PDOX Games VIII: Communism Will Win

[Abserdia]

I think I’ve gotten claims on duchies with my chancellor in non-capital counties.

[Purpelia]

What ever the case is fact is it's not even remotely reliable as a source of gaining more land. Which is why Christians suck in the game. Zero blob potential.

[Bralia]

What ever the case is fact is it's not even remotely reliable as a source of gaining more land. Which is why Christians suck in the game. Zero blob potential.

Okay, I haven't been paying any attention to your conversation at all, but if you're going to reduce it to that soundbite, I'm just going to say your downright damn wrong. I've been blobbing hard all game and almost all thanks to the Pope. Gaining claims has never been easier.

[Purpelia]

What ever the case is fact is it's not even remotely reliable as a source of gaining more land. Which is why Christians suck in the game. Zero blob potential.

Okay, I haven't been paying any attention to your conversation at all, but if you're going to reduce it to that soundbite, I'm just going to say your downright damn wrong. I've been blobbing hard all game and almost all thanks to the Pope. Gaining claims has never been easier.

I will admit not to have tried it since the pagan expansion came out. What ever the one that lets you play as the vikings is called. But from my memory your only real option was to wait for Crusades which take forever to start or to fabricate claims which happens once in a blue moon. How much has that changed?

[Washington Resistance Army]

So I decided to take a spin as the US in the new update for the Cold War mod and my god boys, we've almost done it.

I already crushed the communists in Korea and after a horribly long slog in China my forces are finally turning the tide against Mao and Chiang now his outnumbered by 2-3 and with American help we're quickly driving towards Beijing.

Best timeline.

[The Batavia]

I'm not forgetting any of that, nor am I biased.

Look into the conflicts between Christian and Muslim states during the Middle Ages, especially the larger ones involving multiple participants. The Muslims are often far more organized and united, whereas the Christians are typically comprised of scheming, ambitious, or cowardly lords who'd sooner beat a Christian of a different sect than work with him. For fucks sake, the Crusaders literally fight against the Byzantines in the Third Crusade. I don't even need to mention the Fourth Crusade. Unless I missed something, Sunni's and Shi'ites were able to unite together to fight the Crusaders and never broke their alliance. The same could not be said for Orthodox and Catholic Christians, as the Crusaders and Byzantines were constantly scheming and betraying each other.

This disunity and failed alliance did in fact hamper the Crusaders' efforts to hold onto the Holy Land and also the Byzantines' efforts to retake lost territory.

Not to mention that some of the Crusader Orders (Like the Teutonic Order) Were some of the first states to convert to Protestantism.

[Frievolk]

I'm not forgetting any of that, nor am I biased.

Look into the conflicts between Christian and Muslim states during the Middle Ages, especially the larger ones involving multiple participants. The Muslims are often far more organized and united, whereas the Christians are typically comprised of scheming, ambitious, or cowardly lords who'd sooner beat a Christian of a different sect than work with him. For fucks sake, the Crusaders literally fight against the Byzantines in the Third Crusade. I don't even need to mention the Fourth Crusade. Unless I missed something, Sunni's and Shi'ites were able to unite together to fight the Crusaders and never broke their alliance. The same could not be said for Orthodox and Catholic Christians, as the Crusaders and Byzantines were constantly scheming and betraying each other.

This disunity and failed alliance did in fact hamper the Crusaders' efforts to hold onto the Holy Land and also the Byzantines' efforts to retake lost territory.

I mean, the Shia and the Sunni had this thing called the Persian-Ottoman wars that started as soon as the Shia were capable of forming a Powerful Country.

[The Imperial Reach]

Okay, I haven't been paying any attention to your conversation at all, but if you're going to reduce it to that soundbite, I'm just going to say your downright damn wrong. I've been blobbing hard all game and almost all thanks to the Pope. Gaining claims has never been easier.

I will admit not to have tried it since the pagan expansion came out. What ever the one that lets you play as the vikings is called. But from my memory your only real option was to wait for Crusades which take forever to start or to fabricate claims which happens once in a blue moon. How much has that changed?

If the Pope likes you enough you can have him grant you claims on titles held by other Catholic characters. AI can't use it, and since the Pope is easy to befriend it's a pretty viable method of expansion. Just drop your Court Chaplain in Rome to improve relations with the clergy and he'll automatically make the Pope like you more, as unlike the Chancellor's improve relations mission the Court Chaplain's doesn't fail.

So I decided to take a spin as the US in the new update for the Cold War mod and my god boys, we've almost done it.

I already crushed the communists in Korea and after a horribly long slog in China my forces are finally turning the tide against Mao and Chiang now his outnumbered by 2-3 and with American help we're quickly driving towards Beijing.

Best timeline.

This just proves we're in the darkest timeline.

I'm not forgetting any of that, nor am I biased.

Look into the conflicts between Christian and Muslim states during the Middle Ages, especially the larger ones involving multiple participants. The Muslims are often far more organized and united, whereas the Christians are typically comprised of scheming, ambitious, or cowardly lords who'd sooner beat a Christian of a different sect than work with him. For fucks sake, the Crusaders literally fight against the Byzantines in the Third Crusade. I don't even need to mention the Fourth Crusade. Unless I missed something, Sunni's and Shi'ites were able to unite together to fight the Crusaders and never broke their alliance. The same could not be said for Orthodox and Catholic Christians, as the Crusaders and Byzantines were constantly scheming and betraying each other.

This disunity and failed alliance did in fact hamper the Crusaders' efforts to hold onto the Holy Land and also the Byzantines' efforts to retake lost territory.

Not to mention that some of the Crusader Orders (Like the Teutonic Order) Were some of the first states to convert to Protestantism.

I'm not forgetting any of that, nor am I biased.

Look into the conflicts between Christian and Muslim states during the Middle Ages, especially the larger ones involving multiple participants. The Muslims are often far more organized and united, whereas the Christians are typically comprised of scheming, ambitious, or cowardly lords who'd sooner beat a Christian of a different sect than work with him. For fucks sake, the Crusaders literally fight against the Byzantines in the Third Crusade. I don't even need to mention the Fourth Crusade. Unless I missed something, Sunni's and Shi'ites were able to unite together to fight the Crusaders and never broke their alliance. The same could not be said for Orthodox and Catholic Christians, as the Crusaders and Byzantines were constantly scheming and betraying each other.

This disunity and failed alliance did in fact hamper the Crusaders' efforts to hold onto the Holy Land and also the Byzantines' efforts to retake lost territory.

I mean, the Shia and the Sunni had this thing called the Persian-Ottoman wars that started as soon as the Shia were capable of forming a Powerful Country.

Wrong era. I was talking about the Middle Ages, which ended in 1453. The first Ottoman-Persian war began in 1514 and the Protestant Reformation didn't begin until 1517.

[Bralia]

And so it comes to an end. I think I only need to share two screenshots to show off the interesting parts of the world:

Upper Christianity and Lower Christianity. The bottom half of the map largely remains Orthodox, although the Maghreb leader become Christian for some odd reason, in the final years. The vast majority of the Muslims reside within the Kakuyid and Fatimid realms and the religion won't be getting back up after the last Crusade seized and formed that Arabian state.

Think I'm going to try a shattered world now, I want to play in range of China. Can't decide if I want to keep religions historical or not, though, being a normal Zoroastrian is tempting . . .

[The Imperial Reach]

And so it comes to an end. I think I only need to share two screenshots to show off the interesting parts of the world:

Upper Christianity and Lower Christianity. The bottom half of the map largely remains Orthodox, although the Maghreb leader become Christian for some odd reason, in the final years. The vast majority of the Muslims reside within the Kakuyid and Fatimid realms and the religion won't be getting back up after the last Crusade seized and formed that Arabian state.

Think I'm going to try a shattered world now, I want to play in range of China. Can't decide if I want to keep religions historical or not, though, being a normal Zoroastrian is tempting . . .

I think you mean Fathid, because I see no Fatimid on the map.

Anyway, obligatory DEUS VULT!

[Bralia]

And so it comes to an end. I think I only need to share two screenshots to show off the interesting parts of the world:

Upper Christianity and Lower Christianity. The bottom half of the map largely remains Orthodox, although the Maghreb leader become Christian for some odd reason, in the final years. The vast majority of the Muslims reside within the Kakuyid and Fatimid realms and the religion won't be getting back up after the last Crusade seized and formed that Arabian state.

Think I'm going to try a shattered world now, I want to play in range of China. Can't decide if I want to keep religions historical or not, though, being a normal Zoroastrian is tempting . . .

I think you mean Fathid, because I see no Fatimid on the map.

Anyway, obligatory DEUS VULT!

The Fatimids are behind the war declarations from a French revolt and the Kaiser being a dick and literally declaring on that very last day to seize France from me.

[Ithalian Empire]

So I decided to take a spin as the US in the new update for the Cold War mod and my god boys, we've almost done it.

I already crushed the communists in Korea and after a horribly long slog in China my forces are finally turning the tide against Mao and Chiang now his outnumbered by 2-3 and with American help we're quickly driving towards Beijing.

Best timeline.

Macarthur isnt in command of that army, 0/10 not based enough.

[The Huskar Social Union]

So I decided to take a spin as the US in the new update for the Cold War mod and my god boys, we've almost done it.

I already crushed the communists in Korea and after a horribly long slog in China my forces are finally turning the tide against Mao and Chiang now his outnumbered by 2-3 and with American help we're quickly driving towards Beijing.

Best timeline.

See when you recruit soldiers in your game, do they actually deploy or do you have to manually do it? Because my divisions get the equipment but the units dont actually start training and just sit there until i deploy them as recruits.

[Abserdia]

A German Shi'ite adventurer actually conquered Bavaria.

I like him.

[Ithalian Empire]

A German Shi'ite adventurer actually conquered Bavaria.

I like him.

Disgusting. 100% disgusting. Bavaria has no right being that large.

[Abserdia]

I sure do love when your daughter-in-law kills your son and heir who also happens to be the king of France so you have to kill your granddaughters to inherit France but everything gets messed up so then your new heir for some reason ends up being your daughter who's patrilineally married to a Karling at the age of 30-something so you have to invite her husband to your court and execute him so you can marry your daughter to your son.

Also ??????????????????
That's my grandson ??????????????????

[Bralia]

I sure do love when your daughter-in-law kills your son and heir who also happens to be the king of France so you have to kill your granddaughters to inherit France but everything gets messed up so then your new heir for some reason ends up being your daughter who's patrilineally married to a Karling at the age of 30-something so you have to invite her husband to your court and execute him so you can marry your daughter to your son.

Also ??????????????????
That's my grandson ??????????????????

What in the world happened to Rome?

[Abserdia]

I sure do love when your daughter-in-law kills your son and heir who also happens to be the king of France so you have to kill your granddaughters to inherit France but everything gets messed up so then your new heir for some reason ends up being your daughter who's patrilineally married to a Karling at the age of 30-something so you have to invite her husband to your court and execute him so you can marry your daughter to your son.

Also ??????????????????
That's my grandson ??????????????????

What in the world happened to Rome?

Last I checked, some Bishop went on a conquering spree. I’m not sure what’s going on in this Godforsaken world.

[The Imperial Reach]

I sure do love when your daughter-in-law kills your son and heir who also happens to be the king of France so you have to kill your granddaughters to inherit France but everything gets messed up so then your new heir for some reason ends up being your daughter who's patrilineally married to a Karling at the age of 30-something so you have to invite her husband to your court and execute him so you can marry your daughter to your son.

Also ??????????????????
That's my grandson ??????????????????

This is revolting.

A German Shi'ite adventurer actually conquered Bavaria.

I like him.

This, however, is a crime against humanity.

[Great Confederacy of Commonwealth States]

A German Shi'ite adventurer actually conquered Bavaria.

I like him.

Once, I saw an African adventurer take control of Bavaria. He became the head of the Rain Warriors. He is doing rather well for himself!

[Washington Resistance Army]

You ever dab on Japan so hard that you take negative casualties?

[Lunas Legion]

You ever dab on Japan so hard that you take negative casualties?

So...

You managed to recruit 10,000 Japanese people to fight for you from their army? Is that how that works?

[Washington Resistance Army]

You ever dab on Japan so hard that you take negative casualties?

So...

You managed to recruit 10,000 Japanese people to fight for you from their army? Is that how that works?

I, well, I don't really know actually. A united China is so powerful it breaks reality apparently.

[The Huskar Social Union]

So...

You managed to recruit 10,000 Japanese people to fight for you from their army? Is that how that works?

I, well, I don't really know actually. A united China is so powerful it breaks reality apparently.

Obviously the only logical scenario is Chinese scientists opened up a dimensional portal to bring even more Chinese soldiers through.

[Purpelia]

You ever dab on Japan so hard that you take negative casualties?

So...

You managed to recruit 10,000 Japanese people to fight for you from their army? Is that how that works?

He triggered a number overflow bug.

TLDR computers store negative numbers and positive numbers both in the same way. To them it's just a positive number in binary. As in, if the PC had a 3 digit number option you could use the same field to store numbers [0-999] or [-499,500]. And if you saved one of each type and picked say -499 and 0 and you took a microscope and looked at the physical imprint of both on your hard drive you'd see that they are exactly the same. No difference. The only thing that changes is that the PC knows to read 0 or -499 based on an additional flag added separately.

Additionally, a quirk of this notation means that if you took the number 500 (unsigned) and added 1 you'd get 501 because the unsigned numbers go up to 999. But if you took 999 and added 1 you'd get 0. It loops back. With signed numbers that means adding 1 to the highest possible number (500 in our example) actually flips back and makes it -499.

You don't see this happen often in video games because a) PC numbers go up to +/-2'147'483'647 and b) programmers are generally smart enough to handle stupid overflows like that. But apparently HOI4 is optimized badly enough that #a can happen because #b failed to.


Note: The above explanation is hyper simplified and not intended for computer savvy people. More like for your average grandma. So keep that in mind and accept some details have been changed or omitted.