Strategy Informer  

This reads as massive fun :)

Too bad the amount of adrenaline gets too high for me when playing pvp strategy games, I'd probably have a heart attack after a few straight hours of this :).

Excellent read through, thanks Joe - an after action report deserving of publishing.
However, not being a MP gamer in strategy titles myself (played a bit of "W40K" and "M2TW" but that's it) I would rely solely on SP.
I don't mind it leaving out a few of the micromanagement sideshows from "HoI III" and "UE III" as I simply don't have the time like I used to. In "HoI III" I automated everything that I could in order to simply get on with the business of war, so if these are missing I won't be unhappy but rather quite the opposite. I know hardcore PI grognards will feel differently though. Then again, the pricing of the game does suggest this.

In fact the best Grand Strategy game that involved micromanagement I've ever played was Epic's "The Civil War", by the makers of Microprose's "Fields of Glory". The management was light-on, but it was there and far better than Aegod's "The American Civil War". Above all it was addictive and the first strategy title to really get me pressing the "End Turn" repeatedly instead of shutting down my PC (as much as I did in "Civilization").

I am looking forward to this title and hope, with fingers firmly crossed, that it doesn't ship with the usual litany of bugs that seem to cripple all PI releases at launch.

The problem with Paradox games multiplayer is the lack of join in progress.

The lack of JiP means that when ever someones drop out for what ever reason, they cannot rejoin the game without a "rehost", which means everybody ALT+F4ing and then everybody joining up again.

Given that in my experience this happens on average once per hour, it is a major contributor to games being abandoned.

Most other multiplayer games feature JiP, so why after many years and many, many games, do Paradox's games not feature JiP.

Crazy.

If it makes any difference Chris, I think EU IV will have that option. Not sure about March of the Eagles but Paradox are finally starting to look at their multiplayer backend systems.

With the price point being so low, and accepting there are quite a few improvements, is this really just an 'expanded' stand-alone Expansion Pack for "Vic II", Joe?

It does weirdly feel like a stand-alone expansion, a little bit how Fall of the Samurai was, but it doesn't really play like any single game, especially not Vic 2 as the combat model is way better and there's no economy to the game at all.

Paradox themselves think of this as a 'light' introduction to paradox games in general, with a focus on warfare so that there's plenty of action. Like I said, it may be a bit lacking for paradox veterans, but I'd be interested in seeing how new-comers get along, especially those who only know CK2.

AS you may be able to tell, it's also really fun in MP.

Yes, you did hint at the MP didn't you. Well, I don't mind a PI-Lite version of their engrossing Start titles so I'll be picking it up - might even pre-order and pick up "Sengoku" for free (I hear from some that the combat mechanics are quite good).