Game News Europa Universalis IV gets an August 13th release date

[Trash]

Tags: Europa Universalis IV; Paradox Development Studios

Europa Universalis IV should hit the (digital) shelves at August 13th. To wet your appetite for map painting and to try and get you to pre-order they also released a short trailer.



That latest version of the Clausewits engine really is looking rather splendid.

 

[MicoSelva]

I'm a big fan of Crusader Kings series, but have never put any serious effort into Europa Universalis (although I admit to salivating when I saw the world map in EU3 + all expansions). Are they very similar? Is it worth sinking 50+ hours into EU?

 

[TripJack]

eu is less character/family management and more map painting

i've spent more than a hundred hours playing it

 

[JANKOhrp]

I'm a big fan of Crusader Kings series, but have never put any serious effort into Europa Universalis (although I admit to salivating when I saw the world map in EU3 + all expansions). Are they very similar? Is it worth sinking 50+ hours into EU?

I would say CK2 does not differ all that much from EU3. Lots of unique mechanics from the original CK, for example, the need of prestige for declarations of war and throne claims have been scrapped in favour of more EU-esque design choices,
much to my personal dismay but oh well.
Dynastic politics are much more abstract, raising armies and researching technologies is much more straight-forward. The map covers the whole globe, you can opt to colonise, send merchants to trade centres, endorse or oppose the reformation
among other things you will need to take care of depending on your country of choice.
Compared to EU2, EU3 is much more of a sandbox, which would later influence the design of HoI3 and Vicky 2. If you want a more deterministic and historic experience in the vein of HoI2 you might want to look up For the Glory, a total conversion commercial mod of EU2 and arguably superior to the original. It also looks like EU4 will be less of sandbox and more like EU2 regarding country events. The original EU has largely been made obsolete by its successors. Paradox also made some Scandinavia-centric proto-EU games in the 90's, I never played them though.

 

[Luzur]

I'm a big fan of Crusader Kings series, but have never put any serious effort into Europa Universalis (although I admit to salivating when I saw the world map in EU3 + all expansions). Are they very similar? Is it worth sinking 50+ hours into EU?

I would say CK2 does not differ all that much from EU3. Lots of unique mechanics from the original CK, for example, the need of prestige for declarations of war and throne claims have been scrapped in favour of more EU-esque design choices,
much to my personal dismay but oh well.
Dynastic politics are much more abstract, raising armies and researching technologies is much more straight-forward. The map covers the whole globe, you can opt to colonise, send merchants to trade centres, endorse or oppose the reformation
among other things you will need to take care of depending on your country of choice.
Compared to EU2, EU3 is much more of a sandbox, which would later influence the design of HoI3 and Vicky 2. If you want a more deterministic and historic experience in the vein of HoI2 you might want to look up For the Glory, a total conversion commercial mod of EU2 and arguably superior to the original. It also looks like EU4 will be less of sandbox and more like EU2 regarding country events. The original EU has largely been made obsolete by its successors. Paradox also made some Scandinavia-centric proto-EU games in the 90's, I never played them though.

yeah EU1 feels kinda...empty nowadays.

and are you talking about Svea Rike series and Havets Vargar? those where made when they where still Target Games, and while they are good games, they are as said centered towards Scandinavians mostly.

 

[JANKOhrp]

Right, I was thinking of those. They were retitled Crown of the North outside of Sweden, if I remember right.

 

[fizzelopeguss]

Eh, after CKII and the whole dynasty dynamic these EU games where you play the nebulous spirit of a nation look a little simplistic and passe at this point. Kind of like those "off brand" map painters paradox throw out there every once and a while.

 

[ManjuShri]

Eh, after CKII and the whole dynasty dynamic these EU games where you play the nebulous spirit of a nation look a little simplistic and passe at this point. Kind of like those "off brand" map painters paradox throw out there every once and a while.

So it would be best to start with EU then move onto CK2 as a first timer?

 

[Luzur]

Eh, after CKII and the whole dynasty dynamic these EU games where you play the nebulous spirit of a nation look a little simplistic and passe at this point. Kind of like those "off brand" map painters paradox throw out there every once and a while.

i would like an EU game with those two parts combined, world-wide map painting AND dynastic micro-managing.

 

[Cassidy]

Would consider buying this year if it gets good reviews...


...had Paradox offered it DRM-free as well and not pulled so many dick moves quite recently. Now I'll never spend more than what I would to rent a movie instead in their new games.

 

[IDtenT]

I'll buy it when it goes on a 75% off sale.

 

[thesoup]

I believe it's Fidel Castro's birthday. It's also when my ID card expires.

 

[fizzelopeguss]

Eh, after CKII and the whole dynasty dynamic these EU games where you play the nebulous spirit of a nation look a little simplistic and passe at this point. Kind of like those "off brand" map painters paradox throw out there every once and a while.

So it would be best to start with EU then move onto CK2 as a first timer?

Play the game which has the time period that's most interesting to you.

 

[The Brazilian Slaughter]

I like a lot the new mechanics incoming. Trade is now going to be much more interesting rather than annoying button mashing. Coalitions and such will check on the player's expansion.

Now if they only overhauled the simplistic colonization system and created a Berber Pirate system...

i would like an EU game with those two parts combined, world-wide map painting AND dynastic micro-managing.

Same here. I know EU is the period of Centralization, Absolute Monarchs and rise of the nation-state, but that doesn't mean that all that intrigue and deceit and court politics just vanished.

In fact, a CK-style system of feudal management of territories would be the best way to properly show many countries outside of Europe and even inside Europe. Something like the Iroquois Confederacy can't be properly displayed in EU3 mechanics (well, it COULD if you could make a copy of the HRE mechanics then tinker with it and add Horde colonization mechanics but not the always-war state and lack of diplomacy).

 

[fizzelopeguss]

Family politics would thrive in an EU game...as it is the rothschilds have zero place in it.