Let's talk about very hard (VH) difficulty

[Salambo]

And way to improve it?


Let's face it ; very hard is great. I mean it's cool to have some challenge during all the game.
It's not that hard, the AI just focus the player a little more, and that's all.


The problem in this difficulty is double :

-First is the mega dev cost reduction (20% flat who snowball with ofc everything who save/give mana and other dev cost reduction) that make big countries too big and little-middle one just fine, but not enough to don't be destroy in one war by these big countries. It freeze the game when the player don't want blob like a crazy fool to catch up the big countries like Spain, Ottobro or Russia. (screen 1 Otto army)​

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For example; in this game i just want a quite peace game in europe and it was so easy (ally France, let him do the dirty job, ofc this alliance broke for no reason (100% trust, during 100years), juste because the mission give him core on my country...so there's a reason ​

Bah, i juste change my alliances, just like we change socks.​

-Second one is link to the first. As the big countries are big, got a mega army and tons of devs, it make conquest it or just be in war really boring. Not hard at all when you play smart, with good ideas, strong economy and with alliances. But just take 5 provinces make AE skyrocket, cost tons of adm points (not a real problem, just wanna say it).​

In my game I plan to conquest all india for the achievment, with a little but strong netherlands. (screen 2)​

I should start it in 1500, just to be sure to get it...cause the situation in india is dantesque. All india countries are in alliance together or with mega countries like Ming (2k dev, 500k army, basic). It's a meme at this point.
And they dev their provinces like crazy.​

So my game is over. Sadly. Next time i'll play in hard mode. It will be easiest just like VH, but no more boring war with countries who vomit men everywhere.


As I mention that it make the game unstable and laggy when too many nations go in wars?
Not a big deal, my PC is ok, it just make the speed 4 like a 2 or 3...


My conclusions to improve VH.

- Focus difficulty on the IA, make it more aggressive and intelligent​

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- Delete the dev cost reduction...it make the IA doing crazy things, like dev 'Auvergne' 37 times...in mil or adm... (screen 3)​

For me this dev cost reduction snowball too much with all the others bonus who save mana points (core creation cost, idea cost) and make the countries too big and boring to fight against (It's not a problem of army, land force limit or manpower recovery or even a -20malus to ally for me these things are so ok)​

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-And of course delete the -33% aggressive expansion impact for the IA. No seriously.​

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Maybe these things should be deleted only for historical and lucky nations who got already a ton of bonus and let it for medium size countries who make the game more fun and offer a challenge doable when the player don't play for a WC or blobing.

screenshots




Thanks for reading and sorry for my english.

 

[Flammifleure]

Sounds pretty valid to me... though I don't see myself ever moving beyond Normal. xD honestly a lot of these issues feel like they are already issues in normal -- provinces now get developed way beyond realism. Maybe it's the other development bonuses that should be trimmed back, not those exclusive to very hard mode?

 

[Eliseon]

Sounds pretty valid to me... though I don't see myself ever moving beyond Normal. xD honestly a lot of these issues feel like they are already issues in normal -- provinces now get developed way beyond realism. Maybe it's the other development bonuses that should be trimmed back, not those exclusive to very hard mode?

i totally agree with this one. Some things in normal nowdays look just plain ridiculous. I was playing a custom nation for achievements and when i looked around in europe during 1700s the entire central europe had an average developement of 30-35... There could be some balance with this. And lets not mention the ridiculus huge armies nations amass nowdays in comparison to older patches. I play normal because the game doesnt make justice with those bonuses in harder difficulties. There is a difference between a difficult game and throwing buffs to nation to make them harder.

 

[Salambo]

i totally agree with this one. Some things in normal nowdays look just plain ridiculous. I was playing a custom nation for achievements and when i looked around in europe during 1700s the entire central europe had an average developement of 30-35... There could be some balance with this. And lets not mention the ridiculus huge armies nations amass nowdays in comparison to older patches. I play normal because the game doesnt make justice with those bonuses in harder difficulties. There is a difference between a difficult game and throwing buffs to nation to make them harder.

I constat the same thing.

But most of the time it's just that AI use expand infrastructure, wich is a cool feature, really. It's change from blobing.

I'm in 1650 now in my game with Netherlands, 40+dev in each european provinces minimum (30 or less provinces in europe, now it cost me like 50-60 mana to dev, too much for me ), i can take the lux to expand infrastructure in possessions (in Africa and Asia) where i made trade company of course. Even that, i've so many mana point that i dev the 2 colonial nation that i took from portugal (each one less than 10 provinces, sadly)

I've seen around me tons of minor nation get 40+ too in their provinces, using expanding, it's comon so.

The -20% dev cost flat help a lot too in VH i guess.

And big fishs eat little ones, so in italy and germany, all these little nations with high dev are core by bigger country.