Art of War and 3 other DLC now included in base game

[Marquoz]

The link to the announcement is here: https://forum.paradoxplaza.com/forum/threads/free-dlcs-for-all-europa-universalis-iv-players.1701846/

We are happy to announce the integration of FOUR essential DLCs into the Europa Universalis IV base game: "Rights of Man", "Art of War", “Digital Extreme Upgrade” and "Common Sense". That’s right - all current and future EUIV players will receive these four DLCs absolutely free of charge! And you won’t even need to do anything to receive them!

So far, the first three of these DLCs were a part of the "Starter Edition" - but we decided to add the fourth one to the mix to enrich the core experience of EUIV even more. Once this initiative is launched on October 17, all of these DLCs will be automatically included with the base game purchase, enhancing your gameplay experience right from the start.

In order to celebrate and honour constant support from our community, everyone buying the base game before October 17 or already having it in their library will receive these four DLCs for free once they are integrated. In this way we want to reward our fans for their ongoing engagement with Europa Universalis IV.

[RCMidas]

Huh. Nice upgrade. Those are three of the core "vital support" DLCs in my opinion.

[JVC]

Nice change. Yeah, those definitely seem to be vital DLCs

[Jean-Maurice Nya]

Well, that's a first move. The next one should be a bundle with everything for 30 bucks max as soon as EUV is released. Making volumes with EUIV while EUV builds its reputation.
Larian did that move with their Divinity games when DoS1&2 had their success. They're now a major company in the RPG landscape. Paradox could use it to join Blizzard and Firaxis on the top of the RTS one.

[RCMidas]

Eh, Blizzard's status is due to inertia at this point, less competence or quality.

[Jean-Maurice Nya]

Still the company that made the most successful RTS with Starcraft. Whatever happened with WoW or Diablo.
As for Firaxis, my bad, I didn't mean to made it a successful RTS producer, but a strategy one. Not that Gettysburg was bad, but that's not Civ (on a personal note, Alpha Centauri is still far above any 4X turn-based game, not for its mechanics, but the overall ambiance and writing).

[Rialm]

Originally posted by Jean-Maurice Nya:

Well, that's a first move. The next one should be a bundle with everything for 30 bucks max as soon as EUV is released. Making volumes with EUIV while EUV builds its reputation.

It all depends of what's there plan with the subscription or if they are thinking to release more dlcs.

I still believe that if they can and it's not a nightmare to program, a remaster EU4 with all the changes that people have wanting but can't be implemented in this engine. and then keep releasing more dlc to that version. Obviously it depends of EU5 success because sometimes devs want to try other challenges.

[Jean-Maurice Nya]

Well, as a former manager, I'd advise them to move on and develop a new product. Only if the demand is high for a previous product you can put a team on it. And with a video game series, if the V is good enough for players, forget the IV. There're plenty of things I prefer from the III, but there's no way I'm going back on it for more than a few hour a year. As for CivIV or CivII, well, that's pretty much the same, and I should really put some more hours on the sixth because its time is almost over now despite being highly sceptical about the seventh entry.
I enjoy a lot MuHa games, but remastering Master of Magic was a waste of time in my opinion. But hey, the video gaming industry is following a trend that is commercially successful in cinema and series, bringing back iconic old names. Good money, no need for high creativity, that's business. I just don't think it can work on an evolving serie like EU or Civ.

[Bordric]

Think those cost me about 60 bucks

[RCMidas]

A former manager of what, though, Jean-Maurice? Which professional scene? Having been there myself in the retail sector for just shy of a decade, I can confidently say that the vast majority of them are not merely useless, but counterproductive.

[Rooter]

Originally posted by RCMidas:

A former manager of what, though, Jean-Maurice? Which professional scene? Having been there myself in the retail sector for just shy of a decade, I can confidently say that the vast majority of them are not merely useless, but counterproductive.

I thought you were a Doctor?
A man of many talents, or stories?

[Rialm]

Originally posted by Jean-Maurice Nya:

Well, as a former manager, I'd advise them to move on and develop a new product.

CIV V Still has a really strong player base, I don't know what could happen after EUV release, but I've the feeling that this game will stay longer alive than CK2 mostly because this game has another core mechanic, Mana. But let's see and wait.

About this dlcs, it's going to be much easier for new players to get into the game, because the biggest issue with EU4 is that QOLs are all over the places.

For example for, me "Places of interest" from The Cossacks is so freaking GOOD! Because my biggest issue in most of this games is that you can't read or imagine the ambitions of the others nations. So not only makes the diplomacy more interesting, but also I understand what's going on and why they could want to backstab me.

[Jean-Maurice Nya]

RCMidas, of anything. My job was to deal with the whole production process of any kind of company (costs, workers, supplier relation, customer relation). A restaurant (I did that), hotel (small one and also for Louvres hotel), territorial collectivity (the whole Valenciennes area in the north of France), my own business in agronomy-biochemistry-microbiology (current job as a teacher) and a swimming pool. It's the same job, you just need to learn how the sector works and then it's all about using management sciences tools.
And I don't say it's useless. But that's a cost without much profit behind it. It's usually not good for the workers' evolution within the company.

Well Rialm, that's why I said that's a first move, that aimed well. The next should be a pretty nice bundle for the whole content for a cheap price. That's a good way for making the game go above 10 millions copies sold and reach Starcraft heights. For a game of that complexity, supposed to be more a niche within the RTS genre, that'd be a huge deal. And that'd probably be more money from Tencent, a company that made Baldur's Gate III possible. It could make the next games even more ambitious.

[Rooter]

Originally posted by Jean-Maurice Nya:

RCMidas, of anything. My job was to deal with the whole production process of any kind of company (costs, workers, supplier relation, customer relation). A restaurant (I did that), hotel (small one and also for Louvres hotel), territorial collectivity (the whole Valenciennes area in the north of France), my own business in agronomy-biochemistry-microbiology (current job as a teacher) and a swimming pool. It's the same job, you just need to learn how the sector works and then it's all about using management sciences tools.
And I don't say it's useless. But that's a cost without much profit behind it. It's usually not good for the workers' evolution within the company.

Well Rialm, that's why I said that's a first move, that aimed well. The next should be a pretty nice bundle for the whole content for a cheap price. That's a good way for making the game go above 10 millions copies sold and reach Starcraft heights. For a game of that complexity, supposed to be more a niche within the RTS genre, that'd be a huge deal. And that'd probably be more money from Tencent, a company that made Baldur's Gate III possible. It could make the next games even more ambitious.

Its common knowledge that Steam sales generate more revenue for games companies than non sales.
To be able to sell legacy games that have no ongoing costs is a lucrative thing

[Jean-Maurice Nya]

That's the overall market that pretty much works that way now. Internet changed many things. You have sales pretty much the whole year, no wonder "physical" shops that didn't change their customs have a hard time or even disappeared.
Not only ongoing costs, but also dematerialization allowed us to get many games for a cheaper price. There're so many games below 30-35€ at launch now that I find it silly to buy them above it, outside the sales period. Also, being cheapskate is also sending a signal to companies: continue to decrease structural costs (which are a bigger cost than workers in most companies). That's the initial capitalist spirit, very environment-friendly on the long run, and that's where I shined in management, and analytic accountancy is there to help us making good production strategies and tactical moves to achieve it.

To maximize our well-being in a monetary society, spending less is always the best long term strategy to get enough savings to do what you want, or to be OK in time of crisis without relying on the collective.

[Dante_Deepdarkness]

Looks like if EU5 catches my interest at some point, my best choice will be to wait until EU6 is announced, then they put part of the DLCs in the base game, the good time to spend money.
I would prefer a compensation for CK3 anyway.