Europa Universalis

Europa Universalis ( Latin for all of Europe or all of Europe; EU for short ) is a series of historically simulated global strategy games . It is based on a French board game with the same title by Philippe Thibault.

The aim of the game is to lead your chosen nation to the most powerful of its time through skillful diplomacy, military strength and a functioning economy and to gain as many victory points as possible. There are no mission objectives that should guide the player through the course of the game. He is free to play ahistorically or according to historically correct facts. He can directly influence significant historical events and determine the form of government, society and economy of his nation. In addition to Europa Universalis, Paradox Interactive developed other games with a similar gameplay such as Crusader Kings , Hearts of Iron and Victoria .

All titles in the Europa Universalis series have a multiplayer mode in which each participating player embodies a nation.

Europa Universalis

Europa Universalis
Studio	Paradox entertainment
Publisher	Strategy first
Erstveröffent- lichung	2000
platform	Windows
genre	Real time strategy game
Game mode	Single player , multiplayer (Internet & LAN )
control	Keyboard , mouse
system advantages preconditions	100 MHz CPU 64 MB RAM Windows 95
medium	1 CD-ROM
language	German , English
Age rating	USK

Europa Universalis was released in 2000 and is set in modern times . The player takes control of one of eight European nations (while eight more are possible in other scenarios) between the years 1492 and 1792. These playable nations are the great powers of the respective time. For example, England , France , Spain , Portugal , Austria , Poland-Lithuania , Russia and Turkey can be played in the so-called “Great Campaign” between 1492 and 1792 . The game takes place in real time on a two-dimensional map, which is divided into approximately 1500 provinces .

The military part is limited to the compilation and management of field and sea armies. Apart from a possible retreat, the player cannot intervene in the computer-generated battles. The calculations are based on the army composition, the technology researched, assigned leaders and other components such as the terrain or the weather. The game tries to counteract a conquest of the world, which in games like Civilization represents an opportunity to win, with certain features: If the player declares war on a second nation without a casus Belli , the “stability” of his own nation is reduced. This loss is simulated, for example, by a decline in income and with an increased risk of revolt. In addition, the game distributes so-called bad boy points for conquered areas ; if these reach a certain threshold, the player nation is considered hated and receives numerous declarations of war by the computer opponents.

The economic part consists of investments in infrastructure, trade, colonization and progress. Each province controlled by the player collects taxes and production profits and generates trade. The turnover through trade is not automatically attributed to the owner, but flows into one of numerous centers for whose income all nations can compete. Colonization enables the player to acquire new provinces outside of Europe. Colonial goods can create a high production profit and trade. A large part of the income goes into research and expenditure for the people, the rest of the income can be used for minting money. Money is necessary, for example, for raising armies, maintaining the army, diplomacy and infrastructure expansion, but it also increases inflation , which in turn can be reduced by investing in technology and infrastructure.

The diplomacy options enable alliances and generally influence relations with other states. For example, reasons for war can be created or - under certain conditions - puppet governments can be set up and nations peacefully annexed.

The game correctly assigns the respective rulers to the nations and includes a number of historical events such as the Treaty of Tordesillas or the Reformation .

As with the successors, an Easter Egg consists in the fact that the cheats that can be entered in the game are named after historical personalities and with reference to their work; The Code Alba , for example, prevents popular uprisings, Richelieu enables control over enemy units and Oranje provides the maximum level of stability.

Europa Universalis II

Europa Universalis II
Studio	Paradox entertainment
Publisher	Strategy first
Erstveröffent- lichung	November 12, 2001
platform	Windows , Mac OS
genre	Real time strategy game
Game mode	Single player , multiplayer (Internet & LAN )
control	Keyboard , mouse
system advantages preconditions	266 MHz CPU 64 MB RAM Windows 95
medium	1 CD-ROM
language	German , English
Age rating	USK

Europa Universalis II was released in November 2001 and lets the player take control of a country of their choice from 1419 to 1819. While the "Big Campaign" exhausts the maximum playing time, others are limited to shorter historical epochs, e.g. B. "Napoleon's Ambitions" on the Napoleonic era . In addition, he selects one of hundreds of countries all over the world. However, all the nations present in the game that existed during this time can be played, from England , Sweden and Austria to Oldenburg , Maya and Mameluke to states such as Songhai or Kakheti . You can act out the history of France and influence the outcome of the French Revolution , but you can also lead a small North or South American Indian people.

Europa Universalis III

Europa Universalis III
Studio	Paradox Interactive
Publisher	Paradox Interactive
Erstveröffent- lichung	January 26, 2007
platform	Windows , Mac OS
Game engine	Clausewitz engine
genre	Real time strategy game
Game mode	Single player , multiplayer (Internet & LAN )
control	Keyboard , mouse
system advantages preconditions	1.9 GHz CPU 128 MB RAM Windows 2000
medium	1 CD-ROM
language	German , English
Age rating	USK PEGI

Europa Universalis III was released in January 2007 and is the third installment in the EU series.

description

The game begins after the fall of Constantinople in 1453 and describes the rule of one of 250 historical nations. It ends in 1789 after the storming of the Bastille . The 2D map covers a total of 1700 provinces. In addition to the graphics, the manufacturer changed the way historical events were handled during the course of the game, for example. There are no historical events such as the extinction of the Dukes of Burgundy or Cleves . In contrast to its predecessors, the Games for Windows magazine described the game principle as modeling history instead of locking the player in the story. Additional innovations are so-called “national ideas” that shape the character of a country, a spy system and other improvements such as the automation of the military supply system.

Extensions

There are four add-ons for the game that are only sold through online shops .

Napoleon's Ambition extends the period of EUIII to include the coalition wars and ends in 1821. In Nomine (Latin for “in the name”) moves the earliest start date to 1399, adds adjustments to the game mechanics and a mission system. It gives pirates and rebels a much higher priority than in the earlier versions and games. Heir to the Throne adds rulers to the game and expands the options for declarations of war and peace negotiations. With the fourth add-on Divine Wind (English "Divine Wind") the developers added a new provincial administration system and a different game mode for the Empire of China, for Japan with daimyos and shogunate and steppe nomads.

In October 2008, the main game and the first two add-ons appeared as a new edition under the title Collection . In 2013 the Europa Universalis III World Edition appeared , which contains all four addons.

criticism

Steve Butts, editor of the IGN website , describes the changes in Europa Universalis III as not earth-shattering. However, they add more realism and options, which definitely add a lot to the gaming experience ("definitely add a lot to the experience"). On the Stern's website, Bernd Fetsch sees the manufacturer's class goal of making EUIII appealing to casual gamers as well, in contrast to its predecessors: it remains a “complexity monster (...) for eccentrics who simply have too much time in addition to their history studies . "

Modifications

There are many mods for Europa Universalis III . B. add more provinces or change the length of time you can play.

Europa Universalis IV

Europa Universalis IV
Studio	Paradox Development Studio
Publisher	Paradox Interactive
Erstveröffent- lichung	August 16, 2013
platform	Windows , Mac OS , Linux
Game engine	Clausewitz engine
genre	Real time strategy game
Game mode	Single player , multiplayer (Internet & LAN )
control	Keyboard , mouse
system advantages preconditions	2.4 GHz CPU 2 GB RAM Windows XP
medium	1 CD-ROM
language	German , English , French , Spanish
Age rating	USK PEGI

Europa Universalis IV begins in 1444 and ends in 1821 and describes the rule over 800 historically real and malleable nations. For the first time, the player has a 3D map available for this. There are also more diplomacy options and a modified trading system. In addition, scores can be imported from other Paradox titles (such as Crusader Kings II ).

Extensions

Conquest of Paradise

With the "Conquest of Paradise" ( Conquest of Paradise ) added the ability to generate a random New World and some game mechanics have been changed to make more realistic about the colonize.

Wealth of Nations

With the "Wealth of Nations" ( Wealth of Nations , by Adam Smith ) the trading system has been revised, it is for example possible to create trading companies in Asia and Africa. In addition, the ability to use your navy as a privateer has been added to steal influence in a trading area from rival states.

Res Publica

The extension "Res Publica" (Latin for public affairs , used in ancient Rome for the form of government republic, after Cicero ) extends in particular the mechanics of commercial republics . This expansion makes it possible, for example, to found a dictatorial republic. In addition, it is now possible for trade republics to use special trading posts to secure even more market power and thus influence on trade flows. In addition, many historical events and decision-making options have been introduced for trade republics, especially for the Dutch republic. The last new functionality introduced with this expansion can be used by all nations: You can set a national focus on administration, diplomacy or the military in order to strengthen the selected area at the expense of the other two remaining areas.

Art of War

The "Art of War" extension ( Art of War , by Sun Tzu , written General textbook for general war tactics) brought special events and mechanisms themselves, to reflect the Thirty Years War in the game. It also allows the player to create client states. These behave like vassals, but with the peculiarity that you can determine the name of the state, the flag of the state and the areas belonging to the client state yourself. Furthermore, with the expansion it is possible to turn vassals into so-called brands, which set up a larger army than normal vassals, but in return no longer pay taxes to their liege lords.

In the course of the appearance of "Art of War" the patch 1.8 was also released, but it was replaced by the patch 1.9 almost 1 month later.

El Dorado

With the expansion "El Dorado" ( Spanish for "The Golden" ), the national designer also found its way. There it is possible to create a nation yourself. Also new are the religions " Nordic " and " Jewish ", which can only be used in self-created nations. The expansion mainly relates to the American region, so there are new religions and many other new functions for nations in this area.

Patch 1.10 was also released with the expansion. There the flags for "revolutionary countries" were introduced. It is always a vertical tricolor and the colors are generated randomly, with the exception of some states that have a predetermined color scheme, partly due to their historical history. Example: black-white-red ( Roman Republic (1798–1799) ) for the Papal States .

Common sense

The expansion "Common Sense" was released on June 9th, 2015 and includes, among other things, new mechanics for religions, theocratic systems of rule and vassal actions.

The Cossacks

With the expansion "The Cossacks" released on December 1, 2015, the game was given a tier system. In addition, the hordes received new mechanics and new diplomatic options were added.

Mare Nostrum

On April 5, 2016, the expansion "Mare Nostrum" (named after the Roman name for the Mediterranean) appeared with which sailors, seafaring missions, a function to lend armies and a revised espionage system and other small changes were added.

Rights of Man

The ninth expansion "Rights of Man" (named after the book of the same name by Thomas Paine) was published on October 11, 2016. It offers, among other things, new diplomacy opportunities for great powers, new goals for the religions of the Copts and fetishists, and character traits for leaders. At the same time, the technology system was significantly revised with a free patch.

Mandates of Heaven

The expansion "Mandate of Heaven", named after a concept of Chinese philosophy ( Mandate of Heaven ), was published on April 6, 2017. She added new game mechanics to the (East) Asian region (China, Japan, Manchuria). In addition, a new age system was published.

Third Rome

On 14 June 2017, the "Third Rome" (extension appeared Third Rome ), which thematically deals with the rise of Russia and the Russian Empire.

Cradle of Civilization

The expansion "Cradle of Civilization" deals with the trade routes of the Middle East. It was released on November 16, 2017.

Rule Britannia

The expansion "Rule Britannia" (named after the unofficial national anthem of Great Britain ) focuses on Great Britain and the surrounding areas, as well as a new mission system. It was released on March 20, 2018.

Dharma

“Dharma” deals with the states of the Indian subcontinent. In addition to provincial changes, the class system is expanded and anchored in the basic game. The previous system of forms of government has been completely revised and now enables changes in the course of the game between monarchical and republican forms of government. The extension was released on September 6, 2018.

Golden Century

"Golden Century" was published on December 11, 2018 and represents the 15th expansion for Europa Universalis 4. It addresses the Spanish domination in Europe and the discovery of the New World. Several new mechanics will be made available as part of the expansion. Among other things, the possibility of founding orders, playing pirate republics and building flagships.

Emperor

With “Emperor” an expansion was released on June 9, 2020, which focuses particularly on Europe. Newly added mechanics allow for a more interactive Holy Roman Empire, more complexity for followers of the Catholic Church, a new religion (the Hussites ), and improvements to revolts. Furthermore, the status system, the imperial administration and the mercenary recruitment have been completely revised.

Modifications

There are numerous modifications created by players for Europa Universalis IV , which can change almost all details in terms of content and play. The modifications range from minor graphical changes to a completely new game world. These so-called total conversion mods can have a historical background or a fantastic one. The Extended Timeline modification , which is the most popular on the Steam internet distribution platform with over 390,000 subscribers, allows players to play from the first century to the 21st century, for example.

criticism

The English-language website Metacritic determined an aggregate average rating of 87% and thus a “generally positive” rating ( generally favorable ).

The German game magazine GameStar rated the game with 78% and especially praised the large scope of the game. On the other hand, the strong chance factor in battles and the confusion for beginners was criticized. 4Players also criticized the inaccessibility for beginners, but also praised the enormous complexity of the game and awarded 86%, with a Very Good - Gold Award .

Spin-off Europa Universalis: Rome

In 2008 the spin-off Europa Universalis: Rome appeared .

Web links

• Europa Universalis series at MobyGames (English)
• Official website of the developer
• Official website of the game

Individual evidence

1. ^ Games for Windows , Issue 4, March 2007, p. 78; available online at 1UP.com  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , January 16, 2007.  
2. ^ Preview of "In Nomine," Steve Butts, IGN , April 16, 2008.
3. ^ Review of "Europa Universalis III" , Steve Butts, IGN, January 24, 2007.
4. ↑ Bernd Fetsch: Swedish Strategy Punk , February 5, 2007.
5. ^ Res Publica on GameStar .com, accessed May 2, 2015 .
6. ^ Steam Workshop - Europa Universalis IV: Common Sense
7. ↑ Article on “The Cossacks” on EU4-Wiki from December 4, 2015, accessed on January 9, 2016
8. ↑ Article on “Mare Nostrum” on EU4-Wiki from April 12, 2016, accessed on April 14, 2016
9. ↑ Europa Universalis IV: Rights of Man. Retrieved June 11, 2017 . 
10. ↑ "Rights of Man" in the EU4 Wiki. Retrieved June 11, 2017 . 
11. ^ Europa Universalis IV: Mandate of Heaven. Retrieved June 11, 2017 . 
12. ↑ Game Star: Europa Universalis 4 - “Third Rome” expansion in the announcement trailer
13. ^ Paradox Games: Crandle of Civilizations
14. ↑ Immersion Pack - Europa Universalis IV: Rule Britannia on Steam. Retrieved April 13, 2020 . 
15. ↑ https://eu4.paradoxwikis.com/Dharma
16. ↑ Marcel Kleffmann: Europa Universalis 4: Emperor published. 4players, June 9, 2020, accessed June 11, 2020 . 
17. ↑ Europa Universalis IV Mod: Imperium Universalis on https://esiriaweltenbau.wordpress.com/ , accessed on March 7, 2019
18. ↑ Steam Workshop :: Extended Timeline. Retrieved January 12, 2020 . 
19. ↑ Meta-assessment Europa Universalis 4 on Metacritic , accessed on May 2, 2015.
20. ↑ Test of Europa Universalis 4 in GameStar from August 13, 2013, accessed on May 2, 2015
21. ↑ Test of Europa Universalis 4 on 4Players.de on September 5, 2013, accessed on May 2, 2015