Europa Universalis III

[imperialaquila]

Why is Sicily in South America?

Also, trying a Venetian game in MIEOU, while maintaining a goal of keeping Italy disunited, though politically dominated by Venice. Going for Italy, while a good goal in the long-run, seems to be done an awful lot as it is.
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I beat them up a couple of times and forced them to give up any claim on my territory, so they started colonizing. Then they moved their capital to the Americas at some point before my last war with them. They also have a couple of Caribbean islands.

 

[Volksgrenadier2006]

At this moment I am also playing as italy, starting from milan, I am however focussing on Europe rather then colonizing. I have some, because of gold or strategical presence. I have to restrain myself from colonizing
Ill probably post a map later on.

However yesterday something funny occured.
Some days ago I got into a personal union with England, it however is reformed and defender of the faith, I am catholic.
In a call to arms from my ally switzerland I was sucked into a war with a number of reformed countries including england. I however still had the PU and weirdest of al I was also still allied to them. So I was at war, allied in a PU and the fog of war was still lifted.

I accepted the call to arms because I wanted to know what would happen, weird stuff apparantly. Because the war had not much to offer me I resigned and never really waged it so I dont know what would have happened had I "invaded"my ally England

Weird huh!?

 

[Nerdlinger]

OK, I'm playing Divine Wind 5.1 on the easiest setting as Castille/Spain. After a couple wars with France, my infamy spiked to 70 something and I had literally constant rebellions breaking out all over the place, including in land which had been mine from the start. It's a good thing I still had a large army after the war to put down the rebels or I would have been ruined. Took a couple decades before the infamy level went down enough to stop the revolts. So how exactly do the experts who conquer the world avoid these infamy problems? While it's apparently been done, I simply don't see how they manage it.

 

[imperialaquila]

OK, I'm playing Divine Wind 5.1 on the easiest setting as Castille/Spain. After a couple wars with France, my infamy spiked to 70 something and I had literally constant rebellions breaking out all over the place, including in land which had been mine from the start. It's a good thing I still had a large army after the war to put down the rebels or I would have been ruined. Took a couple decades before the infamy level went down enough to stop the revolts. So how exactly do the experts who conquer the world avoid these infamy problems? While it's apparently been done, I simply don't see how they manage it.

How do you rack up 70 infamy in the first place? That's ridiculous.

I think the experts use very gamey tactics, with a precisely timed series of wars and lucky breaks on getting cores on other countries. Plus very good diplomats.

Try annexing territories that are your cores, or just not annexing vast swathes of land in a single war.

 

[Trotsky]

OK, I'm playing Divine Wind 5.1 on the easiest setting as Castille/Spain. After a couple wars with France, my infamy spiked to 70 something and I had literally constant rebellions breaking out all over the place, including in land which had been mine from the start. It's a good thing I still had a large army after the war to put down the rebels or I would have been ruined. Took a couple decades before the infamy level went down enough to stop the revolts. So how exactly do the experts who conquer the world avoid these infamy problems? While it's apparently been done, I simply don't see how they manage it.

Use casus bellis that have no or low infamy penalties such as holy wars; attack countries with provinces you have cores on; advisers that increase infamy reduction; space out the wars over a long time, etc. Also only take like one or two provinces at a time, then wait several years before the infamy goes down.

 

[Nerdlinger]

How do you rack up 70 infamy in the first place? That's ridiculous.

I think the experts use very gamey tactics, with a precisely timed series of wars and lucky breaks on getting cores on other countries. Plus very good diplomats.

Try annexing territories that are your cores, or just not annexing vast swathes of land in a single war.

Use casus bellis that have no or low infamy penalties such as holy wars; attack countries with provinces you have cores on; advisers that increase infamy reduction; space out the wars over a long time, etc. Also only take like one or two provinces at a time, then wait several years before the infamy goes down.

I received a lot of infamy because I took a lot of provinces. Each one usually costs 4 infamy points. I had the best diplomat (6 stars) and an embassy. How would you make a province into a core of yours if it didn't start as one? I know there are certain random events which can do this, but these are few and far between.

If I only take a few provinces at a time, I still have to wait 5 years before the truce ends or face losing 5 stability points for breaking it. I just don't see how one could conquer that much land with those restrictions. I suppose there must be a better way of taking advantage of all those intertangling alliances that the other nations set up with each other. The HRE is a bitch to deal with because of all the tiny little states and all the alliances they have.

 

[Workable Goblin]

I received a lot of infamy because I took a lot of provinces. Each one usually costs 4 infamy points. I had the best diplomat (6 stars) and an embassy. How would you make a province into a core of yours if it didn't start as one? I know there are certain random events which can do this, but these are few and far between.

Mostly, you don't. That advice helps those who start out with a lot of cores, like the Byzantines, or those who form a nation which usually doesn't start with all of its cores, like Germany or Russia. However, you can still take advantage of all the many special CBs, like religious wars (that also helps the Byzantines and Russians! Because almost everyone is an infidel or, if you take the Deus Vult idea, a heretic). Once that runs out in 1650, you take one of the Imperialism governments and just conquer everything.

The way to take care of the HRE is to destroy it IIRC, you only need to occupy the capitals of each of the electors and the emperor to get the relevant ability, so you don't need the good CBs to take them down. Once the HRE structure is down, the member states and surrounding states will consolidate the area rather quickly.

 

[Nerdlinger]

Mostly, you don't. That advice helps those who start out with a lot of cores, like the Byzantines, or those who form a nation which usually doesn't start with all of its cores, like Germany or Russia. However, you can still take advantage of all the many special CBs, like religious wars (that also helps the Byzantines and Russians! Because almost everyone is an infidel or, if you take the Deus Vult idea, a heretic). Once that runs out in 1650, you take one of the Imperialism governments and just conquer everything.

The way to take care of the HRE is to destroy it IIRC, you only need to occupy the capitals of each of the electors and the emperor to get the relevant ability, so you don't need the good CBs to take them down. Once the HRE structure is down, the member states and surrounding states will consolidate the area rather quickly.

I didn't know that you can wreck the HRE like that. Very interesting. Thanks for the advice. That reminds me -- one time as England/Great Britain, I annexed the Papal States, and later I discovered a new Papal State had appeared out of nowhere in Finland. Rather amusing.

Does anyone know why Ulm is always the leader in technology? It's just this crummy little one-province nation. The smaller the nation, the easier it appears to be to level up in technology, but they almost always seem to be ahead of the pack. (EDIT: Is it because it's Einstein's birthplace? Like an in-joke among the designers?)

 

[Trotsky]

I didn't know that you can wreck the HRE like that. Very interesting. Thanks for the advice. That reminds me -- one time as England/Great Britain, I annexed the Papal States, and later I discovered a new Papal State had appeared out of nowhere in Finland. Rather amusing.

Does anyone know why Ulm is always the leader in technology? It's just this crummy little one-province nation. The smaller the nation, the easier it appears to be to level up in technology, but they almost always seem to be ahead of the pack.

You can also become the HRE. My very last game of EU3 on my old computer saw me bestriding Europe like a colossus from the Bay of Biscay to the Baltic because I hopped through all the hoops to become the most powerful country on earth.

And OPMs are leaders in technology. The advice given to unlock the achievement "Poland unto space" or whatever it's called says to try to survive in Eastern Europe as a Polish OPM. It's because with a tiny area and population technology advances faster.

 

[Nerdlinger]

You can also become the HRE. My very last game of EU3 on my old computer saw me bestriding Europe like a colossus from the Bay of Biscay to the Baltic because I hopped through all the hoops to become the most powerful country on earth.

And OPMs are leaders in technology. The advice given to unlock the achievement "Poland unto space" or whatever it's called says to try to survive in Eastern Europe as a Polish OPM. It's because with a tiny area and population technology advances faster.

I don't recall if it was the same campaign as the one where I annexed the Papal States, but as England/GB, I witnessed the abrupt transition of the Holy Roman Empire into a single (huge) nation. I didn't even know that could happen. Scared the hell of me at first, but then the whole thing rather quickly fell apart.

 

[Trotsky]

I don't recall if it was the same campaign as the one where I annexed the Papal States, but as England/GB, I witnessed the abrupt transition of the Holy Roman Empire into a single (huge) nation. I didn't even know that could happen. Scared the hell of me at first, but then the whole thing rather quickly fell apart.

I had "Over Extension" for several years after I formed the centralized HRE via reform. But once OE goes away and all the rebels are dead, all Europe was mine. Easiest empire ever.

 

[Nerdlinger]

I had "Over Extension" for several years after I formed the centralized HRE via reform. But once OE goes away and all the rebels are dead, all Europe was mine. Easiest empire ever.

Neat. What do you have to do you form the HRE into a nation? I've formed Spain as Castille, Scandinavia as Sweden, and Great Britain as England. In my latest campaign as Castille/Spain, I watched Scotland take over England and then become Great Britain, which I didn't know could happen either. So if I started as Portugal, England, France, etc., could I take over Iberia and then form the Spanish nation?

 

[imperialaquila]

Doesn't matter, you have to be the Emperor and pass all of the Imperial Reforms (which have their own set of requirements).

 

[Trotsky]

Neat. What do you have to do you form the HRE into a nation? I've formed Spain as Castille, Scandinavia as Sweden, and Great Britain as England. In my latest campaign as Castille/Spain, I watched Scotland take over England and then become Great Britain, which I didn't know could happen either. So if I started as Portugal, England, France, etc., could I take over Iberia and then form the Spanish nation?

Scotland can form Great Britain because Scottish is part of the British culture group.

England or France cannot form Spain because English and French are not part of the Iberian culture group.

 

[Xgentis]

Can someone give me an advice to have the technological lead?

 

[imperialaquila]

Can someone give me an advice to have the technological lead?

Lots of trade, a small military, and not too much territory.

 

[AudieonAHCom]

Im Playing A Byzantine Grand Campaign,and Managed to Conquer Rhodes and Cyprus.
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Anybody have any idea to Retake Those lands The Ottomans Stole From Me....?

 

[Workable Goblin]

Scotland can form Great Britain because Scottish is part of the British culture group.

England or France cannot form Spain because English and French are not part of the Iberian culture group.

Actually France can't form Spain because it is specifically barred from doing so--there is a NOT { TAG = FRA } line in the list of requirements, ie. you can't be France. This is because Navarre, which is Basque culture, is allowed to form France (Henri IV), and allowed to form Spain. Because of the power of national unifications and the union tags, the scenario of Navarre forming Spain and then France, or vice-versa, is specifically disallowed in the code.

As for the technology thing, imperialaquila is correct. Territory directly increases technology costs, so you want only one province, preferably one which is as rich as possible (for example, certain Chinese or Japanese provinces in the later game). Normally, this would leave you with too little income to play very well in the technology game, but trade is not dependent on size (in fact, it scales somewhat negatively for larger empires, unlike tax and production income) and can be extremely lucrative for those who pursue it avidly, especially earlier in the game. Having a small military is necessary because minting will divert funding from technological investment and increase inflation, a double-whammy of putting you behind technologically. Since you have only one province, unless it has an extremely high base tax you won't have much tax income to pay for a large army.

@TheTimeRanger: Consolidate your control over Greece. Strike the Ottomans when they're at war with another major power such as Persia or the Mamluks. Ensure naval superiority so that they can't touch Constantinople. Fund revolutions. That's basically the gist of how to win as the Byzantines. Don't worry about inflation until later, your priority at the beginning of the game is to grow far enough, preferably at the expense of the Ottomans, so that you are on par with them militarily. Then you don't need to use tricks, you can just beat them down again and again.

 

[AudieonAHCom]

@TheTimeRanger: Consolidate your control over Greece. Strike the Ottomans when they're at war with another major power such as Persia or the Mamluks. Ensure naval superiority so that they can't touch Constantinople. Fund revolutions. That's basically the gist of how to win as the Byzantines. Don't worry about inflation until later, your priority at the beginning of the game is to grow far enough, preferably at the expense of the Ottomans, so that you are on par with them militarily. Then you don't need to use tricks, you can just beat them down again and again.

Well,Your Advice on Naval Superiority Is On The Works,But...Where i Should Expand Next? Im Thinking on Conquering Tripoli...

 

[Workable Goblin]

Well,Your Advice on Naval Superiority Is On The Works,But...Where i Should Expand Next? Im Thinking on Conquering Tripoli...

Tripoli, and most of North Africa, would just slow you down. That area is not particularly valuable to begin with, and with wrong-religion and wrong-culture penalties, it would just be bad. Mainland Greece is a better option, or Georgia (also in the Byzantine culture group).