Newbie questions (q)

[unmerged(26327)]

Ok I've just learned how to play the game but I can't manage to get manpower. The defensive slider is at maximum and converting pops to soldiers is not very good option for me because if I do that I won't have enough pops to work in my factories. Please tell me a few tips & tricks.

Another problem is the profit. I always have a negative balance. I've managed to build some steel/glass/luxury clothes etc factories and started to export things. My import/export balance is like 30/200 but I still lose a lot of money (about 100 pounds/day). All this happens with 0 navy maintainance, 49% tax for everybody and education/crime fighting/army maintainance left untouched. BTW where is the import/export income shown in the budget view ? I don't see it. Maybe my export profit isn't added to the budget. I dunno.

Also, I'm playing with Prussia in the UMP GC (easy) and my game version is 1.03.

 

[J.J.E.]

Welcome to the forum!

First of all Prussia might not be the best starting nation for a newbie. Try Belgium...!

You simply have to convert POPs to soldiers to gain manpower - no other way!

Don't build factories where you have to import things to make them run - at least in the start. Build a lot of steel factories (a sure winner in the start) and avoid lux factories until later.

Also be sure to check out the "help for newbie" thread. It's stickied at the top of this forum!

 

[unmerged(24512)]

Try building some lumber factories as well. They're cheap and often pay off reasonably well(if lumber prices are around 10 they're quite profitable, and if its closer to 5, its not as profitable, but probably still worth building in the start). Also, build railroads. Fabric factories supplying a big regular clothes industry will also bring in cash.

To sum up: Factories i would build in the start: Steel, Lumber, Fabric to supply Regular Clothes. Those are the most important ones in the beginning. Glass could also be good because they're cheap.

The budget is also important: You can still cut a lot of costs. Cutting army maintanence to 33% should be no problem if you're at peace, and cutting crime fighting all the way is an option if you can't make money any other way. Beware of revolts though.. Also, check out what kind of income tarrifs will give you. Just remember to check if your POP's dont devolve as a result of the taxes and tarrifs..

 

[Barkhauer]

Ok I've just learned how to play the game but I can't manage to get manpower. The defensive slider is at maximum and converting pops to soldiers is not very good option for me because if I do that I won't have enough pops to work in my factories. Please tell me a few tips & tricks.

Another problem is the profit. I always have a negative balance. I've managed to build some steel/glass/luxury clothes etc factories and started to export things. My import/export balance is like 30/200 but I still lose a lot of money (about 100 pounds/day). All this happens with 0 navy maintainance, 49% tax for everybody and education/crime fighting/army maintainance left untouched. BTW where is the import/export income shown in the budget view ? I don't see it. Maybe my export profit isn't added to the budget. I dunno.

Also, I'm playing with Prussia in the UMP GC (easy) and my game version is 1.03.

Prussia almsot ALWAYS has a number of farmer pops over 70k in size. Changing the defense slider to max and then (must be after the slider is up) converting a few of them to soldiers will land you all the manpower you could ever need. I've had 1000+ manpower as Prussia before. Mind you, especially in the early years before heavy railroading and industrializing, you can't afford this for more than a short war, but its definitely the way to go when fighting eg Austria or France.

 

[unmerged(25581)]

BTW where is the import/export income shown in the budget view ? I don't see it. Maybe my export profit isn't added to the budget. I dunno.

Imports are the first line in the Daily Expenses box -- it's rather small and doesn't have a slider so it's easy to miss. Exports are not shown in the budget screen because they don't directly contribute to your income. Instead, exports are sold on the World Market and your POPs reap the benefits, which reaping you skim off of via taxation.

The sad truth is that most nations cannot afford to fund education, crime fighting, defense, and military maintenance simultaneously in the early game. You have to pick what is most important to you until you start churning out more expensive products, or just more products due to increased productivity, or until you increase tax efficiency via technology.

 

[unmerged(11148)]

Is this the GC? what level? On VH/F i can have prussia up and running a profit within a couple months.

1. Change the tax on your poor to 60%, the middle and upper class to 50%. This will usually keep them from running or devolve them and bring in a nice chunk of change.

2. Army and navy maintance to zero. Keep it there till about 6 months before you wanna start a war ( if you get DOWed be quick with the changing the army slider to 100%, navy can stay the same as prussia navy sucks no how)

3. defense spending should be keep about 30% till war or DOW then 100% 6 months - 1 year before you DOW or immediately if DOWed.

4. crime fighting set to about 25 - 30%. education 100%, and tariffs just slightly up to generate fast cash. after the tariffs fall to a steady 40 or 50 knock the tariffs off unless you desperately need it.

5. remember to always increase yer mobilization every 6 months. this will save your butt with the above strategy of low maintance.

6. hit 'F6' and check oput your factories and pops. who is working and who is not. what factories are at full capacity and what imports do they need. Any imports that are cheap should be be bought up to 1000 after about 6 months of play. If you followed the above you should be in the high 1000s by now, and buyign these items will not hurt too much.

7. once yer factories are up hit 'F6' and look at your unemployed pops. find proviences with lots of clerks and craftsmen that are unemployeed. Build a couple factories. preferablly ones that will generate items you have to import for your other factories.

8. watch your factories every month or so to be sure there is nothing you need. expand a couple if you still have MPs left. try to expand steel, lumber, fabric, or ammunition factories.

9. railroads, RaIlRoAds RAILROADS!!!!!! a little at a time and never allow yourself to run lower than $2000.

10. Industry techs as many as you can as fast as you can. industry techs should be your first priority.

sounds easy and it is. Once i figured this out i have been able to get this to work for Russia, prussia, and USA. i only run into problems when i am not ready to go to war or when i think i am.

 

[Darkrenown]

2. Army and navy maintance to zero. Keep it there till about 6 months before you wanna start a war ( if you get DOWed be quick with the changing the army slider to 100%, navy can stay the same as prussia navy sucks no how)

Navy sure, but zero army funding? You don't start with that many troops and if each division only has 1000 men they could lose to revolts.

 

[unmerged(26327)]

Thanx guys for the quick support. I'll try to fix the Prussian economy as you suggested and also start a GC with Belgium.

 

[J.J.E.]

Thanx guys for the quick support. I'll try to fix the Prussian economy as you suggested and also start a GC with Belgium.

Good luck. Just be advised that when you play as Belgium you'll start the game at war with the Netherlands. No problem though, since a peace treaty is always made within 6 months with British help. Just wait for the "Treaty of London" event.