Prussian influence generation is crazy

[EvilSanta]

Finally have started getting into Victoria 2 after couple years of the game waiting in my shelf. Currently playing as Austria and trying to keep Germany from forming and keeping my own country intact.

So this means a race for influence in German minors. I have invested in few key states but there's absolutely no way I can compete with Prussian influence generation, despite the states being my allies and in my sphere of influence and Prussia having not invested in them at all. What gives? I have 3 techs researched in that commerce tech three that gives diplomatic influence (given the date I lack one).

Luckily Prussia has taken a beating good many times from crisis wars and once from my invasion and currently their military does not match mine. I have taken that one Prussian south German province, owning that would be enough to prevent Germany from forming even if I lose the last of my South German states to Prussian SoI?

So yeah, what's with the Prussian super-influence generation in comparison to me? I am more powerful than them in all but industry (their prestige is almost non-existent from constant defeats), I am allied, yet I lose the race for influence upfront.

 

[Closet Skeleton]

Prussia might own factories and railways in other countries, that decreases other country's influence.

If you have a better military you can just declare an assert hegemony war.

Prussia can't form Germany without Alsace-Lorraine anyway, its the North German Confederation that you want to stop at all costs.

 

[grommile]

Luckily Prussia has taken a beating good many times from crisis wars and once from my invasion and currently their military does not match mine. I have taken that one Prussian south German province, owning that would be enough to prevent Germany from forming even if I lose the last of my South German states to Prussian SoI?

Yes, that would certainly stop them forming Germany. (Unless the Pan-Nationalists overthrow one of the German minors, in which case Prussia might be offered and accept the crown from the gutter.)

(And, as noted, France owning Elsass-Lothringen is entirely adequate to prevent Prussia forming Germany.)

But frankly, if I was going to take Prussian clay, I'd start with the stuff that has actual economic value.

 

[Cossack_PL]

You get +50% influence on bordering country. Because of Sigmarinen Prussia borders some of the South German states.
In the diplomacy view you can see how much each GP invested in minor countries, your goal is to have bigger investment than Prussian. Easiest way is to spam railroads there just after you reearched them, then some factories if they make sense (spare craftsmen and not money sinks).
Optimally you should increase influence in your SoI to 100 (prioritize where Prussia is gaining infuence), after that don't influence them (if you have no better targets you can still influence and it will remove/make slower Prussian progress), but ban Prussian embassy when they reach 90+ and friendly. Then you have a year without their influence yo rebuild yours.
You have to keep Saxony in your SoI at all costs, it's the only thing (apart from Schleswig-Holstein and Hannover) that stops Prussia from forming NGF.

 

[EvilSanta]

Well, couldn't stop Germany from forming. Weirdly enough, they didn't have Alsace-Lorraine and had even lost more ground to France, I had Sigmaringen and Saxony was not in their sphere of influence. Neither was Bavaria but the second they managed to wrestle Bavaria out from mine they formed Germany (it was sick, in a previous crisis war I had taken Bavaria back to my SoI but before I managed to get as much as 50 influence in Bavaria Prussia had already become friendly and managed to get Bavaria out of my sphere!?)

I don't get it, my investment in Bavaria was bigger too. Makes no sense.

In other weird news, I wasn't able to form South German Federation even when I had sphered all South German states and had annexed Sigmaringen from Prussia.

I don't get it.

Well, I've got France as my ally and thus far Russia has backed me and France in every crisis war. My military still trumps Germany's for now. I wrestled control of Bayern from Germany in recent crisis war. I quess I can manage, though the rest of the game just got a lot harder.

 

[grommile]

Well, couldn't stop Germany from forming. Weirdly enough, they didn't have Alsace-Lorraine and had even lost more ground to France, I had Sigmaringen and Saxony was not in their sphere of influence.

If German pan-nationalists occupy the capital of any German-cultured country for 365 days, they hold a parliament and invite a randomly selected German-cultured GP to become Germany. (AI countries might reject the pan-nationalist invitation, I can't remember the exact conditions for doing so.)

 

[EvilSanta]

If German pan-nationalists occupy the capital of any German-cultured country for 365 days, they hold a parliament and invite a randomly selected German-cultured GP to become Germany. (AI countries might reject the pan-nationalist invitation, I can't remember the exact conditions for doing so.)

Went to an earlier auto-save and it seems like this was it, Bremen was occupied by pan-nationalists. Weird how the formation of Germany timed perfectly with me losing Bavaria from my sphere.

Kind of difficult to fight against formation of Germany. Should have gone with the Balkanmacht strategy from the get-go, leave Germany be and have good relations there and focus on digesting Ottomans

 

[Jacobi-99]

Went to an earlier auto-save and it seems like this was it, Bremen was occupied by pan-nationalists. Weird how the formation of Germany timed perfectly with me losing Bavaria from my sphere.

Kind of difficult to fight against formation of Germany. Should have gone with the Balkanmacht strategy from the get-go, leave Germany be and have good relations there and focus on digesting Ottomans

I like to do that strategy and take Switzerland THEN focus on the ottomans, this way you will a have a much bigger army and tech advantage then at 1836, and allying Germany as austria never hurt to help destroy the ottomans

 

[EvilSanta]

The things you learn: apparently giving priority to some state in diplomacy view greatly enhances influence output. How many states can I prioritise thus? No wonder Prussia was beating me in Saxony and Bavaria...


Okay, my final bewilderment would be about that South German Federation and why I wasn't able to form it, having at the owned Sigmaringen and sphered Bavaria, Baden And Wuerttemburg?

 

[Jacobi-99]

The things you learn: apparently giving priority to some state in diplomacy view greatly enhances influence output. How many states can I prioritise thus? No wonder Prussia was beating me in Saxony and Bavaria...


Okay, my final bewilderment would be about that South German Federation and why I wasn't able to form it, having at the owned Sigmaringen and sphered Bavaria, Baden And Wuerttemburg?

You should have been able to form it, unless some one had taken a bit from bavaria

 

[Liborio]

The things you learn: apparently giving priority to some state in diplomacy view greatly enhances influence output. How many states can I prioritise thus? No wonder Prussia was beating me in Saxony and Bavaria...


Okay, my final bewilderment would be about that South German Federation and why I wasn't able to form it, having at the owned Sigmaringen and sphered Bavaria, Baden And Wuerttemburg?

Go to the decisions screen and hover your mouse over the question mark in the create SGF decision to see the prerequisites. I can't remember very well but i think you need to have all those territories under your control (directly or in sphere/puppet) and N&I tech.

 

[Mikalos]

Went to an earlier auto-save and it seems like this was it, Bremen was occupied by pan-nationalists. Weird how the formation of Germany timed perfectly with me losing Bavaria from my sphere.

Kind of difficult to fight against formation of Germany. Should have gone with the Balkanmacht strategy from the get-go, leave Germany be and have good relations there and focus on digesting Ottomans

i love when germany forms the gutter way because half the time it just ends up being the NGF with a different name and slowly takes over the austrian minors

 

[metalinvader665]

South German Federation is weird to form as Austria. You need to release all of your non-German states (besides Bohemia) and then the game lets you form it (assuming you have the South German minors in your sphere). Release Hungary last, because they can easily become a GP which breaks their satellite status. After that just beat down Prussia/NGF repeatedly until you either sphere them or get the gutter crown.

For Austria all you really need to do with influence is focus on the South German minors and Saxony.

 

[Mikalos]

South German Federation is weird to form as Austria. You need to release all of your non-German states (besides Bohemia) and then the game lets you form it (assuming you have the South German minors in your sphere). Release Hungary last, because they can easily become a GP which breaks their satellite status. After that just beat down Prussia/NGF repeatedly until you either sphere them or get the gutter crown.

For Austria all you really need to do with influence is focus on the South German minors and Saxony.

ive formed a non austrian SGF as austria solely on the strength of being their overlord

i think its am ore useful ally than three small countries

 

[Jacobi-99]

South German Federation is weird to form as Austria. You need to release all of your non-German states (besides Bohemia) and then the game lets you form it (assuming you have the South German minors in your sphere). Release Hungary last, because they can easily become a GP which breaks their satellite status. After that just beat down Prussia/NGF repeatedly until you either sphere them or get the gutter crown.

For Austria all you really need to do with influence is focus on the South German minors and Saxony.

That method is only for mods like PDM