Can someone describe, and give pros and cons of Europa Universalis?

[Kautilya]

www.compuexpert.com has it for 38 bucks, the cheapest AFAIK. They have great prices for other games as well.

[Par4]

I bought it at Software ETC, a Babbages spinoff store, for 39 bucks.

[Allemand]

You can expect several more patches. But downloading is easy.

[Grumbold]

quote: Originally posted by lord of the mark on 03-06-2001 04:41 PM unfortunately (because this sounds like a game id love) this adds one more reason to wait to buy it. In addition to my usual disinclination to spend $50 US on a game, when i know that waiting 6 months will save 30 of that, and the fact that i need extra RAM to get the game to run (yup, ive only got 48 meg) there is the issue of additional patches coming up. Lord of the Mark

I much prefer the attitude of Paradox, who continue to produce tweak patches as issues are discussed, found to be justified and addressed, to that of Activision who left CtP2 high and dry. There are no serious issues being addressed by the forthcoming patch 1.08 except maybe some stability fixes for some of the more unusual Processor/sound/video card combos. Most of it is just balancing and improving the AI. The sort of thing that is left to player mods in CtP. Most players can go through 300 years of a Grand Campaign without encountering a serious bug or crash once.

One big advantage of the game is that it is almost totally flexible. Even the save game files are readable ascii text. You don't need to know anything complicated like Slic to make changes, you just hop in, take a look at the layout and get typing. Some basic game mechanisms are embedded in the unchangeable .exe but the rest is yours to conjure with.

The disadvantage of the game is definitely the first 12 hours of play. The manual is orientated toward historical description rather than a clinical analysis of the game mechanics. It lacks an index for easy reference. The tutorial is a bit too sprawling and uncoordinated for most players tastes. Until patch 1.08 you cannot save the tutorial. When an action cannot be undertaken there is not always help text to explain why. The default message settings are too low for beginners. You have to go into the options and crank them all upward rather than going in later to tune down some you no longer need. Once you get over this hurdle the game is a beautiful gem. Because of the historical simulation every country plays differently, it isn't just a graphical skin wrapped around an identical AI. To win you have to exploit your national strengths and prevent your weaknesses being fatal. A good bit of diplomacy can gain you far more than even a successful war. Even the largest country can fall if it tries to stand alone against the world. After two weeks of playing I go home with the same enthusiasm as I did on the first weekend. Speaking of which, its time right now

[Steve Clark]

Very well said, grumbold. I have copied and pasted your review into other forums.

Can you email me your email address to sclark@csu.org. I have an invitation for you to a private forum.
[This message has been edited by Steve Clark (edited March 08, 2001).]