Now that CK3 and Vic 3 have changed achievement requirements where mods don't prevent achievements, should EU4 be next?

[MachopPower69]

I've been asking this since CK3 had its recent update change the way we get achievements so I thought this could be a good discussion for EU4. Should we wait for EU5 or 1.36 for the requirements change?

Personally, I believe it is a great idea. Maybe encourage mod-specific achievements to be added like Europa Expanded or Ante Bellum creating a hybrid Steam-Mod achievement system, but that might be a bit too difficult.

 

[grommile]

It should, but the last I saw, Johan doesn't like that change.

 

[Banedon Runestar]

Sure, let me just mod up an “I Win” button and then get all the achievements with it.

 

[Orkonkel]

Yes.

 

[grommile]

Sure, let me just mod up an “I Win” button and then get all the achievements with it.

In real life, rather than the fretful imaginings of achievement elitists, it turns out that almost nobody does this.

 

[Lucododosor]

In real life, rather than the fretful imaginings of achievement elitists, it turns out that almost nobody does this.

Exactly. There're many achievements that just 1% of the players have in Vic3, even with quite a few mods already out there that let you unlock everything automatically.
I don't see why it couldn't be done for EUIV also, unless there's some problem with the code side of things.

 

[colinljx]

The EU4 experiment of "Ironman" achievement failed spectacularly when they failed to deliver consistently bug-free patches (so yea, it was a failure from the very beginning).

The whole point of achievements in video games, though, is to increase players' screen time (replayability, addiction, etc.) by having these tokens that get users back into playing the game, and the EU4/Ironman model just doesn't work to serve that purpose. Also, the amount of stuff you need to micromanage and memorize to prevent reloading a previous save is just too much at this point.

 

[Maxxie42]

I used to play almost every game of EU4 with one or more achievements as the goal, and whenever a DLC would come out, I would go through the list of new achievements to plan my next few runs. But DLC after DLC, the achievements just became increasingly terrible, and I lost interest.

My point is, if achievements were designed to be a carefully crafted player experience, I would understand trying to preserve their integrity ; but they're obviously an afterthought, so why should it matter how people get them ?

 

[GuidoDiRomano]

Well, if you allow me to be a little... grumpy, then I'd like to focus your attention on the fact, that the main thing Paradox are selling now as the part of their DLCs, is mission trees. The same trees, that are done by modders, and though I don't play with mods, so I can't really tell, done on the level equaling to Paradox. With game code so old and complicated, that they are struggling with making new mechanics, will they really be allowing modders to do their job for free, so factually biting off the hand, that feeds them? I' m not surpriced, that Johan doesn't likes that change.

 

[GuidoDiRomano]

Oh, I though I'm kinda an achievement elitist myself, with my own "fretful imaginings", I think cheat code is the only way I ever going to get that "From Frankfurt to the Andes" nonsence.

 

[Terixis]

No

 

[zincpl]

I'd like this - I don't play with mods normally because I'm chasing achievements. I'm thinking of ditching achievements and switching to just playing mods - but it would be nice to be able to do both.

I'd also like it if achievements had e.g. bronze/silver/gold levels for normal/hard/very-hard (you could also have some separate level for playing with mods) - but I think that might be a steam thing rather than a paradox thing.

 

[MachopPower69]

I'd like this - I don't play with mods normally because I'm chasing achievements. I'm thinking of ditching achievements and switching to just playing mods - but it would be nice to be able to do both.

I'd also like it if achievements had e.g. bronze/silver/gold levels for normal/hard/very-hard (you could also have some separate level for playing with mods) - but I think that might be a steam thing rather than a paradox thing.

Oh yeah, having multi-level achievements would be fun. Specific achievements could have this too. Imagine a harder Three Mountains where you have to culture convert all of Asia to your primary culture or staying as Animist instead of the "Nahuatl meta"

 

[FishieFan]

Ck3 and vic3 use IR's clausewitz engine, so likely not possible with eu4 but definitely eu5

 

[merilessj]

I think it would allow for a better experience considering you could actually earn some of the more basic ones through mods. Vanilla does have some lacking features so I don't usually play it, hence 5k hours and only 100 achievements?

For those concerned about it taking away the meaning of the achievements, if you know what you're doing its already possible to cheat to get the achievements and it isn't that hard, so I don't see the rationale there.

 

[Johan]

It should, but the last I saw, Johan doesn't like that change.

The Jomini games can't even have UI or localisation mods that does not affect the checksum so it was rather needed there.

 

[Borgratz]

The Jomini games can't even have UI or localisation mods that does not affect the checksum so it was rather needed there.

I guess it doesn't matter if you make a good change on purpose or stumble into it

So has their experience with opening up achievements relieved some of the devs fears?

Like.. Is there rampant "I win button" cheating? Are players obsessively saving and reloading to cheese events? Or are they just playing like they always did, but with some extra motivation?

 

[grommile]

Like.. Is there rampant "I win button" cheating?

Clearly not rampant, because the hard achievements still have tiny completion percentages