Time and distance, the ultimate challenge for EU3

[donagel]

There is one aspect of historical strategic gaming which I have never seen addressed: Time and distance. In the era at which we are dealing, things were not known and orders could not be followed for days, weeks or months.

It was always amusing to me in EU3 to lose a battle or province and immeadiately order up some reinforments for the area. Or to have discovered a new land and to be able to immeadiately exploit it.

I realize that this concept would require a massive effort to incoporate it, but I think that its addition would be a landmark in historical gaming.

 

[5678]

There is one aspect of historical strategic gaming which I have never seen addressed: Time and distance. In the era at which we are dealing, things were not known and orders could not be followed for days, weeks or months.

It was always amusing to me in EU3 to lose a battle or province and immeadiately order up some reinforments for the area. Or to have discovered a new land and to be able to immeadiately exploit it.

I realize that this concept would require a massive effort to incoporate it, but I think that its addition would be a landmark in historical gaming.

Buy yourself a lousy computer.

 

[5678]

There is one aspect of historical strategic gaming which I have never seen addressed: Time and distance. In the era at which we are dealing, things were not known and orders could not be followed for days, weeks or months.

It was always amusing to me in EU3 to lose a battle or province and immeadiately order up some reinforments for the area. Or to have discovered a new land and to be able to immeadiately exploit it.

I realize that this concept would require a massive effort to incoporate it, but I think that its addition would be a landmark in historical gaming.

Seriously, though, I think it would create a lot of frustration.

 

[Yakman]

If it were overcome, it would be incredible. But it would also be a completely different game, one in which the player, who would take the role of the King and his council of ministers in the capital, would be unable to directly influence events beyond the immediate region where they are located.

 

[King of Men]

It was always amusing to me in EU3 to lose a battle or province and immediately order up some reinforments for the area.

Hmm, it does seem that you have solved your own problem : Time travel! All your messenger has to do is arrive at the area, then transport himself back in time to when he was to give his order.

 

[Duke of Wellington]

You could consider part of the time it takes for the reinforcements to arrive the time it took for news to reach the King and the order to go back out. As for exploring though with a few ships. You shouldn't really be able to send three ships out on a suicide mission and still see all that they explore along the way.

 

[Sarmatia1871]

While it would definitely be realistic, I could imagine it getting quite annoying very quickly - and there'd be loads of complaints from newcomers to the game thinking there was some horrible bug!

Although I'd still be all for having this sort of optional news/movement-delay at higher difficulty levels - I'm thinking a bit like the 'Close Combat' games, where you could choose whether to have realistically non-responsive soldiers or not....

 

[Yakman]

It would also be impossible.

 

[Duke of Wellington]

It would also be impossible.

This is very true, not to mention that it would likely remove a lot of fun.

 

[SecondReich]

I don't think its gonna happen. In Paradox games you don't play the ruler of the nation, you play the spirit behind the country. So, in essence, you could control everyone.

 

[KaRei]

There is one aspect of historical strategic gaming which I have never seen addressed: Time and distance. In the era at which we are dealing, things were not known and orders could not be followed for days, weeks or months.

It was always amusing to me in EU3 to lose a battle or province and immeadiately order up some reinforments for the area. Or to have discovered a new land and to be able to immeadiately exploit it.

I realize that this concept would require a massive effort to incoporate it, but I think that its addition would be a landmark in historical gaming.

It will be more like simulation of your role in Europa Universalis. But what is your role? You are something like cardinal Richelieu (excuse me if it is wrong witten) from Three musketeers. So you are at capital behind the table and you're ruling the land only through messengers.

New Eu interface will look like this:
At the bottom is a desk. Several books and papers lie there. Rest of screen is a room, your office. Now doors opens. Messenger is comming: "My lord, our forces lost a battle in province Calais against England before a week. England forces are besieging the town." You click on one scroll of paper on the left of your desk. It's a map. Your hand is placing there small flags as military forces. Yes you have a fresh regiment of soldiers near Calais. But will be they enough? You right click on messanger and from a dialog box you choose "more info". Now you know the british army size in time when messanger leaved Calais as a stats of the battle. Then you check your army size in another list of paper. Good news, they are strong enough to beat english bastards. You catch the flag representing your fresh army and move it into Calais region. The flag then return in it's original position and in Calais is now a small ghost flag - final destination. Both flags are connected with a red arrow. This will automatically send a messanger to selected regiment. After a week they'll start to move. You closed the map and the messenger is going out. Then you are looking for long five minutes to an empty room.
...
After years - France is now a great empire. You are looking on the map. Colonies in America and Africa, several in India. Creaking of doors is forcing you to close the map. New messanger: "My lord, bastards from Aztec empire declared war upon us 7 month ago! Will we invite our alliance to help as?" You select yes. You'll get answer in 14 days from Netherland and in a 3 weeks from Austria.

This game would be bestseller

 

[Jayavarman]

There is one aspect of historical strategic gaming which I have never seen addressed: Time and distance. In the era at which we are dealing, things were not known and orders could not be followed for days, weeks or months.

It was always amusing to me in EU3 to lose a battle or province and immeadiately order up some reinforments for the area. Or to have discovered a new land and to be able to immeadiately exploit it.

I realize that this concept would require a massive effort to incoporate it, but I think that its addition would be a landmark in historical gaming.

Game would become unplayable.

 

[Veldmaarschalk]

I don't think its gonna happen. In Paradox games you don't play the ruler of the nation, you play the spirit behind the country. So, in essence, you could control everyone.

In believe in CK you play the ruler

 

[AKjeldsen]

This game would be bestseller

I would buy it.

 

[unmerged(2456)]

Game would become unplayable.

Not if its done propely. That's just a cop-out statement of someone who likes to have instant reaction.

One simple way is to have recruitment rates based on how close to your capital.

 

[Yakman]

Not if its done propely. That's just a cop-out statement of someone who likes to have instant reaction.

One simple way is to have recruitment rates based on how close to your capital.

yes it would be unplayable. how do you manage the time delays? you would have no control over what was happening in your empire.

and in MP?

 

[Jayavarman]

Not if its done propely. That's just a cop-out statement of someone who likes to have instant reaction.

One simple way is to have recruitment rates based on how close to your capital.

If everything had a delay? I felt like calling up a grand mobilization as the Roman Emperor in CK was micromanagent. Waiting for acquiescence for each vassal, and then moving all those regiments was confusing. Realism aside, I am just saying it would cause much headache trying to coordinate everything on delay.

 

[unmerged(2456)]

yes it would be unplayable. how do you manage the time delays? you would have no control over what was happening in your empire.

and in MP?

For movemnt after selecting destrination you have x days before they start moving or till it takes effect. This can be well documented so players can figure out how long such a delay will occur. The game can be made to automatically defend a province if troops are in there already.

The thing is without any delay, its like being in England, Dowing Japan and the same day unloading your troopps onto their territory. Hyper unrealitic.

 

[KaRei]

For movemnt after selecting destrination you have x days before they start moving or till it takes effect. This can be well documented so players can figure out how long such a delay will occur. The game can be made to automatically defend a province if troops are in there already.

The thing is without any delay, its like being in England, Dowing Japan and the same day unloading your troopps onto their territory. Hyper unrealitic.

One option how to display the delay is display small messangers traveling on the map (like colonists in Eu2).

 

[Yakman]

For movemnt after selecting destrination you have x days before they start moving or till it takes effect. This can be well documented so players can figure out how long such a delay will occur. The game can be made to automatically defend a province if troops are in there already.

The thing is without any delay, its like being in England, Dowing Japan and the same day unloading your troopps onto their territory. Hyper unrealitic.

I'm not arguing with you on the un-realistic nature of it.

But what about say... the French and Indian War? We have the French and the English kicking the hell out of each other in North America. How do the players fight the war? Did the generals there not have command? Do they not receive the intelligence and act according to it two or three months before the news reaches London/Paris and another few months before they get orders back to him? Or do we assume that everything is dictated by Paris and Britain?

That's unrealistic.