Game News Victoria II: Heart of Darkness release date confirmed

[Whisky]

Tags: Heart of Darkness; Paradox Interactive; Victoria II

Victoria II: Heart of Darkness now has a confirmed release date: April 16, 2013.

The expansion promises a new colonization system, naval battle system, and an international incident system.

 

[Eyeball]

Will it unfaggotize the "sphere of influence" crap and perhaps make the great powers a little less comically overpowered? If not, no deal.

 

[Whisky]

I hope so. The international incident thing sounds interesting and it might act as a way to chip at Great Powers, even as a weak nation. At least, that's what I hope it's like.

 

[mondblut]

Will it unfaggotize the "sphere of influence" crap and perhaps make the great powers a little less comically overpowered? If not, no deal.

Overpowered? Unless there is now a "bow down before the master race, subhuman niggers" button instead of some stupid "justifying wars" crap, they are comically UNDERpowered.

What's up with the PDX fanbois being desperate to play some single-province Shitholistan, then complaining it is somehow not as rewarding as being Germany or England? Gee, the grand in "grand strategy" is there for a bloody reason. The weak are trampled under.

Naval battle system, I hope it fixes some issues. Despite "winning" every naval engagement with a capitals+screens fleet against enemy stacks of 50+ screens, I somehow lost a bunch of screens every bloody time while killing none. That gave an entire new meaning to Pyrrhic victory.

 

[Eyeball]

Realistic? Perhaps. Fun? No.

Games should be fun. Paradox failed to make playing a minor anything remotely resembling fun, which got even worse from V1 to V2.
Did you actually LIKE the SOI mechanic? That was some of the most pointless micromanagement I've had to do in a Paradox game, and that's saying something.

 

[Spectacle]

Does this expansion completely revamp the economy? If not I'm not interested.

 

[mondblut]

Realistic? Perhaps. Fun? No.

Games should be fun. Paradox failed to make playing a minor anything remotely resembling fun, which got even worse from V1 to V2.

Being a minor when the big guys are playing is not fun period. This is a game about major european powers enslaving savage nowheristans. If you insist on playing as nowheristan, don't be surprised there is little you can do. Tough luck, this is no Civilization 1, spearmen fail against ironclads.

Did you actually LIKE the SOI mechanic? That was some of the most pointless micromanagement I've had to do in a Paradox game, and that's saying something.

The mechanic? No, a silly minigame, at worst times forcing you to be glued to diplomacy screen instead of doing something useful. At very least they could have added a warning system, "blah, france began influencing the shittystan you are cordial with, they will ban your embassy in 3 weeks 4 days unless you do something".

The idea? Too underpowered. I mean, if a fucking Free City of Krakow has been completely landlocked inside my German Reich for 50 years and sat firmly within my SOI for 70 years with 200 opinion, I wouldn't need no more than a click to puppetize and even annex it. As in, "the government of the Free City kindly begs their BFF the Kaiser to take them into his fold, while the few misguided dissenting government members suddenly went missing or met with unfortunate accidents". Instead, I have to "justify" someshit for a year, and before that, waste a year's worth of diplo points to lower their adoring opinion to disdain *and* hope they go out from my "sphere of influence", then declare war. Le fuck?! The entire point of "influencing" wimps is to make them bend over to your whims without fighting them to their last soldier first, sheesh.

 

[PorkaMorka]

Will it unfaggotize the "sphere of influence" crap and perhaps make the great powers a little less comically overpowered? If not, no deal.

Overpowered? Unless there is now a "bow down before the master race, subhuman niggers" button instead of some stupid "justifying wars" crap, they are comically UNDERpowered.

What's up with the PDX fanbois being desperate to play some single-province Shitholistan, then complaining it is somehow not as rewarding as being Germany or England? Gee, the grand in "grand strategy" is there for a bloody reason. The weak are trampled under.

It's because playing a major power in Paradox games is incredibly easy and boring, once you figure out the game mechanics.

All that's left is playing minors. That's why Victoria is kind of shitty compared to EU2/EU3, the time period isn't ideal for playing minors.

 

[Commissar Draco]

Play as Japan, Italy or powers in deep like Spain or Portugal. Or Unwieldy Behemoths like Russia. Englad, France and USA are supposed to be Easy mode in Victoria.

 

[Vaarna_Aarne]

Realistic? Perhaps. Fun? No.

Games should be fun. Paradox failed to make playing a minor anything remotely resembling fun, which got even worse from V1 to V2.
Did you actually LIKE the SOI mechanic? That was some of the most pointless micromanagement I've had to do in a Paradox game, and that's saying something.

It's not even realistic, the British had a hard long time fighting Zulus, Boers AND Mahdists. And that's the undisputed world heavyweight champion of 19th century against some very small and insignificant opponents! Then there's also the thing with Austrians and Serbs.

Play as Japan, Italy or powers in deep like Spain or Portugal. Or Unwieldy Behemoths like Russia. Englad, France and USA are supposed to be Easy mode in Victoria.

Nah, Russia's probably the easiest after UK, USA and France. Massive primary population, few large nationalist cores, and the warscore calculator being FUCKED (Russia's states have extremely high warscore cost, but extremely low warscore value). You need APD to make Russia more accurate in terms of power, and even APD skips the Russian Civil War (which really should have been as much of a priority as the Chinese Civil War they have made part of the mod).

In terms of usual GPs, pretty much the only ones that are fun are Austria and Ottomans (due to being worst off for most of the game), with Germany being the only fun high-ranking GP (though that's due to Victoria -> HoI being modeled as "Germany VS The World").

 

[Kalin]

The expansion seems great and I will most definitely get it. In fact, the news of it recently encouraged me to start playing A House Divided again. Yesterday, I took a short break from playing Worst Turk and tried Mecklenburg for the first time, with the intention of forming a lovely little colonial empire of my own.

By declaring war on Denmark during the initial Prussian-Danish war and occupying provinces with my two underequipped divisions, I managed to get them to free their puppet Holstein, which I then conquered after the truce had expired. Heck yeah! Mecklenburg strong! Of course, I only managed to feel good about myself for a second or two. Being a complete newb at playing German minors I had managed to overlook the North German Confederation decision. Since I was in the Prussian sphere of interest and the conquest completed their overlordship of the region I was promptly diplo-annexed.

Started over today and got my freedom from evil Prussia by prestige-whoring my way to Great Power status. I also managed to snatch Holstein following the above formula, and once again felt mighty good about myself, preparing to conquer some savage lands in Africa and Asia. Unfortunately, I think I played a bit too recklessly with fire during the liberal revolution. While the militancy and filthy librul infestations allowed me to boost healthcare and school reforms to max (omnomnom), my underlings did not magically turn happy once the revolution era was over. On the contrary, militancy continued to increase (partially due to high infamy) and I ended up getting swarmed with Jacobin scum my pitiful army simply could not fend off, ending my glorious absolute monarchy. In other words, back to the drawing board once again.

 

[Sranchammer]

Does this expansion completely revamp the economy? If not I'm not interested.

There's a whole thread on fixing the economy on the VII forums. Basically, the only thing that will fix it is abandoning V2 altogether and making it more abstract. One of the few times where I believe simplification is better.

I agree with Porka. Of all the games, V2 needs great MP the most due to the GP system in place. Diplomacy isn't a classic for nothing.

 

[Commissar Draco]

Played as Mexico, Carlist Spain and Austria All were fun to play cause they were tough yet rewarding. Greece had no chance to kick off and other Balkan minors were unplayable too. Will reinstall the game with new Expansion and Try Lyric Suite or The Brazilian Slaughter clay... Portugal is too small to to be real great power.

 

[Vaarna_Aarne]

Started over today and got my freedom from evil Prussia by prestige-whoring my way to Great Power status. I also managed to snatch Holstein following the above formula, and once again felt mighty good about myself, preparing to conquer some savage lands in Africa and Asia. Unfortunately, I think I played a bit too recklessly with fire during the liberal revolution. While the militancy and filthy librul infestations allowed me to boost healthcare and school reforms to max (omnomnom), my underlings did not magically turn happy once the revolution era was over. On the contrary, militancy continued to increase (partially due to high infamy) and I ended up getting swarmed with Jacobin scum my pitiful army simply could not fend off, ending my glorious absolute monarchy. In other words, back to the drawing board once again.

Never ever keep Absolute Monarchy. It's simply not worthwhile. If you want to keep appointment powers is APD, hope you can get stuck at Prussian Constitutionalism (only Fascists and Communists can avoid Suffrage Mega Revolts); in vanilla HM's Government is hands down the ultimate form of government.

 

[Kalin]

Cheers, I might just do that. Absolute Monarchy worked well with the Mega-Kebab Empire, but of course, the Turks and their thralls didn't spew out librul events like their European counterparts. I really wanted to preserve the enlightened feudal absolutism of the Grand Duchy, but perhaps landed voting and some bloated aristocrat pops would simulate it equally well, not to mention the influece of the nobility.

[/sub-human LARPing]

 

[Corporate_Jew_Master]

What's up with the PDX fanbois being desperate to play some single-province Shitholistan, then complaining it is somehow not as rewarding as being Germany or England?

Negro, you serious? After your initial playthroughs with the GPs everyone will eventually turn to Westernising nations, Srbja and Krakow. Making Grossdeutschland and acquiring Lebensraum is banal and boring. The real fun starts once you remove traitor and kebab as serbia or restore the persian empire.

Step up, negroes. Playing babby's first great britain and castille is good and all but that isn't the appeal of paradox games.

Taking Texas and raping the New World, that is real fun.

 

[Kattze]

Playing in Latin America is gold. Not as easy as playing GPs in Europe nor banal-shit-boring waiting for the westernisation as uncivilised nations.

 

[Corporate_Jew_Master]

banal-shit-boring waiting for the westernisation as uncivilised nations.

And this, along with the economy and lulglobal market is what really needs fixing. Victoria has far, far more possibilities than HOI3 including mass, total and global warfare that is impossible to be implemented in the EU timeframe. (inbefore seven years war: skirmishes in america and frederick stomping armies piecemeal doesn't count as total war)

I want some reactionary nuthead screaming WOLLT IHR DEN TOTALLEN KRIEG? and the people screaming in jubilation as all that cannon fodder is being mobilised without 5 million artisans starving to death because the economy system is retarded. Make it happen Pdox.

 

[Vaarna_Aarne]

The biggest problem with the economy system is the lack of alternative means for several critical resources (for example, Timber -> Coal should be one of the most basic industries for the nations that lack massive coal mines) and overt scarcity of others (Iron and Rubber being most notable). Rubber is pretty much the ONLY supposedly valuable good that isn't less desirable in conquest than basic goods (shit, Chinese coal fields are the best real estate in the game due to Coal scarcity). Expanding RGOs needs more control and better employment rate (the employment being capped at 500 new workers per day in 99% of cases is prepostrous due to Factories having NO CAP AT ALL).

Don't have home access to several Coal, Iron and Timber RGOs? Well you're FUCKED.

That's pretty much the thing, specialized industry around local resources does NOT work in Vicky 2. The only thing that works is generic Steel/Cement powered Industry. If Artisans could actually cover the Cement needs for non-heavy Industry, it might actually be viable to survive without Coal and Iron (and Timber, of course, due to railroads).

 

[Corporate_Jew_Master]

The biggest problem with the economy system is the lack of alternative means for several critical resources (for example, Timber -> Coal should be one of the most basic industries for the nations that lack massive coal mines) and overt scarcity of others

Isn't that how trade would be supposed to work? I mean, hell, speaking from personal knowledge, there were massive coal mines in greece and our fatcats made tons of jews by exporting them to industrialised nations. In the game most of those coal rich regions produce wheat and cattle. And there is never a surplus of any important goods in the trade screen, your industries will starve. I don't know what SOIs are worth in the end if those countries don't exclusively export their raw materials to your industrialists.

Also if there are multiple goods in a province then it should be up to the government to decide what kind of growth it will support and how many job opportunities will appear in that region to encourage massive emigration. It's not like Silesia and the Ruhr area received a massive population boom once the industry really kicked off in those regions.

 

[Vaarna_Aarne]

Indeed, there should be a fairly reliable method of switching RGO production within certain limits, since currently the global market is a bag of dicks that only serves the function of making your penis harder when you outproduce some other bastards or achieve useless monopoly. I brought up charcoal because here in the Grand Duchy it was an important part of the economy (and as I often mention, the Grand Duchy was the most economically developed area in the entire Russian Empire; which is also why they really should stop being a bunch of Swedophile cunts and make the Grand Duchy a sub-state in the base game already), and it serves as a good gameplay alternative if it's absolutely impossible to conceive nations that aren't GPs having access to Coal in their own territory.

The immigration system could also use work. Currently it operates a bit too much like an equilibrium, with internal migration being :itisamystery: function. Industrialization should focus population movement towards the industrial urban centers of the country (within a certain vicinity in case of huge empires); not just make everyone fuck off to the Kwa. Then again, the game also lacks the population booms several countries had during the 19th century (using Grand Duchy as an example again, the population historically more than tripled during the Vicky 2 period, and this is with a massive famine killing almost 10% of the population in 1867), or French drop in population growth (which really should be in, since it's of vital importance for the Franco-Prussian War with AIs being anything but a massive French curbstomp); the generic pop growth rate also works towards ensuring easy mode for GPs (since population is almost in the >all position in Vicky 2, Chinese aside).

 

[Irenaeus]

Yeah, I agree with Vaarna, Vic II's economy and trade are bananas, made me ragequit. And the less said about naval warfare, the better.

 

[Vaarna_Aarne]

I still love Vicky 2 to death, but I do mod it whenever something about it is pissing me off.

 

[Vaarna_Aarne]

And it's out! Installing now.

 

[Corporate_Jew_Master]

Can't see it on Steam yet.