| POP Demand Mod | |
|---|---|
| |
Type
|
Major Overhaul |
Author
|
Naselus, Rylock and the PDM team |
Status
|
PoD 3.06 (2014.01.02) for Victoria 2 v3.03 |
Forum
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Sub-forum |
Other
|
Mod Wiki |
The POP Demand Mod, or PDM as it is more commonly called, is a major overhaul mod for Victoria 2. It is in that way a large-scale mod which changes more or less everything in the game. PDM adds hundreds of new events, inventions, decisions, and even goods and factories. It significantly rebalances the economy, and includes the Great War mod to enable large-scale conflict in the end-game.
Introduction
Don't let the name fool you -- while the "Pop Demand Mod" started out as a discussion of how to improve and balance Victoria II's economy, it grew into a full mod focused on making the economy work smoothly but with comprehensive coverage of other areas. It not only adjusts the economy and migration mechanics but also introduces a host of new decisions, events and mechanics suggested by a wide variety of players in this sub-forum – thus providing the mod's unofficial second name: "People's Democratic Mod". It's become something of an unofficial expansion pack, and one that is continually growing as more and more gets added into it. The goal is not to change vanilla Vicky unnecessarily, but to smooth the rough edges that players experience and create a working world economy and a rich historical context for both historically-minded and sandbox players.
What is PoD? APD? Is that also PDM?
PoD is "POPs of Darkness"-- it's PDM for the "Heart of Darkness" expansion (aka HoD). APD, meanwhile, is "A Pop Divided"-- it's PDM for the "A House Divided" expansion pack (aka AHD). If you have HOD then you already have AHD, and thus don't need to worry about APD.
How does PDM differ from other major mods?
Some mods, like VRRP, are designed to balance the economy but otherwise keep as close to Victoria II mechanics as possible without introducing new events. Others, like Divergences, opt for an "alternate timeline" approach and present an entirely new what-if world history. PDM opts to change only those mechanics we feel are necessary-- though sometimes in fundamental ways -- as well as including a host of new events. The goal with it is not to force the world down a deterministic path so it aligns with actual history, but to set up events so such a path is at least possible and to otherwise ensure to include events which are historically plausible. If the player does nothing and just watches events unfold, things will tend to follow historical paths, but with ample room for divergences. Enabling players to pursue historical goals (or not) in a rich historical context is our guiding principle.
Major Features
- Balanced and expanded economy with new and alternative production chains, including 16 new goods and over 20 additional factories
- Modified POP behavior and domestic and foreign migration – more focus on available jobs and reforms and not just the presenece of “Democracy”
- Entirely re-written promotion system, so that well-off pops promote and poor pops demote
- Research point generation modified and balanced to emphasize literacy and clergy but factor in contributions from bureaucrats, capitalists, and clerks
- Revised and rebalanced tech tree, with over 100 new inventions -- it allows viable alternative paths of development rather than favoring “super techs” and breaks technology rollouts down into smaller advances (e.g., there’s more than one way to get the minimum liferating you need after 1880)
- More important role for National Focus
- Completely reworked political system, leading to greater synergy between the Upper House and government
- Revised rebels and revolutions, including event-based subsystems and "patriots" that reclaim territory
- Revised military units (e.g., distinguishing professional regulars from colonial or mobilized reserve brigades) and military combat system, including terrain combat modifiers
- Revised Casus Belli system and infamy costs, promoting sensible AI use of wargoals and making it impractical to swallow large uncivilized countries in a single bite
- Great Wars & Infamy Wars, increasing the scope of late game wars
- New unification mechanics for many cultural unions such as Germany, Italy, Arabia and Scandinavia to make these realistically achievable
- Over 50 new countries exiting at-start or that can form during the game, including many from the New Nations Mod
- Hundreds of new events and decisions, including the Taiping Rebellion, the Congress of Berlin, the Oriental Crisis, the British Dominions and the Boer Wars among many others