Need some help with Texas VIP

[Netr0]

I would've played it in vanilla, but without those events, it is just impossible to do anything. Alright in VIP, I do well and all at the start, I set it so mexico always agrees to the treaty so I dont have to reload an old save 20 times to get it. Then after the treaty and giving back santa anna(is this wise? or should I execute him, I notice he attacks me again later in the yucantana war). Then I DoW on haiti and annex that for some added taxes(A lot of people say its a good source of manpower but, I just lack the money to pay for it and the ability to change them to soldiers due to no full citizenship). Then I wait making a few pounds a turn just sitting there. Then the yucan event fires up and I could go to war or wait. I've noticed if im allied to usa at all, then they instantly go for california and get that before I can. The best I can do is just sit back and defend leaving the war at a stallmate since my allies never attack.

What is the best thing to do with texas so early? I tried selling a tech to usa and got about 10,000 at a cost of 10 prestige which was well worth it with my pisspoor economy. I've tried the raising social reforms, all but the industry ones(work hours and safety) But I saw no effect on immigration or population increase.

Should I...

Ally usa and attack the cherokee to gain a full texas early and unite the new mexico state and leave it as a colony.

Keep trading techs for money.

Force a party change to get full citizenship after trading tech for money, then Change a majority of haiti to soldiers, losing their tax but gaining about 60-90 manpower.

Invade western africa/south west africa/or eastern africa.


Could really use some pointers though, I am a bit lost with texas due to it being in between two powers that could devastate you(mexico by war, and usa by conquering the west before you). My key goal would be a better economy before 1850 that would enable me to actually do something this game.

 

[Netr0]

Any help would be awesome

 

[unmerged(131989)]

I wouldn't bother raising the work reforms - the maximum hours thing does your economy harm. The best and most attractive reform, which is also the most costly, is health care. That's the best social reform, in my opinion.

Anyway, the points which you suggest seem like good approaches, so I'd say go with them. Full citizenship will also help you get immigrants. By the way, you won't stand much of a chance of getting immigrants if the USA loses slavery as it's immigration policy, i.e. post-ACW. After that the hardcoded USA tag immigration bonus becomes overwhelming.

 

[MannheimCouncil]

Reforms won't do you much good if your plurality is much lower than in the US. Get Ideological Thought ASAP with a conservative party in power, wait for the plurality-reducing events then get a liberal party with Full Citizenship eleceted (not sure if that is possible with Texas). This is your best bet to get early immigration, but it's still a dicey thing.

Try taking territory from Mexico when they're down. Steal some of Argentine's colonies if you can and plan on getting into the colonisation game. Make sure the USA doesn't win the ACW and try getting a good alliance (maybe UK or France). Definitely go for Cuba before anyone else does (pre-1880). Watch out for guarantees, though.

 

[Netr0]

Thanks mannheim. In the last try, I did quite well by selling off the first tech I got and sold it for 10k to usa which lasted for awhile. Then sold another to them and another to france later which solved my econ problem until I got my first capitalist(i converted a 5k pop, maybe i shouldve did the 15k because the 5k has been giving 24 a day at full taxes at the start and now gives about 50).

I did the ideological thought as soon as I could but I dont think I was conservative yet, and it ticked in the 40s. And yes reforms have been crap and I havnt been able to elect the liberal radicals since they are the only one with full citizenship :/. The best I can get it is 33% for them but 50-55% for destinty.

I always start off taking haiti for the tax income, this time I left a 10k stack there to defend( I never thought of making an army of natives there to defend with instead until much later when there was no more revolt chance). Then the yucan event ticked and I said no because It would've made me go negative prestige which I was about to sell another tech. The next yucan event though I did go with war, by then I had the two dragoons and sent them instantly to defend new mexico and conquer california/buena vista(I also sent a single transport with some infantry to attack northern cali before USA could). I ended up getting it all up there then stopped the war due to my VERY high war exhaustion. After that I took an african country in the mid west, then I went after oman(which made the ottos hate on me).

All in all it seems to be an... ok game. I have about 6million population but 5.8-5.9million are not citizens so they are useless :/. I really lack the manpower and population in the states to actually achieve anything...