The learning curve looks steep, and it's easy to get frustrated at the beginning but once you start well, things come very naturally.
Play the included tutorials for basic interface stuff. On their own, the tutorials are hit and miss, but for bare-bones user info they suffice.
Start a game that is aimed at learning one or two specific things. Age of Exploration is the best setting for this. Play a century as France to learn about economic and military things, a century as Spain or Portugal to learn about exploration and colonization.
If you think a century is too long, the American Dream scenario is great for military training as the Yanks or Brits and any other great power is fine for learning the basics of other stuff.
Don't mess with playing smaller, weaker or more exotic states for a while. Playing the Aztecs may sound like fun, but after seventy years of doing nothing and then getting your head handed to you by the Spaniards the fun will quickly evaporate.
Auto-send merchants for a while. The AI does a competent job most of the time, though you won't rake in the big bucks unless you micromanage it. Merchant management is easy to figure out but in the learning process it's just one more headache.
Auto-save every year. Don't start a campaign to finish it, just treat it like a sandbox game - "What would happen if I did this?"
Don't be afraid of starting off at Normal difficulty, but don't shy way from being a coward if you like, and start at the Very Easy level.
Be patient. The concepts behind the game are quite simple, though the execution is sometimes curious. Do nice things to countries and they like you, do bad things to countries and they hate you.
Read the FAQ here and don't be afraid to ask stupid questions in this forum. People here are quite helpful when they aren't quarrelling over the legitimacy of French claims on Savoy or the color of Peter the Great's dog.
Play the included tutorials for basic interface stuff. On their own, the tutorials are hit and miss, but for bare-bones user info they suffice.
Start a game that is aimed at learning one or two specific things. Age of Exploration is the best setting for this. Play a century as France to learn about economic and military things, a century as Spain or Portugal to learn about exploration and colonization.
If you think a century is too long, the American Dream scenario is great for military training as the Yanks or Brits and any other great power is fine for learning the basics of other stuff.
Don't mess with playing smaller, weaker or more exotic states for a while. Playing the Aztecs may sound like fun, but after seventy years of doing nothing and then getting your head handed to you by the Spaniards the fun will quickly evaporate.
Auto-send merchants for a while. The AI does a competent job most of the time, though you won't rake in the big bucks unless you micromanage it. Merchant management is easy to figure out but in the learning process it's just one more headache.
Auto-save every year. Don't start a campaign to finish it, just treat it like a sandbox game - "What would happen if I did this?"
Don't be afraid of starting off at Normal difficulty, but don't shy way from being a coward if you like, and start at the Very Easy level.
Be patient. The concepts behind the game are quite simple, though the execution is sometimes curious. Do nice things to countries and they like you, do bad things to countries and they hate you.
Read the FAQ here and don't be afraid to ask stupid questions in this forum. People here are quite helpful when they aren't quarrelling over the legitimacy of French claims on Savoy or the color of Peter the Great's dog.
