izigame.me

The game is good now. Is it better than Victoria 2?
I would argue it is not "better" but rather "different".
I just finished playing three separate multiplayer games and thanks to the sphere of influence changes in the free-update the games playability, mechanics, and pacing are vastly improved. Undoubtedly there are glitches and other bugs to be stomped out but my first impression is that of utter shock and joy.
Much like other paradox games -when played with players (a lot of discord servers are available and many friends are to be made, and fun to be had, so don't be shy and give it a try) there is a flurry of diplomacy. Treaties, territorial expansions/negotiations, minor powers are wooed to join other major powers political blocs. Everyone is testing the waters.
It's amazing.
Before the Sphere Of Influence game update, Vicky 3 felt... bad. It was arcadey in the sense that a player would get into a rhythm and cycle of industrial production and territorial expansion and all to often balloon their land and GDP. And.. that was really it.
Now that is not so simple. It's still possible no doubt, but now a player will find themselves more challenged to do so thanks to an updated political system, tuned resources, and tweaked combat, and new power blocs that promote competition and/or cooperation among the various major and minor powers.
The economy also feels vastly improved. It feels more weighty. Money seems harder to come by. Resources less abundant. (Example: China produces much less grain which means pops on the world market require the players attention lest they go hungry and start taking long walks outside their countries Capital building. Alternatively, this means another player can step in and fill the the gap for profit.) There is also less construction slots (For making buildings) and less infrastructure (building room) at start so the first batch of buildings are more important than ever as you need them to employ your pops, produce money and strategic goods. Poorly picked and developed buildings now have a much higher time-opportunity cost. For example, if you neglect to build admin buildings, then later if you took "too much" territory, guess what? You did not build enough admin buildings (for bureaucracy) and now you are losing out on 20%-30% of your taxes causing your economy to teeter on the edge of disaster while you frantically push the admin buildings to the front of the building que. The more debt you get the higher your interest payments grow (much like real life in the USA) leaving your player country vulnerable to rival nations or perhaps, tempting offers from other players to bail out your debt, or give you direct funds- for a price...
Also, the new Power Bloc means over expansion could spiral out of control another way and possibly cost you your entire dominion as happened to a friend of mine who was playing the UK one game. Now, such massive territorial gains cause a loss of cohesion in a Major Power's power bloc which can cause the other puppets and protectorates you control to start sharpening their knives and looking to exit your Political bloc if not annexed or adopted into your domain with grace and care. Gone are the days of rampant inconsequential expansionism and I AM HERE FOR IT.
Overall, the game feels like it is a breathing simulation.
Is it perfect? Of course not, but Victoria 3 just took a massive step forward and I would wholeheartedly recommend the game.
It is genuinely fun now, especially when played with others.
My advice: Find a Discord lobby, heck, find three, make some friends, and have a ton of fun playing online. There are lots of chill players -such as myself- to meet and play with and these games are magnitudes better when played with friends or strangers.
If you have been waiting for Victoria 3 to get good before you buy/play it...
Now is the time.