Paradox Games

Man, I was just trying to spread my dynasty (managed to get an Atkascha on the thrones of France, Hungary, Croatia, Savoy, Castile, Bohemia, Muscovy, Sweden, Lithuania, and Brandenburg, plus my PU over Norway) when the king of Naples dies and BAM instant inheritance instead of an Atkascha taking the throne or a succession war. #greatpowerproblems

edited 4th Mar '15 8:51:05 PM by Balmung

Does it even make sense to PU a fully functional France after the Hundred Years War? They really want to rebel after that and even get support from other European powers. I could've just stayed out of the continent more so I could beat the rebellion down the same way I got the union in the first place. Or alternatively I just take more of France and then take them over later.

So I was just shoveling snow, which got me thinking about vikings and my Vinland campaign. Backstory:

Leif the Red was a Scandinavian noble (not quite a Jarl but a close cousin) who grew up listening to the old tales. This was around the time Erick the Red would have grown up. He was in training to be a Godi, but the rape and pillage of the vikings pissed him off. So he distilled the old ways down into a new one: The Way of Pure War. No more of this killing people to take their stuff. He took to the seas with his own flock of loyal warriors, and went from town to town fighting enemy armies. Where they won, they took their enemies' armor and weapons, offered the orphaned sons a chance at vengeance, or else a seat on the raiding boat. The widows they offered new husbands. Of course, they didn't get many takers, but they made the offers and sold off the usable gear in neutral ports for a bit of coin.

It was a harder life than the raiders had, but it was a good one, and it built up stronger warriors who were used to long hardships. Leif felt closer to Odin than ever. His warriors had a more difficult time resisting the temptations to plunder everything in sight, but they did what they could. Odin wouldn't mind a few trinkets disappearing, would he? Leif didn't approve, and he knew his countrymen were starving. So he decided on a voyage of discovery. His men would learn discipline, by devoting themselves to finding new, sparsely settled land that other Scandinavians could move to and farm. They sailed west. And just like Erick the Red would in our world, he and his men found North America. They explored, and found the primitiveness of the locals to suit them. Distill war down to man vs man, without the iron between them. They kept their armor in case others from the old world found the place, but they dealt with the natives on their terms to build discipline.

Lief and two hundred men stayed there, setting Vinland up as a farming colony and raiding base, while the rest of his warriors went back to Scandinavia to spread the word. Over the next decade, hundreds of settlers flocked to the colony. Some were warriors, most were farmers. The local tribes of Newfoundland were integrated into Vinland, and the mainland was used for raiding.

After that, contact between Vinland and Norway stopped for forty years. The Vinlanders were busy growing stronger, and few Northmen wanted to make the trip all the way west, while Britain was an easier target for those who just wanted to get rich. Leif the Red's son, Leif Leifson had stayed home. He followed his father's faith, and continued training Pure Warriors who helped secure British soil for Scandinavian farmers.

These Pure Warriors continued to be at odds with their raiding brothers, and after fifty years of cooperation, all Hel broke loose. The followers of Pure War were always preaching tolerance and self control to their brothers, and the raiders couldn't stand it. They ambushed Pure patrols, and invaded Pure barracks during the night. It was brother vs. brother, and the British took full advantage of it. They were able to fortify their position and push back the feuding Vikings.

Leif's own son, Erick Leifson saw only one way to end the struggle. After his father died at the hands of a Viking, Erick led his warriors West, to find his grandfather's settlement. Vinland wasn't thriving, but it was still strong. Erick and his followers were welcomed there, and they sent word back home: Vinland is home now, leave the Vikings to their deaths. Thousands of warriors and farmers flocked to the Vinlandish banner once more, and sailed west to America.

They settled the island for a few years, but most wanted to explore and settle the continent. Following the way of Pure War, they took over five tribal territories by conquering the warriors and marrying their widows. Newfoundland was kept as a naval guidance station, in case any other P Ws from Scandinavia found their way there. Otherwise, it was abandoned for new homes.

And so it was, for centuries. Christianity overcame the Vikings, ending their reign of terror. And yet, the memories of the other way, of warriors fighting only for honor and not for coin, remained. They were only legends, Vinland's name was remembered as a second Atlantis. A myth, not a place of reality. Or was it? Finally, in 1424, a warrior named Giskil gathered the largest force of Pure Warriors in Scandinavian history, with the intention of finding that fabled colony and settling far, far away from the Christians who had beaten his ancestors.

When they landed on the island of Newfoundland, and found Shieldwalls waiting for them, they cheered. For they knew the old legends were true. Giskils warriors were more skilled, more advanced than the Vinlanders. They brought with them the knowledge of Europe, and the technology that came with it. New ways to farm, new ways of war. And enough men, women, and children to turn a still small nation into an Empire.

Giskil's son was married to the High Chief's daughter, and when his father died to a native arrow, Giskil the younger took over at the age of 18. He told his fellow Vinlanders that the old ways were dead back in Europe, and that if anyone from there wanted to settle in America, they would pass his test or settle over his dead body. Carried on the wave of pride that brought to his people, he moved the capital city of Vinland back to the island of Newfoundland, and made it a beacon to all his people.

And that, my friends, is where the game started. With an eight province colonial Vinland, hungry for new lands and more people.

Speaking of Vinland, I found the Kingdom of Saguenay, but after scouring the Americas, I was unable to find any of the other Seven Cities of Gold other traces of pre-calamity Ivalice.

edited 5th Mar '15 3:30:16 PM by Balmung

Paradox is releasing a free Women's Day DLC including events for famous women in history as well as adding arts for female advisors!

And now there is apparently people outraged that there was nothing done for Men's Day and/or complaining about the dangers of feminism. Why am I still surprised by this? I should have gotten used to it by now.

Ignore the community at large and just focus on the small groups you know of who are relatively free of that shit. Gender issues plague the industry like rats on a catless farm, and any serious discussion of them will only end in thread closings, whether there's a Flame War or not.

If they autopatch it into the game, I'm fine with it. I won't go out of my way to get this one since it doesn't do anything but add flavor. Still a good small step for them, and I'm proud of Paradox for making it.

It is a separated DLC. Since it is free it practically part of the patch, but being a DLC means you need to download separately and toggle it on on the launch scree.

I believe they decided to do it that way because the constant lack of acknowledgment they get for the free patch features. In particular, I've seem a lot of people who completely dismiss the patches features as a benefit of the new DLC police, saying the patches should be seem as separate from the DLC (even though it is the DLC that pays the patches). Marketing new features as "free DLC" is a way to get around that. I remember the devs explicitly mentioning they were planing something like that in some video or stream.

edited 6th Mar '15 8:05:52 AM by Heatth

I might get it, not sure. I like the thought, and it IS free. It's just a button click. I guess it isn't really out of my way.

People are mad about actual, historical women being included in the game? Reasons why I hate the internet #88,042...

Also counts as a Why Fandom Can't Have Nice Things. Oh sure, complain about the free things they're giving us.

There are assholes everywhere. Just don't let the bastards get you down, and keep trucking on. Sturgeon's Law applies to the entire universe. 90% of the world's population will mean fuckall to you, and a good portion will land there because of being jerkasses with a heart of fail.

Now enough about people seeking attention. It's almost the year 1600 and Vinland keeps moving forward. We've got our fourth idea set up and running. Economic ideas. Thanks to various national modifiers, our income was up above 20 a month for a while, but it's closer to 13 now thanks to said modifiers wearing off and economic decisions making us buckle down. But we're fortified and taking the fight to the native tribes, converting some of them to Norse and forcing them to pay protection money like the Vikings we hated so much.

This King would probably go down in history as the man who fucked up the Vinlandish dream.

Can someone tell me how I would get the same dynasty as a country that I have a marriage with?

I think it just kind of happens on ruler death, sometimes. It's not like CK 2 where you can murder your way through dozens of people to get what you want prune the family tree.

So my current playthrough is an attempt to make a great Mande West African empire - otherwise known as the uphill battle both ways - though it's a lot easier than it was the first time I tried it due to the tribal mechanics being introduced in between (Tribal Army ftw). However, you pretty much have to start in Charlemagne since the Crusades unlock right after the Old Gods start, which is a good way to get destroyed as soon as you try to make a move.

The most surprising thing thus far is that after I got a King title I started getting marriage options, even matrilineal ones, from Norse pagans and Croatians, along with alliances. Buh? Does the game intentionally lessen the intolerance for all Pagans or was this an oversight?

edited 6th Mar '15 11:56:07 AM by KnownUnknown

Once you are in diplomatic range, pagans can intermarry the same way anyone in the same religious group can.

Yeah. Apparently it is not "true equality", since they are not adding more events to men, never mind all the men dominated events and characters that already exist. It is apparently also the 'PC' agenda being forced on us through an optional DLC that we can elect to not download if we don't want. Furthermore, it is a historical, everyone knows that the time period was extremely sexist, so no women ever influenced in politics (if you head of one, it is clearly a myth or an exageration). Clearly, the new DLC is evil.

To be fair, though, most of the response have been overwhelmingly positive. But the few that show up to complain are still baffling. I honestly can't understand what the hell gos through these people mind.

Some people are just reactionary ass-hats. If they don't recognize the impact some women had on history in that period they're just completely dis-connected from reality.

Some are just trolling for the sake of trolling. Others view any elevation of women as an assault on the rights of all men, and demand that women remain slaves in the kitchen and bedroom. There's the in between, of course, who are just bent about not having new events for men, but there's little reason to listen to any of it.

Part of the problem is with the blow up on gender issue and video game...maybe a bit related to the Event that Shall Not Be Named....or not.

Anyway, how many events were in it?

edited 6th Mar '15 7:27:43 PM by onyhow

One hundred, according to the announcement post.

edited 6th Mar '15 8:09:57 PM by Heatth

I suspect i'll never encounter any of those events anyway. I mostly just play obscure or doomed countries like Papal States, Hansa, Burgundy, Novgorod, Livonian Order, Uzbeks, Oman and Otomo.

New patch is out, DLC downloads automatically (not in Steam store, but is in launcher). Also, due to custom nation improvements, I'm gonna start over because otherwise, I'm gonna be stuck with a lot of annoying rebel flags flying over my colonies and I think I can do better at the whole El Dorado thing.

Also, until the Tenth Idea gets updated, I consider the game to be unplayable.

Some of the Women in History events just require you to hold certain provinces, such as certain Irish or Asian provinces or being in an entire tech group (at least one is for anyone in the Indian tech group), religion (another is for any Hindu in all of India), or area. Also, there's one for Ndongo, one for Hesse, one for Marathas, one for Navarra, one for Persia (which should be more major than it is), one for Dai Viet, one for Gondwana, one for Frankfurt (or Germany), one for Venice and I've listed a whole bunch of events for minors and I'm not even half way through the event file.

Oh wow, there's one for Albania that only fires between 1630 and 1700 while at truce with the Ottomans.

edited 8th Mar '15 11:36:27 AM by Balmung

What.

Was Albania even independent back then in real life?

What do you mean?

edited 8th Mar '15 12:41:09 PM by Heatth

Not that I've ever heard from, though there were rebellions.

That was what I thought. I just find weird that an historical event have an specific trigger that didn't happen historically. Unless it is actually an alt history event. Maybe the Ottomans (or whoever holds Abania at the time) receive a similar event as well.

PS:I've just noticed I don't have the DLC in my launcher. I know I have the event files, but I am not so sure if I can access them ingame(also not sure if I had the art assets). Anyone knows what is up?

edited 8th Mar '15 3:34:21 PM by Heatth

The Tenth Idea - increases idea groups from eight to ten and makes the middle groups come a little more regularly instead of being spaced out too far. Going back to eight groups just feels horrible afterwards.

If you don't have the Women in History DLC, try downloading the free Songs of Yuletide DLC. Due to some bug, they seem to be linked.

edited 8th Mar '15 3:48:12 PM by Balmung