Difference between EU4 and Victoria2 or If I had Victoria2 why would I want EU4?

[andysonofbob]

In the simplest of terms:
HoI3 is an RTS/combat sim
CK2 is a GS/dynasty sim

So Victoria2 and EU4?

I have EU4 and love it. Fab game. Also, I am painfully aware that I am not playing it how experts might. Also I am only playing on vanilla; it is modded with VeF though. However, I can still beat AI or get to a point where I feel like I am dominating it playing as Venice or England. (But can't most humans?)

Picked up V2 with expansions in the sale. It's awesome!
Bar the odd EU4 mechanic that V2 doesn't have (many of them button based e.g. stability, coring and converting), V2 seems a far more complete game.
Even the colonisation seems slightly deeper (race to click buttons). V2's production gimmick seems to blow EU4's trade node one away.

With the greatest of respect, can someone tell me why you would want EU4 when we have V2? Playable dates?

Thanks!

Andy

 

[lucaluca]

Because they are compltely different games that cover completly different parts of history?

Also EUIV has the better AI and better balance, Victoria usually boils down to who gets most of the resources

 

[Rain Envy]

V2 is up one the hardest games to learn how to play. V2 is more of a economy simulator game with a bit of war while Eu4 is based on war. It's a bit difficult to for me get into anything and the timespan is too short for me.

 

[Barkingdragon13]

Frankly I am passing the time waiting for EU4 to mature playing Vicky 2, so I don't have much of an answer to your question...I think the EU series could benefit immensely by adding the odd CK or Vicky mechanic. The main draw for me is the time frame.

 

[andysonofbob]

Thanks

Yeah, the 100 year time frame is a downer. I am too noob to comment on the AI but all of them seem happy to invade via sea which is cool! Looking at you CA.

Why is the war element better in EU4? Siege certainly, dunno about the ground units (very little difference iirc) and I think expansioned up V2 wins naval vs vanilla EU4. Also, I think the gathering resources required to build units in V2 is a touch. Obviously both games pale against HoI3; that game's war mechanic is bonkers!

What would you say are the other stand out differences between the two games?

edit

I would love to see a bit of V2 and CK2 in EU4 too! That would be awesome. Like the BNW add on for Civ5.

 

[gnome109]

They are really different

 

[Thanik]

Because player in EU IV can:
1. take most Africa without any tech needed
2. conquer world, as OPM
3. have super national ideas
4. change culture/religion in provinces without problem
5. westernize China/Japan before 1860


For me Vicky 2 is better, and more balanced game = there is no monarch points, national and regular ideas.

 

[Felicity]

EU4 is a different game. It's less complex in many aspects, and is a much easier way to get into the GS genre than V2 is. I want to play EU4 when I want to start small and make an empire- I want to play V2 when I want to manage an already established government.

What makes me love V2 most importantly over EU4 is that the governments actually feel alive. It feels like things are changing throughout the game. My people have some say in my decisions.

In EU4 I couldn't give less of a shit what anyone thinks in my empire.

I don't much mind the 100 year timeframe because there are always more things going on. In EU4 sometimes it can feel like I'm going 50-60 years on 5 speed waiting for things to happen when I'm trying to play a somewhat restricted historical game(ie, not owning all of Europe within 200 years). It's awful.

 

[andysonofbob]

Awesome!

Thanks for the replies. I think, looking at the 4 GS games and reading around the topic a bit, if you were to only play CK2, V2 and HoI3 you would have a 3 different playing games.

With the greatest possible respect, I think EU4 is a pretty 'general' as it doesn't seem to specialise; it takes many aspects of CK2 and V2 plus a teeny bit of diplomacy from HoI3 to make the cool game it is.

I agree with people saying EU4 is an intro ('intro' in the loosest, LOOSEST possible terms) GS game. Absolutely nothing wrong with that! EU4 is still a great game IYAM.

Have I summed it up right?

Thanks!

 

[Oliver Twopence]

In the simplest of terms:
HoI3 is an RTS/combat sim
CK2 is a GS/dynasty sim

So Victoria2 and EU4?

I have EU4 and love it. Fab game. Also, I am painfully aware that I am not playing it how experts might. Also I am only playing on vanilla; it is modded with VeF though. However, I can still beat AI or get to a point where I feel like I am dominating it playing as Venice or England. (But can't most humans?)

Picked up V2 with expansions in the sale. It's awesome!
Bar the odd EU4 mechanic that V2 doesn't have (many of them button based e.g. stability, coring and converting), V2 seems a far more complete game.
Even the colonisation seems slightly deeper (race to click buttons). V2's production gimmick seems to blow EU4's trade node one away.

With the greatest of respect, can someone tell me why you would want EU4 when we have V2? Playable dates?

Thanks!

Andy

Lol.

Interesting question.

I guess the answer is "because it is new, and it is always interesting to see if some new ideas can be implemented in a future Victoria 3". This, frankly, is my stance on any PDS game, from CK2 to HoI4.

I think Victoria 2 feels more streamlined because it is in many ways a simpler game. The production gimmick is a bit complex, but very much "under the hood". You do not have to pay attention to it that much. Other than understanding how your actions affect your populations, it is pretty straight forward. Population, money, literacy, militancy... Very easy to relate to their real world meanings.

Not so much with EU4 at times. What turns me a bit off (though I still like it) is how very artificial it feels with all those modifiers and "strict rules". It feels more like a game, in a way, rather than a simulation. Not a bad thing in itself, and V2 is obviously still very much a game, but there is something there I cannot quite put into words. At least not at 04:10 AM.

 

[jdavis86]

Er I don't find Vicky2 to be simpler than EU4.

V2 has far more depth and is ultimately more satisfying.

EU4 is a shallow game with lousy mechanics. It can be fun at times though and perhaps it is a good entry into grand strategy.

Those that don't like the 100 year time frame in Vicky2 probably haven't gotten to the heart of the game. It's not a game to hit max speed for 100 years. You go from muzzle loaded rifles to tanks and planes and battleships. The world changes so much. POPs make the game feel vibrant, alive, and interactive. Words I wouldn't use to describe EU4.