Browsing the steam sales today and found this game...searched CZcams for some reviews and ended up back to this amazing channel... We miss you so much, rest in peace.
Not only Theology. Medieval universities generally had four courses: Law, Medicine, Theology and Arts. The Arts courses in particular involved a lot of readings of Aristotle and others Greek philosophers. It was there that "natural philosophy", the seedbed of modern Science, first became a thing. Also a lot of what was taught in Theology was dialectics. Debate was encouraged, not frowned upon.
I believe he names them at the beginning of the video, as well as mentions a mod that adds Austria. I imagine that, eventually, more countries will be added.
thank you for turning me on... to this great game! these reviews are well done, well written, researched, and narrated. keep up the awesome work. consider me subscribed sir.
Not only was the Catholic Church not the reason we got into the "Dark Ages" (that was general politic instability after the fall of Rome), it was one of the main reasons we got out of it and into the Renaissance (the Church helped preserve Greek and Roman texts, founded the first universities, commissioned many of the works of art).
From the democracy 2 demo, I seem to recall policies have different speeds at witch they affect various things. For instance, one quarter after removing the agricultural subsidies, they where still influencing obesity. It was getting better, but not gone immediately.
hum.. How can you make a socialist and liberal country ? that makes no sense, if you're socialist, your are not liberal and if you are liberal, you are not socialist ! And why differenciate liberalism and capitalism ?? What's the difference, there are synonymes ! Sorry for my english, I'm french (and socialist/communist)
No its not like its more like if you are a liberal you not conservative and if your a socialist you are not capitalist also look at germany its a liberal and socialist country
Also liberals likes freedom like LGBT and freedom of information, and etc. The capitalist is like the people of free market economy, cooperation, and etc. The socialist is diffrent from capitalist they are people that like to tax the rich and make everyone equal and also they like the poor people
Adding more mechanics are good place to start. Maybe add diplomacy aspect with other countries? Military security? Economic security? Joint projects? Stategic goals? Cold war? Real wars? World domination? Idealogic aspects (like reintroducing Imperialism)? It's just few things that I come up during my writing of this comment. Developers could add a lot more content into it, instead they choose to cash out and do only bare minimal.
I've dealt with a bunch of responses to my initial comment and this is the first one that really makes sense. Though, my first thought regarding excessive corn production is be that a lot of it would be taken up by ethanol.
That depends on which definition you're going by, and there are several different ones, because language is about ideas, and ideas vary quite a lot even when standardized to some degree. Going by the definition for my Political Science class last year, a Republic is a type of Democracy.
As I said, Germany - 30 guns per 100 people, France same ammount. In Poland there is less than 5 guns per 100 people. Statisticly 20% of murders are "family drama", and most of them are preceded by a long period of domestic violence, and generally there are simmilar chances that attacker will die, if guns are legal.
Farm subsidies can enable a much higher energy diet. A real life example being all the high fructose corn syrup the US uses due to oversupply of maize from agricultural subsidies.
I'm not entirely sold on how many hours I'd spend on this (ie, how variables things are - if I can rapidly find an 'optimal' path, then further plays are less interesting), but I will say the interface is *excellent*, and the gameplay itself looks to be a number-cruncher like myself's dream come true.
When i make myself "Züricher Geschnetzeltes", just for myself, the 500g meat alone costs around 6-8 Euros. Not to mention the onions, garlic, small Champignons, cream, spices etc.
Farm subsidies increase the unhealthiness of food in general. It's not so much as "we have more corn because of farm subsidies" as it is "we have more corn syrup" and other unhealthy by-products of farm goods. Rail subsidies (at least in America) were supported by very capitalistic people. When building the transcontinental it was subsidies and capitalists working together that got it to work.
Why the definitions of "liberal" and "conservative" are almost to some degree inverted between Europe and the U.S. is probably because societies in both have very different origins and therefore have different histories in which to "conserve." Centuries of monarchies have shaped the European view on the role of government and what constitutes "conservative" while a rebellion from government, (as reflected in the writing of John Locke) define the U.S. mindset regarding both definitions.
True. And no I don't know what you're talking about lol, demolition man didn't even have Arnold in it, if I remember correctly. That was the film where the detective is frozen and wakes up in the future right?
Have you seen any statistics from drug use and crime since the start of the 'War on Drugs'? Making something illegal does not make it go away. If a legal substance was made illegal, but all current users continued to use, 'crime' would go up by that amount. It makes perfect sense and can be seen many places in real life.
The assumption there is that 100% of your income is your money. Yet what enabled that income? The fact that you have roads to drive on, that you were protected by the police and the military, that you had good genes, a good upbringing, good teachers, good parents and good opportunities. And you aren't personally responsible for any of those. Marginal utility implies having money be more equally distributed results in more well-being overall.
I currently have a project in civics class that requires me (and 4 other people) to create a party and campaign our party. I was already interested in this game, but I just purchased it to help me figure out what people want in the national defense platform. Thank you for this review!
Likely, watching it reminded me of the games with the ships sent colonise planets. More ships sent in less time the harder it is to keep things the way they are.
As I said higher, I got chart about availability of weapons in EU countries. Germany is 8 on list after zerland, Finland, Serbia, Cyprus, Sweeden, Norway, France and Austria - but there is no big difference between Sweeden and Germany.
Not every game should be for everyone. It isn't a cop-out, it is a good thing. When a publisher tries to make a game for everyone, you end up with Dragon Age 2. Planescape Torment for example isn't for everyone, and it's amazing.
During the dark ages, the church also suppressed translations of the Bible into languages the common people could read, because it was at that time little more than an instrument of political power. Raising taxes on cigarettes, as correctly shown by the game, helps deter smoking; a family trying to get a member to quit could very well take advantage of this. And, as I've mentioned in another comment, countries like Norway and Japan have cheap and plentiful food but very low obesity.
Dude, I am from Serbia and to carry a weapon it is very difficult to obtain permit. Majority of people that can carry weapon here are members of police, army, security agency or hunters. As a hunter it is very hard to obtain permit. For personal protection - getting weapon permit in Serbia is abysmal difficulty.
You should really never cancel policies. Lowering it to near minimum is usually better than completely cutting it (especially when it costs more than twice as much to remove it than it does to lower it).
I like these type of games, but I wasn't too sure about this one. However, you have completely convinced me and this seems like something that I would enjoy immensely.
Jericho: nuclear bombardment =/= ground invasion Wouldn't a well armed underground have a decent shot of at least slowing down the invading troops? (like France) I seem to recall that the abundance of civilian guns was a large factor why Japan did not land ground troops on US soil in WWII
It's absolutism to think starting the use of force is always wrong. If you see someone drowning next to you that you could have easily helped and yet do nothing I think it's justifiable to punish you in some fashion because having such a punishment on the books means people will be better off since now people will help each other. Which is why not reporting a crime that you know of is aiding and abetting and punishable because having such a punishment gives people the right kinds of incentives.
Couple other things I was thinking of too would be actual animated/spoken advisors...especially when they "want to speak with you" that way they can say exactly what is bothering them instead of just....something. Also i noticed when playing the U.S. for example there are just some policies you can totally get rid of. You can...not fund them but not actually cancel some. Thats something Id like to see changed. But of course im just throwing out some wishful thinking. lol
16:30 *Cancels all AG Subsidsies* *Next turn* *Severe Drought conditions cause farmers to just not "bring it in" because it will end up cost prohibitive to do such an action* *Obesity problem becomes malnourishment problem*
I agree! I would watch it. I enjoy TB's objective opinions on the game as well as watching him goofing off, but I feel like seeing his thought process and how well the game allows him to do what he wants to would be the best way for me to decide if 25 dollars is a fair price for this game.
Kinda depends. I can take 20 bucks and buy the supplies to make me a pot of pasta or something that will last me for 10 meals or so but then again I know how to cook inexpensively. The guys I work with don't know how to cook like that or at all of several of them. You shoulda seen how surprised they were when after I said I was gonna bring chili to the poker game I brought Chili instead of hormel with home made jalapano cornbread.
Also any chance you will make a video series for it? similar to lords of the arena? maybe not as often but maybe 1 every week or so? it would help new players understand the game and give you an excuse to show off your political preferences :D
He was referring to the DDR, the soviet "socialist" eastern part of Germany during the Cold War period. But that'd be weird in a modern politics simulator..
Obviously, they have to be controlled. As I said, weapon should be reginstered, so it can be recognised after shot. But it should be availabe to all people after proper courses and tests. Not like "You won't get it, cause police officer says so"
this would be great with some like civilization type vids or something like that...where when making choices you see the effects in a short vid...something like that would make it a bit more....visually appealing....
Crime can sell at lower prices than legal product, because legal product can't be sold at a very low price, for the same reason there are taxes on alcohol, tobacco and in certain countries unhealthy food. Governments don't want to take away a disincentive for doing things that are bad for its citizens (taking drugs and such). Mind though, this is not the only thing that can happen, but it does answer your question (How CAN legalizing etc etc)
True, however, people seem too like making healthy foods cost more... besides, if it counts things like ice cream, chocolate, and soda, well... OH, and I believe it also counts things such as poptarts
I wish there was a game that combined alot of the depth this game has with the world management of Tropico and the political competition in Political Machine. That would be a freakin fantastic game. Also does this game cover foreign affairs any?
May i slide in? I will make a slider that slides your fov slider more efficient. The sliding capabilities will be phenomenal. You`ll be able to slide that slider with such sliding precision; no sliding man with a slider will be able to slide to more of a degree.
This game isn't really my taste but I think it would be much more inviting with some more art in there like for different events and other things would help bring the game alive just my two cents though. Great vid as always TB!
Two things: 1.) The people in the upper 1% change all the time (Thomas Sowell) 2.) To get the money in his bank, Romney worked. E.g. My Grandad worked all his life, he is now very rich and lives off the interest in his bank. You want to take that money from him and give it to someone who is dumb enough to work a shit job.
I like the political capital system a lot more. I think that if it more accurately simulated party politics, it'd instantly become a niche-only title. Political capital allows for the player to enact their fantasies, while still being grounded enough to not distract overly much from the game's verisimilitude. I don't think you actually want what you're saying you want. Just imagine how much less fun it'd be if you actually could get cockblocked by congress in your fictional US. You'd get bored.
Not really. Switzerland has mandatory service, and yet is probably the least militaristic country in Europe, as it pretty much never carries out actual military actions on other countries, nor is the Army a huge part of their economy or budget. That kind of thing is better measured by looking at a country's budget or by looking at what they actually do.
The idea that the Middle Ages were "dark" is also considered wrong by modern historians. There were many contributions to a lot of fields like maths, engineering, medicine etc were made at the time, not only in Europe, but also the Middle East and Asia.
We miss you John. You were a hero to consumers everywhere.
:(
I’d even say he was about customers, not just consumers.
I love how the loading message is "gerrymandering constituencies."
Browsing the steam sales today and found this game...searched CZcams for some reviews and ended up back to this amazing channel... We miss you so much, rest in peace.
I didn't imagine TB would be able to make me like a game about politics. :\
I really want to make Futurama's neutral planet in this game. Even if I cant, it'd be interesting trying to be indifferent about everything
TB was the best game reviewer. Whenever i can, i still look to see if he had a video on the game in question.
We miss you TB.
Not only Theology. Medieval universities generally had four courses: Law, Medicine, Theology and Arts. The Arts courses in particular involved a lot of readings of Aristotle and others Greek philosophers. It was there that "natural philosophy", the seedbed of modern Science, first became a thing. Also a lot of what was taught in Theology was dialectics. Debate was encouraged, not frowned upon.
Facebook button in main menu of a game.... WHY????
"I think it's my American one..."
Huge-ass Union Jack in the background.
this new youtube comment system sucks.
Ye
I believe he names them at the beginning of the video, as well as mentions a mod that adds Austria. I imagine that, eventually, more countries will be added.
thank you for turning me on... to this great game! these reviews are well done, well written, researched, and narrated.
keep up the awesome work.
consider me subscribed sir.
socialism and apathy are a bad combination
Of fucking course there's a political argument going on...
Funny how he manages to avoid clicking on France and Germany when he talks about different leanings of countries.
Not only was the Catholic Church not the reason we got into the "Dark Ages" (that was general politic instability after the fall of Rome), it was one of the main reasons we got out of it and into the Renaissance (the Church helped preserve Greek and Roman texts, founded the first universities, commissioned many of the works of art).
Here to wish you happiness in the next life my amazing man
sorry i'm late guys just got done reading some My little pony fan fic.
I love the last three points in the countries' description - Australia's vegimite consumption, UK's tea consumption. Made me giggle.
From the democracy 2 demo, I seem to recall policies have different speeds at witch they affect various things. For instance, one quarter after removing the agricultural subsidies, they where still influencing obesity. It was getting better, but not gone immediately.
hum.. How can you make a socialist and liberal country ? that makes no sense, if you're socialist, your are not liberal and if you are liberal, you are not socialist ! And why differenciate liberalism and capitalism ?? What's the difference, there are synonymes !
Sorry for my english, I'm french (and socialist/communist)
No its not like its more like if you are a liberal you not conservative and if your a socialist you are not capitalist also look at germany its a liberal and socialist country
Also liberals likes freedom like LGBT and freedom of information, and etc. The capitalist is like the people of free market economy, cooperation, and etc. The socialist is diffrent from capitalist they are people that like to tax the rich and make everyone equal and also they like the poor people
Adding more mechanics are good place to start. Maybe add diplomacy aspect with other countries? Military security? Economic security? Joint projects? Stategic goals? Cold war? Real wars? World domination? Idealogic aspects (like reintroducing Imperialism)? It's just few things that I come up during my writing of this comment. Developers could add a lot more content into it, instead they choose to cash out and do only bare minimal.
I've dealt with a bunch of responses to my initial comment and this is the first one that really makes sense. Though, my first thought regarding excessive corn production is be that a lot of it would be taken up by ethanol.
Democracy 3 is also available on GOG if you fancy a DRM free version, also you pay in USD so it may work out cheaper than the regional Steam price.
He will typically post the link to the game, and there you can find out whether is it Linux/Windows/Mac compatible.
That depends on which definition you're going by, and there are several different ones, because language is about ideas, and ideas vary quite a lot even when standardized to some degree. Going by the definition for my Political Science class last year, a Republic is a type of Democracy.
As I said, Germany - 30 guns per 100 people, France same ammount. In Poland there is less than 5 guns per 100 people.
Statisticly 20% of murders are "family drama", and most of them are preceded by a long period of domestic violence, and generally there are simmilar chances that attacker will die, if guns are legal.
Farm subsidies can enable a much higher energy diet. A real life example being all the high fructose corn syrup the US uses due to oversupply of maize from agricultural subsidies.
I'm not entirely sold on how many hours I'd spend on this (ie, how variables things are - if I can rapidly find an 'optimal' path, then further plays are less interesting), but I will say the interface is *excellent*, and the gameplay itself looks to be a number-cruncher like myself's dream come true.
I might try this. It'll be interesting to test the effects and consequences of wildly different societal models.
When i make myself "Züricher Geschnetzeltes", just for myself, the 500g meat alone costs around 6-8 Euros. Not to mention the onions, garlic, small Champignons, cream, spices etc.
"I could actually impose the death penalty for most crimes, which would be pretty hilarious" - Mr. Biscuit
I know he doesn't take requests, nor do let's play's, but i kind of want a series of this. His personality fits with this game, it seems. Oh well.
Farm subsidies increase the unhealthiness of food in general. It's not so much as "we have more corn because of farm subsidies" as it is "we have more corn syrup" and other unhealthy by-products of farm goods. Rail subsidies (at least in America) were supported by very capitalistic people. When building the transcontinental it was subsidies and capitalists working together that got it to work.
Why the definitions of "liberal" and "conservative" are almost to some degree inverted between Europe and the U.S. is probably because societies in both have very different origins and therefore have different histories in which to "conserve." Centuries of monarchies have shaped the European view on the role of government and what constitutes "conservative" while a rebellion from government, (as reflected in the writing of John Locke) define the U.S. mindset regarding both definitions.
The captions are almost perfect.
Everyone in Britain has automatic rifles, but still aren't allowed to own or even look at nunchucks.
Appreciate the more metal song at the end. I don't see many bigger youtubers put that in their videos, what a shame
True. And no I don't know what you're talking about lol, demolition man didn't even have Arnold in it, if I remember correctly. That was the film where the detective is frozen and wakes up in the future right?
Have you seen any statistics from drug use and crime since the start of the 'War on Drugs'?
Making something illegal does not make it go away. If a legal substance was made illegal, but all current users continued to use, 'crime' would go up by that amount. It makes perfect sense and can be seen many places in real life.
Victoria 2 also has a great political simulation, but it is a bit more abstract since it covers every country on earth.
The assumption there is that 100% of your income is your money. Yet what enabled that income? The fact that you have roads to drive on, that you were protected by the police and the military, that you had good genes, a good upbringing, good teachers, good parents and good opportunities. And you aren't personally responsible for any of those.
Marginal utility implies having money be more equally distributed results in more well-being overall.
I currently have a project in civics class that requires me (and 4 other people) to create a party and campaign our party. I was already interested in this game, but I just purchased it to help me figure out what people want in the national defense platform. Thank you for this review!
Likely, watching it reminded me of the games with the ships sent colonise planets. More ships sent in less time the harder it is to keep things the way they are.
As I said higher, I got chart about availability of weapons in EU countries. Germany is 8 on list after zerland, Finland, Serbia, Cyprus, Sweeden, Norway, France and Austria - but there is no big difference between Sweeden and Germany.
Not every game should be for everyone. It isn't a cop-out, it is a good thing. When a publisher tries to make a game for everyone, you end up with Dragon Age 2.
Planescape Torment for example isn't for everyone, and it's amazing.
use the crusader approach: surplus beer = doing well in poles
He lives in Charlotte, NC right now. He used to live in the UK.
During the dark ages, the church also suppressed translations of the Bible into languages the common people could read, because it was at that time little more than an instrument of political power. Raising taxes on cigarettes, as correctly shown by the game, helps deter smoking; a family trying to get a member to quit could very well take advantage of this. And, as I've mentioned in another comment, countries like Norway and Japan have cheap and plentiful food but very low obesity.
you think that the speed of the arrows have anything to do with how strongly they are affecting the bubbles?
Dude, I am from Serbia and to carry a weapon it is very difficult to obtain permit. Majority of people that can carry weapon here are members of police, army, security agency or hunters. As a hunter it is very hard to obtain permit. For personal protection - getting weapon permit in Serbia is abysmal difficulty.
Thank you. I really enjoy this genre of music and I am now enjoying his music.
You should really never cancel policies. Lowering it to near minimum is usually better than completely cutting it (especially when it costs more than twice as much to remove it than it does to lower it).
I have a feeling that Democracy 4 could have a sweet multiplayer system to help out with getting blocked when trying to enact things...
I like these type of games, but I wasn't too sure about this one. However, you have completely convinced me and this seems like something that I would enjoy immensely.
"I think this is my america one..."
he says with the Union Flag waving in the background :P
im glad you did this game TB. I was looking for WTF is.. Democracy 3 yesterday but I didnt see it.
Jericho: nuclear bombardment =/= ground invasion
Wouldn't a well armed underground have a decent shot of at least slowing down the invading troops? (like France)
I seem to recall that the abundance of civilian guns was a large factor why Japan did not land ground troops on US soil in WWII
I wish there was a new country mod. New circles appear over time than filling your screen straight away.
It's absolutism to think starting the use of force is always wrong.
If you see someone drowning next to you that you could have easily helped and yet do nothing I think it's justifiable to punish you in some fashion because having such a punishment on the books means people will be better off since now people will help each other. Which is why not reporting a crime that you know of is aiding and abetting and punishable because having such a punishment gives people the right kinds of incentives.
Couple other things I was thinking of too would be actual animated/spoken advisors...especially when they "want to speak with you" that way they can say exactly what is bothering them instead of just....something. Also i noticed when playing the U.S. for example there are just some policies you can totally get rid of. You can...not fund them but not actually cancel some. Thats something Id like to see changed. But of course im just throwing out some wishful thinking. lol
16:30 *Cancels all AG Subsidsies*
*Next turn*
*Severe Drought conditions cause farmers to just not "bring it in" because it will end up cost prohibitive to do such an action*
*Obesity problem becomes malnourishment problem*
ofcourse he is. You can tell from not just the accent but his mannerism if u watch hi vlogs, his speech patterns/ words arrangement
I agree! I would watch it. I enjoy TB's objective opinions on the game as well as watching him goofing off, but I feel like seeing his thought process and how well the game allows him to do what he wants to would be the best way for me to decide if 25 dollars is a fair price for this game.
Kinda depends. I can take 20 bucks and buy the supplies to make me a pot of pasta or something that will last me for 10 meals or so but then again I know how to cook inexpensively. The guys I work with don't know how to cook like that or at all of several of them. You shoulda seen how surprised they were when after I said I was gonna bring chili to the poker game I brought Chili instead of hormel with home made jalapano cornbread.
Looks like a damn good game! Ugh I'll just have to wait for a sale though :(
Is the Vegemite consumption on the Australian option a poke at zero punctuation XD
I'm unfamiliar with the actual moose population in CAN, I'm assuming its pretty accurate too?
But those sliders aren't set in stone. This game can do so much more using these sliders as abstractions for more complex issues.
Also any chance you will make a video series for it? similar to lords of the arena? maybe not as often but maybe 1 every week or so? it would help new players understand the game and give you an excuse to show off your political preferences :D
No, there is just American, UK, Canadian, Japanese, German and French, no mods available either... (did you watch the first 5 minutes of the video?)
'Fillabustered or cockblocked' no truer words have ever described the resistance that sensible reform meets in the U.S. government.
He was referring to the DDR, the soviet "socialist" eastern part of Germany during the Cold War period. But that'd be weird in a modern politics simulator..
Omg I want this game! Its like a simplified/organised version of my policy major lol.
Will most likely get it once it goes on sale. Looks interesting. As always, great analysis by TB.
I used to think it was like that but now he has made it tomorrow.
"... I'll take that any day over, 'Collect 50 Bear Asses in Under Four Minutes.'" - TB 2013
the reason taxing junk food is expensive is because you hit major, major cooperations like MC donalds. They are going to loby up some resistance
Obviously, they have to be controlled. As I said, weapon should be reginstered, so it can be recognised after shot. But it should be availabe to all people after proper courses and tests. Not like "You won't get it, cause police officer says so"
If that is your real name, Vasiliy, congratulations on having the best name ever.
Looks cool, but it needs a map screen. Something more than a web and graphs. I would get it on a deep steam sale maybe.
this would be great with some like civilization type vids or something like that...where when making choices you see the effects in a short vid...something like that would make it a bit more....visually appealing....
Anyone else notice the names in the focus group? Old lady named Henry Hall...haha
Crime can sell at lower prices than legal product, because legal product can't be sold at a very low price, for the same reason there are taxes on alcohol, tobacco and in certain countries unhealthy food. Governments don't want to take away a disincentive for doing things that are bad for its citizens (taking drugs and such). Mind though, this is not the only thing that can happen, but it does answer your question (How CAN legalizing etc etc)
One thing he does not mention is this game is available on GOG.
True, however, people seem too like making healthy foods cost more... besides, if it counts things like ice cream, chocolate, and soda, well... OH, and I believe it also counts things such as poptarts
I wish there was a game that combined alot of the depth this game has with the world management of Tropico and the political competition in Political Machine. That would be a freakin fantastic game.
Also does this game cover foreign affairs any?
I dunno, collecting 50 bear asses in under 4 minutes would be an impressive feat.
TB you really are a genius in the way you review games.
May i slide in? I will make a slider that slides your fov slider more efficient. The sliding capabilities will be phenomenal. You`ll be able to slide that slider with such sliding precision; no sliding man with a slider will be able to slide to more of a degree.
This game isn't really my taste but I think it would be much more inviting with some more art in there like for different events and other things would help bring the game alive just my two cents though. Great vid as always TB!
Two things:
1.) The people in the upper 1% change all the time (Thomas Sowell)
2.) To get the money in his bank, Romney worked.
E.g. My Grandad worked all his life, he is now very rich and lives off the interest in his bank. You want to take that money from him and give it to someone who is dumb enough to work a shit job.
I like the political capital system a lot more. I think that if it more accurately simulated party politics, it'd instantly become a niche-only title. Political capital allows for the player to enact their fantasies, while still being grounded enough to not distract overly much from the game's verisimilitude. I don't think you actually want what you're saying you want. Just imagine how much less fun it'd be if you actually could get cockblocked by congress in your fictional US. You'd get bored.
looks Interesting. Might wait and see if it goes on sale during the steam winter sale though.
he has a business inquiry email, it's on the about section of his youtube channel
he didnt say it is inaccurate, hes just describing how the game works
Waiting for the PC port I guess, although I don't know if he'll cover it even then, since it'll be old and everyone kind of already knows GTAV.
Not really. Switzerland has mandatory service, and yet is probably the least militaristic country in Europe, as it pretty much never carries out actual military actions on other countries, nor is the Army a huge part of their economy or budget. That kind of thing is better measured by looking at a country's budget or by looking at what they actually do.
The idea that the Middle Ages were "dark" is also considered wrong by modern historians. There were many contributions to a lot of fields like maths, engineering, medicine etc were made at the time, not only in Europe, but also the Middle East and Asia.
Looks interesting. Do you recommend the older titles?