That's perhaps a weakness of Victoria II, it can often not feel very 'gamey'. As with our actual history the British Empire was preeminent after the Napoleonic Wars, therefore unseating that particular behemoth is very difficult, though not impossible. The win condition of the game, becoming the number one Great Power, is incredibly difficult unless you're playing at Great Britain. Improved army composition helps, but sometimes you'll find yourself with superior numbers and comparable (or superior) tech falling back. Going online and visiting the wikis and forums discussing basic strategies will be far more helpful. The tutorial is insufficient to help one learn the critical skills. Even after over 40 hours of game play I hardly feel like I am 'good' at the underlying mechanics. The game has a very steep learning curve. I have always been fascinated by that era's history and feel this is remarkably authentic. Trying to recapture the spirit of the 19th century and the form of statecraft of the period is very difficult, but the competing forces of ideology, nationalism, reform and diplomacy are well represented in this game. I applaud Paradox's ambitious, complicated and detailed game design. Prestige, for lack of a better term, comes from glory - victories in war, increasing your sphere of influence, undertaking expeditions, making new discoveries and building colonies. Industry is calculated through the total number and size of factories in your provinces. Military scores are simply a total of your military assets (army and navy). Rankings are determined by three fields, military, industry and prestige. Great Powers have diplomatic powers beyond secondary powers, and can create spheres of influence and intervene in conflicts. Nations are ranked and the top eight are referred to as Great Powers. I am not sure it is possible to communicate all of the different aspects of the game effectively without a Quick Look.

The game includes a tech tree, election simulations, political movements and suppression, reform decisions, industrialization, economic management, trade policies, military composition, battles, military leadership traits, and dozens of event decisions. This might be the most complex and detailed release from Paradox. There are no win conditions in Victoria II, but as with all of these types of strategy games the ultimate goal is world domination. You play as one of the states that existed in 1836, or 1861 with the A House Divided expansion. The top-down map view is just as you can see it in Hearts of Iron or Europa Universalis III. Paradox Interactive have a certain DNA to them that make them instantly recognizable.

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