EU3: Divine Wind

[Alexander the Pretty Good]

While we probably shouldn't encourage them essentially selling patches as expansion packs, I'm going to buy this.

[Monk]

A more fleshed out East? It's about time.

Most of the stuff included in the new expansions work for all countries, europeans or not. The only nation-specific gameplay added were the reforms for the HRE (which were hardly related to Napoleon).

Edit: I'm all for them making the rest of the world more fleshed out. More nations, more eastern-specific events, advisors, different UI, more nations, that's all fine.
That being said, I don't see why Japan and China deserve a more special treatement than Russia, the Ottoman Empire, France, Italy and a dozen other countries. The situation could be made more diverse by splitting both China and Japan into different factions/nations (similarly to France or Russia). I've really enjoyed playing a Sengoku Jidai campaign. But adding new gameplay features only for these two regions seems to be kind of a waste.

Somewhat, but there's no question that nations focused around Europe and Asia minor had by a long way more attention dedicated to them during development. Playing them and then playing less focused areas, such as India or the far east, feels like an incredibly unbalanced play experience. One is not equal to the other.

It sounds like they are hoping to turn China and Japan into eastern HREs (gross simplification, but it fits in a gameplay perspective). I hope we hear more details in regards to other factions in the east as well, but imo it's a welcome start to liven up that region of the game.

[Xiahou]

While we probably shouldn't encourage them essentially selling patches as expansion packs, I'm going to buy this.

Yeah, sounds like another 12MB "expansion pack".... And I'll probably buy it too.

[frogbeastegg]

At last. When it comes to history, and therefore historical games, my interests are mainly western. Nonetheless I've felt the nations outside of Western Europe needed some attention since my first game as one in the days of EUII. I've tried multiple games as Eastern nations and always dumped them because they felt like decidedly half-hearted and sketchy. For such different cultures there wasn't much that really made them different to, say, England aside from lacks, absences and penalties. A lack of specific events to match those the Western European nations get. An absence of anything much unique. Fat penalties on research, troop stats, and everything else that makes the game fun.

The argument always goes that the series is called Europa Universalis so everywhere outside of that should just be happy to get in since they don't belong. To which my preferred counter runs, better missing than boring and faintly insulting. To judge from the poll results which prompted this expansion I'm far from alone in that view.

I was hoping they'd cover more than China and Japan. After all, the poll option did say "rest of world focus". Maybe there is more to be revealed for others later?

Also, new music please. It'd be nice to have more culture specific soundtrack tones, like the TW games do.

[Martok]

While I'm definitely intrigued, I also confess to feeling a little iffy on this one.

I agree it's past time that the East got a little love. However, what I've seen so far doesn't seem to warrant a full-on expansion pack IMO (unless I'm misunderstanding/underestimating the scope/breadth of the new features mentioned). Also, a mere four daimyos vying for control of Japan feels a little sparse (although perhaps I'm just spoiled by STW?).


Either way, we'll just have to wait and see. I am interested in the features/additions listed, so I'll definitely be keeping an eye on this.

What disturbs me though, is how they never released the 4.1 HTTT patch, but instead, decided on a new expansion instead, which will have all those features integrated into that.

I sure hope you're wrong about that. Was this confirmed (that they've stopped work on HTTT 4.1 and have integrated the changes into DW isntead)? I'll be very disappointed -- and a tad angry -- if it's true.

I was hoping they'd cover more than China and Japan. After all, the poll option did say "rest of world focus".

Out of curiosity, what other regions were you wanting to see receive more attention? (I confess my own areas of interest are largely restricted to Europe, north Africa, and Asia.)

Maybe there is more to be revealed for others later?

I'm not sure I'd lay odds in favor of that actually happening, but I wouldn't be entirely surprised if it did either. In terms of copies sold, EU3 has got to be one of Paradox's most successful releases; and from what I've seen on their forums, many of their fans would appear to be perfectly content if PI simply turned out new expansions indefinitely!

(I fear for them if they ever get around to making EU4, as it seems like it's going to have an awfully tough act to follow!)

Also, new music please. It'd be nice to have more culture specific soundtrack tones, like the TW games do.

+1

EU3's music definitely helps with the game's atmosphere, and I'm strongly in favor of further bolstering it.

[frogbeastegg]

Also, a mere four daimyos vying for control of Japan feels a little sparse (although perhaps I'm just spoiled by STW?).

Yes, agreed. Which four will they choose? No matter who they choose important clans will be left out. Plus it's kind of a bit simple. Kill 3 other dudes to win, w00t.

Out of curiosity, what other regions were you wanting to see receive more attention? (I confess my own areas of interest are largely restricted to Europe, north Africa, and Asia.)

I was hoping for what the poll option said: rest of world. Anywhere and everywhere that isn't western Europe, excepting those tiny little minors. Something akin to what various mods and the game ‘For the Glory’ have done. I want to be able to pick any decently sized country on the list and have a game which feels complete and fully featured.

In particular, I'm surprised the various Indian states haven't received some attention. They're pretty popular.

I'd also like to see them alter westernisation. Get rid of the frankly weird idea of hopping through culture groups until you reach the top. Maybe make it dependent on status versus the rest of the world like in Victoria, or a step by step process where researching specific items and building specific improvements brings you closer to westernising. Want the western research percentage? Then research the handful of western research concepts and build a western style university. Etc.

I'm not sure I'd lay odds in favor of that actually happening, but I wouldn't be entirely surprised if it did either.

I really hope that there's more. Not only is this not what quite people voted for, it's also quite sparse on features. Unless they are planning to make it a £9.99 expansion instead of a £14.99 one? I doubt that.

My main hope is that this expansion could finally fix the one major overriding problem I've had with the EU series since I first tried EU2. Well, aside from the interface and data presentation. :cough: Well that's mostly not so bad these days. Anyway, major problem which turns up in every single game I start and ruins it: there's no one who I find appealing to play, so I struggle to pick and then often lose interest.

I hate the era; I'm a classical and medieval froggy. The moment guns appear on the historical scene I start to lose interest. EU picks up right at that point. So there's no one whose historical deeds I want to emulate. At the same time I know enough about certain countries (e.g. England) to have an idea of what I am 'supposed' to do. I either feel wrong for doing something different, or bored for following in their footsteps doing things I don't want to. Nations I know nothing at all about appeal more because then at least I feel free to do as I wish. Problem: they're mostly the 'rest of the world' nations, lumbered with penalties and limitations which make gameplay unenjoyable and artificial. If you don't want the penalties you have to westernise, and that's another annoyance because it forces me to play a certain way in order to achieve it.

I don’t struggle so much picking a country in For the Glory because most of them have received some attention. The penalties are still in place (surely there’s got to be a better way to illustrate the differences in culture!) but there are tailored events, information, even a different soundtrack if you’re willing to swap music folders.

NB: I don't want historical determinism back a la EU2. Events and gameplay flavoured by history, yes. Events and gameplay which try to jackboot you follow history, no thanks.

[Monk]

Yes, agreed. Which four will they choose? No matter who they choose important clans will be left out. Plus it's kind of a bit simple. Kill 3 other dudes to win, w00t.

They are probably afraid of overburdening the game engine. Have you guys ever played the Whole World Mod with Extra Natives and watched it slow to a crawl because there's way too many nations? Yeah.

[Beskar]

I sure hope you're wrong about that. Was this confirmed (that they've stopped work on HTTT 4.1 and have integrated the changes into DW isntead)? I'll be very disappointed -- and a tad angry -- if it's true.

They haven't worked on the patch since April (there were previous installments of the patch for Jan, Feb and March). Since then, they have released Semper Fi and Victoria 2, and now the team who was meant to be doing the patch are working on Divine Wind. I am guessing 4.1 is the "This is the patch, but it has that serious CTD problem, so we won't release it properly, but don't care enough to sort out".



My gripe with the game seems to be similar to Froggy. The best period is early on, but as soon as colonization kicks off, I start to quickly lose interest, as I find that side of the game quite boring, and I don't want to cover the globe with my nations name. Also, it always the same two powers (Portugal, Spain, sometimes GB), so it is quite repetitive. Also it starts approaching the protestant and reformation, where basically all European powers are plagued with magically converting provinces which seem to be never ending.

Another gripe, it seems the game keeps forcing me to be a "Major Power" in terms of land, otherwise I just end up squashed in wars and it is the only way to make money so I can have a major influence. It would be interesting to be able to be a 'very rich' single province, in terms of tech and money which balances out fighting against the giant unwieldy non-'invested' backward nations.


While those are more "European Gripes", I find the East very lacking in everything. Japan is unified, and there is no where to really 'go' or 'do'. Having Daiymo's fighting for control would at least give some flavour and fun, in trying to unite Japan. Then having other things in places like Ming (or even having a unify China event), or in India, having a 'unify India' event, and all these others possibilities.

Would like to also see new way to play the Indian nations. What if the Aztec Empire managed to beat back the Spanish and then used the technologies to advance itself?

Would love to see more new world countries, revolutions and powers, especially the creation of "Colonial Vassals", so lets say I was Britain, I could form a bunch of 'colonial vassals' which are the 13 states, which expand on their own behalf (which later, could begin revolting and form America).