Just finished my first real game of Europa unniversalis. Need help a bit.

[winddy]

What do you think I should play next or improve my gameplay? I try this first without using console command to give the game easier for me.

I find it somewhat really hard to play as France (I try France first time to try Art of war feature....but missing religious war. I don't know how to get it. D': ) without having vassals. How can you play as France or any country without having any vassals?

Also why some of my vassals (in this game: Burgundy and Brittany) gone hostile a lot even I do nothing to them. Even Russia that under personal union though war also gone hostile sometimes and back to vassal attitude. Is it a bug?

All help is appreciated.

 

[Starki113r]

Vassals like Burgundy are hostile because they're strong-ish (if you've managed to vassalize them) and/or because of Historical Rival and Wants Your Provinces modifier.

Russia is hostile because they're a superpower and a Competing Great Power. I had France under a PU for 233 years before 1821 rolled around as Byzantium. I was three times their size and had four times their army size, yet they remained Hostile all game (except in war, Ally in War bonus helps a lot).

Playing as France is easier if you focus on your weaker enemies, like Castile/Spain. Their wealth, and removing a (2) major colonial power(s) by killing off Spain (and Portugal if you so desire) will make you unstoppable. Rotate between small, simple, bit by bit wars with Spain, Brittany, and Burgundy until you have a large enough fleet to push into the Isles. Then make the Brits feel bad for the HYW.

 

[Oryxslayer]

You really can't get through Eu4 without vassals, this is why some of the most popular idea groups give you the ability to have more vassals. Don't be afraid to go over the diplo limit, if your monarch has good diplo or you have +3 advisers, you shouldn't feel the lost 1-2 points per month.

Vassals go hostile if they think they can get independent. If a vassal is temporarily hostile, its because it sees itself as stronger than you, and is seeking foreign help in its independence war. You are France however, and this attitude will usually vanish if you are that strong. The other factor is the historical rival modifier which burgundy has with France in 1444. This usually means that France has a better time full annexing burgundy rather than vassalizing. For pu's the same holds true, only that the AI seeks independence much more frequently. PU junior partners also have some nasty events such as nobles decapitated which lowers their opinion of their overlord.

Finally, I would say France is not the best nation for a first timer. You start at war, and at least in the early game, you are surrounded by enemies. Of course you will dominate them, but its not the best beginner start. I would suggest Portugal, England, or Denmark, Denmark being the hardest, as your next big game. These nations have the ability to totally ignore Europe after the early game, so one has the ability to build up a huge trade empire before returning to Europe in style.

 

[kente]

for your next game i suggest you:
- Austria to understand the HRE and religious reform dynamic
- Spain, Portugal England, to understand colonization and expansion in Asia/Africa, plus trade (for mm at the beginning trade was just a big mess, which i couldn't figure out how it worked)
- Ottomans, the more easy not-christian nation you can play, so you can familiarize with Sunni mechanics (piety)
- Tuscany, Brandeburg, The Hansa, if you want play as an HRE minor and try your way to get bigger and stronger (coalitions, religious war, Emperor-Minor dynamics)

i will let Russia and Denmark/Sweden for later when you get the basic of every fundamental mechanic. Also RotW (rest of the world) have their own mechanic, but soon or later you should face the european power so it's better know your enemies first

 

[winddy]

Ah thank you everyone! I will try them next time.

 

[dullum]

I think you should play as Venice to get more experience with fighting heathens. The HRE gets a lot of AE, and practicing spreading it around is good. I also had a lot of fun playing as Tibet, which has great ideas.

 

[FloatingOrb]

For your second game (honestly for your first game) I recommend either Spain or Ottoderps (ottomans). Both are nations that are pretty difficult to downright fail at, and give interesting challenges. Spain will help you learn more about PUs and Ottoderps is good for learning how to AE juggle by expanding in 4 directions (up down left and even right).

Austria is a much more challenging game thanks to AI france being as arsehat, but is quite interesting. I would not suggest playing Brandenburg as a beginner at all though, expanding withing the HRE is a slow, methodical process that can end in tears all too easily.

Outside of europe I would suggest playing vajayanagar to form hindhustan, one of the jurchen tribes to form Qing, and surprisingly enough ethiopia. Ethiopia has one of the best locations in the game thanks to it's pathetically weak neighbors.

 

[winddy]

Ok. Thanks to suggest me about those you two. :wub: