• We have updated our Community Code of Conduct. Please read through the new rules for the forum that are an integral part of Paradox Interactive’s User Agreement.

EU4 Development Diary - 18th February 2016

Hello and Welcome to another development diary for EU4. This time we take a look at Africa, and the changes there. This one of those times when pictures are worth more than 1000 words.

First of all, we have added the entirety of the Kongo region, reaching up to the Great Lakes area. Not just home to the countries of Kongo, Loango and Ndongo, this area now have multiple nations, and could be the basis of a powerful empire.

EqLfHFP.jpg


While we have added over 20 new nations to Central Africa, we have also added new idea groups and unique ideas for these mighty states, including the Great Lakes ideas for our states near the Lake Victoria. These Central Africans also have their own unique technology group, with technology costing 65% more than Westerners.

North we find the Great Lakes Area, with lots of minor nations, some that still exist today, after a brief period of colonialism.

fGXlnQP.jpg


Southeast of Kongo, is Zambia and Mozambique is now filled with provinces and several new nations as well. Magagascar has also seen a rework, with 5 nations struggling for supremacy of the island, complete with their own national ideas and Pagan/Islamic friction

rRAeHfF.jpg


The tradesetup for Africa have changed as well, Zanzibar is now the coast tradenode, with three inland nodes of Kongo, Great Lakes and Zambezi leading to the coasts either west and east. This makes the Zanzibar node a hugely important tradenode for everyone along the Indian Ocean.

BSQYLUv.jpg


No diary on our Africa changes would be complete without giving some attention to religion in the region. Previously we had carpeted non-specific pagan areas with Shamanism or Animism. Now many of our African provinces which have not converted to Islam are portrayed with the Fetishist Pagan religion which grants greater tolerance to heathens and a diplomatic reputation bonus along with the usual pagan decision.

i47pBld.jpg


Next week, we’ll talk about two different and new concepts, one which has its own icon in the top bar.
 
  • 270
  • 44
  • 7
Reactions:
Another achievement idea.
The Penguins of Madagascar - Own all arctic provinces as a Madagascar nation.
 
  • 42
Reactions:
Or coring the entire island of Cuba as Kuba.
We already have an achievement like that: No Pirates in my Carribean, which involves owning the entire Carribean.
 
  • 24
  • 2
Reactions:
First of all, we have added the entirety of the Kongo region, reaching up to the Great Lakes area. Not just home to the countries of Kongo, Loango and Ndongo, this area now have multiple nations, and could be the basis of a powerful empire.

EqLfHFP.jpg


While we have added over 20 new nations to Central Africa, we have also added new idea groups and unique ideas for these mighty states, including the Great Lakes ideas for our states near the Lake Victoria. These Central Africans also have their own unique technology group, with technology costing 65% more than Westerners.

North we find the Great Lakes Area, with lots of minor nations, some that still exist today, after a brief period of colonialism.

fGXlnQP.jpg

Just to be thorough, and followup on the last comment:

I can't tell whether that says Bunyoro or Banyoro, but the same 'Bu/Ba/Mu' suffixes apply there as well. Bunyoro, Banyoro, Munyoro.

The Luganda (Ganda language), Lusoga (Soga language), and Nyoro are all Bantu languages, thus the similarities to each other and to Swahili, the trade language of coastal east Africa.

Also, Ankole is the more common name for the Kingdom/province; Nkore typically refers to the language and the people of Ankole.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ankole

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bunyoro

I am not familiar with any of the areas beyond these, though.

I have actually seen the Palace of the King of Busoga, and been in Ankole, Buganda, and (obviously) Busoga. Outside of these, I am not too familiar.
 
  • 19
Reactions:
Or simply ban colonization of Africa till X tech is achieved, malaria and yellow fever outbreak event should wipe out almost whole European army just like during Haitian Revolution where Yellow Fever did most of the killing.
A) Europeans did establish along the coast, so that wouldn't work, and
B) Player shouldn't be prohibited from trying if they're mad enough, Europeans did penetrate a bit into the land, (such as the Kongo, and South Africa), but it wasn't until the 19th Century that they got all the way into the very interior of Africa.
 
  • 11
Reactions:
As in many other places in Africa we started with the Unesco history of Africa. It's not very fresh but it is thorough. For the extended Congo river area @Guillaume HJ has been of great help (just as he was with West Africa if you recall the West African dev diary back during art of war). UNESCO isn't the only source but it is probably the most useful due to its ambitious scope. Obviously real historical sources don't lend them to an exact map of the world in 1444 so some liberties has been taken such.

God, how I would love to visit your library! This alone must make it the very best workplace for a games developer.

Anyway thanks for the african love you show. I love it!
 
Well couple of things - one the Africans weren't so behind the Europeans in tech terms - they were behind, but not "we've never even seen horses or guns" behind like the new worlders. This meant that the "easy" conquests by Conquistadors weren't easy in Africa. Europeans only had an absolute military advantage by the 19th Century. Also Africans fought back and hard, even then. But the biggest reason was disease, the Old World diseases wiping out plenty (that is somewhere between 50-90% according to estimates) of the native new world populations. Africa had all these diseases so that didn't help Europeans, but Africa did have diseases which stopped Europeans, such as Malaria.

Ultimately both (Central/South) America and African colonisation are represented poorly in game. Considering Central/South America colonisation was more like a conquest using very small numbers of men (rather than establishing colonies and growing them with settlers, which happened much more in North Amercia), and African colonisation, if it could be called that, was the establishing of trade posts and forts, not entire cities. So better representation in that regard would help, as well as disease (in both cases)

I would like to see a trade post system, with Arguin and western Angola provinces on the shore being far smaller.
 
  • 12
Reactions:
Is that it for Africa, nothing in North Africa? Especially Mauritania part that was so detailed in one of the forum posts :(

It's kinda funny to me, Madagascar has almost as many provinces now as England xd And obviously they are almost same size, but well just seems bit weird somehow.
 
  • 4
  • 2
Reactions:
@Trin Tragula

Hello and Welcome to another development diary for EU4. This time we take a look at Africa, and the changes there. This one of those times when pictures are worth more than 1000 words.

fGXlnQP.jpg

Imatong and Urgoma are the same terrain as the whole area around that already were opened up.

Why are they still wasteland?

Check out this map:
https://www.google.com/maps/place/S...0x15d91cc41072b195:0xd2bf70462a612b37!6m1!1e1

Turkana and Kikuyu are very rough areas, but they are now colonizable.

Can you please open these areas up as 3-5 colonizable province? Imatong and Urgoma?
 
  • 7
Reactions:
@Trin Tragula could you add a decision for Byzantium to Re-form the Roman Empire? It would make playthroughs of them all the more worthwhile

Additionally, please remove the ability of an imported Roman Empire to form Byzantium, Reestablish the Theme system (instantly gaining 11 development in Constantinople), and enact 4 +25 army tradition decisions instantly.

Also, @Trin Tragula , please change the colour of the Roman Empire to something less hideous. :confused:

Like, maybe a dark pinkish red, or a darker red like Albania, or a more purple-red like Byzantium.

Anything but neon redish-pink.
 
@Trin Tragula



Imatong and Urgoma are the same terrain as the whole area around that already were opened up.

Why are they still wasteland?

Check out this map:
https://www.google.com/maps/place/S...0x15d91cc41072b195:0xd2bf70462a612b37!6m1!1e1

Turkana and Kikuyu are very rough areas, but they are now colonizable.

Can you please open these areas up as 3-5 colonizable province? Imatong and Urgoma?

If I had to guess, I would say those areas were kept wasteland to prevent east Africa from having direct access to the Great Lakes area.