If I love CK2, which would I like better Vic2 or EU3 -- not waiting for 4 atm.

[Isaios]

I know isn't what you asked, but might I suggest buying For the Glory and playing AGCEEP? It's so good it hurts my teeth.

Otherwise I'd go for Vic2, without AHD. While the expansion was good, the base game was a bit better. If you DO get the expansion, make sure you download the Pop Demand mod.

 

[unmerged(512626)]

I know isn't what you asked, but might I suggest buying For the Glory and playing AGCEEP? It's so good it hurts my teeth.

Otherwise I'd go for Vic2, without AHD. While the expansion was good, the base game was a bit better. If you DO get the expansion, make sure you download the Pop Demand mod.

Wow, this does sound good! But I have EU3 Complete and AGCEEP is apparently a II mod...unfortunately the system requirements don't say anything about compatibility on For the Glory either. I guess you do too, so it works fine? I have Win 7 64-bit also.

 

[VoodooEconomist]

Pie Charts? Maybe I should look at the AARs. I think one thing I've solved is to wait until the DLC is on sale in case it is too much or not my cup of tea. I have failed at my last two game purchases -- enough is enough there.

I play mostly peaceful games in CK2 and favor the intrigue but I also like to be powerful in my own right -- so people fear going to war with me and to have a dynasty controlling as much as possible -- but not through blobby conquest. Come to think of it it may be Diplomacy options are more important than economic features.

I can see now why people have both games (or all 3) -- this is most interesting the different approaches.

Indeed it is.

You can try the AHD (Vicky 2 expansion) for free, but it will only allow for Prussia and Japan 1836-1860. So try vanilla with Belgium, Netherlands or Brazil (or anything else really) and then see if the changes from AHD are worth it, since you already have vanilla. That way you'll know if the purchase is worth the full price now or a discount price sometime in the future.

As for pie charts - there's a lot of population data that is being fed to you by Vicky - the demand for goods (ranging from life needs to luxury goods), the earning amount of savings, current dominating political issues, idealistic affiliation, rebel affiliation, culture, religion, social class, militancy, political consciousness, demographic changes... all those things are available in just ONE info screen out of several, groupable by state and region. It's a lot to process at first, but after a while one knows what to look for.

 

[unmerged(512626)]

Indeed it is.

You can try the AHD (Vicky 2 expansion) for free, but it will only allow for Prussia and Japan 1836-1860. So try vanilla with Belgium, Netherlands or Brazil (or anything else really) and then see if the changes from AHD are worth it, since you already have vanilla. That way you'll know if the purchase is worth the full price now or a discount price sometime in the future.

As for pie charts - there's a lot of population data that is being fed to you by Vicky - the demand for goods (ranging from life needs to luxury goods), the earning amount of savings, current dominating political issues, idealistic affiliation, rebel affiliation, culture, religion, social class, militancy, political consciousness, demographic changes... all those things are available in just ONE info screen out of several, groupable by state and region. It's a lot to process at first, but after a while one knows what to look for.

Thank you kindly Voodoo! Sounds like a winning plan. I mainly didn't want to spend a lot of time on the vanilla tutorial if the game is drastically different with the DLC, too.

 

[Isaios]

Wow, this does sound good! But I have EU3 Complete and AGCEEP is apparently a II mod...unfortunately the system requirements don't say anything about compatibility on For the Glory either. I guess you do too, so it works fine? I have Win 7 64-bit also.

AGCEEP was indeed a mod for EU2, then when EU2 was re-released (updated too) as For the Glory, AGCEEP came shipped with.

I've got it on steam, and having no problems

 

[Cymsdale]

Otherwise I'd go for Vic2, without AHD. While the expansion was good, the base game was a bit better.

I don't really understand this statement. AHD essentially fixed the game for me.

 

[VoodooEconomist]

Thank you kindly Voodoo! Sounds like a winning plan. I mainly didn't want to spend a lot of time on the vanilla tutorial if the game is drastically different with the DLC, too.

The vanilla tutorial will teach you the basics, all changes by AHD are explained very well by the AHD manual as far as I know. And for the rest - the forumites over at Vicky 2 are just as nice as those at EU3 and indeed CK2

 

[Damorte]

I cant say wich game is best since i never really got in to EU3 (im hoping EU4 will manage to pull me in once its out) But i have played Vicky 2 for about 500 hours so far.

Vicky 2 is a political/economical game where you choose your enemies not based on how much land they have for you to steal have but what resources they have for you to steal.
Most of the politics in the game is based around your own country and how to manage your populations. For example getting the proper techs and reforms to keep your pops calm or ignoring their needs wich will most likely and get your goverment overthrown by various dictatorships or even turning you in to a democracy. Theres more to it then this though as you will also want to get your taxes just right for different classes as to encourage some promotions between classes without having it go overboard (large amounts of your workers turning in to middleclass beurucrats is probably never a good idea)

The foreign affairs part of the politics is mostly consisting around picking countries with the resources you want (always sphere brazil ALWAYS) in to your sphere of influence (if you are a great power of course). This part is pretty well made as you can fight for control over other nations without having to invade them, and once theyr in your sphere youll fight to make them stay.
The foreign diplomacy however is pretty abysmal and mostly consisting of Alliance/declare war.

If your picking the game up make sure to get the PDM mod since it improves the game on pretty much every aspect possible, including a totally revised great war system wich allows you to completely dismantle your enemies thus releasing all its puppets, spherelings nations and what not.

The economy in the game might look overly complex when your not used to it. But despite all the fancy numbers, tabs and what not it all boils down to the simplicity of supply and demand. If your supplying something witch is scarce around the world youll quickly become a rich son of a bitch, but if your industries are mostly consisting of canned food your economy is probably going to fail miserably.

What not to expect when your playing Vicky 2 is to be able to grab any nation in the game and making them a great power. That just wont work. Its possible to make some uncivs in to great powers for example china, a few of the indian states and Japan. But for the most parts youll want to play already westernised countries if you expect to be able to become a great power.

 

[unmerged(512626)]

The vanilla tutorial will teach you the basics, all changes by AHD are explained very well by the AHD manual as far as I know. And for the rest - the forumites over at Vicky 2 are just as nice as those at EU3 and indeed CK2

ETA: Thanks Damorte for the information, I just now saw it. Very helpful.

Thanks again everyone, even though now I expanded what I want to play rather than narrowed it down.

At least now, I think I might have a better idea how to best go about it.

 

[VoodooEconomist]

What not to expect when your playing Vicky 2 is to be able to grab any nation in the game and making them a great power. That just wont work. Its possible to make some uncivs in to great powers for example china, a few of the indian states and Japan. But for the most parts youll want to play already westernised countries if you expect to be able to become a great power.

That being said, there's an AAR of a World Conquest done with Kraków. Civilized and with high literacy, to be sure, still quite an achievement.

 

[Isaios]

I don't really understand this statement. AHD essentially fixed the game for me.

I don't know, I really preferred the base in most areas. The only real improvement was the modernisation mechanic. This is, as per my sig, just my opinion

That being said, there's an AAR of a World Conquest done with Kraków. Civilized and with high literacy, to be sure, still quite an achievement.

True, but I seem to recall someone did a partial WC with Zulu. That was pretty awesome. I don't think he did an AAR, but the pics were in that show us your empire thread.

 

[DJIM]

You will like EU3 more. Vicky 2 is also a very good game but it has much less in common to CK2

 

[sergeant113]

What not to expect when your playing Vicky 2 is to be able to grab any nation in the game and making them a great power. That just wont work. Its possible to make some uncivs in to great powers for example china, a few of the indian states and Japan. But for the most parts youll want to play already westernised countries if you expect to be able to become a great power.

I managed to get Vietnam to Great Power status once (albeit a lot of pre-expansions gamey exploits). But, on the whole, it's pretty much boring playing anything apart from Europe, Brazil, Japan and China.

 

[minke19104]

I found vicky to be too boring except for rushing German Empire early. Pick Prussia and war yourself to put austria into ur sphere to create Grosserestes Deutschland (spelling?). After that just industrialize and try to recreate the third reich and world war I and II a hundred years earlier.

UK is boring to play cos overpowered, France is no fun, US too secure. Playing uncivilized japan and china just means 50 years of waiting until they tech up. Zzzzz....

-edit Come to think of it, maybe its time for another run as Bismarck