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EU5, 5 Months After Release: Pros, Cons, and Things to FixEuropa Universalis 5 garnered immense anticipation upon its release, but five months later, community sentiment has drastically shifted. Despite a solid foundation, the game faces several core issues, including a lack of national identity, unreasonable expansion penalties, a complex economic system, and inadequate colonization. Paradox's patching approach has also been unstable, leading many players to await the next major DLC.
1. EU5: Beyond the Initial Hype, a Reality Check
· Europa Universalis 5 (EU5) received immense anticipation upon its release, earning praise from the community and critics as 'Paradox's best launch in years.'
· However, after about 100-200 hours of gameplay, the rose-tinted glasses came off, revealing overlooked flaws.
· Currently, across the community on Reddit, X, and Steam reviews, there's a consensus that EU5 needs more work and time.
· This video discusses whether patches have worsened the situation or if the necessary work for the game has only now become clear, and what the core issues that need addressing are.
· However, after about 100-200 hours of gameplay, the rose-tinted glasses came off, revealing overlooked flaws.
· Currently, across the community on Reddit, X, and Steam reviews, there's a consensus that EU5 needs more work and time.
· This video discusses whether patches have worsened the situation or if the necessary work for the game has only now become clear, and what the core issues that need addressing are.
00:00 - 01:25
1. EU5: Beyond the Initial Hype, a Reality Check
· Europa Universalis 5 (EU5) received immense anticipation upon its release, earning praise from the community and critics as 'Paradox's best launch in years.'
· However, after about 100-200 hours of gameplay, the rose-tinted glasses came off, revealing overlooked flaws.
· Currently, across the community on Reddit, X, and Steam reviews, there's a consensus that EU5 needs more work and time.
· This video discusses whether patches have worsened the situation or if the necessary work for the game has only now become clear, and what the core issues that need addressing are.
· However, after about 100-200 hours of gameplay, the rose-tinted glasses came off, revealing overlooked flaws.
· Currently, across the community on Reddit, X, and Steam reviews, there's a consensus that EU5 needs more work and time.
· This video discusses whether patches have worsened the situation or if the necessary work for the game has only now become clear, and what the core issues that need addressing are.
01:26 - 02:21
2. 🌟 EU5's Solid Foundation and Early Game Appeal
· EU5's foundation is very solid, with its new engine, population system, and trade and economic systems being Paradox's most ambitious attempts.
· The way the three core elements—economy, military, and diplomacy—are organically linked through population still feels fresh and meaningful.
· The experience of learning the systems and understanding your nation during the initial 50 hours is excellent, and EU5's framework is good enough that you won't want to return to EU4.
· However, after 50-100 hours, cracks begin to appear, and these cracks widen the longer you play.
· The way the three core elements—economy, military, and diplomacy—are organically linked through population still feels fresh and meaningful.
· The experience of learning the systems and understanding your nation during the initial 50 hours is excellent, and EU5's framework is good enough that you won't want to return to EU4.
· However, after 50-100 hours, cracks begin to appear, and these cracks widen the longer you play.
02:22 - 07:37
3. 🚧 Analysis of EU5's Core Problems
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Lack of National Identity and Historical Flavor | · Without historical objectives like EU4's mission trees, unique rewards, or event chains, the gameplay experience feels similar across nations. · It aims for a sandbox experience, but currently, it feels like there's only 'sand' and no 'playground.' · The lack of clear national identity weakens player motivation. |
| Unreasonable Penalties for Victory | · Even after winning wars and conquering territory, the 'coring' process is too long, making it difficult to enjoy rewards immediately. · It takes 10-20 years with an advisor, or over 100 years without one, feeling like a 'wall' that hinders imperial expansion. · For expansionist nations like the Ottomans or Muscovy, it's not a challenge but a tedious wait. |
| Complex and Inefficient Economic System | · While its vast scope is impressive, players are overwhelmed by the hundreds of variables and the need to constantly adjust trade deals. · There are too many levers to pull, making efficient management difficult, and most players resort to automation. · The automation AI doesn't make optimal decisions, leading to financial crises or trade collapses, frustrating players. |
| Inadequate Colonization System | · Despite being a core element of the early modern era and a defining feature of the Europa Universalis series, its current implementation is disappointing. · It only offers the complexity of managing 3-4 independent nations simultaneously, with small populations, making it less enjoyable. · Many players tend to skip colonization entirely, missing out on a historically significant process. |
07:38 - 09:44
4. 📉 Unstable Patches and Development Philosophy Issues
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Unbalanced Balance Adjustments | · Each patch brings improvements but also introduces new problems. · For example, one patch saw nations become too aggressive, leading to constant wars, while the next made them too passive, resulting in no conquests—showing extreme balance swings. · This makes it feel like developers are blindly adjusting balance based on community feedback without a clear direction. |
| Version Compatibility Issues | · Major patches often cause compatibility issues with existing save files, frequently requiring players to restart the game or revert to an older version. · For campaigns that require over 100 hours of investment, such restart demands cause significant burden and frustration for players. |
| Decreased Trust in Patches | · Despite six months of patches, many players don't believe that patches alone will fundamentally improve the game. · The perception that the system will only improve with the next major DLC is widespread, creating a negative impression of the company and the game. |
09:45 - 12:37
5. 🔮 The Future of EU5 and Paradox's Development Philosophy
· While some aspects of EU5's current situation have worsened due to patches, it also follows a typical Paradox game development cycle (initial overhype followed by criticism).
· The core criticisms of the game are valid; issues like game speed and the lack of national identity are major flaws.
· However, the game's framework is still excellent, and it's unlikely Paradox will abandon EU5 like Imperator Rome.
· Like Victoria 3, they might accept fan criticism and overhaul the system, but this will take a lot of time.
· Fixing EU5 won't be possible with just a few patches; monumental work through major DLCs is expected.
· Paradox tends to release games with excellent frameworks and then gradually complete them through DLCs, and EU5 is expected to go through this process.
· Currently, EU4 and EU5 have similar player counts, or EU5 sometimes even surpasses it, so Paradox will not abandon this game.
· The core criticisms of the game are valid; issues like game speed and the lack of national identity are major flaws.
· However, the game's framework is still excellent, and it's unlikely Paradox will abandon EU5 like Imperator Rome.
· Like Victoria 3, they might accept fan criticism and overhaul the system, but this will take a lot of time.
· Fixing EU5 won't be possible with just a few patches; monumental work through major DLCs is expected.
· Paradox tends to release games with excellent frameworks and then gradually complete them through DLCs, and EU5 is expected to go through this process.
· Currently, EU4 and EU5 have similar player counts, or EU5 sometimes even surpasses it, so Paradox will not abandon this game.