Impressions of Faction balance.

[Fisherking]

The clamor for reform has not been there nor has it been listed on the techs for the factions I have played. Maybe some of the high level building have it but I have not been in a position to build them.

In the last few days I have tried out Prussia, Poland, Russia, Sweden, Spain, GB, Austria and a brief look at France. I won’t say it is taken out but I have not seen it.

The AI is still a blundering boob it just declares war now without being able to back up its claims. Major Powers are not much better than the Minors, they just have more land.

The AI does not seem as willing to swap regions as it was. I don’t know if that is all together good or bad.

Russia seems to play much like it did before the changes, and I guess that is good. But still the minors are not the powers they were so they don’t put up the furious fight they did.

I am not trying to be an expert on the topic.

These are impressions and not too in depth. I have kept the play brief deliberately.

From what I have seen the new trade system is just fine.

The building costs are much too high for some factions, as are the recruitment and upkeep costs.

For other factions they are about right or even a little low. (troop costs)

The challenge of keeping a government type from start to finish is gone from what I see, and I miss the challenge.

Many of the regions have also had their value cut. Some of these need to be looked at.

I am unclear on the tax penalties. I noticed them big time with GB but hardly at all with most of the others.

Spain seems the big looser and it was a struggle before. It can not stand up to the Pirates or even the minor powers. It needed to avoid war before, and that was difficult owing to its weakness. Not… well the AI is more aggressive and Spain has on troops. It seem to me it needs help.

I will still try to get to some others if I have time.

[anweRU]

The clamor for reform has not been there nor has it been listed on the techs for the factions I have played. Maybe some of the high level building have it but I have not been in a position to build them.

Keep in mind, clamor for reform affects only regions with schools.

The -1 clamor for reform penalty is still listed in the descriptions of the 2nd and higher level enlightenment technologies. That is as it was pre-patch.

What is missing post-patch for GB is the actual clamor for reform when you research the techs. I used to get it as advertised in my pre-1.2 games. The fact that it is displayed in the description, but not present in the game suggest a snafu in the patch (or something due to my ministers as Slaists wrote above - I'll check it tonight).

The only clamor I get at the moment is the one due to the presence of the school itself...

[Slaists]

Keep in mind, clamor for reform affects only regions with schools.

The -1 clamor for reform penalty is still listed in the descriptions of the 2nd and higher level enlightenment technologies. That is as it was pre-patch.

What is missing post-patch for GB is the actual clamor for reform when you research the techs. I used to get it as advertised in my pre-1.2 games. The fact that it is displayed in the description, but not present in the game suggest a snafu in the patch (or something due to my ministers as Slaists wrote above - I'll check it tonight).

The only clamor I get at the moment is the one due to the presence of the school itself...

Yes, I agree. I double checked my British campaign: and I actually had clamor for reform but only in cities with universities. None whatsoever in any other province despite the enlightenment techs promising such clamor.

As to Britain: I had two modern universities in England and the clamor for reform was still minimal. Something seems broken with constitutional monarchy.

[Fisherking]

Keep in mind, clamor for reform affects only regions with schools.

The -1 clamor for reform penalty is still listed in the descriptions of the 2nd and higher level enlightenment technologies. That is as it was pre-patch.

What is missing post-patch for GB is the actual clamor for reform when you research the techs. I used to get it as advertised in my pre-1.2 games. The fact that it is displayed in the description, but not present in the game suggest a snafu in the patch (or something due to my ministers as Slaists wrote above - I'll check it tonight).

The only clamor I get at the moment is the one due to the presence of the school itself...

Indeed you are right!

I would have sworn that it was also missing from the tech card.

The clamor doesn’t seem to be as bad and it is also missing from building. At least all that I have built.

[antisocialmunky]

So the best research farms are located in big provinces with equal parts booze and schools. That's cool :).

[nafod]

@Fisherking

As prepatch I focused primarily on the Ottomans, Russia, and Prussia, I wouldn't know how much they nerfed the tradeing.

However I did start a French GC H/N the day before patch and was chugging along almost unstoppable. I had 4/5 Sugar trade spots, 9/10 Ivory tradespots, and 2/5 Spice tradespots.

I restarted post patch and was only able to capture 3/5 sugar tradespots, 3/10 Ivory tradespots, and 3/5 Spice tradespots employing the same strategy (so the AI is better at grabbing them). Granted in neither case did I employ a "balls to the wall" East Indiamen produced everywhere strategy, nor did I use existing naval units to "hold" tradespots. I merely built 3 every other turn and sent them out. I did noticed very quickly the decline in trade and think it serves the nations I played pre-patch as trade is so little of what they do. My French campaign post-patch is continueing just fine with 22k income around 1750.

Prussia in particular was a monster pre-patch and will continue to be one post patch.

I support you in the effort to make all nations (e.g. Spain) viable with a multitude of strategies, but ask that we stop short of trying to "balance" all the starting positions as this seems a bit goofy in a single player strategy game.

As England was unable to be invaded pre-patch, and I'd wager highly unlikely to be so post patch; I take most comments about the uber achievements players have made with this nation with a grain of salt.

In particular I feel the Colonial "missions" in North America are a bit goofy to begin with. And France and Spain seemed to have drawn the short straw on this.

Also I didn't notice that the AI doesn't trade territories anymore until you mentioned it, but my French game has not seen a single offer.

Cheers,

Naf

[anweRU]

As England was unable to be invaded pre-patch, and I'd wager highly unlikely to be so post patch; I take most comments about the uber achievements players have made with this nation with a grain of salt.

No need to take it with a grain of salt. Save games can be provided... However, you have a good point. If the AI actually conducted invasions, then I would need to build up my units in Britain. I currently have only several dragoons and a single general in the British islands.

Holland shouldn't have a big problem. It needs to hold only two European regions. Others would be hard pressed.

Which is why I asked "Can Prussia blitz with the same tempo on H/M?" I doubt it. GB is still a very easy faction. Fisherking has the opposite idea, as is obvious from his posts.

[nafod]

No need to take it with a grain of salt. Save games can be provided... However, you have a good point. If the AI actually conducted invasions, then I would need to build up my units in Britain. I currently have only several dragoons and a single general in the British islands.

Holland shouldn't have a big problem. It needs to hold only two European regions. Others would be hard pressed.

Which is why I asked "Can Prussia blitz with the same tempo on H/M?" I doubt it. GB is still a very easy faction. Fisherking has the opposite idea, as is obvious from his posts.

@anweRU


2 things:

I only consern myself with the world domination or prestige campaigns. I find the short/long goals a bit gamey. I don;t mean to dis those that play these, only I do not, thus my comments do not apply in these cases.

Additionally you mentioned your father was a US Sub Skipper. Could you ask, assuming you do not know, why the stretch of US Interstate 70 from Columbia Missouri to Kansas City Missouri is dubbed the "US Submarine Veterans Memorial Highway?" This has puzzled me for five years.

[anweRU]

My father was a Turkish submarine skipper. You probably have/ had a big group of submarine veterans in the area.

My GB campaigns have been prestige campaigns - which invariably become world domination campaigns. I need to eliminate my competition after all. In my pre-patch GB H game, I had 55 regions on turn 71 and a prestige rank of 2451 (883 being the second ranked nation). I switched to a Dutch H, then to a Swedish VH campaign. Current game has 19 regions on turn 31, with a prestige rank of342 vs 223 of Poland, the second. Early on Prussia and the Marathas had higher prestige ranking than I...

Pre-patch Swedish VH short campaign had 37 regions held at turn 101, when the game ended. That was my most peaceful campaign. And the one I enjoyed the most incidentally. The pre-patch Dutch campaign had 43 regions (including most of India, NA, and the Baltic) on turn 70. I abandoned it due to a CTD issue.

Post-patch I haven't had an opportunity to play anything other than the GB campaign, and look at how the patch affected my VH French campaign which was two days old when the patch hit.

Most of the time I can only play about an hour a day, either before going to work or after coming home. Need to spend time with a minor distraction known as family (the four legged children are more demanding than my girlfriend)... Hence my ignorance of what Prussia can accomplish.

[Ordani]

Also I didn't notice that the AI doesn't trade territories anymore until you mentioned it, but my French game has not seen a single offer.

It still does, just with nowhere near the frequency; possibly as a consequence of the different monetary values floating around, it may not reach positive outcomes as often. In particular you can still offer ridiculous sums for territory, as well as demand it for peace.

re: Britain, still by far the easiest; Holland is also pretty damn easy simply because you incur no "territorial expansion" as you don't need (nor want) to expand in Europe at all (and the New Spain "exploit" lets you claim your one European goal early on without France intervening.).

Spain isn't too bad if you take a long view, but if you play it straight and don't spend a few turns sacking the King, etc, it's probably the weakest European power. The Ottomans are probably the only faction I'd rate "hard" in that you have an uphill climb no matter how you do it.