Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[snelg]

If you're used to CK2 an important thing to know would be small countries (especially Ireland) are going to get murdered if the larger ones decide to go for you in the early game.

England's got a mission to conquer Ireland that they can pick from the start I think. It was hard to play the Irish minors in EU3 and it might be even worse in EU4 unless you can ally with England or something.

[Wiles]

Thanks for all of your advice. I managed to savescum my way through the war with Sweden. I  beat them in combat with a lot less men (1 more regiment than them as opposed the 9 more I had when I tried earlier). I changed the infantry I was using, I had one that was good all around but switched out to free shooters which seemed to be a lot better on the offensive. I also eventually lucked out and got a general with 5 shock pips (Sweden's general had the same amount) and caught them in a spot where they didn't get a terrain bonus.

Eventually even though I was winning the battles my manpower was whittled away to nothing. I had to hire mercs and managed to force a white peace. I spent the next ten years repaying loans, and my manpower is still only halfway replenished.

I think my mistake was ignoring my military for so long and focusing only on my colonial efforts, once I lost Denmark as an ally I was a target too tempting to pass up on for Sweden.

 

I'm basically a noob at this game, having never played EU3. I have played CK2 tho and created Ireland there successfully. I just can't seem to do it in this game, any tips?

I'm pretty new too, so I don't have very much advice, but I would recommend trying a more powerful realm to get familiar with the game. I find it a lot harder to be small in EU4 than it is in CK2. Also it might be worth your while to watch some videos of other people playing on youtube, that helped me get acquainted with some of the rules (but some, like trading, still fly over my head).

edit: Paradox has some tutorial videos that may be worth watching http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_Ep76d3kWs

[cerapa]

I'm bad at this game.
I start as Leinster(?), South Ireland. I "immediately" forge a claim on the province to the west, of which I forgot the name and take it by force. This usually goes smooth (I've already tried that scenario 3 times now). So now I have 2 provinces. However, once I try to take Connacht to the north I run into problems. Scottland or England gets involved and they just crush me. I then pay back all the loans I had to take for the next ~10 years and try again, but then they're allied with some other large nation which just proceeds to block my ports, so I run out of funds etc etc they crush me etc etc and I just lose.

I'm basically a noob at this game, having never played EU3. I have played CK2 tho and created Ireland there successfully. I just can't seem to do it in this game, any tips?

EU4 Is not CK2. Small countries get crushed by bigger ones, so its easier to start with something big like France or the Ottomans.

Ireland is just there to be crushed by England. You really shouldn't feel bad about losing as them.

[Descan]

Trading is easy. You have a home node that you want to control as many provinces of as you can, to get as much of a monopoly on its power as you can. Then you look for nodes that feed into it, and send light ships (barques) to "Protect Trade", top left button on the four options on the army screen for your fleet of barques. That will give you trade power in those nodes. You send a merchant to collect trade in your home node, and in the feeding nodes you use the other option. That will feed more money into your home node.

If you want to become a huge trading power, take high trade power provinces in the feeding nodes, such as Ceylon and Kochin. Trade Steerage means how effective you are at directing trade from feeding nodes, trade efficiency means how much money you get from your home node, and (global) trade power increases your control of nodes.

Hope that helps!

[Whitefoxsniper]

PTW!

I'm waiting for more opinions before I decide to buy or not.

[echonic]

I'm waiting for more opinions before I decide to buy or not.

My opinion is that it's awesome!  I liked EUIII, but I love EUIV (so far).

I avoid war though, it's not really a part of the game that I'm interested in.  So my opinion is going to be skewed towards how much I like the things like Trading/Colonization/etc.

[Digital Hellhound]

Westernization is hell. I was doing fine before pressing that button, now I've wasted a decade and behind in every tech. Agh. Atleast it's done now.

[Felius]

PTW!

I'm waiting for more opinions before I decide to buy or not.

Personally I'll wait until it goes in a sale in steam, also because by them it will have at least a few patches under its belt, which should help with the most glaring bugs, balancing issues and simply stupid events.

[umiman]

That's probably the right approach to Paradox games.

[EnigmaticHat]

I'm bad at this game.
I start as Leinster(?), South Ireland. I "immediately" forge a claim on the province to the west, of which I forgot the name and take it by force. This usually goes smooth (I've already tried that scenario 3 times now). So now I have 2 provinces. However, once I try to take Connacht to the north I run into problems. Scottland or England gets involved and they just crush me. I then pay back all the loans I had to take for the next ~10 years and try again, but then they're allied with some other large nation which just proceeds to block my ports, so I run out of funds etc etc they crush me etc etc and I just lose.

I'm basically a noob at this game, having never played EU3. I have played CK2 tho and created Ireland there successfully. I just can't seem to do it in this game, any tips?

In CK2 you can survive as a small nation by being vassalized.  In EU3 though vassalization is rare and boring.  In general if you get beat by a larger nation, you just lose.  People who play tiny nations tend to use exploits, luck (AKA savescumming) and be really, really good at the game.

If you really want to play as a tiny Irish nation, your best bet is to use coalitions and (if you can somehow manage it) an alliance with a large power to keep England and Scotland at bay.  One thing you might consider trying is finding a medium sized nation that's allied with France and then allying that nation, because they might call in France into any wars you get into.  Then wait until you're confident that England and Scotland are busy, either because they're losing a war, or they're already at war with you and you have a big ally backing you, and use that time to take out your Irish neighbors.  Once you unify Ireland... I don't know where you would go from there.  Just try to survive against England and Scotland I guess, and maybe play the colonial game?

Honestly though, without both luck and skill you'll be crushed.  I would recommend playing as a large or medium nation that has the potential to form a larger nation, like Castile to form Spain, or Muscovy to form Russia.  These nations are typically balanced so that they're at least a decent match for their neighbors, and they give you an obvious goal and a powerful nation once you achieve that goal.

[somebody]

Apparently, countries will accept a Forced conversion along with their annexation.

[LordSlowpoke]

Apparently, countries will accept a Forced conversion along with their annexation.

paradox interactive ladies and gentlemen

it might have been a bad idea but i have now acquired this. well, my hard drive can't complain

time for unbalanced pain

[cerapa]

Does anyone know what is hooked up to the Philippine trade route? In larger a sense I mean, can I reroute trade from China?

Still doing the Aztec game. I have a monopoly on the western sides of the Americas, but I can't drag trade from the Carribean(which actually has the entirety of Africa and Brazil being routed through it, and has a crapton of money) because it's downstream, nor collect there, cause Spain is throwing around hilarious amounts of trade power. So I'm expanding to the only upstream node from my nodes, which is the Philippines. I'm guessing I should get a bit from the natives, but I'm wondering how much I should spend on consolidating my power in that direction.

[a1s]

Heh. One of the Scottish national ideas reads "We have recently recieved a new tome titled 'on the true significance of comets against the vanity of astrologers' I have decreed that all in the realm must be aware of it's contents" (it lowers stability cost, but it's still hilarious)

[LordSlowpoke]

hansa what are you doing lubeck shouldn't have more than twice the value of venice this early HANSA WHY IS THE WIEN CENTER OF TRADE AT 0.6 AND WHY IS ALL THE TRADE POURING TO YOU

goddamnit germany europe WORLD get your rebels together i don't care you can't get your stability above 0 for some reason

oh boy coalitions

yeah fuck you coalitions, you and whoever thought they're a good idea

We stopped increasing the relations between you and the target country because we maxed them out. Should last a while. declares war three days after due to fabricated claims 5/5 diplomacy where's the button to sack diplomats
 
the above sums up my session of eu4

go buy it