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EU4 - Development Diary - 13th of February 2018

Good day all. As promised, we return to talk a bit more about the new Missions system coming in the 1.25 update, as well as some of the new Idea sets and a modding guide for the new Mission Trees.

Firstly, we have been hard at work translating the old mission system so that old nations' unique missions from the old system will work in the new one, as evidenced in our previous dev diary. But what of the nations focused on in Rule Britannia?

Along with the 1.25 England update, the mission trees for Scotland and England will still contain the old missions such as subjugate France and Advance the Frontier. For owners of Rule Britannia however, we have put together special mission trees for England, Ireland, Scotland and Great Britain.

Scottish Missions.jpg

It took much self control, but Scotland has more than just 15 iterations of "crush England" as missions

The Irish Minors, Scotland and England will all start with their tailor made Mission trees, now complete with their own artwork and sadly not containing bright purple coder art. Forming Great Britain will also unlock an even grander mission tree for the one who unites the Isles.

eng to gbr missions.jpg

Meddling in mainland politics opens up as a mission branch for Great Britain, rewarding either securing the throne or dismantling the Empire.

And don't worry for Mann, Gaeldom and The Isles. Highlander nations are now able to form Scotland (complete with their missions and ideas) should the Stuarts fail to defend the kingdom

there can be only one.jpg

New decision available for Mann, The Isles and Gaeldom

Additionally, it can often be confusing which provinces you still need to complete a mission. As a Quality of Life change for the 1.25 England Update, by hovering over the requirements for a mission, the required provinces will highlight on the map, while clicking will centre the map on one of the required provinces.

mission highlight.jpg

For all those times you've just had no idea what you're meant to conquer. We've all been there.

And we have also taken the liberty of adding more generic mission icons, so Ottoman missions don't have to represented with charging Hussars!

Now we previously may have vaguely promised a modding guide for the new missions system. @mikesc was generous enough to put one together, so I give the floor to him:

mikesc said:
# Intro
Since there was a lot of interest expressed in the last dev diary I thought I'd write a small guide to help you get started modding the new missions system. Hopefully this will make it easier for you to start working on creating and updating mods for it. As we are still working on the immersion pack minor things might change, be added or removed. I will do my best to update you in this thread as we are going forward.
For an overview on how the new missions work from a players perspective have a look at last weeks dev diary: https://forum.paradoxplaza.com/foru...velopment-diary-23rd-of-january-2018.1066296/
Let's start with explaining a few terms I am going to use in this guide.

# Glossary
Slot - A column in the missions grid (1 based indexing)
Tier - A row in the missions grid (1 based indexing)
Series - One or more missions in one slot (Can span tiers)
Potential - Trigger that must be fulfilled for a series to be visible
Priority (AI) - Determines what missions the AI picks to work towards
Weight (AI) - Determines the worth of a mission to the AI

# Overview & Series
Missions for a country are composed of one or more acyclic graphs laid out in a grid view. This means missions can have any amount of other missions as a prerequisite and missions can branch out into any amount of other distinct missions. The grid can be as wide and tall as you like, it will automatically expand to fit all missions.

All missions are part of a series. A series is used to set various parameters that determine layout, visibility, appearance and AI behavior:
slot (Integer): Used to set the slot for the series
generic (Boolean): Provides a way to control series precedence
ai (Boolean): Turns AI for this series on or off
potential (Trigger): Determines visibility for the player
has_country_shield (Boolean): If set, the player country flag will be shown for all missions in this series

As you can see series are basically used to conveniently set parameters for any number of missions. Of course you are not required to use it that way, you can use one series per mission as well.
The layout of the mission nodes is determined by the tier set for the missions and the slots set for the series, there is no automatic layout. If no tier is set for a mission, missions in a series will be laid out top to bottom, starting in the first free tier in the slot.

# Missions
Let's have a look at a simple mission:
conquer_franken = {
icon = mission_conqueror_icon
required_missions = { conquer_ansbach }
trigger = {
franconia_area = {
type = all
country_or_non_sovereign_subject_holds = ROOT
}
}
effect = {
add_adm_power = 100
add_country_modifier = {
name = "bavarian_ambition"
duration = 7300
}
}
provinces_to_highlight = {
area = franconia_area
NOT = {
country_or_non_sovereign_subject_holds = ROOT
}
}
}

We start with the mission key, which also doubles as part of the key for the localization (name + _title for the title and name + _desc for the description). The icon references a sprite in a .gfx file. Required missions can be left out or left empty, and can also contain multiple missions (Comma separated). The trigger describes the conditions you need to fulfill to be able to complete the mission, the effect what you get when you complete it. These work just like triggers and effects anywhere else. There are a few more fields you can set for a mission:
has_country_shield, ai (Booleans): Same as in series, setting this will overwrite what was set in the series
completed_by (Date): If set, this mission will be marked completed when starting the game later than the given date
position (Integer): The tier for this mission
ai_priority (MTTH): Priority for this mission for the AI (See notes on AI below)
ai_weight (MTTH): Weight/Worth of this mission for the AI (See notes on AI below)
provinces_to_highlight: Will highlight provinces that match this trigger when you hover over the missions requirements and center highlighted provinces when you click on the icon

# Series precedence & Potential
You can have any amount of series of any size in a slot, and as long as they don't overlap and their potential is fulfilled they will be visible and available to the player. If series do overlap, precedence is given to the series with "generic" set to false. If two or more series with the same precedence (Either generic or not) compete for the same spot, you will get an error (Check error.log) and the first series read from disk will get precedence.
The potential is only evaluated at the start of the game and when executing the effect swap_non_generic_missions.

# Arrows
The arrows showing the dependencies will be laid out automatically. However, there are a few limitations you should be aware of.
Arrows can be laid out horizontally and vertically but not diagonally, that means that required missions can be at any tier above in the same slot and in any slot in the tier directly above. Same goes for follow-up missions, they can be in any tier below in the same slot and in any slot in the tier directly below.
Note that, regardless of the arrows being able to show the dependency, the dependencies you define will work no matter where you put the missions, so if you'd want to, you could just manually add arrows and hide the automatically added ones.

# Some notes on the AI
The AI will pick missions based on their priority and adjust it's strategy according to their weight to try and fulfill missions. The AI understands many triggers you would usually use for missions, but not all of them, so your results may vary. Have a look at our missions to see what the AI can understand.

I'm excited to see how you use this new system to create and/or enhance your mods. If you have any questions at all please do not hesitate to contact me. Suggestions for improvements or additional features are of course also very welcome.

Thanks to Mikesc for that. Let's move on to look at some of the National Ideas that have been added to the game. It's a hefty list of them so I'll split them across the dev diaries in three groups: British, Irish and Low Countries. Today let's look at the British lot.

On the isles we have changed the ideas for England and Great Britain so we can have a distinct feel between the two. I'll list them here:

ENG_ideas = {
  • start = {
    • infantry_power = 0.10 # agincourt
    • global_unrest = -1 # magna carta, parliament
  • bonus = {
    • free_leader_pool = 1
  • royal_navy = {
    • navy_tradition = 0.25
    • heavy_ship_power = 0.10
  • eltham_ordinance = {
    • production_efficiency = 0.1
  • secretaries_of_state = {
    • diplomatic_upkeep = 1
  • navigation_acts = {
    • trade_efficiency = 0.1
  • city_upon_a_hill = {
    • global_colonial_growth = 20
  • eng_red_coats = {
    • fire_damage = 0.1
  • british_bill_of_rights = {
    • years_of_nationalism = -5
GBR_ideas = {
  • start = {
    • naval_morale = 0.20
    • heavy_ship_power = 0.15
  • bonus = {
    • navy_tradition = 1
  • gbr_acts_of_union = {
    • diplomatic_annexation_cost = -0.15
    • max_states = 3
  • british_merchant_navy = {
    • global_tariffs = 0.15
  • gbr_the_royal_society = {
    • technology_cost = -0.05
  • sick_and_hurt_board = {
    • sailors_recovery_speed = 0.10
    • sailor_maintenance_modifer = -0.1
  • reform_of_comission_buying = {
    • discipline = 0.05
  • british_industrialization = {
    • global_trade_goods_size_modifier = 0.2
  • britanna_rules_the_waves = {
    • leader_naval_manuever = 1
    • blockade_efficiency = 0.33


Additionally, we have added ideas for Highlander (Gaeldom, The Isles), Mann and Cornwall. This dev diary has already reached quite a length, so I'll spoil whichever one is most requested in this thread in its entirety.

EDIT: Adding in all three idea sets because why not.

# Manx ideas

KOI_ideas = {

start = {
global_sailors_modifier = 0.2
global_ship_cost = -0.1
}
bonus = {
discipline = 0.05
mann_stanleys = {
diplomats = 1
"The Stanley dynasty has ushered in an era of peace and prosperity for the Manx people. Their skill at diplomacy ensures the safety of the island from both political and military threats to our sovereignty."
}
mann_kings = {
core_creation = -0.10
"Despite its size, Mann is recognized as a de jure Kingdom. But what is a Kingdom without land? We must acquire more."
}
mann_tynwald = {
advisor_pool = 1
"The Tynwald is the Manx high court. The House of Keys, led by the most powerful families of Mann, act as a national jury that give advice on legal matters. As the state expands however, its administrative needs multiply. The Tynwald must become a permanent institution, akin to a parliament with the power to write new laws."
}
mann_and_the_isles = {
naval_morale = 0.15
"In centuries past Mann was the heart of a great realm that spanned across the Irish Sea. It is time to revive the tradition of shipbuilding so that we can restore this empire."
}
mann_act_of_settlement = {
global_unrest = -1
"It is time to finally settle the status of peasant landholding on Mann. The Act will guarantee the basic rights of citizens and become a basis for the future development of our constitution."
}
mann_burn_the_heretic = {
global_heretic_missionary_strength = 0.02
"Witchcraft and heresy are ever-present dangers to the faithful. Suffer not the witch and the heretic to live."
}
mann_act_of_revestment = {
diplomatic_annexation_cost = -0.15
“There are too many petty nobles holding minor titles and withholding rents from their land. The Act Of Revestment will revoke these titles so that the monarch can rule more directly."
}

CRN_ideas = {
start = {
global_regiment_recruit_speed = -0.10
production_efficiency = 0.1
}
bonus = {
land_morale = 0.10
crn_stannary_parliaments = {
global_unrest = -2
"The tin miners of Cornwall have long upheld their special legal rights. These include tax exemption and exclusive prospecting rights, but most importantly the right to be tried only before a Stannary Court with a jury composed of their fellow miners. A Stannary Parliament oversees and revises these rights, keeping the mining population productive and content."
}
crn_cornish_rebels = {
hostile_attrition = 1
"The Cornish people are quick to rise up against oppression and misrule. Hostile armies entering their lands receive an unfriendly welcome."
}
crn_prayer_book_traditionaliism = {
tolerance_own = 2
"Farmers, miners, and landlords alike are extremely reluctant to accept changes to religious prayer books. Many complain that prayer books written in English exclude a significant part of the population who speak only Cornish, though others point out they could not read the old Latin prayers either. Regardless, a traditionalist attitude to religion pervades Cornish society and binds it together."
}
crn_pirates_of_penzance = {
capture_ship_chance = 0.1
privateer_efficiency = 0.2
"Oh, better far to live and die. Under the brave black flag I fly, Than play a sanctimonious part,With a pirate head and a pirate heart."
}
crn_royalist_army = {
land_forcelimit_modifier = 0.2
"Ever staunch monarchists, the Cornish people are quick to rally to the defence of the crown against republican revolutionaries. Despite Cornwall’s relatively low population, it can raise a surprisingly large levy of determined soldiers willing to fight for King and country."
}
crn_gear_rout = {
movement_speed = 0.15
"Even should we lose the war, enough of us will likely flee the field that they will live to fight again another day."
}
crn_arthurian_romanticism = {
prestige_decay = -0.01
"A recent revival of interest in Celtic culture has created an interest in Arthurian legend. Tintagel Castle is said to be the place of King Arthur's conception, and acts as a focal point of a renewed Celtic identity in Cornwall."
}

highland_scottish_ideas = {
start = {
garrison_size = 0.25
heir_chance = 0.5
}
bonus = {
manpower_recovery_speed = 0.1
hsc_the_wallace = {
land_morale = 0.15
"We reide of ane rycht famous of renowne,\nOf worthi blude that ryngis in this regioune,\nAnd hensfurth I will my proces hald,\nOf Wilyham Wallas yhe haf hard beyne tald."
}
hsc_highland_clans = {
hostile_attrition = 1
"The Highland clans are a contentious people. As much as they resent one another, they resent even more the prospect of foreign invaders ruling their ancestral lands. Of course, when the threat of foreign invasion is over, the clans will resume their infighting. There can only be one."
}
hsc_storm_the_castle = {
siege_ability = 0.10
"Whatever problems arise in the Highlands, few can be resolved without at some point storming a castle. Our experience in these matters goes back generations and is a highly transferable skill."
}
hsc_episcopalianism = {
religious_unity = 0.1
stability_cost_modifier = -0.1
"There are many competing ideas about how the Church in the Highlands should be structured and what doctrines should be adopted following the advent of the Reformation. We have opted to retain the hierarchical Bishopric model, which allows for both a clear structure for Church proceedings and a degree of doctrinal independence for clergymen."
}
hsc_highland_charge = {
shock_damage = 0.15
"Gunpowder weapons have revolutionized the battlefield, and the warriors of the Highlands must adapt. An aggressive new shock tactic has been developed by our generals. Our soldiers will run, preferably downhill, straight into the first enemy volley, firing as they go. After shooting, they will draw more traditional weapons and enter the melee. The speed required for this tactic necessitates that our warriors wear very little in the way of clothing however."
}
hsc_arming_act = {
global_manpower_modifier = 0.1
"Our oppressors would confiscate our weapons to rob us of the ability to resist. The Arming Act requires all Highlanders to own and train with a firearm."
}
hsc_ossian = {
prestige = 1
"The Romantic revival of Gaelic culture is exemplified in a collection of poems written under the pseudonym 'Ossian'. They tell ancient folkloric tales that remind the Highlanders of their storied past."

That's it for today. Next week we'll look at more of the newly added ideas, as well as some more of the features coming with the Rule Britannia Immersion Pack.
 
View attachment 334949

Austria's missions, as translated to our new Mission System. Unlike the old system, you will actually have a semblance of control over gaining your missions. For example, "Decline of Hungary" will grant you a PU CB over Hungary when your own Development outpaces theirs.

Thanks! :D
BTW, I'm surprised at the lack of HRE missions. I really expected "Remove the Electorate" and "Centralize the HRE!" to be late missions, as well as some Anti-Ottoman and Anti-France missions. But maybe we get some new missions later down the line?

And speaking of HRE... does unified HRE (and restored Romane Empire) get some big missions?
 
View attachment 334949

Austria's missions, as translated to our new Mission System. Unlike the old system, you will actually have a semblance of control over gaining your missions. For example, "Decline of Hungary" will grant you a PU CB over Hungary when your own Development outpaces theirs.
Looking good, thanks!
 
But maybe we get some new missions later down the line?

If you mean "down the line" as in "more development work needed", I have no doubt it will get much bigger when they retool the HRE, alongside all the other HRE princes (or at least the major ones, if nothing else). If you mean "down the line" as in "later in-game", then I would be shocked if that happened.

For example, "Decline of Hungary" will grant you a PU CB over Hungary when your own Development outpaces theirs.

Does this mean that the AI will focus on development when that shows up? I know you said the AI will focus on completing missions, but does that extend to focusing on meeting the pre-requisites as well? Will it break an alliance to try and do this?

You mean you've never heard of the immortal warriors of the Scottish Highlands before?

No one ever told me it was based on a true story...my history teachers clearly needed to step up their game.
 
Repeatable missions aren't supposed to be "fun", they're supposed to be useful, and they are. And they are taking them away with no substitute in the free patch.
If you view the game only as a gamist exercise in optimisation, yes, I suppose fun is not a relevant aspect. I do not view the game that way, and I have hopes that it is only a vocal minority which does.
 
Repeatable missions aren't supposed to be "fun", they're supposed to be useful, and they are. And they are taking them away with no substitute in the free patch.
If you view the game only as a gamist exercise in optimisation, yes, I suppose fun is not a relevant aspect. I do not view the game that way, and I have hopes that it is only a vocal minority which does.

EDIT: However, more to the point, your statement that you "pay for missions being removed" is objectively wrong. The rework is part of the free patch. The only somewhat problematic move by Paradox would have been if they had put missions that existed before behind the DLC paywall. They haven't done that.
 
View attachment 334949

Austria's missions, as translated to our new Mission System. Unlike the old system, you will actually have a semblance of control over gaining your missions. For example, "Decline of Hungary" will grant you a PU CB over Hungary when your own Development outpaces theirs.

PU CB on Hungary just because austria have a bit more development? isnt that a bit op? Personally I think it should have at least a second trigger requirement for it, something to do with the ottomans, as hungary's decline really happened due to the ottomans.
 
Repeatable Missions did not survive the transition to this new system. While I for one will not miss the mission to Control The Holy See or to Liberate the vital province of Rakka from the Ottoman Empire , I hope that those who do miss them will find it more than compensated by the work put into the new system.
I will miss The Rival of your Rival when I'm low on Diplo, Discover X in colonial heavy games and so, that's for sure. Improve relations with X and Reduce Overextension were very useful to get that extra Dipo Rep point sometimes. Integrate X...

Don't get me wrong, the new mission system is good. But in the end it's just the mission system we already had but more clear and accesible. It's great, and I love it, but it's not enough to compensate the removal of other content.
 
I love the new mission system, but im realy worried on how it affect's abandond places in the world (aka India,africa,usw)

Also is it only me or are the English idea's way better then the ones for GB ?

Yeah it's a bit unusual how different Great britains ideas are from the english ideas + I don't think you'll ever need additional states unless you plan on conquering europe, Trade companies are essentially states without manpower benefits

I still personally prefer the british ideas over english it's way better for an economically and navally focused nation + that tech cost mmm(given their position that could be the best), In the end it depends on your playstyle
 
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PU CB on Hungary just because austria have a bit more development? isnt that a bit op? Personally I think it should have at least a second trigger requirement for it, something to do with the ottomans, as hungary's decline really happened due to the ottomans.
Hungary before could be doing well,, but as soon as it hit 1500~ austria could get the mission, i think it's a improvement
 
If you view the game only as a gamist exercise in optimisation, yes, I suppose fun is not a relevant aspect. I do not view the game that way, and I have hopes that it is only a vocal minority which does.

EDIT: However, more to the point, your statement that you "pay for missions being removed" is objectively wrong. The rework is part of the free patch. The only somewhat problematic move by Paradox would have been if they had put missions that existed before behind the DLC paywall. They haven't done that.
Other things can be fun, repeatable missions aren't fun, I agree with that. But repeatable missions are good because they add value to the game, saying "It's ok to remove them because they aren't fun" misses the point.

And for the edit, yes. I expressed myself the wrong way. But the free patch removes content from the previous version (content paid for in the base game). And that is objectively true.
 
Other things can be fun, repeatable missions aren't fun, I agree with that. But repeatable missions are good because they add value to the game, saying "It's ok to remove them because they aren't fun" misses the point.

And for the edit, yes. I expressed myself the wrong way. But the free patch removes content from the previous version (content paid for in the base game). And that is objectively true.

Overhauls often remove existing features. In some cases, that's even unavoidable, a temporary necessity, or even the very point (like removal of two FTLs from Stellaris). The bigger question is: are the removals worth the gains?
 
Somehow I feel like this immersion pack is grounds to extend the game at least to the start of victoria 2, Since we're getting flavor for the british empire during the industrial era
 
Ehhhh I feel like a lot of the English Ideas need to go to GBR. By the time you form Britain you are usually focusing on overseas expansion, which you will need most of the English ideas for. GBR really only seems good once you have already established a global empire and you need to empower your Navy to protect it... I feel like England should get more of a militant and conventional expansion feel (CCR, diplomacy, army) and GBR gets economic, Naval, and overseas expansive (colonialism, seperatism, etc.)

Looks like the number of things to talk about are running out. Release early-mid March?
 
The problem of the new mission system without the repeatable missions is that it is only for the early game. I know a lot of people only play the early game but there are still people like me who like the middle and late game as well.
 
Will there be any tweaks to English/British AI behaviour from the mission system (or new AI code) that will make them more interested and effective in intervening in the Iberian Peninsula? I'm thinking of things English claims to the Castilian throne, Elizabethan raids, supporting the Portuguese restoration, war of Spanish Succession, the Peninsular War... These days AI England seems to have a really hard time fighting in the continent, let alone maintain a successful alliance with Portugal.
 
The problem of the new mission system without the repeatable missions is that it is only for the early game. I know a lot of people only play the early game but there are still people like me who like the middle and late game as well.
And the middle and late game is made more interesting by doing the amazing "the rival of our rival" mission ten times?
Judging from the mission trees published so far (except, sadly, Austria), Paradox seems to have the intention of adding more "long-term" missions - I realize that an extremely aggressive and competent England player can probably do the "Great Britain, ascendant" mission AND all missions to unite India by 1550, but generally these new missions seem like something specifically designed for the mid to late game.
 
The problem of the new mission system without the repeatable missions is that it is only for the early game. I know a lot of people only play the early game but there are still people like me who like the middle and late game as well.
And the middle and late game is made more interesting by doing the amazing "the rival of our rival" mission ten times?
Judging from the mission trees published so far (except Austria), Paradox seems to have the intention of adding more "long-term" missions - I realize that an extremely aggressive and competent England player can probably do the "Great Britain, ascendant" mission AND all missions to unite India by 1550, but generally these new missions seem like something specifically designed for the mid to late game.
 
Aide: "Your Majesty, what does this 'Weather the Reformation' mean on your grand to-do list?"
King: "When it happens, you'll know."
 
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