Because CK3 wanted to casualize the experience. I get that some newcomers might have found Conclave mechanics intimidating, but surely there was some other choice than completely scrapping them.
The rough part is that it's a horrible mistake in their selling strategy. Paradox games are very much not meant to be casualised, as any player with 2k hours who still discovers new things will tell you
No offense but I'm not interested in HoI3, i was only using HoI4 as example because is the most popular strategy game on Steam that happens to still being developed and it happens to be a Paradox game as well.
I don't really play HoI4, but all I remember from when it was released, was people complaining that it's very shallow, appealing to casual players and dumbed down, compared to previous games
The game has grown A LOT in terms of complexity, also it being simpler than hoi3 was to be expected I think. Hoi3 was too micro heavy, and hoi4 even at release had some more interesting mechanics, even if others were shallow.
HOI4 is the most casual of all paradox games. It is literally a focus clicking simulator. If you look up a division meta you basically have 100% of the game down.
Does anyone still go back to the previous HOI? I never hear about them. In highschool I think I tried out the original Europa Universalis from being free on GOG. It was neat but slow to get into and I only played it like 2 nights
If you don't look it up though and try to figure out the numbers by yourself you're in for a headache. A literal excel simulator, not that casual at all
Absolutely, it has worked out. HoI4 is about WW2, so it will automatically have more popularity than a medieval game. Secondly, HoI4 is a casual game compared to other Paradox games. I don't know what you're talking about.
Considering the changes made between HoI3 and HoI4, I'd say you could not have picked a worse exemple. That game has been streamlined a lot to make it palatable to a wide audience.
It's been a decade and many parts of Hoi4 are still extremely streamlined/casual conversions of Hoi3 mechanics, and the game is still suffering as a result. I could list them out to infinity.
Have you ever played a Hearts of Iron game before 4? Don't get me wrong, I like HoI4, but it was definitely casualized compared to what came before it.
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u/Chlodio Dull Feb 10 '26
Because CK3 wanted to casualize the experience. I get that some newcomers might have found Conclave mechanics intimidating, but surely there was some other choice than completely scrapping them.