Victoria 2 vs. Europa Universalis 3

[Nunu Bot]

For a while now, I've trying to decide what strategy game I'd like to buy. I've narrowed the search down to Europa Universalis 3 and Victoria 2. I'd like some people who have played these games to help me decide.

If anyone would be willing to help, the main thing I'd like is a comparison between the two games, some pros and cons of each. I'd also like to know how good the replay value is for each game. Thanks!

[Ascarona]

Didn't really go indepth with EU3, couldn't be bothered with it. Both games have a very steep learning curve, however EU3 is ~1000 till ~1900 I think and Victoria 2 is only 1835 till 1935. I personally prefer Vic II over EU3 because I find the menu's much clearer and the research system is IMO smoother then EU3's.

[Nunu Bot]

Wow, thanks for the quick response! Yea, after doing some research for both games I noticed that EU3 covers a longer amount of time. However, my question would be if Victoria 2 covers what it does cover for the same amount of length as EU3 covers nearly 1000 years of human history.

[Fracchione]

well,I have recently bought:eu3 chronicles,vic2 complete and hoi3 complete and really I cannot choose between them,all are stunning and different each other,lol I am going to buy eu rome gold right now.About the learning curve:you will experiment some stuff first,then you begin to learn slowly and then you will realize the beauty of these games.If you must pick one,go for the period you like most.EU3 starts from 1399.

[Mangalore]

EU3 is more gamey and fun, Victoria is more simulation and ... fun!

I'd say EU3 allows you more leeway and experimentation while Victoria tries more to actually create a rough model of diplomatic, economic and social dynamics. You can still create extremely ahistorical results but imo the rules are tougher and more restrictive. It uses far more in depths approaches to mimic your society and economy. All your population groups are broken down to factions with party preferences, ideology, class and ethnicity afterall. EU3 is far more abstracted using overall more gamey rules. E.g. the trade model is placing trade agents into slots and taxes are derived from a hardcoded base value of each province. In Vicky you have to build up an economy, ensure the people generate wealth so you can properly tax them on, industrialize and compete on the world markets for raw resources and export markets!

In EU3 you can ignore whole aspects of the game and simply rampage all over the place and still have fun. In Victoria you do that and all kinds of ugly come crushing down on you (barring you being the UK, Russia or the USA)

As said imo if you take Victoria as a society simulation game and EU3 as a grand strategy board game you get the essence of it. I like both, EU3, because of its time scope and being not so bloody complex might be a bit easier to get into and live out different ideas. Victoria might smack you right down the first couple of tries when you want to create a completely ahistorical scenario (e.g. bring Zululand to Great power status), you can still do it, but as it tries to make the mechanics at least resemble real mechanisms you will fail far more often than e.g. try something insane in EU3.

[Nunu Bot]

Thanks! And one final question, what would you rate the replay values for both games on a scale of 1-10, Mangalore?

[tarvu]

Thanks! And one final question, what would you rate the replay values for both games on a scale of 1-10, Mangalore?

I'm not mangalore but all paradox titles are a 10 in replay. If you like them you will probably literally be playing them for years. You can play as any country in the world and the options at your fingertips for where you take your country are almost infinite. You can switch countries at anytime during your campaign, release a new country as a puppet and play them, unite Scandinavia, take some unknown backwater and slowly work yourself up to be a major power. Conquer the world, or build a top notch economic power. Provoke a communist or a fascist revolution (victoria), colonize and fight world wars between grand alliances with a great war goals system that really takes diplomacy to a new level for strategy games (victoria).

They also have great mods (I'd say much better than TW games even personally), and Paradox is very good about updates and expanding their games as well.

[Maizel]

Vicky 2 is alot bugguer than EUIII though.

While patches have lessened it, there's still plenty of rebel-bugs and a big chance of the economy totally collapsing in the later game.

[tarvu]

Vicky 2 is alot bugguer than EUIII though.

While patches have lessened it, there's still plenty of rebel-bugs and a big chance of the economy totally collapsing in the later game.

There are mods that fix these issues.

[Nunu Bot]

Alright, thanks for all the help! I've decided on Europa Universalis 3, due to the fact that it covers a longer time period and that the general consensus seems to be that EU3 is better. Plus, EU3 Complete is half the cost of Victoria 2.

[CDMan477]

^I'd definitely suggest EU to anyone new to Paradox games as it gives you a good intro to all of their games imo. If you are going with EU3, get Chronicles instead of Complete. The two extra expansions in Chronicles are a must have.

[empr guy]

yea the 'complete' package is not actually complete in the sense there are another two expansions after the ones included. IMHO the game is perfectly playable without the heir to the throne and devine wind expansions, but they do make the game alot better.

[Ba'alzamon]

Paradox Games are by far my new favorite maker. They just really grab the player's attention and don't let go till the end of the game.

[Blaze86420]

EUIII with magna mundi mod.

[CDMan477]

^While I've played MM quite a bit and like it alot, I don't think it would be a good way to introduce someone to the series. That mod is for veterans only. If MM was the first experience for new guys being introduced to the company, PI might go out of business rather soon.

[Blaze86420]

Too true, I still think MM is pretty difficult. Still, he should get EUIII. Much more re-playability in my opinion.

[Their Law]

Depends, Victoria 2 has a much steeper learning curve but i prefer it as a game simply due to the more multi faceted nature of it's gameplay, you don't have to go around annexing everyone. And when you do get your economy working like clockwork it feels much more satisfying as an achievement.

[Ba'alzamon]

And if it struggles at first, you feel as if you will never experiance happiness again.

[Blaze86420]

Depends, Victoria 2 has a much steeper learning curve but i prefer it as a game simply due to the more multi faceted nature of it's gameplay, you don't have to go around annexing everyone. And when you do get your economy working like clockwork it feels much more satisfying as an achievement.

I tried getting into Vicky 2 before, I was really fascinated by ideologies mechanic. There's also a lot of fancy flags.

I never got the hang of it though, couldn't get past all the numbers and the economy was little too complex for me to enjoy.

[Their Law]

I tried getting into Vicky 2 before, I was really fascinated by ideologies mechanic. There's also a lot of fancy flags.

I never got the hang of it though, couldn't get past all the numbers and the economy was little too complex for me to enjoy.

It took me a while as well. But once you get the gist of it managing the economy is quite fun. Though i prefer either Laissez Faire or Interventionism as a economic policy so i don't usually micro manage the economy outside of taxes or when my idiotic subjects vote in Fascists or Communists after i was nice enough to grant them voting rights.

There are some epic wars though when the Game get's it right. Playing as Austria (my favourite nation in Vicky2) i had to hold of Italy, Germany and Russia at the same time it was truly mind boggling numbers of men dying. I think one fight in Gallacia was 800k Russians vs 300k Austrians resulting in 500k and 100k dead respectively. And that was a single province fight on a ten province front. On a 4 front war, it damn near killed my country.

Though if you don't play as France or the UK then your not going to be top dog in the world.