For the Glory
Encyclopedia
For the Glory is a grand strategy wargame
that is based on Europa Universalis II
and its Europa Engine. It was developed by Crystal Empire Games, a studio composed of members of the Europe Universalis II modification
"Alternative Grand Campaign / Event Exchange Project" (AGCEEP) team, and published by Paradox Interactive
. It was announced on September 4, 2009 and was released November 10/11, 2009. The game is available for Windows based personal computers.
In For the Glory, the player chooses from over 190 nations spanning the 1000 province globe to guide a single nation from 1399 to 1819, managing its economy, military, political alliances, scientific development, exploration and colonization, religious affairs, and internal stability. It features over 10,000 historically accurate events and rulers.
The game's reviews praised its immersive experience in the history of the period, its improved graphics, and its enhanced interfaces (when compared to its Europa Universalis 2 start point). However, multiplayer stability issues, laborious management, and irritating sound effects soured opinions.
, which flows continuously during gameplay, rather than taking place in turns
. The player is able to pause the game, speed up, or slow down time at her or his whim. Unlike most real-time strategy games, the focus is not on military management. Instead, as with other grand strategy titles, the player manages their chosen nation juggling the nation's economy, military, political alliances, scientific development, exploration and colonization, religious affairs, and internal stability.
A major aspect of For the Glory is managing domestic policies. Every ten in-games years, and through events, the player can use sliders to determine domestic policies, which impact the game. Balancing the nation's budget and keeping a lid on inflation is another primary objective. Money is used for multiple things including funding the military, trade, and research. The player can invest funds in their country's stability as well, and stability affects just about every aspect of a nation's performance. Instability is usually the result of in-game actions, such as declaring war on a neighboring country without a casus belli
, and it can also be influenced by events. Low stability means land and naval forces stand a greater chance of losing battles; the frequency of internal rebellions rises; diplomatic actions are less successful; and the founding and expansion of colonies are more likely to fail.
Foreign policy and interaction with computer-controlled nations is another sizable facet in For the Glory. AI
nations work to maintain the balance of power. If a player tries to conquer territory quickly, his or her international reputation will tarnish, AI
nations are more likely to form alliances
against the player. Besides brute force there are other methods to nation-building. Through diplomacy, it's possible to vassal
or annex other countries. Aggressive actions still negatively impact country's' reputation, but less than taking territory by force. Also, a casus belli makes the war seem less threatening, reducing the impact on reputation. Casus belli can come through events or religious differences, but the player can also use diplomacy to create one. The player can influence their neighbors as well, with the effectiveness of diplomatic actions determined by the ruler's diplomacy skill.
Battles take place in real time, but the player doesn't have significant control over them. Conflicts between armies are resolved and if the invader wins they besiege the province's garrison. Once the player starves out the garrison, the player controls the province. However, occupation does not equal ownership in For the Glory. Instead, the enemy must agree to cede the territory in a peace treaty, and the likelihood that they'll agree to terms is determined by how much territory the player controls and how well their units fared in battle.
The interface, graphics, and tool tips were improved and modernized when compared to its Europa Universalis II starting point. The number of resolutions
supported was increased as well.
A number of new For the Glory features now impact performance in battle, including terrain and weather. These elements now also impact losses from attrition
. Weather still affects naval attrition, but the player's fleets now automatically sail to the nearest friendly port when in danger of sinking. The AI now concentrates its forces, making combat against nonplayer nations more difficult.
For the Glory features thousands of new events, both random and historical, the majority of which are country-specific. This is the result of years of intense research, design and post-playtest development from the collegial "AGCEEP" (Alternative Grand Campaign - Event Exchange Program) modification team from the Europa Universalis II fora.
Being born from the demands and creativity of the EUII mod community, For the Glory is predictably modification
friendly.
Grand strategy wargame
A grand strategy wargame is a wargame that places focus on grand strategy: military strategy at the level of movement and use of an entire nation state or empire's resources.-Scope of games:...
that is based on Europa Universalis II
Europa Universalis II
Europa Universalis II is an empire-building, computer strategy game based on European and world history spanning a timeline between 1419 through 1820.-Gameplay:...
and its Europa Engine. It was developed by Crystal Empire Games, a studio composed of members of the Europe Universalis II modification
Mod (computer gaming)
Mod or modification is a term generally applied to personal computer games , especially first-person shooters, role-playing games and real-time strategy games. Mods are made by the general public or a developer, and can be entirely new games in themselves, but mods are not standalone software and...
"Alternative Grand Campaign / Event Exchange Project" (AGCEEP) team, and published by Paradox Interactive
Paradox Interactive
-External links:*...
. It was announced on September 4, 2009 and was released November 10/11, 2009. The game is available for Windows based personal computers.
In For the Glory, the player chooses from over 190 nations spanning the 1000 province globe to guide a single nation from 1399 to 1819, managing its economy, military, political alliances, scientific development, exploration and colonization, religious affairs, and internal stability. It features over 10,000 historically accurate events and rulers.
The game's reviews praised its immersive experience in the history of the period, its improved graphics, and its enhanced interfaces (when compared to its Europa Universalis 2 start point). However, multiplayer stability issues, laborious management, and irritating sound effects soured opinions.
Gameplay
For the Glory is in real timeReal-time strategy
Real-time strategy is a sub-genre of strategy video game which does not progress incrementally in turns. Brett Sperry is credited with coining the term to market Dune II....
, which flows continuously during gameplay, rather than taking place in turns
Turn-based strategy
A turn-based strategy game is a strategy game where players take turns when playing...
. The player is able to pause the game, speed up, or slow down time at her or his whim. Unlike most real-time strategy games, the focus is not on military management. Instead, as with other grand strategy titles, the player manages their chosen nation juggling the nation's economy, military, political alliances, scientific development, exploration and colonization, religious affairs, and internal stability.
A major aspect of For the Glory is managing domestic policies. Every ten in-games years, and through events, the player can use sliders to determine domestic policies, which impact the game. Balancing the nation's budget and keeping a lid on inflation is another primary objective. Money is used for multiple things including funding the military, trade, and research. The player can invest funds in their country's stability as well, and stability affects just about every aspect of a nation's performance. Instability is usually the result of in-game actions, such as declaring war on a neighboring country without a casus belli
Casus belli
is a Latin expression meaning the justification for acts of war. means "incident", "rupture" or indeed "case", while means bellic...
, and it can also be influenced by events. Low stability means land and naval forces stand a greater chance of losing battles; the frequency of internal rebellions rises; diplomatic actions are less successful; and the founding and expansion of colonies are more likely to fail.
Foreign policy and interaction with computer-controlled nations is another sizable facet in For the Glory. AI
Artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence is the intelligence of machines and the branch of computer science that aims to create it. AI textbooks define the field as "the study and design of intelligent agents" where an intelligent agent is a system that perceives its environment and takes actions that maximize its...
nations work to maintain the balance of power. If a player tries to conquer territory quickly, his or her international reputation will tarnish, AI
Ai
AI, A.I., Ai, or ai may refer to:- Computers :* Artificial intelligence, a branch of computer science* Ad impression, in online advertising* .ai, the ISO Internet 2-letter country code for Anguilla...
nations are more likely to form alliances
Alliance
An alliance is an agreement or friendship between two or more parties, made in order to advance common goals and to secure common interests.See also military alliance and business alliance.-International relations:...
against the player. Besides brute force there are other methods to nation-building. Through diplomacy, it's possible to vassal
Vassal
A vassal or feudatory is a person who has entered into a mutual obligation to a lord or monarch in the context of the feudal system in medieval Europe. The obligations often included military support and mutual protection, in exchange for certain privileges, usually including the grant of land held...
or annex other countries. Aggressive actions still negatively impact country's' reputation, but less than taking territory by force. Also, a casus belli makes the war seem less threatening, reducing the impact on reputation. Casus belli can come through events or religious differences, but the player can also use diplomacy to create one. The player can influence their neighbors as well, with the effectiveness of diplomatic actions determined by the ruler's diplomacy skill.
Battles take place in real time, but the player doesn't have significant control over them. Conflicts between armies are resolved and if the invader wins they besiege the province's garrison. Once the player starves out the garrison, the player controls the province. However, occupation does not equal ownership in For the Glory. Instead, the enemy must agree to cede the territory in a peace treaty, and the likelihood that they'll agree to terms is determined by how much territory the player controls and how well their units fared in battle.
Development
For the Glory was created by Crystal Empire Games, development studio created in June 2008 after the announcement of the Europa Engine Licensing Program by Paradox Interactive. Crystal Empire Games draws upon talent from around the world with many team members having been active in the Paradox Interactive community for years, contributing mods and tools dedicated to the company’s games.The interface, graphics, and tool tips were improved and modernized when compared to its Europa Universalis II starting point. The number of resolutions
Display resolution
The display resolution of a digital television or display device is the number of distinct pixels in each dimension that can be displayed. It can be an ambiguous term especially as the displayed resolution is controlled by all different factors in cathode ray tube , flat panel or projection...
supported was increased as well.
A number of new For the Glory features now impact performance in battle, including terrain and weather. These elements now also impact losses from attrition
Attrition warfare
Attrition warfare is a military strategy in which a belligerent side attempts to win a war by wearing down its enemy to the point of collapse through continuous losses in personnel and matériel....
. Weather still affects naval attrition, but the player's fleets now automatically sail to the nearest friendly port when in danger of sinking. The AI now concentrates its forces, making combat against nonplayer nations more difficult.
For the Glory features thousands of new events, both random and historical, the majority of which are country-specific. This is the result of years of intense research, design and post-playtest development from the collegial "AGCEEP" (Alternative Grand Campaign - Event Exchange Program) modification team from the Europa Universalis II fora.
Being born from the demands and creativity of the EUII mod community, For the Glory is predictably modification
Mod (computer gaming)
Mod or modification is a term generally applied to personal computer games , especially first-person shooters, role-playing games and real-time strategy games. Mods are made by the general public or a developer, and can be entirely new games in themselves, but mods are not standalone software and...
friendly.