First Impressions w/ Sardinia-Piedmont

[John Sedgwick]

I haven't got very far playing S-P, but it seems very challenging. This game looks like a diamond in the rough, and boy is it a big honkin' diamond, but tackling the learning curve has been pretty frustrating so far. I suppose I ought to read the manual, but I couldn't resist the urge to dive in straight away. If anyone has any tips they'd be greatly appreciated, but failing that I'll just persevere and hopefully get a handle on things eventually.

I haven't made it past 1850, but I'm already losing prestige while everyone else is gaining rapidly, and I can't figure out why since things appear to be running smoothly. Maybe I'm expecting too much from tiny S-P, but I didn't expect to drop out so quickly while Japan surges forward in a matter of months.

Is there any way to withdraw entirely from a colonial territory? I have no interest in Tunisia, but my measly 10% colonial penetration is triggering crises with France every other turn, and I can't afford to damage my relations with them if I want their support against Austria in the Risorgiomento. I like the idea of the crisis mechanics, but when it happens constantly it starts to get really annoying.

I just had a luxury goods factory disappear entirely after being deactivated - what causes this to happen? I managed to avoid deactivations due to insufficient upkeep up until I built my first railway, then they started consistently shutting down in pairs every turn, but I believe this is the first time my luxury goods factory was deactivated and apparently destroyed right off the bat... very disheartening.

Anyway, other than the parts I don't understand, I am enjoying the game. It could use a lot more in the way of accessibility through an enhanced ledger and more tooltips, though.

EDIT: Oh, one more question for those in the know: when I opened AGESettings for the first time it came with a serial number different from the one that came with the digital download - should I use the one in the default settings or the one in my invoice? Does it matter?

PS: I friggin' hate my new HP laptop's keyboard...

[John Sedgwick]

Strangely (but happily), Italian Luxury Arts reappeared when I resumed the savegame. Looks like a bug. I'll set these files aside if someone wants to look at them.

[gekkoguy82]

Sounds like you're having about the same luck as the Canucks tonight

I can't wait to play! Managing factories and trade will NOT be my strong suit

[Pocus]

You can't abandon a colony willingly... you can try to make sure France gets it in a crisis though.

As for the disappearing structure, this is a display bug that appears when you use a filter in the military recruitment mode. This is fixed in the patch-to-be-published.

[John Sedgwick]

Thanks Pocus, that's good to know about the display bug.

I guess I will try using delay or defensive strategy in the next crisis? It's just hard to resist trying to win some prestige when I'm dropping so low... France has "won" a couple crises but it keeps going back and forth, I guess nothing decisive yet (still have 10% CP...)

[Aragos]

Also, over at the Paradox forums, some of us betas did a short strategy guide. Hopefully it will help.

Yes, the game has a learning curve. After getting pummelled a couple of times you figure it out

Plus, it is a long game--really hard to ruin an entire game by messing up a few turns.

[John Sedgwick]

Thanks Aragos, I read that strategy guide before playing and found it very helpful. I certainly haven't ruined my entire game or anything, just got off to a bumpy start (especially with France)... I seem to have bottomed out around 15th place, hopefully I won't sink any lower =P

[Aragos]

I wouldn't worry about Prestige for a good long time. It really doesn't matter too much until the end

For example, I've noticed that the UK has some ungodly % of its victory points in 1850-51 in a game I was playing...something like 75%. By 1860? That number had dropped into the low 50's.

The game is dynamic; expect prestige to go up and down. You might be in the top 3 by embarrissing France over Tunisia

[Kriegsspieler]

Heavens, yes. If you manage to boot the French out of Tunisia by winning a crisis with them, as I have done once or twice, your prestige zooms up nicely.

[John Sedgwick]

Just encountered a critical error causing the game to crash. Here's the relevant lines from the log:

1:18:31 PM [Critical ] TGroup.Update 1020914 1. Regular Exception caught: Mémoire insuffisante DebugStep: 130
1:18:31 PM [Critical ] TGroup.Update 1013136 1. Levy Exception caught: Mémoire insuffisante DebugStep: 130
1:18:31 PM [Critical ] TGroup.Update 1013140 2. Levy Exception caught: Mémoire insuffisante DebugStep: 130
1:18:31 PM [Critical ] TGroup.Update 1013132 1. Levy Exception caught: Mémoire insuffisante DebugStep: 130
1:18:31 PM [Critical ] TGroup.Update 1013144 3. Regular Exception caught: Mémoire insuffisante DebugStep: 130
1:18:31 PM [Critical ] TGroup.Update 1020933 4. Levy Exception caught: Mémoire insuffisante DebugStep: 130
1:18:31 PM [Critical ] TGroup.Update 1020954 1. Regular Exception caught: Mémoire insuffisante DebugStep: 130
1:18:31 PM [Critical ] TGroup.Update 1020958 2. Regular Exception caught: Mémoire insuffisante DebugStep: 130
1:18:31 PM [Critical ] TGroup.Update 1017090 1. Regular Exception caught: Mémoire insuffisante DebugStep: 130
1:18:31 PM [Critical ] TGroup.Update 1017052 1. Regular Exception caught: Mémoire insuffisante DebugStep: 130
1:18:31 PM [Critical ] TGroup.Update 1017064 1. Regular Exception caught: Mémoire insuffisante DebugStep: 130
1:18:31 PM [Critical ] TGroup.Update 1020947 2. Regular Exception caught: Mémoire insuffisante DebugStep: 130
1:18:31 PM [Critical ] TGroup.Update 1020943 1. Regular Exception caught: Mémoire insuffisante DebugStep: 130
1:18:31 PM [Critical ] TGroup.Update 1020918 3. Regular Exception caught: Mémoire insuffisante DebugStep: 130
1:18:31 PM [Critical ] TGroup.Update 1017098 2. Levy Exception caught: Mémoire insuffisante DebugStep: 130
1:18:31 PM [Critical ] TGroup.Update 1017094 1. Levy Exception caught: Mémoire insuffisante DebugStep: 130
1:18:31 PM [Critical ] TGroup.Update 1020925 5. Regular Exception caught: Mémoire insuffisante DebugStep: 130
1:18:31 PM [Critical ] TGroup.Update 1020929 1. Regular Exception caught: Mémoire insuffisante DebugStep: 130
1:18:31 PM [Critical ] TGroup.Update 1017083 Column Exception caught: Mémoire insuffisante DebugStep: 130
1:18:31 PM [Critical ] TGroup.Update 1020907 Column Exception caught: Mémoire insuffisante DebugStep: 130
1:18:31 PM [Critical ] TGroup.Update 1013125 Column Exception caught: Mémoire insuffisante DebugStep: 130
1:18:31 PM [Critical ] TGroup.Update 1013148 1. Regular Exception caught: Mémoire insuffisante DebugStep: 130
1:18:31 PM [Critical ] TGroup.Update 1020879 4. Regular Exception caught: Mémoire insuffisante DebugStep: 130
1:18:31 PM [Critical ] TGroup.Update 1020875 3. Regular Exception caught: Mémoire insuffisante DebugStep: 130
1:18:31 PM [Critical ] TGroup.Update 1017079 2. Regular Exception caught: Mémoire insuffisante DebugStep: 130
1:18:31 PM [Critical ] TGroup.Update 1017068 1. Levy Exception caught: Mémoire insuffisante DebugStep: 130
1:18:31 PM [Error ] THost.CheckUnits Exception caught: Mémoire insuffisante
1:18:31 PM [Error ] THost.AbortProcess Hosting aborted while performing PreHostProcess: CheckUnits
1:18:31 PM [Error ] THost.AbortProcess Hosting aborted while performing PreHostProcess

Attached savegame files.

[John Sedgwick]

I'm just glad I managed to weather the near-constant crises without damaging my relations with them. I did manage to win a couple of them, but they kept contesting it, so it went back and forth for a while. I won control of Tunisia in the last one, though we both gained an equal amount of prestige... all considered I think I suffered a net loss of prestige in these diplomatic skirmishes.

[Kriegsspieler]

The prestige rewards depend crucially on how each side chooses to play the crisis. When France goes for a high stakes resolution and loses, S-P gets a lot of prestige.

[John Sedgwick]

Thanks Kriegsspieler. I look forward to learning the intricacies of the crisis mechanics so I don't have to rely on the AI advice so much...

No one's mentioned this yet so I'll ask again: anyone know the difference between the 24 digit serial number that came with my order and the 37 digit serial number that came with the default AGESettings?

[Kriegsspieler]

Thanks Kriegsspieler. I look forward to learning the intricacies of the crisis mechanics so I don't have to rely on the AI advice so much...

Yeah, so do I! I still depend on the a.i. "packaged" strategies, too.

[marcusjm]

Is it worth trying the drainage project as Sardinia? Just wondering about potential drawbacks.

[John Sedgwick]

I wondered about the drainage project myself, since I don't have any marshy or swampy regions... I guess it represents drainage on smaller scales though. My guess is it would be worthwhile if/when you can afford it... once you choose the decision, it'll appear in your National Decisions working layer, where you can hover over the card and it'll display a handy tooltip explaining its effects. If it's anything like the sewers decision, it probably increases development and gives you a small amount of prestige, among other things. The only drawback is that you can't really afford to do much with S-P so you have to focus on what's really important.

[Pocus]

Thanks Kriegsspieler. I look forward to learning the intricacies of the crisis mechanics so I don't have to rely on the AI advice so much...

No one's mentioned this yet so I'll ask again: anyone know the difference between the 24 digit serial number that came with my order and the 37 digit serial number that came with the default AGESettings?

The one in AGESettings should remain in place, this is what allow PON to launch. The other one is for you to register on the Paradox forum you top-hat.