A Newbie's Query...

[Mao]

OK, so I'm not exactly a "newbie" per se to Apolyton, but I am to Europa Universalis.

I was wondering a few things:

1.) Is there any way to make Centers of Trade in your own provinces? Or any way to encourage it?

2.) Is there any way to play a game without a time limit? ie: Like Civ2 where scoring stops, but you can keep playing anyway.

3) Is there any "scenario" I can play that's like a game of Civ2 where you just start with a small city and expand from there? Other than the Fantasia scenario? Is there a "regular" game a la Civ2?

I like EUII personally, it's kinda fun...but I'm trying to figure some things out, like how to change religions and perfect diplomacy, etc. etc.

[Mordoch]

On the trade center issue, you can do so in the various colonies outside of Europe. The trick is to have a colonly along with a large number of other surrounding provinces producing a high trade value that you control. On the other questions check out this thread and links.

[Havard]

Originally posted by Mao
OK, so I'm not exactly a "newbie" per se to Apolyton, but I am to Europa Universalis.

I was wondering a few things:

1.) Is there any way to make Centers of Trade in your own provinces? Or any way to encourage it?

No. Not really. Some CoTs appear through events (like Trache, Andalusia and Anglia) others through "market fluctuations(sp?)" where new CoTs may pop up in colonies. In the fully buillt areas like Europa and most of Asia new CoTs come only from events.

When you have a lot of trade from colonies in a certain area you can get a CoT. The location is partly random but is weighted with a "historic modifier" (you can find it in province.csv). Hence some colonies are "better" when it comes to getting CoTs, like Table and Ciskei in Southern Africa (meaning - if you have both of these you must be very unlucky to avoid getting the south Africa CoT )

2.) Is there any way to play a game without a time limit? ie: Like Civ2 where scoring stops, but you can keep playing anyway.

There is a unlimited time utility here. I haven't tried it, but I hear it's working...

3) Is there any "scenario" I can play that's like a game of Civ2 where you just start with a small city and expand from there? Other than the Fantasia scenario? Is there a "regular" game a la Civ2?

Isn't that the Fantasia?

There are some scenarios in the Scenario depot and some more listed in the official forum here.

I like EUII personally, it's kinda fun...but I'm trying to figure some things out, like how to change religions and perfect diplomacy, etc. etc.

It will come Sure took me some time to find things out, and from time to time I still learn new stuff

[Mao]

OK, another dumb question: How do you make natives become part of your city/colony? Does it automatically happen or do you have to do something or...???

[Mao]

OK, BD answered the above question for me...but now I have a new one:

Where are the globaldata files? I'm trying to edit the game so that the unlimited patch works....

[Shadowstrike]

Once you have 600 colonists, they join your city. If you wipe them out though, you'll need 700 colonists to get a city. Don't go for any native above aggression 4 unless its a really big stack on a really good trade good. Otherwise it isn't worth it (you'll lose more colonists to the poor probabilities).

[Havard]

Originally posted by Mao Where are the globaldata files? I'm trying to edit the game so that the unlimited patch works....

The globaldata is set in the scenario file. E.g. 1419.inc for the Grand Campaign. Open the file in a text editor, and you will see something like this at the start of the file:

globaldata = { 
    startdate = { 
        year = 1419
        month = january
        day = 0
    }
    enddate = { 
        year = 1820
        month = december 
        day = 29 
    }

[St Leo]

how to change religions

Click on your country's shield in the toolbar and then on the icon with your religion (probably looks like a cross). Your options are represented with radio buttons there.

and perfect diplomacy, etc. etc.

Don't propose Royal Marriages to countries with relations worse than 40 and better than -5 (unless it's to lower relations) or to Papacy/The Knights.
Vassalisation is likelier if you have large armies in provinces adjacent to their capital.
Annexation is likelier if they have been your vassal for a long time.

[Maniac]

Since you seem to be giving tips... Could you tell me some general rules how to deal with the problems of exchanging map discoveries?

[Shadowstrike]

Always... always +200 relations and have more to trade then recieve. Even then, its iffy. Of course map trading was too easy in EU1, but...

[RobRoy]

Just to expand on what St. Leo said regarding religion (not sure how new you are), you can only change religion after certain historic events occur (Luther = Protestant enabled; Calvin = Reformed enabled; Council of Trent = Counter-reformed enabled). Note that this carries a hefty stability penalty. You can also get "force-converted" by an enemy who has a ~ 50% victory over you.

Also on diplomacy, there are some limits that aren't spelled out anywhere: you cannot get an alliance with more than four other countries if you are the alliance leader (but since the AI doesn't seem so restricted, you can sometimes join or be invited to join an alliance that has more). For royal marriages, perhaps related to already having lots, later in the game you will sometimes be refused royal marriages with countries having positive relations (unless they are well above ~ 150), not really sure why this one exists, though, since you don't have any problems marrying countries with relations from -5 through -150.

On CoTs, if you want to encourage on in a particular province, make that province the only colony in a region, and populate empty neighboring areas with trading posts. But, as noted above, it is somewhat random and can take quite awhile. I also avoid trying to seize some of the seemingly attractive CoTs in the colonial areas (e.g., Ivorie, Manhattan, Zacatecas, Cuzco, Malacca, Zanzibar), since that seems to diminish, significantly, your chances of generating a new CoT (that fewer nations would know about...hopefully)

M@ni@c, exchanging maps has been made much harder. It now seems to require relations in the 190+ range, as well as having some unknown areas to share with your target; it also uses up a diplomat, and there is a random element. One other method of gaining maps - stealing rutters in a naval battle - also has been changed, making it virtually useless to try to gain maps via naval battles. The capture of an enemy capital is the most reliable way to get maps - you still get the entire map upon capture.

[St Leo]

Could you tell me some general rules how to deal with the problems of exchanging map discoveries?

Take their capital.

[Maniac]

Originally posted by St Leo
Could you tell me some general rules how to deal with the problems of exchanging map discoveries?

Take their capital.

Sure! Now only figure out how to get there!

[Shadowstrike]

Originally posted by M@ni@c


Sure! Now only figure out how to get there!

Explore one province of theirs and it pops up. Of course getting through the rest of their provinces may be a problem, but *shrugs*

[Alfonso]

[Mao]

OK, now I have a bit of a problem too. I'm playing the Fantasia scenario and have taken over Eire to where it only has one province left (Meath) but even when I take it over, I don't have the option to annex it. Why not?

[Maniac]

The option in the diplomacy menu will be grayed out. That is reserved for diplo-annexing. For military force-annexing, you have to offer a peace, then you will get the option to annex. Or doesn't that even work?