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EU4 - Development Diary - 20th of February 2018

Good day all and welcome back to another Development Diary for Europa Universalis IV. We've already announced that the Rule Britannia Immersion Pack will be coming soon for $9.99 or your local equivalent, as well as that the 1.25 England Update will accompany it for free. To that end, let's talk about a couple of the upcoming Rule Britannia features, as well as the new National Ideas for low Countries from the Update.

Firstly, a couple small features from Rule Britannia. We have added in a new Peace Deal and Diplomatic offer to Steer Trade. This will cost 60% War Score and will be tricky to get diplomatically, but will force the target nation to have their merchants automatically placed so that they steer trade towards the victor's trade capital. This arrangement will be enforced for the duration of the truce and is an effective way to hijack an enemy nation's finances without taking territory or otherwise accruing Aggressive Expansion.

steer trade.jpg


In this example, Venice have forced Mamluks to steer trade, so manually control over Mamluk merchants has been revoked and they are automatically placed to maximum profit for Venice: steering from Aleppo into Alexandria, and Alexandria+Ragusa into Venice. This arrangement allows merchants to even steer trade away from home nodes into the beneficiary's nodes.

As this is often (but not always) more beneficial than Transfer Trade Power, Steer Trade costs 60% Warscore while Transfer Trade Power is set to 30%.

Next up, we have the addition of Naval Doctrines. For all nations with a naval force limit surpassing 20 ships, they can set their naval doctrine from the following:

  • Fleet in being: -15% ship maintenance
  • Free Oarsmen: + 15% Galley Combat Ability
  • Merchant Navy: +33% ship tradepower
  • Ship Boarding: + 33% capture ship chance
Naval Doctrines are not, however, free to set. The cost of setting your doctrine is dependant on the sailor capacity of your current navy, currently 0.1 ducats per sailor that is needed for your fleet. Your Doctrine can be set at any point at this cost and will be visible in the Military UI Tab

Venice naval doctine.jpg


However, specially for nations in the British culture group, there is a fifth Doctrine option: Wooden Wall, which will grant a +1 to all naval combat rolls in sea provinces adjacent to any of their owned provinces. This should allow a British nation both to better defend their home island as well as project power abroad where they seize land.

Steer Trade and Naval Doctrines are both features of the upcoming Rule Britannia Immersion pack. Let's also take a look at the Low Countries National Ideas added freely in the accompanying England Update.

We have been hard at work adding National Ideas for the Dutch and surrounding nations who for a long time have been abusively coupled under the wide-reaching "German Ideas". As such, the following nations have received their own unique National Ideas:
  • Friesland
  • Utrecht
  • Gelre
  • Flanders
  • Brabant
  • East Frisia
  • Liege
  • Aachen
no funny image names this week i am on vacation.jpg

Friesland ideas, already shamefully spoiled in a Twitter teaser

I'll spoil 2 of the idea sets here and now, and the 2 next most requested in this thread shall be later unveiled. Personally I'm quite fond of Gelre and Aachen.

GEL_ideas = {
start = {
stability_cost_modifier = -0.1
naval_maintenance_modifier = -0.10
}

bonus = {
tolerance_heretic = 2
}
gel_county_duchy = {
diplomats = 1
"Gelre has been elevated by the Emperor from a mere County to a magnificent Duchy. Gelre is thereby recognized as one of the most prominent states of the Low Countries."

}
gel_hanseatic = {
trade_efficiency = 0.1
"The rivers that flow through Gelre bring with them an abundance of trade. No wonder that an extraordinary amount of towns in our land are members of the Hanseatic League. These Hanseatic towns make a vital contribution to the duchy's coffers."

}
gel_defy_burgundy = {
legitimacy = 1
"Whether they be Dukes of Burgundy or Kings of Spain, the people of Gelre use every means at their disposal to eject foreign rulers from their lands. Our staunch independence in the face of adversity cements our right to rule."

}
gel_rivers = {
development_cost = -0.1
"While other states in the Low Countries battle the advance of the ocean, Gelre contends with its rivers. The perennial risk of flooding has forced us to develop a tradition of river engineering that controls the flow of water throughout our land."

}
gel_gelderland_wars = {
land_morale = 0.10
"Gelre is no stranger to military conflict, and its armies once again stand ready to expand our borders by force. Our motivations of course are not purely expansionist - we also seek to defend the Low Countries from the encroachment of foreign kings."

}
gel_looting = {
loot_amount = 0.25
"It is always difficult to muster the coin to pay soldiers. As an alternative to payment by the state, many soldiers and mercenaries are willing to accept instead the right to plunder the land of whatever valuables they come across on their campaigns."

}
gel_diplomatic_expansion = {
diplomatic_annexation_cost = -0.15
"Outright conquest is the simplest method of claiming new territories, but there is much to be said also for a diplomatic approach. Through strategic marriages and moneylending, our realm has expanded from minor holdings in Upper Guelders to its current size. Holland and Utrecht have loaned more from our plentiful treasury than they could pay back, and we have obtained Nijmegen and the Veluwe as collateral. We must obtain more lands following this example."


AAC_ideas = {
start = {
prestige = 1
diplomats = 1
}

bonus = {
diplomatic_upkeep = 1
}

aac_charlemagne_capital = {
prestige_decay = -0.01
"Charlemagne himself held court at the Palace of Aachen, and ever since then the city has hosted the Imperial Coronation. Though the Palace is now derelict, in its place we have built an impressive Town Hall that continues to be the site of the coronation feast."

}
aac_free_city = {
republican_tradition = 0.5
"Ever since the Empire ceased to be ruled directly from Aachen, the city has held the status of Imperial immediacy. The city is self-governing, its leaders answer only to the Emperor himself."

}
aac_spa = {
stability_cost_modifier = -0.10
"Aachen is among Europe's most renowned spa towns. The supposed healing properties of the water make the city's bathhouses popular among both the citizenry and visitors from abroad."

}
aac_guilds = {
production_efficiency = 0.1
"Like many cities in the Germany, the guilds have influence over governance. In Aachen their influence has grown so great that the ruling council has been forced to incorporate the guilds into the government itself, so that industrial interests are always at the forefront of policy decisions."

}
aac_expel_heretics = {
global_heretic_missionary_strength = 0.02
"As city officials flip to and from Catholicism and the various reformed sects, we must decide on a single faith for the city and expel any officials that do not conform."

}
aac_baroque = {
build_cost = -0.1
"There are many grand buildings in Aachen that have fallen into disrepair through war and neglect. This presents an opportunity to rebuild in new architectural styles. The Baroque style has become particularly influential, and would make an excellent inspiration for the renovation of the Town Hall."

}
aac_congresses = {
diplomatic_reputation = 2
"As the dust settles after a great war in Europe, leaders must come to the peace table to resolve conflicts. There is no better site than Charlemagne's capital to host these international conferences that will surely bring about a new era of peace in Europe."

EDIT: adding Brabant and Flanders ideas by request

Massive support for Flanders and Brabant ideas, so here we go.

FLA_ideas = {
start = {
global_trade_goods_size_modifier = 0.1
embracement_cost = -0.1
}
bonus = {
trade_efficiency = 0.10
}
fla_cloth = {
production_efficiency = 0.15
"The Flemish cloth industry is the envy of the world. Merchants come from far away to sell their wool in Flanders, where we manufacture the best quality cloth."
}
fla_land_reclamation = {
development_cost = -0.1
"The Low Countries are highly susceptible to flooding, but we now have the technology to reclaim this land from the ocean."
}
fla_beeldenstorm = {
global_heretic_missionary_strength = 0.02
"New ideas inspire an iconoclastic fury among the people of Flanders. A 'statue storm' is underway, as reformers destroy heretical icons and imagery."
}
fla_painters = {
global_institution_spread = 0.1
"Flanders has become famed for its painters. Van Dyke, Rubens, Ensor, and many more are renowned throughout Europe as geniuses."
}
fla_ship_building = {
light_ship_cost = -0.20
"As Flanders has some of Europe's greatest port cities, it is only fitting that it should have some of Europe's greatest shipyards. Being able to use local craftsmen dramatically reduces the costs of acquiring new merchant fleets."
}
fla_university = {
technology_cost = -0.05
"Leuven is home to Flander's foremost institution of academic learning. With students and professors such as Erasmus, Mercator, and Vesalius, Flanders leads the way in the field of natural philosophy."
}
fla_noose_bearers = {
hostile_attrition = 1
"We have suffered great humiliation under foreign overlords. Forced to publicly swear fealty with nooses around their necks, our brave patriots crossed their fingers and vowed never to allow Flanders to be humiliated again."


BRB_ideas = {
start = {
global_tax_modifier = 0.10
stability_cost_modifier = -0.1
}
bonus = {
land_morale = 0.10
}
brb_charter_of_liberty = {
global_unrest = -1
"In 1354 Duke John III of Brabant granted a Joyous Entry to the citizens of Brabant. The six specific freedoms detailed the exact powers that the church, the towns and nobles have."
}
brb_marsh_warfare = {
leader_land_manuever = 1
"The terrain in the Low Countries is dominated by marshes and other unfavourable terrain. By training our generals to better adapt to the hostile terrain we can have more success in the battlefield."
}
brb_palace_coudenberg = {
prestige = 1
"The old castle at Coudenberg has become obsolete. In its place we should construct a grand palace that will be the envy of the Low Countries. It will have vast wings, lavish decorations, and be fitted for even royal receptions."
}
brb_sugar_capital = {
trade_steering = 0.2
"Antwerp has become the sugar capital of Europe; importing most of the continent’s supply and containing one of the largest populations of able refiners to make and ship it."
}
brb_antwerp_banking = {
interest = -0.5
"Antwerp is home to the richest and most influential banks outside of Italy. We lend not only to merchants and nobles but to the governments of great states."
}
brb_religious_tolerance = {
tolerance_heretic = 2
tolerance_heathen = 1
"Religious tolerance is a tradition in the Duchy of Brabant. Crypto-Jews are welcome here, as are the many emerging sects of the Reformation."
}
brb_generality_lands = {
state_maintenance_modifier = -0.15
"If Brabant is to be part of something greater, it must be administered directly by the state as Generality lands rather than being ruled by local nobles or burghers."



And that's our lot for today. What'll we check out next week? How about a dev diary on the love the Naval AI has seen for 1.25? That sounds good. See you then!
 
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There is two kind of people didn't like Third Rome:
1 - People who don't play Russia/slav/Orthodox nations AND wanted general mechanics, but they were never the focus except with a "the region became more interesting, please take a look"
2 - People who knows Russian/slav/Orthodox history

The first group didn't like because it didn't change their game enough to feel worth the money, the second group didn't like the "immersion" being 3 more buttons to press. The NI change was welcome, but it was a fix in reality, because anti-soviet propaganda NIs was asked to be changed for over 2 years. The only group pleased was "I play in Russia and have no idea about their history because I think I learn it in Paradox Games".

There is now two kind of people don't like Rule Britannia:
1 - People who knows the history of the region, which is a very large group.
2 - People who expected general mechanics, apparently the focus of the DLC and is always the largest group.

While Russian history is mainly written in, guess what, Russian, the English history can be easily found in, guess again, English. The "British only" mechanics aren't interesting enough, neither was improved other mechanics like a very British thing called Parliament. Just to summarize, a few things which could please one of this two groups.

1 - Parliament rework in something less than "choose the smaller cost for the bonus you want". Would please the first and some of the second.
2 - English Civil Wars rework, the Republicans vs Monarchists in special is very lackluster. A very focused change that fits the "Immersion Criteria".
3 - Some focus on Scotland and Ireland, not only map/tag changes. I don't know their history enough to suggest more specific things
3 - Naval rework. A real one, not the travesty called Mare Nostrum. Would please the entire community and is a very British thing. Naval Doctrines? No. Just no.
4 - Colonial rework. The colonial system is pretty much based on Spanish system of Viceroyalties. Different ways to rule colonies would be a good thing.
5 - Trade Companies rework. Would please most of the first group and most of the second while is pretty easy to do. Make trade companies as colonial nations are and boom! New mechanic boys! Give me your wallets!

Two things define Great Britain in the period: its navy and its money. Navy is irrelevant. Money is irrelevant. So its Great Britain.

"Make a more general immersion patch"
"The immersion patch is too general"

Third Rome was really good and i am Very well versed in Russian history. if you don't like RB features then DON'T BUY IT. Don't instead go around saying "everyone who knows anything doesn't like this" personally i'm on the fence about buying, but you don't see me in here going "this doesn't meet my specific standards!! Paradox doesn't know history!!" I guarantee you they've done their share of research.
 
"Make a more general immersion patch"
"The immersion patch is too general"

Third Rome was really good and i am Very well versed in Russian history. if you don't like RB features then DON'T BUY IT. Don't instead go around saying "everyone who knows anything doesn't like this" personally i'm on the fence about buying, but you don't see me in here going "this doesn't meet my specific standards!! Paradox doesn't know history!!" I guarantee you they've done their share of research.

You may know very well the Russian history, but not much statistical terms. If one refers to a group to have a behavior, especially a human, it doesn't mean every single entity of this group has the said behavior. For example "men like cars" or "Brazilians like soccer". I am indifferent to both, but it doesn't make any of the sentences false.
 
The whole point of immersion pack is to add flavours for those small groups of players, right? It makes economic sense for Paradox to do it since it is a good way to earn more (third-degree price discrimination), and of course some fans love it. Maybe Paradox think it is more cost-effective to earn money this way? Who knows.

But a lot of players, myself included, want existing mechanics improved more than new ones only for a small group. Dear Paradox, if it is so difficult to fix navies, trade, estates... at least tell us what you guys are looking at next, so at least we have something to expect.
 
Third Rome was really good and i am Very well versed in Russian history. if you don't like RB features then DON'T BUY IT. Don't instead go around saying "everyone who knows anything doesn't like this" personally i'm on the fence about buying, but you don't see me in here going "this doesn't meet my specific standards!! Paradox doesn't know history!!" I guarantee you they've done their share of research.

I would argue. There are still a lot of misrepresentations and mistakes.
 
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Massive support for Flanders and Brabant ideas, so here we go.

fla_painters = {
global_institution_spread = 0.1
"Flanders has become famed for its painters. Van Dyke, Rubens, Ensor, and many more are renowned throughout Europe as geniuses."
}

1) I'm not sur who you mean by 'Van Dyke'. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthony_van_Dyck ? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jan_van_Eyck ? Someone else?

2) James Ensor was born in 1860, so I would honestly not mention him in this game...
 
fla_university = {
technology_cost = -0.05
"Leuven is home to Flander's foremost institution of academic learning. With students and professors such as Erasmus, Mercator, and Vesalius, Flanders leads the way in the field of natural philosophy."
}

Leuven, is actually in Brabant...

EDIT: sorry for the repost, I only read the dev responses
 
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1) I'm not sur who you mean by 'Van Dyke'. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthony_van_Dyck ? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jan_van_Eyck ? Someone else?

2) James Ensor was born in 1860, so I would honestly not mention him in this game...

Probably Van Dyck, that's the English writing of his name and in a way thats logical, since he was the court painter of Charles I.
If its Jan Van Eyck, he should be in the Liege tag, since Maaseik (where he was from) is situated in the province of Loon.
And yes, Ensor is, to say the least, a bit strange.

And to add to it all: Rubens and Van Dyck were from Antwerp, so again => Brabant...
 
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Stupid Flanders.


Edit: Great, now I've thought of an achievement for CK2. "Stupid Sexy Flanders: Have Duchy of Flanders as primary title with a ruler with the attractive and imbecile traits." ... ...I'm going to bed now.

Haha :)

And lmao @ naval doctrines having nothing related to raids or piracy.
  • Fleet in being: -15% ship maintenance
  • Free Oarsmen: + 15% Galley Combat Ability
  • Merchant Navy: +33% ship tradepower
  • Ship Boarding: + 33% capture ship chance (meh ;) when i capture ships they always seem to be outdated which means i have to pay for an upgrade :( i can't see how this would ever be worth it)

yeah, privateering should probably be in there instead of ship boarding "Francis Drake" anyone :p
  • Promote Privateers: 33% Privateering Efficiency
So Wales is being completely ignored... in a "British" DLC. I didn't expect Cornwall to have more importance than Wales but it seems like there wasn't even a consideration on changing some ideas for Wales, let alone giving them missions. Pretty disappointing.

well hard to disagree the Welsh are the original Brythons (Britons) after all. :(

Personally i think Cornwall/Wales and Brittany should be in their own culture group and get missions related to this common cultural heritage
 
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1) To people reading this far to say out loud they're not gonna buy an addendum to a luxury item (aka: this dlc): why do you still read this far? I'm really flabbergasted as to the why ?

2) Flanders getting light bulbs linked to Leuven and Rubens is ... not good.
 
Probably Van Dyck, that's the English writing of his name and in a way thats logical, since he was the court painter of Charles I.
If its Jan Van Eyck, he should be in the Liege tag, since Maaseik (where he was from) is situated in the province of Loon.
And yes, Ensor is, to say the least, a bit strange.

And to add to it all: Rubens and Van Dyck where from Antwerp, so again => Brabant...

This.
 
As a Belgian who lives in the province of Antwerp, my heart bled when I saw Leuven mentioned as a part of the county of Flanders. Alongside Antwerp and Brussels, Leuven was the one of the three major cities in the duchy of Brabant and represented in its Estates. For the painters, see other posts above mine.
 
What about making ship upgrades less expensive than buying a new ship? You might as well buy a new one and keep the old for quantity or sell the old for some money.

Also, should aggressive expansion not decrease while at war? Some gamey tactics involve waiting on enemy provinces long enough so your previous war's aggressive expansion falls low enough for you to not trigger a coalition to appear.