Comments on: Victoria 2 – “Because we can”

By: Jon Shafer

Jon Shafer — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 04:03:50 +0000

Well, they’re kind of out of eras to adapt their primary game engine to. At this point they’ve got antiquity up through the Cold War covered, three times over in some spots. It’s possible they’ve hit a design wall and they may see a Victoria 2 as the best opportunity for a new game without doing something COMPLETELY different. The devil you know, they say.

Jon

By: Sarkus

Sarkus — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 00:57:37 +0000

You forgot the part where the company’s CEO has admitted on the forums that he doesn’t expect Victoria 2 to be profitable.

The whole thing is a head scratcher. This is a company that can’t release games complete to begin with, and now they are taking a shot at one that almost no one believes will make money? Somebody explain the logic to me.

By: Rob Zacny

Rob Zacny — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 19:22:55 +0000

Good analysis, but I think you may accidentally have just sold me the game.

They challenges you cite are difficult, but they are also interesting opportunities. Most games have done a pretty sorry job of modeling political order in changing societies, and with EU3 you can just start to see an more convincing approach taking shape. Perhaps a game where warfare is taking a definite back seat to technological, social, philosophical, and political changes can finally make the work of government as engaging as the movement of armies.

The state-manager, as opposed to the empire-builder, could be a great genre if someone can keep it from feeling like a bureaucracy sim.

By: Tom Grant

Tom Grant — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 18:37:24 +0000

Troy, very interesting and persuasive analysis of the problems developing a strategy game for this period. They may not be insurmountable, but anyone building such a game would be well advised to think through the issues you raise.

By: Kynes

Kynes — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 18:31:48 +0000

That’s probably why I’m looking forward so much to Vicky 2. With all the experience Paradox has gained in UI development, and after using the excellent EU3:IN UI for many hours, I’m expecting good things from their next outing.

By: Kynes

Kynes — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 18:30:21 +0000

Much like many Paradox games, I really enjoyed the idea of Victoria, and tried my hardest to get into it. I followed the many starting scenarios on the forums, worked my way through as a few different nations of my choosing, but the game never did click. As fascinating as the framework was and the various interactions between the different game elements, the menu system was the straw that broke the camel’s back. I go back to it every so often, but with it often taking upwards of 5-7 clicks to get anywhere I forget what I originally meant to do by the time I navigate the labyrinthine menus.