Hey guys. Long time lurker, first time poster. Please be supportive, I'm a bit nervous about coming forward like this!
Now, I love the EU series more than my family, but I think we can all see by now that it has flaws. The game is clearly biased in favor of a few large European countries, and pretty much everyone else has no chance of doing well. Just today, I tried to play EU2 as the Aztecs (my personal favorite civ!), and got horribly mutilated once Spain showed up. I played near-perfectly, but had no chance! The game needs rebalancing.
I have a few suggestions for improving the game. Please try to keep an open mind: these ideas would change the game somewhat, but without change, it would just stagnate!
1) More historical flexibility
What if history went down a different path? What if something other than technology became the driving force of humanity's ascent? This idea would allow for more diversity in the way civilization develops between the time period given. Imagine if magic suddenly developed in Africa in 1400! The world would certainly be different! And of course, magic has never been definitively disproven. Who knows what might have happened? Imagine hiring alchemists to transmute your country's resources into gold! Or developing mages instead of artillery! And naturally, chances like these would balance the game by allowing the weaker nations a possibility to develop serious power. The historical options are limited only to Paradox's imagination!
2) Elite units
Right now, military options between countries are kinda bland. Other than land tech level and general selection, little differentiates opposing armies. This idea would change that! Every country to ever exist has had a rich mythology of legendary warriors, from Norse berserkers to the Japanese ninja. Why not be able to field them and wield these magnificent fighters against your foes? Imagine a force of Austrian werewolves, or a Romanian vampire brigade! The Greeks could get small groups of elite Spartan warriors, as seen in the (inaccurate) Hollywood movie "300."
These forces would only be available to struggling countries, since a nation in trouble will cling to its myths and legends. This will be a major balancing force, allowing disadvantaged parties access to better troops for a time, until they can work their way up. I think this idea would not only improve game balance, but would also add to the flavor of playing a country for more fun all around.
3) The Special Meter
This idea may be controversial to some people here. The basic idea is that, when a nation is in dire straits, the belief and will of its people can make a miracle happen. These would be regulated by a meter, called the "special meter." If you've played the GBA/DS Advance Wars games, think of it like the CO powers. The more damage your country and forces take, the more the bar increases. Losing land will cause the biggest gains in the meter. And then, when it's at its peak... something amazing happens.
What the effect is will depend on the country and the severity of its plight. For example, take the Aztecs. If they're doing relatively well, perhaps an incarnation of Quetzelcoatl will appear, and assist in a war for a month. But if they're getting creamed, they could gain limited control over the power of the Sun. They can decrease the sunlight over their foes' fields, causing an early winter and famine. Or they could change the angle of the sun's rays, putting the light in their enemies' eyes even at the wrong time of day.
This mechanic would make serious strides towards balancing the game and eliminating unfair advantages. It would also make games more exciting, since a country you thought was down-and-out could make a sudden and spectacular comeback. Yes, it's a major shift in the style of the game, and many set-in-their-ways fanboys will complain. But look past these reactionary balkings, and see the real benefit of these ideas. Together, we can make the best historical game ever conceived.
Now, I love the EU series more than my family, but I think we can all see by now that it has flaws. The game is clearly biased in favor of a few large European countries, and pretty much everyone else has no chance of doing well. Just today, I tried to play EU2 as the Aztecs (my personal favorite civ!), and got horribly mutilated once Spain showed up. I played near-perfectly, but had no chance! The game needs rebalancing.
I have a few suggestions for improving the game. Please try to keep an open mind: these ideas would change the game somewhat, but without change, it would just stagnate!
1) More historical flexibility
What if history went down a different path? What if something other than technology became the driving force of humanity's ascent? This idea would allow for more diversity in the way civilization develops between the time period given. Imagine if magic suddenly developed in Africa in 1400! The world would certainly be different! And of course, magic has never been definitively disproven. Who knows what might have happened? Imagine hiring alchemists to transmute your country's resources into gold! Or developing mages instead of artillery! And naturally, chances like these would balance the game by allowing the weaker nations a possibility to develop serious power. The historical options are limited only to Paradox's imagination!
2) Elite units
Right now, military options between countries are kinda bland. Other than land tech level and general selection, little differentiates opposing armies. This idea would change that! Every country to ever exist has had a rich mythology of legendary warriors, from Norse berserkers to the Japanese ninja. Why not be able to field them and wield these magnificent fighters against your foes? Imagine a force of Austrian werewolves, or a Romanian vampire brigade! The Greeks could get small groups of elite Spartan warriors, as seen in the (inaccurate) Hollywood movie "300."
These forces would only be available to struggling countries, since a nation in trouble will cling to its myths and legends. This will be a major balancing force, allowing disadvantaged parties access to better troops for a time, until they can work their way up. I think this idea would not only improve game balance, but would also add to the flavor of playing a country for more fun all around.
3) The Special Meter
This idea may be controversial to some people here. The basic idea is that, when a nation is in dire straits, the belief and will of its people can make a miracle happen. These would be regulated by a meter, called the "special meter." If you've played the GBA/DS Advance Wars games, think of it like the CO powers. The more damage your country and forces take, the more the bar increases. Losing land will cause the biggest gains in the meter. And then, when it's at its peak... something amazing happens.
What the effect is will depend on the country and the severity of its plight. For example, take the Aztecs. If they're doing relatively well, perhaps an incarnation of Quetzelcoatl will appear, and assist in a war for a month. But if they're getting creamed, they could gain limited control over the power of the Sun. They can decrease the sunlight over their foes' fields, causing an early winter and famine. Or they could change the angle of the sun's rays, putting the light in their enemies' eyes even at the wrong time of day.
This mechanic would make serious strides towards balancing the game and eliminating unfair advantages. It would also make games more exciting, since a country you thought was down-and-out could make a sudden and spectacular comeback. Yes, it's a major shift in the style of the game, and many set-in-their-ways fanboys will complain. But look past these reactionary balkings, and see the real benefit of these ideas. Together, we can make the best historical game ever conceived.
