Want to get into the Paradox games

[HunterICX]

I really should get Darkest Hour one of these days

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But as far as Paradox goes you can't go wrong with titles like Victoria 2 (including the expansion A House Divided which adds a lot of features to the main game and balances things out)

CKII is just well I can just echo what's been said about it already here and in the CKII thread we have around that the game is just too much fun have it pass by. Great about it you can start as a greedy king who wants MOAR!! or as a meaningless Count on his way to greatness or when you think you have a chance to get the crown just to fail miserably and tossed into the dungeon by that brat of a king that you've hated from the day he was born.

HunterICX

[Hottentot]

CK 2 is not exactly a great strategy game though, traditionally speaking. If your main goal in the game is to conquer as much territory as possible, then there are better titles for that with deeper strategic possibilities, resources and so on. Despite of the recent additions to the combat system, the war side of the game still leaves a lot to be desired for. The most common and fool proof strategy still is the good old "get a huge mob, beat the enemy's huge mob with it and then go win the war."

Also, as far as strategy goes, Crusader Kings is highly random. There are frequently whole threads on the official forums about "the game screwing the player over" because someone's carefully planned strategy was ruined by a simple random event. And contrary to what people claim, the AI is actually pretty smart. If it sees it's going to lose its kingdom to you through bad inheritance, you can be sure it does everything it can to prevent it. And often succeeds too, if you are not careful enough.

I'd say the game is wonderful, but its charm comes from something completely different than what it looks like on the first glance. I take it more as an RPG and a political game than an old fashioned grand strategy. Whenever I start playing it like a latter, it becomes stupidly dull.

[Safe-Keeper]

Thanks for all the feedback, I'm 99% new to the Paradox games and this helped me tremendously .

I'm still most likely getting V2 first, and then probably HOI3 or Darkest Hour. Downloaded the HOI3 demo and was amazed at how easy it was to get into compared to V2 (where I was truly 100% lost in the beginning before I played through the tutorials :P ). I don't know how I'll do managing huge armies, but I suppose I could always play one of the smaller countries (Norway of course being high on the list ).

[soopaman2]

Paradox games are awesome.

For a somewhat easy one, get Europa Universalis 3. If you want it harder, and I mean way harder, then download the Magna Mudi mod, made by a not so nice fella named Ubik. Nice guy, but he is mean to you with his game! (framed event)

Crusader Kings 2 if you want a step up. I did some greasy, wormy stuff to become Holy Roman emporer, As well as King of France, England, and Poland. (with an active claim on the Kingdom of Sicily) Its really epic. Dealing with your dukes, and counts becomes an issue, as many of them resent everything you do. Killing them is easy but makes everyone else hate you. So it forces diplomacy, and intrigue. It is about maintaining a dyansty, not so much a character or country.

HOI3 if your ready for the big boys. The game is lulzy when you manage to turn most of south America into Nazis, who promptly keep America occupied while you ravage Russia, and the British Isles. You can twist fate a bit. Oh and a bit of advice, go around the Maginot line. (I actually invaded through the French Riviera and Italy, as I was bringing a decent sized force of panzers, engineers and seasoned AT infantry back from the Suez, because Mussolini is an idiot)

[Safe-Keeper]

I fear I might be a bit too lazy for HOI3, I start a game determined to do a good job micro-managing everything, but then I open up Scapa Flow and go "gooood, that's a lot of ships" and my commitment just seems to evaporate. Still definitely getting it, though, although when playing the demo I still feel as "lost" as I did when I was just getting into Civilization 4 and didn't understand the game's mechanics at all. So I'm still playing the game by instinct and role-playing, making decisions based on what feels right and what the different nations did in reality (although I also try to learn from their mistakes).

I think I'll download a historical accuracy mod if I am to play HOI3, though, I love the WWII setting, but not how ahistorical it can get. I don't need everything to happen as it did in reality, but I want to avoid scenarios like Germany invading America, or Britain allying with the Axis. In other words, I want everything to follow the same pattern as it did in real life, but I also want to be able to change history.

Not sure if I'll get CK2 after reading your posts, though, not sure if micromanaging character intrigues is really my thing. Still think it's a great idea, though, and it ties into why I'm rapidly growing to love the Paradox games -- they explore all kinds of aspects of politics and warfare that many other strategy games omit.

[Stealhead]

I like Victoria 2 a lot I have not tried "A House Divided" yet though.I cant say anything on CK2 either as I do not have it.

I do like Europa Universalis 3 though it is pretty good but much easier to manage than HOI3 make sure that you get the Buy Europa Universalis III Chronicles version that has everything the "complete" edition actually is not.

I have HOI3 as well and personally I do not really like it not to say that the game is bad I just do not like it that much HOI3 is like that you either like it or you don't.

If you want something with war strategy that is also historic but where it is possible to change the outcome I would recommend "The Operational Art of War III" it is not a Paradox game though but it is good.The game covers the 20th/21st century and people have made battles from the 19th and even ancient times.

http://matrixgames.com/products/317/...Art.of.War.III

[seaniam81]

Lets not forget Arsenal of Democracy. I enjoyed that one very much. I would rate it above (but not by much) Darkest Hour.