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Passing laws, Public Services, Women and Children, Encourage Liberal Thought and Liberate the Slaves objectives have all been completed.

Yet the final objective does not show. If I get 90% literacy, <10% peasant population and >20 SoL will the achievement still fire?

Disclaimer: I myself am not here to argue about game mechanics. I am just sharing what I wrote for class this semester

Victoria 3’s Superiority Over Victoria 2’s Economic Model

In the realm of historical strategy gaming, few series have attempted to simulate complex economic systems as ambitiously as Paradox Interactive's Victoria franchise. As lead developer Mikael Andersson states, "When we set out to make the next installment in the series, we knew we had to nail the economy aspect, making it both believable as a real-world historical model and compelling as a game mechanic" (Andersson). Victoria 2 and its successor Victoria 3 are grand strategy games that challenge players to guide nations through the transformative period of 1836 to 1936, managing everything from industrial development to international trade. Within the Paradox gaming community, heated debates continue over which title better implements its economic model. While both games simulate the economic complexities of the Victorian era, Victoria 3 has significantly improved upon its predecessor's model through three key aspects: market dynamics, distribution of goods, and loans.

One of the most noticeable differences between Victoria 2 and Victoria 3 lies in their handling of the global market and resource distribution. In Victoria 2, goods are produced domestically and consumed by the population to meet their needs; any surplus goods are then sold on a global market (“A Complete Understanding”). As Mikael Andersson explains, "our predecessor Victoria II uses the concept of a global market, where all goods inside a national market that go unused end up…the order by which they are allowed to access the supply is determined by their country's Prestige." This system prioritizes high-prestige countries, granting them first access to goods on the global market regardless of price differences or other nations' willingness to pay more. For example, a low-prestige country might desperately need coal but be unable to acquire it because a higher-prestige nation, even one with less demand, gets priority. This means lower-prestige countries can be locked out of essential resources, leading to unrealistic scenarios and a less enjoyable gameplay experience. Conversely, if a country is the sole global producer on the production of a good and also demands it in greater quantities than they produce it, none of these goods make it onto the global market, and other countries are starved of access to them. In contrast, Victoria 3 introduces individual national markets where supply and demand are influenced by domestic production and international trade, without the unfair advantage of prestige (Market). Populations consume goods based on price and availability rather than the goods' domestic or foreign origin. This change impacts player strategy by providing more opportunities for trade and encouraging players to focus on competitive pricing to ensure their goods are consumed, regardless of their origin. This means if foreign goods are cheaper, they will be consumed over more expensive domestic goods, mirroring real-world economic behavior. By eliminating the unrealistic prioritization of domestic goods and allowing market dynamics to dictate consumption, Victoria 3 offers a more accurate representation of global economics and enhances gameplay by creating fair competition among nations. This better-implemented economy addresses the flaws of the global market in Victoria 2, making for a more engaging and realistic simulation.

Victoria 3 is not only more effective in implementing market systems, but also in the distribution of goods within those market systems. When it comes to the production and distribution of goods in Victoria 2, it becomes apparent that there are fundamental flaws present within the game. In the game, products are created through three main sources: artisans, factory workers, and laborers in RGOs, otherwise known as Resource Gathering Operations; Facilities that extract raw materials like coal mines or cotton plantations (“A Complete Understanding”). As mentioned before, these products are distributed domestically, and then sell the leftover resources to the world market. Realism starts to break down further when a country is 'sphered' into another country’s market, meaning it becomes economically dependent on a great power and its goods are integrated into that power's market. For example, this can be compared to the historical relationship between the British Empire and India, where India's economy became largely dependent on British trade policies and market integration, limiting India's economic autonomy. When a country is sphered, its excess goods are sold into the world market with a copy of the relative amount being sent into the sphere market. In the whole process, the sphered country doesn’t receive money for the copied goods. 

“Goods produced by the a sphereling are 100% sold to themselves and then a copy of those goods relative to the formula x = investment %(.5(production)) in the case of secondaries and x = investment %(.25(production)) in the case of normal civs and are sold to everyone else in the sphere market. Goods produced by the spherelord are simply copied 100% across the sphere” (“A Complete Understanding”). 

From the quote, it is apparent that the goods that are being created in a country belonging to a sphere market are duplicated without justification, with the sphere owner receiving 100% of goods produced in their market. This is highly unrealistic when contrasted with real-world economics. In economics, there is a finite amount of goods that cannot be magically copied when in another country’s market, highlighting the highly flawed nature of Victoria 2’s economic model. Opposingly, in Victoria 3, any goods produced by a sphered nation directly go into the sphered market without any unrealistic duplication. The game further simulates the realism of goods distribution by implementing a system known as MAPI, which stands for Market Access Price Impact (Market). This system makes it so goods in local states can have different prices relative to the general market. Factors such as infrastructure affect market access and, consequently, pricing. This mechanic ensures that a country, including sphered countries far away, can't just transport goods into another country without consequence. Similarly, countries suffering from a lack of infrastructure have a harder time distributing goods and therefore suffer price differences. Overall, with the flawed nature of Victoria 2’s sphere markets, and the improved version implemented by Victoria 3, it is with certainty that Victoria 3, while maintaining simplicity,  has a more stable and accurate representation of economics.

With the other game-breaking issues such as duped goods and liquidity crises, another massive bug witnessed is the execution of loans and their interest payments. Loans are how nations in-game fund their deficit spending. When a country goes below its cash reserves, it automatically takes on loans from either other nations or private investors for their spending (Loans). The biggest issue with this system in Victoria 2, is that “The current interest system is one massive bug as interest is NOT paid to POPs, instead interest is destroyed” (Loans). When nations pay their interest back from loans they’ve taken, the game doesn’t take into account the people getting paid from these loans, which significantly impacts the economic balance by removing potential income for lenders. This oversight leads to a reduced money flow, thereby hindering economic growth and contributing to liquidity issues within the game. This bug over time gradually depletes the money supply in the economy due to it being a closed economic system, meaning there is a limited money supply in the world. This bug contributes to the infamous liquidity crisis later in the game, known for causing a massive global economic crash. In Victoria 3, loans are instead known as credit (Treasury). Nations take on credit from their population, who receive interest payments based on their ownership share of the debt. The biggest contrast is that Victoria 3 doesn’t suffer from the interest payment bug known in Victoria 2, which is critical for maintaining economic stability in the late game (Andersson). Without this bug, Victoria 3 ensures that interest payments contribute to the economic balance, preventing the liquidity issues that plagued Victoria 2. This game-breaking bug highlights a fundamental flaw in Victoria 2’s economic system, making Victoria 3's more refined credit and interest mechanics a vast improvement that ensures a more realistic and stable late-game economy.

With the 3 examples that Victoria 3 excels at in terms of market dynamics, distribution of goods, and Loans, there is still criticism and counterarguments created in favor of Victoria 2. One argument stands on the fact that Victoria 2 has a more realistic economy in theory. This argument arises from Victoria 2 possessing a finite money supply and a semi-closed economy (Andersson). Because the money amount is finite, money has to circulate between agents such as producers, consumers, and the government, creating a more realistic representation of real-world economics. In contrast, Victoria 3 exhibits an open economic model where resources and money flow freely through the system in each economic tick (Andersson). Production and consumption are calculated independently of current supply and currency availability. While it may be less realistic, the developers of Victoria 3 compromise on ultimate realism to deliver a stable system. While simulating a finite money supply seems realistic, the developers note

“...let's say that a small, poor nation produces mostly Fruit. It produces much more than it consumes on its own, thereby ending up exporting most of it to the global market, leading to an influx of cash. If it's not possible to substitute Fruit for Grain, the local population will demand Grain it cannot import due to low Prestige combined with low global supply. This means it might not be able to put that cash back into global circulation, and even if the effect is too small to notice in a single transaction, over thousands of iterations, the country will start sucking liquidity out of the global economy” (Andersson).

The quote brings light to the issue a circular economy will create. When constantly keeping track of all money being circulated, small inconsistencies, additional bugs, and imbalances will build up over time to deliver an unfixable game-breaking experience. Victoria 3, while being an open economy and therefore less realistic, purposely moves away from this mechanic. By resetting economic calculations regularly and only carrying over adjusted value inventories (like wealth and cash reserves), the game prevents the accumulation of imbalances over time (Andersson). So while Victoria 2's closed economy and finite money supply may be more realistic in theory, its adherence to this principle results in issues such as liquidity crises and economic collapse. In contrast, Victoria 3 may sacrifice some theoretical realism by employing an open economy without a finite money supply, but this design choice addresses the practical problems found in Victoria 2. Victoria 3 offers a more accurate and stable representation of economic dynamics by preventing the accumulation of systemic imbalances over time. This allows for a more realistic simulation of global economics in practice, as it reflects how economies adjust and recover from shocks without spiraling into unmanageable crises due to game mechanics, striking a better balance between theoretical realism and practical functionality.

Through its implementation of domestic markets, realistic goods distribution, and polished financial systems, Victoria 3 achieves what its predecessor could not: a balance between historical accuracy and engaging gameplay mechanics. The removal of impractical prestige-based trading, the implementation of realistic market access impacts, and the fixing of critical economic bugs demonstrate Paradox's commitment to creating a more authentic economic simulation. While Victoria 2 laid the groundwork for modeling 19th-century economics in gaming, Victoria 3's improvements in these three critical areas create a more historically accurate representation of the period's economic complexities. This accomplishment not only enhances the player's understanding of Victorian-era economics but also provides a more stable and enjoyable gaming experience that better reflects the intricate balance of global trade, industrial development, and financial management during this important historical period. I encourage both longtime fans and newcomers to the series to delve into Victoria 3 and experience its groundbreaking economic simulation firsthand, contributing to better understanding on how complex economic systems influence our world, both in history and in gaming.

Works Cited

"A Complete Understanding of Victoria 2's Markets and the Power of Foreign Investment." Victoria 2 Wiki, Paradox Interactive, vic2.paradoxwikis.com/A_Complete_Understanding_of_Victoria_2%27s_Markets_and_the_Power_of_Foreign_Investment.

Andersson, Mikael. "Deep Dive: Modeling the Global Economy in Victoria 3." Game Developer, Game Developer, 12 Jan. 2023, www.gamedeveloper.com/design/deep-dive-modeling-the-global-economy-in-victoria-3.

"Loans." Victoria 2 Wiki, Paradox Wikis, vic2.paradoxwikis.com/Loans

"Market." Victoria 3 Wiki, Paradox Wikis, vic3.paradoxwikis.com/Market

"Treasury." Victoria 3 Wiki, Paradox Wikis, vic3.paradoxwikis.com/Treasury

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Playing as Russian America and struggling to get my LD up.

Yes, I’ve Googled it and seen all the suggestions of “simply ask for stuff they won’t give you and decrease relations while getting stronger.” However…

1. All I can ask for is Regime support every few years, and natural decay mostly nullifies any long term progress from the rejection.

2. I can decrease relations, sure, but once things fall to Neutral Russia will just improve relations and it’ll outweigh my decrease, slowly driving them back up.

3. I have the 17th highest GDP in the world (~$20m), but they’re fucking Russia with like $90m.

4. I’ve managed to get two nations to support my independence (UK and Scandinavia), but absolutely no one else will. Infuriating, because UK’s support should make an independence war a cakewalk.

5. I’m furiously trying to make myself independent of the Russian market, but my influx of immigrants and private industry farting out construction makes it slow going.

Is there anything else I can do? I want my freedom, it makes me sick seeing the absurd amount of money Im losing to Russia simply for existing. Any chance the Bolsheviks historically show up and wreck their day?

I am new to Victoria 3 and when I try to play France I cannot pass laissez faire as the Orleanists. When I look online everyone says it is easy and you can do it immediately. Did they change or nerf this?

Is it possible to annext/subjugate block members? I believe the answer for vanilla is "no", it's possible with mods.

Is there a way to "grow" a good alliance or block members into part of your country? I guess this does not much sense from the real-world case: even good allies don't join into a single country... but what about "personal unions"? How to create those?

I'm asking because in my playthrough of "Germany's Hegemony" I need to ... get stronk. And I'm thinking if I should annex those countries that are members of the German Block or just leave them to stay in the block and try to live with them peacefully.

EDIT:

I've found another post (https://www.reddit.com/r/victoria3/comments/1dnztxy/subjugating\_power\_block\_members/) which says that some types of blocks allow this somehow... but I guess in my case this does not help.

Also, someone wrote that the "Vassaliation" principle allows "something" at Level 3, but I only see that it allows to enforce decrees on block members... But that's not what I want, is that?

Is there anything I can do to make all my buildings automatically privatise once I build them?

I've played as the ice untill 1910 doing nothing and he don't appear.

I then just annexed most of India as the raj and fought the massive rebellion and he still don't appear. I have all the dlc.

So yeah ... playing as Mexico and I had:

• 90%+ literacy,
• 20.1 +/- (definitely over 20.00) Average Standard of living, and
• <8% peasants as part of my population

Beyond that, had Multicultralism, Presidential Republic, Guaranteed Liberties, Protected Speech, Compulsory Public Schools, Womans Sufferage, Slavery Banned, Workers Protections, Church/State Separation.

What more do I need to do for this fricking thing? I admit that I ended with sub 20 SOL at the end of the century but still ... wtf?

Any advice / etc. is appreciated, and thanks in advance.

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After completing the "tutorial" I want to start a new game.

Interestingly enough, the game offers a few different "genres" like "hegemony" or "economic dominance". Do these "modes" have a distinctive goal to play (like getting the highest GDP for the "economic dominance" one) or are they just a "group" which means nothing?

I’m about to push out GB but I have this one patch of uncolonized land in Central Asia that’s preventing me from getting the Afghanistan protectorate mission. Do I have to take it to end the Great Game? I really don’t want to have to move around interest groups to vote in colonization just for a peice of worthless land

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Was just drinking playing pretty casually, noone seem to care about me recreating the Spanish empire,
(I instantly goes to like -300k income if the other big once embargo me which as happened for a short period). Think most rng this game have gone my way. Its just a few months after grabbing Mexico. Made Brazil an Ally, not sure, but they are on the way to joining the sovereign empire regardless.

Its factories at home, resources overseas play, Core is Spain, former Portugal and former Belgia (Spanish Nederlands had to be integrated),

Seriously, I need to compare prices in different states for every resource, every time I build something? It's like every state has it's own market. Uhh.

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I just had my most strong and fun run for now with the Ottomans, i had such a good dam RNG with laws.. Manage to research all techs and this run was wild, india didnt explode and GB conquered half of China...

Do the buildings end in my capitalists hands or the other country's? If it's the latter, it seems pointless.

I have like 400+ hours on the game but most of it is pre investment pool/private sector revamp. I am getting back into the game but am having trouble in the mid game getting my investment pool to have any kind of meaningful increase. I have steady incline as I grow my capitalists early, than a nice bump switching to lassiez faire, but after that it normally just sits stagnant with the reinvestment. What are you guys doing mid to late game (~1880) to amp up your reinvestment?

Esperanto was created in 1887. There should be a tech to install an integration for all pops.

So I’ve basically won the great game, made almost all the Middle East a protectorate, have the bar at 200 in my favor, did the China missions up till where you have to conquer Korea and helped India gain independence. So how do I officially end the great game? GB and co owns a few states in Persia and the ottomans have one state in Persia region for some reason, if I take those out will it end everything? And is there any other way to end it? I don’t feel like another war

I’m trying to unite Italy as the Papal States. The risorigimento journal says I need to reach 25% radicals to get a republic installed, but I’m never able to get above 23-24% before a revolution breaks out and it seems that event doesn’t happen if you’re in the middle of a civil war so how exactly can I complete that? Also, all the Italian states are part of the Metternich system, so they won’t unite with me to form Italy. Is it impossible to create Italy in the new update or am I missing something?

Why would I want a country to have a more similar government to mine? How can I use this to influence other countries and expand my influence?

Which is to say, Friendship Lobbies are the Best Lobbies.

This is purely because through the Magic of Friendship they trigger Problematic Policing and I get a free 5% loyalists for telling them to bugger off.

I hold this event is more impactful than pretty much all other Lobby mechanics.

So I want to make extra traits for cultures that do not fall into the "heritage trait" or "cultural trait" categories in 1.8.6, and then create extra laws for them. How would I go about making the extra category so that I could reference it in the creation of the laws? What extra files would I need to make?
Much appreciated.