The base game is the same base game they have released since Sengoku.

Practically everything they release is just an older game with a new “theme” and some updated graphics and a slimmed down mechanics system (they could easily implement so much more at start). They released this “new game” for full price and then slowly add on things that modders have already done for years and charge 30.

Paradox strategy games aren’t that hard to make but they act like you should pay the same level that you would pay for a triple aaa.

 

I would argue that the difference here, is not in what they do, but why they do it.

I hate EA because I understand the type of company they are. They acquire IP that is popular, throw a lot of money at making a triple A title out of it, market the hell out of it, and then create a price model that's designed to extract as much money out of the target audience as possible. Because that is why they do what they do, profit. Money.

Can you seriously say the same about Paradox? I only play Stellaris. But I've seen the CK2 and EUIV threads on this forum. I see the passion with which people discuss the updates, and what they've done. I also read the Stellaris development diaries, and have seen the way in which the game has been developed over the last few years. They aren't doing what they do for money above all else, there is a love for the games they make, and they really want them to be fun.

That's the difference between EA and Paradox.

 

If you develop games for the money then Paradox is not even in the top ten publishers you'd want to work for anyway.

 

I've probably spent... Something in the 200 euro vicinity on EU4? (All major DLC, but some I did pick up at discounts...) Plus whatever I spent on CK2 and Stellaris, probably another 150 total. I like their games, and though I can very well see the downsides of a DLC-based economy like this, the fact that I like the game (and liked others) enough to put in the hours I have means that I'm honestly not too bothered.

Whale? Quite possibly. Even so, if I'm whaling to the tune of one euro per five hours played across all three mentioned games - and I'm discounting significant amounts of time as accidental idling when other stuff came up - I think I can accept that.

The main problem I have with them is that you should treat base games like Civ games in that they really need DLC to be worthwhile.

 

@Innomine I can definitely respect that argument and let me say I don’t think Paradox is -as- bad as EA. They do have their integrity.

 

Honestly the best way to think about Paradox DLC is to basically just consider it to be an old-school expansion pack instead. Like this isn't "Pay $10 to get a new mission and companion that was originally in the game", it's "Pay $15 to get a huge overhaul and upgrade of a core section of the mechanics as well as the addition of some really cool new shit that will totally change the way that you play the game, also half of the expansion you'll get for free anyway." which to me feels far more tolerable.

 

Though a lot of EU4 DLC recently has been little more than "timers that count up, allowing you to occasionally push a button for a small bonus". The recent Spain expansion was the first EU4 DLC I didn't buy.

Stellaris DLC is a true total overhaul though.

 

So, I broke the cardinal rule, and I've got this on release day. Version 1.0.0. I know, scary. Anyways, it's pretty fun. I haven't seen anything too groundbreaking. It feels like it's just a mashup of all their other grand strategy games. For me personally, it does feel like it's taken all the pieces of those various games that I do like, and chopped out the parts I didn't like, leaving a pretty streamlined game. Main thing I'm not a fan of is how many arbitrary currencies there are, but that does allow things like Fabricating a Claim to be based on that currency rather than sending an advisor to wherever and hoping for the best. It lets you focus on other parts of the game, which I like. Of course, the game is a timesink, and I don't really have that much time to play sadly.

 

Having kept a close eye on the reviews and let's plays, I think I'm going to hold off purchasing until the June 1.1 patch, which looks like it is planned to substantially improve the game and address a lot of player complaints.

In the meantime, this review nails a lot of my concerns:

 

my main problem, is that other than it being a new game, there really isn't any reason to play it over any of their other games. It doesn't do enough new things to really warrant it unless you've got so many hours in those other games that you can't play them for another minute, and then even then, this isn't really enough of a departure from them.