I purchased the $79.99 version of this game because I decided to gamble on Paradox releasing a good game. They didn't, and I'm contemplating a refund but will see if the developer is willing to change their screw-ups first. It's polite.

What I wished for was at least something similar to Victoria 2 with improvements inspired by the hard work modders put into the old game to make it better where they left off.

Instead? They stripped the game down to bare-bones, removing much more than just "war" which you already know about. You don't even have actual "Capitalism" in this game, everything is treated as a State-Owned Enterprise, and Capitalists as they were in Vicky 2 are not a thing here. Probably because it was "too time consuming" to do before slamming this thing on the sales table.

Let's talk about coding.

You know, the thing that makes your game operate and gives it "depth" and "complexity."

Using Notepad +++ I will go ahead and show a few examples of the shallow scripture vs a BETTER title, HOI IV. Let's set the standard with HOI IV; go to "Find All," set the destination to the "COMMON" folder for HOI IV, and search the following code:


You get 9,046 hits - in 340 files - of 1505 searched.

"AI will do" is the calculation of whether or not the AI makes a decision.

It checks for various variables and limitations.

In Hearts of Iron it's complex; here's a good example:


You have constant "checking" of variables in this game. To ensure the AI will or will not do something. Constantly. Again; constantly.

This gives the AI a life, in the sense that it is flexible in its interactions.

Yeah, Victoria 3 doesn't really have that. The very soul of your PC competitors is about as shallow as it gets;

ai_will_do search in Victoria 3/game/common.

You get 387 hits, in 21 files, of 1425 searched.

The most complex one out of all of these is basically this;



The AI in HOI IV makes decisions by checking complex variables, conditions, flags, and more while following a linear path.

On the other hand...

The AI in Victoria 3 follows a linear path and sees everything in black and white, "yes or no," and you'll see that when you check out each file and find most of the AI conditions are simply;


In other words? AI exists in HOI IV. Vicky 3's AI is significantly dumber in comparison with HOI IV, if not downright non-existent, and the combat system is a symptom of not trying to make it authentic; RNG always gives AI an easier chance. It's an egregious crutch.

So that's just one point and I've already proven via the demonstration of AI coding, that HOI IV actually has AI. RNG decision making is more along the lines of what Vicky 3 is using.

I haven't even gotten into the fact that you outright produce military equipment, with numerous variations and customization, by the millions - in HOI IV.

In Victoria 3, you have mostly a stagnant "economic product" and methods this, that and the other that lead to it. That's about 3 different folders.

\Steam\steamapps\common\Victoria 3\game\common\production_method_groups
\Steam\steamapps\common\Victoria 3\game\common\production_methods
\Steam\steamapps\common\Victoria 3\game\common\goods

What you produce in Victoria 3 is literally this simple:


That's all there is to it.

The "deep economic simulation" is actually the puddle in the front yard next to your driveway. Multipliers are attached, calculations for that and demand and all of that, but HOI IV has a combat system that by itself alone exceeds the complexity of the entire production process involved in Victoria 3.

Here's the biggest deal - Victoria 3 was built on a more advanced engine than Hearts of Iron IV. Therefore, it should be capable of more efficient, complex and thorough utilization of computer resources. It does not capitalize on that in anyway, it is bolstered by pretty graphics, instead.

HOI IV, and I will also say CK 3, are far more complex in everything that they do. Vicky 3 prides itself on an economy, but that economy is still shallow despite being the deepest part of the game; period.

There is much, much much more that illustrates the point.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BDZVMbCaeHI&t=1s

Probably in effort to force everyone down the DLC subscription route.

Since I personally consider war important, and most players do, I'll explain exactly the state of that system in this game: They took away war and replaced it with a garbage RNG system that effectively turns divisions and brigades into a 2D list. You can't do anything to affect the outcome, it's all dice rolls by AI "generals." You know what that means.

Soldiers are effectively imaginary.

Now, proponents of this new "war" system basically justify it saying that the era of victoria was one of the most peaceful in history.

I tend to disagree with that notion.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jmdIQBKkUmI

War happens. A lot. In this era.

Not to mention World War 1 and the American Civil War, which were some of the bloodiest in human history by that time.

So... What we got was this;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mxu_xqjTpjE

Overall? I'm not confident in Paradox working to address their screwup. If reviews dip low enough, it'll be another Imperator.

The future of Paradox will be reflected in how Victoria 3 is addressed.

It's clear as day that nobody likes the war system - that includes positive reviewers. The economic system is beautiful, but that isn't going to be enough to keep this community alive. Change must occur, and they're going to have to revamp how they handle this.

https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2880337856