’d be losing out on Warscore.
So, sure enough, I was swarming every province I could get to. And I had enough troops and transports in the region that I could get just about everything.
The Spanish were kind of late to the party, for the most part, except for a fleet they sent to loiter off the Red Sea coast with some troops who were taking their time deciding where to land.
And Spain was too late in another respect, too. In August, they lost their Great Power status to Mexico! Just think if they had declared war on Egypt earlier, and taken that great wealth. Or if they’d declared war upon another Great Power – that was the formula for retaining your GP status. Then again, maybe Egypt was an oblique means of getting themselves into a Great Power War with the USA, except the USA didn’t cooperate. Even so, taking on the #3 Great Power is probably not the best recommended method of retaining your GP status. Their empire consists only of basically what you see here (Algeria is not theirs, just a similar color), plus the Philippines. Maybe Cuba… don’t remember when that came into their possession.
The swarms kept swarming. We got into a fight with their army, and we had a 25:1 casualty rate – obviously, the Egyptians are outclassed. Later, we sunk 12 of their ships, for the loss of none of our own.
We achieve Raider Group Doctrine, and immediately set out to expand our naval bases. This will lead to other things.
Spain is slow to occupy anything, which is good for us. We speed ahead of them in gathering Warscore – quickly enough, I hope, that all the good properties which the Spaniards could access will already be in our hands before they can get there.
In November, 1921, we finally discover the key to defending against those French gas attacks! This is a critical turning point for us. Not only does it mean we’ve crossed the chasm between the “haves” and “have-nots” in military power, but it also means we will be on more equal terms with the French, should we come up against them again.
We continue to occupy land.
In December, the theories to develop our first Dreadnoughts are completed! This is a big deal, because to my knowledge there are no other countries who have Dreadnoughts – we’ve been watching, and I sure haven’t seen any.
It quickly becomes apparent to me why that might be. There cannot be any Dreadnoughts, because one of the critical elements necessary to build them is Telephones…
And no one has developed the technology to manufacture Telephones yet!!!
Grr… I should have seen this coming. In fact, I did, early in the game, but then other things got in the way and I got distracted. So… Must develop Telephones… The other main components are easier to get. Siam is one of only three countries, remarkably, who produces Steamships!
At least I know I’m in good shape to reach these higher technologies before other countries do.
As we’re finishing our occupation of Egypt, we complete colonization of yet another nearby territory in the Horn of Africa. It looks like we’re competing primarily with the dreaded Ottomans for possession of most of Africa. France has most of the rest of Africa. The Spaniards have some – as shown in a screenshot of their empire above – and of course the British have spots along the coast, as well as South Africa.
Another thing not many countries can produce is Fuel, for cars, tanks, etc.. But Siam becomes only the second country to be able to produce this commodity, as well!
When, in February, 1922, we completely and comprehensively defeat Egypt, we Annex them, adding them to our empire! Egypt is well populated, and though they don’t produce a lot of important materials, they do have quite a large number of provinces with farmers, and we can sell that stuff for the benefit of the Empire just as easily as the products of our own farmers.
It should be noted that this is Victoria 2 v1.1 – in v1.2, I believe they fixed it so it is impossible to annex an entire uncivilized country like Egypt anymore. There’s a restriction of only 3 or 4 states, I believe.
The max is one region until you get Nationalism and Imperialism, then I believe it's 4 regions.
Apparently, the annexation of China in one war kinda made Paradox rethink the mechanic.
Good job opportunistically jumping down Egypt's throat. I might have missed it, but what was your reason for not taking Egypt into your SoI?
Shame you can't build dreadnoughts yet, but once you can... I look forward to some nice naval 'battles' then (if 'battle is not too generous a word - I think 'massacre' might be more appropriate).
Did bumping the Socialists out of power diminish their following, or are they still the largest political faction, even in opposition?
I might have missed it, but what was your reason for not taking Egypt into your SoI?Shame you can't build dreadnoughts yet, but once you can... I look forward to some nice naval 'battles' then (if 'battle is not too generous a word - I think 'massacre' might be more appropriate).
Did bumping the Socialists out of power diminish their following, or are they still the largest political faction, even in opposition?
I know the best defense against gas attacks...Alka-Seltzer
By the way, what the heck is up with the USA always aligning themselves with or intervening on behalf of Egypt? They were doing that a lot in my game too. Is there something with the USA AI that makes them do it often in the game?
By the way, what the heck is up with the USA always aligning themselves with or intervening on behalf of Egypt? They were doing that a lot in my game too. Is there something with the USA AI that makes them do it often in the game?
It's a maximum of 5 regions in 1.2 that can be conquered or protectorated. If a state has 6 regions or more, it is safe from instant annexation. Nationalism and Imperialism has no impact.
Socialists had their uses and then were gone. Will Siam win the race for Dreadnaughts? Now, you're ready for a war with France.
It's a real pity conquest/protectorate of a state of one region costs the same as a state of a handful of regions. Have you brought Cambodia into your sphere yet?
Socialists had their uses and then were gone. Will Siam win the race for Dreadnaughts? Now, you're ready for a war with France.
It's a real pity conquest/protectorate of a state of one region costs the same as a state of a handful of regions. Have you brought Cambodia into your sphere yet?
Your conservatives are in a mess - they're the third largest party in the upper house after both the socialists and the liberals. Nice to see all the fringe parties are suitably small - a sure sign you're doing well.
Regarding the lack of major wars, I think the AI is just too good at evaluating chances of success. You don't get the cascading alliances of World War I because in this game Germany would take one look at the Franco-Russian bloc and tell the Austrians where to stick their war.
Regarding the lack of major wars, I think the AI is just too good at evaluating chances of success. You don't get the cascading alliances of World War I because in this game Germany would take one look at the Franco-Russian bloc and tell the Austrians where to stick their war.