Yep. And what defines "Major Expansion"? Tech trees like HOI4? Few additional mechanics like in Stellaris?
Anything they like basically, it's completely ambiguous. I've probably spent £150 on EUIV and I've had my money's worth - easily. But i'm not going going to spend that and more on another PDS game, it's just got ridiculous now, at £15 and then a heavy discount, I could justify the DLC previously. At these prices? no way.
I just don't want to start down another path with another PDS game where i'm milked for years, I've also hardly played CKII which I've got a few DLC for. So I think I might just skip CKIII altogether, i've not followed development at all, so I can't be that bothered.
On top of that, there's a lot more replayability left in EUIV with mods and overhauls, especially with MEIOU and Taxes, and there's the the Bronze Age mod for IR.
Do I really need to spend another penny on PDS titles? Not really, and I agree with Republic of Play's takes an the 1.4 free update.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdtWCedFuGc
To go off on a tangent:
Is IR worth spending any more money on? I don't think so right now. My take all along was they should have gone with an EU style Empire Builder, not a CKII/EUIV mashup, the two types of games don't work well together, and we've ended up with two unsatisfying games (although I have enjoyed IR to soem degree) in one, with the added problem of spending development resources too thinly exascerbating the problem further. I find the character element unengaging and a chore, especially in a Republic where it's an ever changing cast of people who I haven't the time, energy or inclanation to keep track of, all of this takes time away from managing my nation which I enjoy microing although I have zero interest in min maxing
A character event pops up, and my inner reaction is the one I have at work when I'm interrupted "What now?, I'm busy"
To sum up central flaw in IR -it's who am I? - Because you're always the spirit of the nation onmipotent, but also always to some degree playing an RPG game. Yet, only the SOTN play has heft, the RPG element bogs the whole experience down, in an endless round of pretty meaningless short term busy work, whereas planning, managing and seeing the benefits of my efforts pay off long-term is satisfying. I can't think of a single character interaction in over 100 years of a my current Carthage play through that any any long term impact, or was in any way memorable, apart for a cicvil war which I provoked into being to see how the game would handle it.
Have they plonked a load of EU game play into CKIII? Nope, because it doesn't require it and it would not improve the game. And I think CKIII will have a much better launch than IR because it clearly has a single indentity and obviously because it's a sequel with the base game already in place.
