Europa Universalis III is a grand strategyvideo game developed by Paradox Development Studio and published by Paradox Interactive. The game was released for Microsoft Windows in January 2007, and was later ported to OS X by Virtual Programming in November 2007.[1]
The player controls a nation and handles matters concerning war, diplomacy, trade, and economy. The original game without expansions starts in 1453, right after the Fall of Constantinople, and continues to 1789, just past the beginning of the French Revolution. The expansion Napoleon's Ambition extends the end game year forward to 1821, whereas the expansion In Nomine moves the starting year back to 1399, making it the longest as far as gameplay time in the series thus far.
Europa Universalis III has a 3D engine that requires the system to meet the Pixel Shader 2.0 specification. The map has 1,700 land and sea provinces encompassing most of the world, with 250 playable historical nations. The game also uses elements of other Paradox games such as Crusader Kings, Victoria, and Hearts of Iron II.
Gameplay[edit]
Players begin the game by choosing what date they would like to start their campaign and which country they would like to play as. Once in game, players can shape their countries in many different ways. Forms of government include various kingdoms, republics, theocracies, and tribal governments. Players can influence a nation's society and values by adjusting 'sliders' such as free trade/mercantilism, and may hire court advisors such as Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. As the game advances, players can pick 'national ideas' such as Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité, which give specialized bonuses.
The game has over 300 playable countries, including giants like Ming China, regional powers like Bohemia and Kazan, and tiny nations like the Maldives. Without formal victory conditions, players sometimes set goals for themselves like raising a minor city-state to world prominence. The world map includes some 1,700 provinces and sea zones. Many provinces in the Americas, Africa, and Oceania are not owned by any country, allowing for colonization.
Economics in the early modern era is simulated by taxes and production income from provinces, as well as trade. National merchants compete in 'centers of trade' such as Venice and Lübeck, and nations focused on trading income (e.g., Holland) enjoy significant advantages. Nations which mint too much currency, or are over-reliant on gold mining, are penalized by inflation. Technology investment is important in the long run; the game does not use a Civ-style tech tree, but instead has several different technology categories, which unlock new military units and buildings.
Diplomacy is rather detailed: royal marriages, insults, alliances, trade embargoes, and so on all affect relations between countries. Players are able to gain control over other countries peacefully through personal unions and vassalage. Early international institutions such as the Holy Roman Empire, the Papal Curia and with the Divine Wind expansion the Shogunate are simulated in some depth. Every country has its own culture and religion, a frequent source of diplomatic unity or friction.
Rulers have control over armies, navies, and mercenaries they recruit. Combat is abstract, with no direct control over battles (contrast the Total War games). Military tradition is necessary for recruiting good generals and admirals. Aggression (seizing provinces without a rightful claim) is checked by the 'badboy' system of international infamy common to Paradox's games.
The game is historically detailed; one can play the 'grand campaign' starting in 1453 or 1399, but any date before the French Revolution (1821 with the Napoleon's Ambition expansion) is a valid starting point as well, with historical leaders and countries appropriately updated. Major events such as the War of the League of Cambrai are playable this way. Often the game diverges from reality after some time in-game, with unhistorical events such as Portugal colonizing North America, or Poland-Lithuania surviving to bully its neighbors.
The game may be played single-player or multiplayer, with players controlling different countries; every non-human country is controlled by its own AI.
Development[edit]Expansion packs[edit]
Paradox has released 4 expansion packs for EU3; each one requires all the previous expansions. One version of the game, Europa Universalis III Complete, includes the original game and the first two expansions. Another version, Europa Universalis III Chronicles, includes the original game and all four expansions.
Napoleon's Ambition[edit]
On 3 May 2007, an expansion named Napoleon's Ambition was announced by Paradox. It was officially released on 22 August 2007 via GamersGate, a digital distribution platform. The Windows version of the expansion is available as a download from GamersGate or as part of the Europa Universalis III Complete retail package, and aims to expand on EUIII with an improved interface, an enhanced trade system, expanded options, and the inclusion of more content to cover the extended time period.[2] Virtual Programming published the Napoleon's Ambition expansion pack for Mac OS X on 7 December 2007.[3]
In Nomine[edit]
On 5 March 2008, a second expansion titled In Nomine was announced. It was officially released on 28 May that same year. Features include: a further extension of the game's time frame, the addition of the Byzantine Empire, a revised AI which focuses on strategic top-level goals, and completely reworked rebels with their own goals and abilities. Virtual Programming published the In Nomine expansion for Mac OS X on 18 August 2008.[4]The game now starts earlier, beginning in October 1399 after the coronation of Henry IV of England. Because the game's time frame has been extended by 54 years, it now includes nations such as the Byzantine Empire and the Jalayirids, leaders like Tamerlane, and events such as the end of the Hundred Years' War.
A key variation of the expansion is the ability for the player to make important decisions that will shape the future of their country. For instance, a player can choose to create the United Kingdom, make Paris 'worth a Mass', or institute an East Indian Trade Company. They can now implement decisions on both country and province level with the new decision system, including hundreds of different decisions depending on situation (for example, the current state religion) and country.
In Nomine also features 'rebels with a cause'. There are several types of rebels (Religious, Patriotic, Peasant..), with different goals and different abilities. For example, if patriotic rebels take control of a province, that province will suffer from 10 more years of nationalism and is more likely to defect. Other rebels include colonial rebels in your colonies determined to get representation or independence and reactionary nobles rising up to put the serfs back in their place. You can now choose between crushing rebels using military force, negotiating with them, or leaving them and watching them enforce their demands on your country.
Both Napoleon's Ambition and In Nomine are included in Europa Universalis III Complete.
Heir to the Throne[edit]
On 19 August 2009, a third expansion titled Heir to the Throne was announced. It was released for Windows on 15 December 2009 and includes many features requested by members of the forum. As the title suggests, it is focused mostly on royal family dynamics. Virtual Programming published the Mac OS X expansion on 24 May 2010.[5]
Divine Wind[edit]
On May 27, 2010, a poll was created on the Paradox forums by a developer in which users could vote for a new expansion. Options included expansions to Europa Universalis III, Europa Universalis: Rome, Hearts of Iron 3 and Victoria. With 46% of the votes, the poll was won in favour of a Europa Universalis III expansion which is to focus on the rest of the world. On 9 September, Divine Wind expansion was announced. It requires Europa Universalis III Complete and the expansion Heir to the Throne in order to play.[6] On November 30, the expansion became available for pre-order and was released on December 14, 2010.[7]
Divine Wind was published for Mac OS X by Virtual Programming on March 16, 2011.[8]
Compilation[edit]
Released on March 22, 2011, Europa Universalis III: Chronicles bundled all four expansions with the original game. This was the first time Heir to the Throne and Divine Wind became available in retail.[9]
Europa Universalis III: Chronicles was published for Mac OS X by Virtual Programming on September 28, 2011.[10]
Mods[edit]
Most of EU3's settings are in plain text files that are easily changed to modify the map, historical events, etc. Some popular mods extensively change the game, adding historical flavor, fantasy scenarios, or new game mechanics.
Magna Mundi spinoff[edit]
One mod for EU3 is Magna Mundi, which aims to add detail to the game's map and to steer the course of the alternate history portrayed by the game more towards real-world history by means of scripted events. A standalone version of Magna Mundi was planned as a spinoff game, to be developed by the mod's authors, operating as the development studio Universo Virtual, and to be published by Paradox. In 2012, MM was cancelled by Paradox, who cited lack of progress as well as a lack of trust in the developers as the reasons for this decision:[11] according to a Paradox spokesman, 'members within the MM team [..] report to us that the project lacks active leadership'.[12]
Lafayette fete du void. Universo Virtual, claiming to had a game ready for release, announced legal action against Paradox.[11]Its leader, Portuguese developer Carlos Gustavo, accused Paradox of having come up with new requirements several times during development of Magna Mundi. He also claimed that Paradox did not own the source code licensed to him, and announced a release of what was to be Magna Mundi the game, now re-titled World Stage.[13]
Sequel[edit]
The game's sequel, Europa Universalis IV, was released on August 13, 2013.[14]
Reception[edit]
On MetaCritic the following reception was achieved by Paradox Development Studio:
See also[edit]References[edit]
External links[edit]
Retrieved from 'https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Europa_Universalis_III&oldid=881311799'
Since you already know what the best Crusader Kings 2 mods are, I thought you should probably get the skinny on the best additions to Paradox’s other grand strategy romp: Europa Universalis 4. It’s got more than a few, too.
Tweaks, fantastical overhauls, graphics improvements – modders have given the game plenty of love. And while some mods have fallen by the wayside, there’s still a mountain of crackers to dig through.All mods are compatible with the most recent version of the game (1.21) unless stated otherwise.
Common Universalis
By Common Universalis team
Let’s jump straight into the deep end with Common Universalis. There’s barely a single facet of EU4 that this mod doesn’t affect, burrowing its way into religion, vassal control, diplomacy… the whole kit and caboodle.
“Common Universalis focuses on the engine – how all those stuffs work together, how the world evolves from 1444 to 1836 and how human and AI players make decisions,” explains creator Corpsemania. ”In Common Universalis, every country can choose its own path to advance, every path has its problems, and every problem has its solutions.”
It’s in governance where the mod makes some of its biggest changes, introducing wrinkles to managing huge empires and making them feel fundamentally different from tiny nations. Trying to conquer the world means dealing with a bloated empire where corruption is rife and people aren’t open to new ideas. Ruling over provinces also costs Governance Capacity, generated by the primary culture, but reforms can allow you to give more authority to other cultures, embracing diversity.
Imperium Universalis
By Imperium Universalis team
Engine overhauls are grand, but they aren’t quite as sexy as conversions that change even the setting. Imperium Universalis casts EU4 back through time to 559BC, to the founding of the Achaemenid Empire. But don’t worry if you don’t care about Cyrus the Great or Persian shenanigans, there’s also plenty of Roman Empire dick-swinging, as the name suggests.
Though still in development, the mod already boasts hundreds of playable nations from antiquity, mechanics like Senate debates and historical events like that time Kirk Douglas kicked off a slave rebellion. You’ll also be able to watch the rise of Christianity, which sort of became a big deal. At the moment, the team’s looking for a new addition to help with creating 3D unit models.
In antiquity, people had to worry about this thing called food. What a strange time the past was. Imperium Universalis simulates this with a food system. Provinces and armies all need food for development and consumption, while certain provinces with the food trade good produce it every summer, allowing it to either be exported or used to feed your hungry population. Along with grub, the mod also introduces slaves that can be taken from battles, but you can be less of a dick by abolishing it entirely.
A Song of Ice and Fire
By Xylozi
If you’d rather conquer the Seven Kingdoms than the Roman Empire, you’ll want to pick a House and jump into A Song of Ice and Fire. With its focus on nations and empires rather than dynastic intrigue, EU4 isn’t quite the perfect fit for George R. R. Martin’s fantasy world that Crusader Kings 2 is, but this is still a robust mod with a lot of flavour and mechanical tweaks.
Ideas, buildings and religion have all been reworked to suit the lands of Westeros and beyond, while nations have been replaced by Houses – minor, great and royal – along with Free Cities and clans. The Houses all act like independent kingdoms, though they’re held together by the Iron Throne, effectively ASoIaF’s Holy Roman Empire.
Plenty of bookmarks mean that you can play a lot of historical starts, but only as one of the Great Houses, like Stark. If you want to try out a minor house, you’ll need to use the Shattered bookmark, inspired by the Shattered Europa mod, which lets you create alternate histories with greater ease.
Warcraft
By Warcraft team
Crave Orcs and demonic invasions instead of White Walkers? Then the Warcraft mod might tickle your fancy. With its huge, intricate map it covers both Azeroth and Outland, letting you take control of any power from Stormwind to the Burning Legion. It starts with the rise of the Horde and goes right up to Mists of Pandaria.
So far, the large team has added a great deal of custom icons taken from WoW, new governments, fel and holy religions, magic, and even the weird technology of the Gnomes and Goblins. Nations have their own National Ideas as well as cultural quirks, and there’s a multitude of decisions and events inspired by Warcraft’s venerable history.
MEIOU and Taxes
By MEIOU and Taxes team
Gigau and the rest of the MEIOU and Taxes team have barely left any part of EU4 untouched, reworking some parts, completely replacing others. 4,000 provinces, over 920 nations, new religious and trade systems, updated graphics and even a new musical score – it’s massive.
New features include a more elaborate development system that takes into account everything from policies to buildings, extra idea groups, war dynamism and totally reworked autonomy and westernisation mechanics. Be warned though: it’s a beefy mod that will probably make the game run a bit slower.
Shattered Europa
By PirateAE and Moon Moon (originally by Neprut)
Shattered Europa takes the alternate history conceit of EU4 and cranks it up to 11. Every country that has a core is playable, splitting the world up into tiny, squabbling states. It’s not a battle of super states, it’s a messy, chaotic brawl.
Along with the Shattered Europa 1444 start, the mod also throws in a few different alternate bookmarks for good measure, letting you try to construct France or unite Europe against the might of the angry Ottomans.
The mod’s original creator has stopped working on it, but PirateAE and Moon Moon have picked up the torch and updated it for the latest patch.
Europa Universalis 4 to Victoria 2 Converter
By Idhrendur
Though they’re only small, the converter mods continue to be some of my favourites. The Europa Universalis 4 to Victoria 2 converter takes your save from EU4 and allows you to keep playing in Paradox’s 19th Century grand strategy romp. It’s also compatible with saves started in Crusader Kings 2, so you can begin your journey as a marauding Viking Jarl and end it as one of the great European powers preparing for World War 2.
Extended Timeline
By Qweytr
EU4’s most absurdly ambitious mod, Extended Timeline expands the scope of the game to cover everything from 2AD onwards, all the way up to the year 9999. Almost 10,000 years of history is maybe too much history for anyone to handle, but if you’ve got the time, go for it.
Impressively, start dates comes with appropriate leaders, cultures, religions, buildings and territory, and the mod adds a whopping 500 new countries to the game and hundreds of historical decisions and events.
You can start in present day, the final bookmark, and try to wrest this runaway train back onto the tracks. Alternatively, begin your journey at the height of the Roman Empire and try to keep it going for as long as possible. No DLC is required either, which is a bonus.
Honourable Mentions
Graphical Map Improvements
By Bleergh
Makes the map look gorgeous.
Better UI
By Batziy
Changes the font size and makes some improvements to menus.
Lord of Universalis
By DKStranger
Conquer the world with Hobbits… when it’s updated for the new patch.
Fallout
By Fallout team
Post-apocalyptic EU4 with all the Fallout factions. It’s currently out of date and won’t work with the latest patch.
Extended Vanilla Experience
By Daniel
Overhauls the base game without making too many dramatic changes. It’s only been updated to 1.18, however.
Europa Duckversalis
By Iarba Europa Universalis Iii
Quack quack
Europa Universalis Iii Complete
And that’s your lot. But not really, because Europa Universalis 4 has more mods than there are countries. I’ve almost certainly left out your favourite, so feel free to lambast me in the comments, or just be nice and let people know what they’re missing.
Comments are closed.
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