I have no idea what is going on!

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Help!
I need somebody.
Help!
Not just anybody.
Help!
You know I need somebody.
Heeeelllp!

When I played EU2 and HoI, yesterday
I never needed anybody's help in any way.
But now I've picked up Victoria I'm not so self-assured
Now I find I'm out of my mind after opening up the doors

Help me if you can, I'm going wrong
And I've no idea what's going on
Help me, get my feet back on the ground
Won't you please, please help me

Ok, where to start. I'm a HoI EU2, EU1 (you name it, I played it, I was there at the start of EU1) gamer and yet Victoria has got me stumped. I started as Sardinia (figured I'd start with a small power to get to grips with it) but I've got no idea what I'm doing. No idea what industry to aim for and no idea what to do with my pops. I just kept losing money so I increased taxes and decreased spending, but that's not enough, plus I'm no convinced that's the path to follow.

Don't tell me to read the manual because I don't like doing that, besides which I find them totally useless. What I'd really like is a written tutorial based on one country to just get me started. I know one of you kind folks out there is just waiting to help an idiot like me, so now's your chance. Enlighten the fool. At the very least just tell me what to do during my first year and I'll work out the rest.

 

[grumbold]

I found the AAR's to be helpful in giving me ideas of what to do first. I couldn't get onto the net to download the patch for a while so I found the Mexico AAR particularly useful but it won't work as well in 1.01 because of the clerk/craftsmen changes.

 

[unmerged(576)]

I've already installed the 1.01 patch, so that might be a problem. What would be a great is a step by step guide for the first 10 mins of gameplay for a specific country. I don't expect everything to be covered but right now I have no idea what I'm doing and that is truly a first for me in a game.

 

[BusterBunny]

Originally posted by whyamihere
Help!
I need somebody.
Help!
Not just anybody.
Help!
You know I need somebody.
Heeeelllp!

When I played EU2 and HoI, yesterday
I never needed anybody's help in any way.
But now I've picked up Victoria I'm not so self-assured
Now I find I'm out of my mind after opening up the doors

Help me if you can, I'm going wrong
And I've no idea what's going on
Help me, get my feet back on the ground
Won't you please, please help me

Ok, where to start. I'm a HoI EU2, EU1 (you name it, I played it, I was there at the start of EU1) gamer and yet Victoria has got me stumped. I started as Sardinia (figured I'd start with a small power to get to grips with it) but I've got no idea what I'm doing. No idea what industry to aim for and no idea what to do with my pops. I just kept losing money so I increased taxes and decreased spending, but that's not enough, plus I'm no convinced that's the path to follow.

Don't tell me to read the manual because I don't like doing that, besides which I find them totally useless. What I'd really like is a written tutorial based on one country to just get me started. I know one of you kind folks out there is just waiting to help an idiot like me, so now's your chance. Enlighten the fool. At the very least just tell me what to do during my first year and I'll work out the rest.

BEGIN WITH A SMALL COUNTRY! With a limited number of culture. If there is more than 6 dominant issues, the country you took is complex

 

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BEGIN BY TURNING OFF CAPS LOCK!

OK, here goes some of what I've learned so far (based mainly on playing the 1836 scenario, most of this may be rather obvious):

1) You need to make money somehow (duh....)

2) Best way in this game to make money is from manufacturing high-end goods and selling them on the world market. The ones I have found most lucrative are luxury furniture, luxury clothes, artillery and explosives. To a lesser degree paper and clipper ships.

3) Sardinia in the 1836 scenario starts with 5 machine tools, and most of the high-end factories require more then this (lux factories cost 10 machine tools). Play as Belgium or Prussia instead.

4) If you play as Belgium in 1836 scenario, start out by making 1 fertilizer factory ASAP. There is only 1 fertilizer factory on the planet (in Prussia) and this means you will most likely not be able to get much from the world market. Once the fertilizer plant is finished you will have the full chain of production in your own country: sulphur (from your capital province) -> fertilizer -> explosives -> artillery. The artillery/explosives income will power your economy until you get luxury stuff set up.

5) Setting up the full chain for luxury clothing is quite hard (and expensive). Try to set up luxury furniture instead. You will need to build a lumber factory (sometimes you get one from the provinces you recieve from Holland), ordinary furniture factory and luxury furniture factory. You have your own supply of timber, and with the factories in place you will have the full chain. You will only need to import tropical wood, or go grab a colony that has this (New Guinea is a good idea).

6) Once you have the lux set up, you will be swimming in cash. Be sure to convert some of your less usefull POPs into craftsmen (to work in your factories). You wont need all those farmers making worthless stuff like wool, grain and cattle. Import that stuff instead. You will need a bit of stuff to convert those farmers (besides cash you'll need tobacco, paper, regular clothes and regular furniture). You can usually import all of that besides the paper, which you will probably have to make yourself.

7) Dont raise your taxes, dont decrease spendings in crime prevention.

8) Start making railroads.

 

[Mellon]

not attempting to hijack this thread, i do however have a question.

if i has to choose between high tariffs and high taxes, to keep the economy together, which is the better?