Is Massive Conquest much more difficult?

[Krajzen]

I am the only one who has an impression that due to autonomy + lots of new provinces conquest is actually more difficult? Or maybe I just suck with Ottoman Empire that I barely achieve it's historical borders in 1683? I have nothing against that as I hate pointless conquests (getting Alsace and randomly painting Europe is not fun for me) but Jesus I am actually sad over the fact that I can't exceed 200 provinces even with probably the easiest country in the world



<...after France>

 

[lordelenath]

It's not. Vassal feeding has amazing potential again and the ability to keep people out of meaningful coalitions by staggering truce timers is very, very powerful in the early to mid game. I'd love to post some screenshots of my Theodoro game, but sadly the save broke in 1721.

 

[gaius valerius]

I am the only one who has an impression that due to autonomy + lots of new provinces conquest is actually more difficult? Or maybe I just suck with Ottoman Empire that I barely achieve it's historical borders in 1683? I have nothing against that as I hate pointless conquests (getting Alsace and randomly painting Europe is not fun for me) but Jesus I am actually sad over the fact that I can't exceed 200 provinces even with probably the easiest country in the world



<...after France>

It isn't. I'm playing an Ironman Ottomans. year is 1680. My empire stretches from Gibraltar to Mesopotamia and from Azov to Mecca. I'm in full control over Southern Italy, Egypt and the southern Balkan. I've just wiped the floor with Russia military power in order to enlarge my march the Crimean Khanate, who together with an Caucasian Georgian powerhouse form my northern frontier.

If anything this was one of the smoothest games ever. In the previous version a similar playthrough ended in me being seriously ****blocked by the Russians so I'm pretty suprised at how weak they are. Perhaps you made a few mistakes along the way? I had to bail on at least 3 wars when I realised Austria called in Russia and Castile. Taking everyone on piecemeal does magic. And I've never been as wealthy as I am now.

 

[Lord Finnish]

Expansion gets very easy late game when you have administrative efficiency and good CBs like Nationalism and Imperialism. I took western Africa in just 30 years or so, absorbing countless provinces every time and having no hurry to core because the OE is minuscule.

 

[Sarvik]

My feeling is that it has never been so easy to expand. My current ironman Ottoman game is at year 1567 and already extends from Moskva to Ethiopia. Don't have exactly analyzed the reason, but everything just goes very easily. I haven't seen any large coalitions and have been able to keep unrest very low. Far from world conquest, though...

 

[IIWW]

Less threatening rebels, Imperialism CB for everyone, and Client states. + mothballing, so You can have massive fleet that's cheap during peacetime. Only this peacedeals...

 

[Squirrelloid]

It really depends on whether you start as a rich nation or not. Superpowers have easymode expansion, because they can afford to just increase autonomy of every province they take and completely ignore the unrest. Smaller countries need the forcelimits and income from conquests, so the increase autonomy button isn't an option, which means they can't expand much at all.

Basically, the LA system (and nerf to harsh treatment) is another nerf for small countries, not a real anti-blobbing mechanism. And other changes made it easier for blobs to blob more (e.g. coalition changes).