The appeal here is pretty different from what typically is involved in grand strategy. This isn’t a game of conquest or necessarily even of alt history (the national flavor here is lacking on launch, though I suspect this will be addressed over time), it’s very squarely a game about keeping a well-oiled economic machine running as efficiently as you can manage, with world events being interesting wrenches thrown in that plan you have to work around via managing different interest groups and the political coalitions they form. Like Vicky 2, the game is very concerned about pops and keeping them well cared for and happy. This is a game that wants you to do the best you can for many different people with many different interests, and I love it for that. When you're looking through the needs of each pop trying to figure out why they're struggling and what they need to live better lives, it sometimes puts you in this benevolent / parental god mindset, not unlike ActRaiser. The difference being that to actually help people and make them happier, you need to pursue economic prosperity and justice. You have to push through these rapidfire stages of history in order to please them, and I love that. In doing so, you get to really FEEL the way that early industrial economies built on top of themselves again and again, culminating in this fantastic lategame economic explosion finally giving your brain everything you spent hours training it to yearn for. I love it.
Much has been improved with regard to the portrayal of non-industrial and decentralized societies compared to Vicky 2, though I pretty much just echo the sentiments here: https://acoup.blog/2022/10/24/miscellanea-victoria-iii-confirmed-first-impressions/
In the future I’d like to play harder difficulties, because my main complaint so far is that it hasn’t really forced me to engage with the more involved systems as much as I’d like, though that does improve in the lategame. A lot of the negative reaction aside from the typical concerns about Paradox’s business model and “grr sjws grr no war micro” comes down to the fact that in many nations you can bypass a lot of the more complex stuff and just build things the game says will be profitable. With more aggressive AI settings and playing more difficult nations, I think I’ll get into that more.
I love this game. I understand the complaints about it being somewhat barebones, I really do. I don't like modern Paradox's business model either, but the truth is I already love what's here and have gotten a lot out of it. I suggest piracy with all games, but especially Paradox ones. I have a legal copy myself, but if the idea of keeping up with the wave of expansions that are sure to come sounds like it'll be too much for you, please just grab a torrent and enjoy what's here without the baggage of wondering if it was worth your money.
Much has been improved with regard to the portrayal of non-industrial and decentralized societies compared to Vicky 2, though I pretty much just echo the sentiments here: https://acoup.blog/2022/10/24/miscellanea-victoria-iii-confirmed-first-impressions/
In the future I’d like to play harder difficulties, because my main complaint so far is that it hasn’t really forced me to engage with the more involved systems as much as I’d like, though that does improve in the lategame. A lot of the negative reaction aside from the typical concerns about Paradox’s business model and “grr sjws grr no war micro” comes down to the fact that in many nations you can bypass a lot of the more complex stuff and just build things the game says will be profitable. With more aggressive AI settings and playing more difficult nations, I think I’ll get into that more.
I love this game. I understand the complaints about it being somewhat barebones, I really do. I don't like modern Paradox's business model either, but the truth is I already love what's here and have gotten a lot out of it. I suggest piracy with all games, but especially Paradox ones. I have a legal copy myself, but if the idea of keeping up with the wave of expansions that are sure to come sounds like it'll be too much for you, please just grab a torrent and enjoy what's here without the baggage of wondering if it was worth your money.