Europa Universalis III

[Michael Slaunwhite]

Anyone else here play this game? Man it's definitely not something for the faint of heart that is for certain.

Nice Game so far. I am very new to this game, but from what I have seen so far it looks pretty cool.

[Little Powell]

That does look cool. A couple friends and I are looking for a good strategy game to play multiplayer. One that doesn't require all players to have to be logged in at the same time since we all have such busy schedules. How does the MP work for this game? The website doesn't say much about it.

[con20or]

I think its like HOI3...

or maybe Im getting mixed up with the Roman game that paradox did..

[Michael Slaunwhite]

That does look cool. A couple friends and I are looking for a good strategy game to play multiplayer. One that doesn't require all players to have to be logged in at the same time since we all have such busy schedules. How does the MP work for this game? The website doesn't say much about it.

Tell you the truth LP I only started playing it, but all I can really say is that it's extensive. I don't think I have ever played a game this involved before. Sure it has some very familiar components to it, but not at this depth...it is a beauty though.

The MP looks very interesting...

There is a scenario editor out there, including a map generator for it as well if you are interested on getting your mitts on it. I'm hoping that I'll be able to create an American Civilwar Map, and scenario. I know it can be done.

It's a must have that's for certain...

[Michael Slaunwhite]

Here is a excerpt from the game manual.

MULTIPLAYER
Starting a Multi-Player
Game

When starting a multiplayer game, you will first need to establish a connection between each of the players’ computers. Europa Universalis III supports multiplayer games with as many as 32 players; for practical purposes, you can only achieve the necessary connection speeds for this many players when all players are on a LAN. If you are connecting over the internet, you will usually obtain the best results if you limit the number of players to a dozen or fewer.

One player must act as the host for the session, and all other players will be clients. If there are more than a few players, the ideal host will be the player with a highest internet connection speed and most powerful system. Due to the volume of data being transferred during play, and the continuous-time nature of the game, you will not be able to use a conventional dial-up modem for multiplayer games.

Preliminary Requirements

Before launching the game, each player must ensure that his system is set up to receive and transmit
the necessary data. In the vast majority of cases a client will not need to do anything; however, most people now use at least one software firewall program (Windows XP™ has an integrated firewall that active
by default) and many people will also wish to play on a computer that is behind a router. Most routers also include firewalls that can interfere with communications. Depending on your exact combination
of hardware and software, this could still interfere with communication. A host that is behind a router will almost certainly need to enable port-forwarding to establish a connection with the clients. Europa Universalis III uses ports 1630-1635 and the UDP transfer protocol. You may need to ensure that your firewall software permits EU3 to access to the internet, and that port-forwarding is enabled on your router (if applicable). Due to the huge variety of routers and differences in firewall software, we cannot
provide comprehensive or fool-proof instructions on how to do this on every possible combination of hardware and software. For legal and practical reasons, we also cannot automate this process. Please refer to your router and firewall user guides to determine how to meet these requirements. If you will be playing a game where players will connect directly over the internet without using Paradox’s free “Metaserver” matchmaking service, the host will also need to determine his computer’s current IP address and communicate this to the clients.

Connection Types

Once you have ensured that you will be able to connect to other computers, click the Multiplayer button on the Main Game Menu. Type in the player name you would like to use for this session in the space provided. This is the name that other players will see on their screens and in the game. You must then choose between several options of how to establish your connection with the other players’ computers:

Host

Choose the “host” option if you wish to host a game on a LAN or direct internet connection. The game will then ask you to enter a game name for the session, after which it will prepare itself to receive requests from other players to join the game. It will then display the initial multiplayer “lobby” that is very similar to the interface you are accustomed to seeing when starting a single-player game. The clients may
now connect to your game. Join LAN Game If you and the host are on a local area network, click the “scan” button near the top of the menu. The host’s game should appear in the list box at the top of the menu. Highlight this and click the “join LAN game” button.

Join Internet Game

If you will be connecting to a host directly over the internet, click the “join internet game” button. You will then be prompted to enter the host’s IP address. Once you have done so, your computer will establish a connection with the host and you will see the multiplayer lobby screen.

Metaserver

Paradox offers a free matchmaking service that facilitates multiplayer game connections and allows you to communicate with players from all over the globe. Players will meet in the Metaserver’s chat lobby to arrange games; the Metaserver will help you create and join games from there. Once the connection is established, the Metaserver releases the host and players, who will play the game just as though they had
established the connection using a direct internet connection.

The Multiplayer Lobby

The multiplayer lobby looks very similar to the interface you normally see when you begin a single player game. The panel to the right of the map will contain a list of each player that has established a connection to the host. Beside each player’s name is the shield of the country that he will be playing, and the name of that nation will be displayed in parentheses after the player’s name. If you will be staring a new game, the host should set the date that you would like the game to begin. If you are resuming a saved game, the host should click the save game tab and load the save. The file will be loaded to the host’s computer and also compressed and sent to each of the clients’ computers. Each client will unpack and load the saved game so all players are beginning with the correct data. This process could take a few minutes if the save game is large or if players have slow internet connections. All players must have the same save loaded before the game can begin. When you first connect, you will receive the
default rebel flag, indicating that you have not yet selected a country. Once the starting date is set or a saved game has been loaded, country selection is done exactly the same way that you normally use for a single player game. Each player should select a country to play; as this is done, the country’s shield and name will be updated beside the player’s name.

Europa Universalis III supports “cooperative multiplayer” games where more than one player selects the same country. If two or more players will be sharing a country, each player will have the full range of controls over every aspect of that nation. It takes a bit of practice to avoid accidentally undoing something that one of the other players had chosen to do with the realm, but this type of game can be a lot of fun if each player is agrees to manage a specific area of controls or handle combats in a certain
theatre of the world. You can chat with other players in the lobby by clicking in the text box at the very bottomleft of the screen and typing your message. The text will be communicated to all players when
you press the enter key on your keyboard and will appear in the area immediately above the text box. There is no way to filter this communication to have private conversations with only a few of the players, although this is possible once the game has begun. Once all players have selected a country, the
“PLAY” button in the lower-right of the host’s screen will be highlighted in gold. The host can then launch the game by clicking the button. There will be a brief delay as the necessary data is loaded, at which point you will see a display of each of the players that is ready. One by one (depending on the capabilities of their systems), each player’s shield will be highlighted in gold. Once all of the players are ready, the host can click the “start” button and the game will begin.

The Metaserver

Paradox offers a multiplayer “match-making” service for registered owners of Europa Universalis III. When you register your copy of the game, you will asked if you would also like to register for the Metaserver. It takes only a minute or two to go through the few easy steps to create a user name and set your password, after which you will be able to use the Metaserver to find other players from across the world who would be interested in joining a multiplayer game. There is no registration fee, we will never divulge any private information, and you will never be charged for using the service. It is completely free to all of our valued customers.

Once you have registered, click the “Metaserver” button on the Connection Types menu to connect to our service. After entering your user name and password, you will connect to the Metaserver’s main chat lobby where you will see a listing of all other players who are online at the moment and might be interested in
joining a game. After finding a few interested players, you can create a separate chat channel where you might discuss who will host the game, and which countries you will each play. Once you’re ready to begin, the player who will host the game will click the “create game” button to launch the game’s multiplayer lobby.

The other players will then see the game listed in the Metaserver and can click on it to join. The Metaserver will take care of the details of establishing the connection. Because this is a free and public worldwide service that may be used by people of all ages, we ask that you remain polite and respectful of all other members when using the Metaserver. It is considered impolite to use inappropriate
or vulgar language, and etiquette suggests that you not join a listed game without first discussing your intentions with the host.

Once players have selected their countries in the multiplayer lobby, the host may click “play” to start the game. The Metaserver will ensure that all players are correctly connected, and then hand the game off to the host. From that point forward, play will continue just as though you had used the “host” and “join internet game” method of starting a game.

Multiplayer Gameplay

There are very few differences between a single player game and multiplayer game. Although the AI of Europa Universalis III is quite competent, there is no greater challenge than to pit yourself head-to-head against another human player. Large-scale multiplayer games that involve many players in close proximity to one another, all vying for supremacy, is the ultimate test of your mastery over the game. Human players tend to seek any opportunity to exploit or gain an advantage over one another, but are also able to form more complex informal alliances and detailed strategies than the AI will normally be willing or able to consider. To accomplish this, players need to be able to communicate with one another in the game. To send a message to another player, press the “tab” button on your keyboard. This
will open a small chat window at the bottom of the screen with the name and shield of each player listed across the top of the area, and several special filter buttons at the left. The buttons are used to select the players who should receive your message. Click on a player’s name to include him in the list of recipients. If you change your mind, click the player’s name again to prevent him from receiving
your communication. You can quickly select all players by clicking the “all” button at the left. You can also select only the players whose countries are currently allied to yours (“allies”) or only the players who are currently at war with you (“foes”). Type your message in the box, and then press the “enter” key on your keyboard. The text will appear on the screen and in the history log of all players you have
selected to receive the message. They can then reply using the same technique. There are a few rules that you should remember that will affect multiplayer games: • A human player can never be inherited by
another country. If you often create royal marriages with other countries in the hopes of inheriting them when their ruler dies, you should be aware that this tactic will not work against another player.
• The usual single-player rules for determining alliance leaders are slightly different in multiplayer games. If you are allied to another player and either declare war or are the subject of a declaration, your ally will receive a notification of this and will be asked to support you in the war. If he agrees, he could become the alliance leader if his nation is larger than your own. He will then be in a position to negotiate a peace settlement that is binding on you, whether you like it or not. This can provide a player with a wonderful opportunity to backstab or otherwise interfere with another player's plans.
• Any special strategies that you have developed to defeat AI-controlled nations will probably be known or anticipated by other players. You should not expect human players to behave as AI countries do, and
should plan accordingly.

• Any player may pause the game at any time he needs a little time to react to something; the game may then continue as normal. Any other player can also un-pause a game that another player has halted, so it
is usually a good idea to discuss acceptable pauses or come to an agreement as to how often and how long a player should pause. This prevents frustration or unnecessary disagreements between players.

Ending a Multiplayer Game

A multiplayer game will end on December 30, 1792, but since a full game will often require many sessions of play, you will need to save and exit the game several times during the course of the campaign. We recommend that prior to each session, all players agree to a time or game date when the session will end for the day.

When it is time to stop, the host should pause and save the game, and then remind players that the session has ended before quitting the game. If a client quits prior to the end, or if a player’s internet connection is disrupted, the other players will be notified that the player has dropped out of the game.

They will be able to continue playing, but control of the country that was previously managed by the player who has left will not be taken over and controlled by the AI. It will remain completely inactive and might be preyed upon unfairly by other player or AI-controlled countries. It is usually best to
pause, save the game, and have all players exit and then reconnect to the host to resume play from the point that it was saved. If a country that was previously controlled by a human is not selected by a player when the save is loaded, the AI will take control of that nation for the subsequent session.

I also know you can save, and reload a MP save game as well.

Hope this helps LP.

[Mazikainen]

The way EU3 works is that you start a game, pick _any_ nation out there in the world and start the game at a predetermined date with historical starting positions. After that it's pretty much a sandbox without much scripting to force historicity. Multiplayer is the same thing, only with several players.

For your ACW needs, Victoria 2, which is the Paradox games' colonial/industrial age version of EU3, has a house divided expansion coming up.

[Little Powell]

Thanks for that info Mike. So it looks like it's realtime MP. We are looking for a more turn based, play by email type of game, but that still sounds like an interesting way to MP.

[Michael Slaunwhite]

Thanks for that info Mike. So it looks like it's realtime MP. We are looking for a more turn based, play by email type of game, but that still sounds like an interesting way to MP.

Your right LP, E-Mail would have really been a nice addition to the game. The option to save, and reload an MP is it's only real plus.

It is a pretty cool game.

[Mazikainen]

Yeah, EU3 is realtime with a variable time compression. Getting an MP group to meet steadily at the same time can be a pain. For turn-based action check out Pride of Nations, which covers the time period from the 1840's until the end of the Great War, I think. I have it, but haven't gotten into it yet as it is pretty complex.

[Gunfreak]

I bought EU III on steam like a year ago, becasue I wanted to get the 30 years war, which isn't a period anybody has made spesific games for, But I found the military part to simple, Names are wrong, units are genric ect.

I it worked ok for mid 17c but when I tried to play the napoleonic period, the names of units were wrong, you didn't have line infantry or light infantry, but French men at arms ect.

It just didn't cover the period flavor very much, the military is just to abstracted and generic.

So if you are after a nation building and diplomacy game it works great, but for the military it's not good enough. Also with these games I always want to figt the battle, I feel I loose control once the conputer dices for the resault of the battle