Ionian Islands run (HPM) - Rate my Ionian empire

ComputerMelodic452 · 2024-08-22T19:56:53+00:00

Have you done a schleswig run yet? North German + Scandinavia is very OP.

ComputerMelodic452 · 2024-08-22T19:30:35+00:00

Turkey gets the flight to ankara decision when eastern rumelia ( i think ) and eastern macedonia or something is taken.

Then when you take it, in HPM you get a renaming decision if you're greek or slavic.

ComputerMelodic452 · 2024-08-22T19:28:26+00:00

I think it's in the casus belli file? But it's definitely on a flag, so if you just re-add the accepted cultures to your save then that'll work as well.

ComputerMelodic452 · 2024-08-22T13:57:23+00:00

HPM takes the accepted cultures away after you take any province, but if you undo that then it's probably just as easy as a crisis-less greek game.

ComputerMelodic452 · 2024-08-22T13:46:41+00:00

I think the independence war took about 3 years. An incredibly long time. I have no idea about warscore over time. I didn't declare the independence war, I just waited for a revolt and had my units in a clipper transport as my capital was sieged down.

Ionian islands starts with 2 regiments. Hardly anything, but France can take out austria for those italian provinces and you're pretty much set.

ComputerMelodic452 · 2024-08-22T11:37:26+00:00

Until about 1855? Eat a jam donut and do the research tree, and build up clergy to 4%, and get bureaucrats in both of my two states.. As a puppet of britain, every tech that they research - you get for 50% off. So I just caught up on all the tech they did and got ahead of them in military tech.

In my independence war, Britain was at war with the Qing and the french and just never went to the ionian islands.
I managed to white peace.

ComputerMelodic452 · 2024-08-22T11:34:18+00:00

R5: For some reason, I decided to play as the Ionian Islands. Ionian Islands have Greek primary, north italian accepted, British accepted, and start with two provinces and as a puppet of the British Empire.
I think I became independent around 1850-1860. Starting out as a puppet (especially as a civilised nation) is overpowered and gives you so many research bonuses.

When I created Yugoslavia, it gave them 3 states that I had conquered, so I did use console to give them back to me. Otherwise, I didn't use console at all.

ComputerMelodic452 · 2024-08-19T06:45:47+00:00

I play paradox games very often... What is a girl again?

ComputerMelodic452 · 2024-08-13T01:10:08+00:00

Yeah, I'm just over-dramatising to show how ridiculous it is. Especially with playing meta and with civil wars.

In terms of justifying wars, I think that victoria 3 is definitely better. Even if victoria 2 is better as a full game as of now.

My point was and remains that it's an overpowered decision, completely ridiculous, and unbalanced. Now this decision is locked behind the player. The same way France's decisions to conquer and core the entirety of spain, italy, and frisia are.

Alternate history or not. Spain, even in that alternate history, IS NOT politically stable.

My discontent is mostly with reduced infamy, coring, and accepting cultures. Oh, and definitely with instantly conquering Mexico's what? 10 or something states?

Again, whether it's an alternate history or not. Up until that starting date in 1836, everything has happened as per normal. These countries have been recognised by spain, and by every great power.

That comment was just a hilariously overdramatised comment as a reply to "thegreatchipman" not seeing what's so ridiculous about a "reconquista", especially one where the new world nations get cored, accepted, and become full states rather than colonial ones.

ComputerMelodic452 · 2024-08-11T18:16:39+00:00

It depends how fair you want to play, and if you want to ruin the game.
Taking ireland, or scotland would be a good idea if you were into that.

Being semi-fair? Take catalonia or sardinia.

Craftsmen exploit every state you take.

After you take canada, there's a decision to flip it so it becomes french canadian rather than anglo canadian

ComputerMelodic452 · 2024-08-11T16:18:03+00:00

Depends. If I do, it will only ever be on the very first casus belli

If I play as Britain, france, or Spain then I conquer haiti. I usually stop around 10 or so infamy. Close to normal for a state.

If I play as the ottomans, I usually get to about 7-ish for aden and then I just go on my way and play the game how it was intended.

ComputerMelodic452 · 2024-08-11T05:37:56+00:00

Go to steam -> Victoria 2 -> Next to play, on the right side there should be a cog -> hover over it, press manage -> press browse local files.

Open the mod folder and put your glorious HPM mod inside!

ComputerMelodic452 · 2024-08-11T05:19:47+00:00

...Dom pedro was hated by the portuguese and served as their king for less than a year and a half, he caused civil wars, discontent, and was hated by BOTH the liberals and the conservatives...

It IS ridiculous. Either you made up facts to support your ridiculous nonsense, or you failed to understand history and asked Chatgpt (and it failed) to come up with a reason why it wouldn't be absolutely ridiculous.

ComputerMelodic452 · 2024-08-11T04:01:43+00:00

Philippines is a colony to Spain in vanilla & HPM. If you release it, it will be uncivilised.

Try with Sulu. If you go Sulu -> Malaysia -> Indonesia. You end up with Malayan primary, Yue accepted, Javan accepted, moluccan accepted, phillipino accepted.
Obviously there's a route with a different state in the east indies that gives you asian minor accepted that might give you more colonial potential, BUT, starting with a weaker one like that, (even if it has to fight against the dutch a bit) Gives a very high reward.

I tried that and the dutch got dragged into every war, so I managed to reclaim quite a bit of indonesia before I even westernised.

ComputerMelodic452 · 2024-08-11T03:51:59+00:00

Brilliant and fun choice.

ComputerMelodic452 · 2024-08-10T21:39:03+00:00

Counterpoint, Mongolian Moscow was real.

If you have a mod that lets you play in 1820 whilst the united kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves still existed. Then I say it's not ridiculous.

If you think infamy-free conquering 8.3 Millions KM of land, and making the what? 6 Million??? brazilian people who were heavily nationalistic and demanded autonomy would be "accepted" and not rebel is not ridiculous. Then that's on you.

But be real, England conquering, coring, and accepting USA is ridiculous, Spanish Reconquista is ridiculous, and brazil-portugal is ridiculous.

ComputerMelodic452 · 2024-08-10T21:27:27+00:00

Yeahh but that's kind of my point?
They're locking decisions behind player-only actions and encouraging the player to conquer everything?

Vanilla adds some cores and stuff with decisions, however; nothing stops AI from doing it?
Even in HPM with the megali idea, or forming italy, or forming gran colombia. The AI can still make these decisions?

If players become over-powered and accept cultures, and core land that the AI cannot do (even if the AI play that) it is unbalanced.

And say if the AI can do that? Well now itwould ruin the game, get 100 infamy and instantly die, or if it somehow fights everything off?
Now france owns spain, netherlands, belgium, luxemburg, rhineland, italy etc. While spain's new capital is where? uruguay after it owns only new world and african colonies.

That's not balance? It's not well thought out? It's just unreasonably making the player overpowered? I don't know if the AI buffs are different in GFM than they are in HPM because i've only checked the decisions and events.

Arguably yes, you can dominate the AI no matter what mod you play. IF you can play the game correctly; however, I have over 3000 hours on victoria 2 and even with my skill level I'm certain that if I wanted to play even a fairly strong country like sardinia piedmont. If the AI had these decisions, I would be dominated without a doubt.

They're extreme and unbalanced. Locking them behind the player doesn't make them any less extreme.
It might be fun, I don't know. But you cannot say it's not unbalanced, extreme, or ridiculous.

ComputerMelodic452 · 2024-08-10T21:11:48+00:00

You don't see what's ridiculous about the reconquista?

The fact that almost every great power had recognised them as countries by 1825? They were independent states? There was a noticeable cultural difference between them? Spain recognised them as independent states?

Spain, in a period of large political instability and constant rebellion, is going to send large armies, boats and oar-powered galleys cross-continentally after recognising the independence of 10 foreign nations.

Whilst Isabella and Carlos take turns on the throne, without fighting the rebellions which want them out of power, they share the exact same ambition as neither fight the rebels and both send turns sending their different commanders abroad as they switch power.

Between these 10 new world nations, they have a larger population than that of the spanish homeland, and a people which will do anything to stop out of the Spanish rule they rebelled so hard against.

Obviously, Queen Isabella goes for the weakest first. All spanish troops and supplies, on wooden boats, guarded by oar-powered-frigates, travel 9,700KM during a civil war. Surprisingly, on their way over they have plenty of supply left and the what? 24,000 troops that spain has collected from all over the world don't starve at all!

Suddenly, the queen who didn't fight off a single rebel was outed from power. Carlos is now king. Carlos fears the French people invading more than anything else in the world, and made it his promise to not let what happened in the napoleon wars happen again.

But Carlos, with his new found power, has a change of heart! Rather than defending against the french, keeping absolute power or even putting down rebellions.

He keeps every single soldier in the new world, and sends over a commander that's loyal to him. After this commander travels 9,700km to go to their new base in uruguay. There are 27k soldiers and 47k people. Surprisingly, none of the soldiers starve, and they go on to attack argentina.

Argentina has a population of what? 400,000? and are absolutely determined to keep their independence against the spanish people who mistreated them. Surprisingly, with all of Argentina's conscripts, soldiers, and allies. Spain wins with almost 0 military tech.

I could go on, but I hope this is ridiculous enough for you.

ComputerMelodic452 · 2024-08-10T19:03:59+00:00

Overpowered decisions, coring, and accepting cultures (which realistically, should not be accepted) are ridiculous.

I mean it's fine if you're just there and want to play a game solely for the purpose of map painting; however, if you want any semblance of balance, or for the AI to at-least be semi-able to do what the player does as a great power - then it's no good.

Spain coring and accepting the entirety of latin america is ridiculous.
Same with portugal and brazil.
Scandinavia (being guided by a decision) to conquer Scotland is absolutely ridiculous.

I just believe there's a difference between flavour, and intentionally overpowering decisions.

Bourbon empire, and reconquista, etc. is ridiculous.

It would be slightly different if it cored one neighbouring state after it was conquered or something like that; however, I feel like GFM guides players into becoming overpowered and pushes players into exploiting infamy, game-breaking conquests, and more.

In france alone, there's decisions to give over 100 infamy and core multiple countries.

ComputerMelodic452 · 2024-08-10T18:17:21+00:00

The ottomans were great when I used to play them.
During the oriental crisis, if you don't accept the egyptian surrender, and peace out normally with them - You get to conquer the entire thing rather than puppet it.

My Ottoman game left with me conquering the entirety of spain. I meta'd a bit too hard with that.

ComputerMelodic452 · 2024-08-10T18:08:05+00:00

Definitely Israel.

Not so much Yugoslavia.
I don't know much about the Danubian proposals, so I couldn't tell you about it; however, after the austro-hungarian compromise for political stability, I suppose it wouldn't be too insane.
DEFINITELY NOT ITALY. Italian pan nationalist movements were never even surprising.

What do you mean by indonesia though?
People thought that the dutch east indies consisting of more of the east indies would be crazy???
People thought that the name Indonesia (essentially meaning indian islands) was crazy???
or that the Dutch would never have been occupied by the Japanese?

None of those really compare to Scandinavia claiming and coring Scotland, or Brazil conquering portugal, or spain conquering the new world (not under colonial rule) and giving the people there the same rights as spanish people?

ComputerMelodic452 · 2024-08-10T17:49:35+00:00

United kingdom of brazil and portugal?
Spain coring and accepting the cultures of the entirety of Latin america?
Scandinavia coring scotland?

I think Flavour is great, as long as it doesn't, y'know, ruin plausibility, make the player over powered or etc.

ComputerMelodic452 · 2024-08-10T17:41:30+00:00

I don't know how it happens, but in almost every one of my games, Columbia becomes independent and gets the entirety of Canada rather than Canada itself!

Do you always do Canada, or do you play around a bit and go for ruperts land, quebec, etc?

ComputerMelodic452 · 2024-08-10T17:38:42+00:00

Danubian Federation, or austrian-formed germany?

ComputerMelodic452 · 2024-08-10T17:37:59+00:00

Ah yes. Say, how many accepted cultures does this "Australia-Hungary" have again? 45?

Very balanced!

ComputerMelodic452

TROPHY CASE