https://doismiu.blog/tags/ui/Recent content in Ui on doismiu - dispatches from the infernal archiveHugoen-usMon, 22 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0100https://doismiu.blog/posts/paradox-interactives-tutorials/Mon, 22 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0100https://doismiu.blog/posts/paradox-interactives-tutorials/<p>About 10 years ago, I was deeply addicted to games from <strong>Paradox Interactive</strong>, a Swedish developer and publisher specializing in 4X games. For those who don&rsquo;t know, 4X is an acronym for <strong>eXplore</strong>, <strong>eXpand</strong>, <strong>eXploit</strong>, and <strong>eXterminate</strong>. These are complex games where you lead a nation or race in a struggle for dominance, whether on a global or galactic scale. <em>Civilization</em> is a well-known example of this genre.</p> <p>I had just started engineering school, and besides my insane addiction to <em>Diablo 3</em> (which I&rsquo;ll talk about someday), I loved Paradox games. It was normal for me to get home after university, usually between 11 PM and midnight, and play an hour or two of <em>Crusader Kings 2</em> or <em>Victoria 2</em>. That style of play, constantly driven by the phrase <strong>&ldquo;I&rsquo;ll just do one more thing and then I&rsquo;ll stop&rdquo;</strong> (Civ players know the feeling), often compromised my sanity the next day due to a lack of sleep.</p>