Welcome to another development diary about Europa Universalis IV. This time we talk about something that will be in the next major patch we do.

One of the parts of the game that has not changed much since eu1 is the concept of technology groups and technological development around the world. We’ve added concepts like westernising, and tweaked that one, but in the end Europe has a huge advantage from day 1, and lots of fun gameplay options are limited the further away you are.

So this is what will happen in 1.18, when it is released this autumn..

A nation’s technology group no longer affect technology research.

There is now a concept called Institutions, which will affect your technology research. There are seven different institutions that appear over the game, and if you don’t get them to spread into your country and then get embraced by your government, your technology costs will slowly rise.

Each institution will appear in a province fullfilling certain factors, and then slowly spread around the world. The nation owning that province will gain prestige and monarch power.

Every year the penalty for not having embraced an institution will grow by 1%, so there is a gradual process.

When an institution has spread to at least 10% of your development, you can embrace it in your government, removing the penalty permanently, and also giving a bonus to your nation. The cost to embrace depends on the amount of development in your nation without the institution.

All institutions spread over borders (including 1 seazone away), if relations are positive, and the spread is based on development in the province getting it. There are also lots of other factors related to the spread.

So which are the the seven institutions then?

Feudalism
This is present from the start in almost all the world, except among the hordes, new world and sub-saharan africa. It will slowly spread into neighboring lands, but it is not quick.
Bonus: Gives 1 extra free leader.
Penalty: 50%


Renaissance
This appears in Italy after 1450, in either a capital or a 20+ development province. It will spread quickly through high development in europe, particularly through italy, but can only spread into provinces that have feudalism already.
Bonus: 5% Cheaper Development & 5% Cheaper Buildings
Penalty: 20%


Colonialism
Appears after 1500 in a port province in Europe, who’s owner has the Quest of the New World idea, and have discovered the new world. And will spread very quickly through any port in countries with colonies.
Bonus: +10% Provincial Trade Power
Penalty: 20%


Printing Press
This arrives after 1550, most likely in germany, but can happen in any protestant or reformed province. It will spread quickly in Protestant and Reformed territory, but also into capitals with dip tech 15.
Bonus: 5& Cheaper Stability
Penalty: 20%


Global Trade
This arrives after 1600, in a center of trade in the highest value trade node, and will spread quicker into provinces with trade buildings.
Bonus: +1 Merchant
Penalty: 20%

Manufactories
This arrives after 1650 in a province with 30 development and a manufactory, and will spread quicker into provinces with manufactories.
Bonus: +10% Goods Produced
Penalty: 20%

Enlightenment
Arrives after 1700 in a province that either is a seat of a parliament, or is a province in europe owned by a monarch with at least 5 in all stats. Universities & Parliament Seats spread this institution.
Bonus: 25% Cheaper Culture Conversion
Penalty: 30%
​

What does this mean?


The progress of Europe is not guaranteed, but most importantly, a nation in Asia or Africa is no longer crippled from day 1, and forced to avoid spending power on ideas and development.

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We’re constantly tweaking the spread factors, but here are some screenshots from mid 18th century in a hands-off game from this morning.

This is the institutions mapmode, where green are provinces that have all the enabled institutions, and yellow are don’t have them all.

And here is the technology mapmode, of the same game.

Some other aspects that has changed include the following
- New World Native Reforming will give you all institutions that the one you reform from has.
- Trade Companies are available to all technology groups.
- Lots and lots of triggers on western techgroups have been changed to check for specific relevant institutions.

 

[Jackhay13]

I'm assuming we'll still be able to roll back, for those of us who aren't particularly fond of the changes (sorry, I've no idea when it comes to these things - been a while since I've ever needed to roll a Paradox game back)?

 

[Freudia]

I'm assuming we'll still be able to roll back, for those of us who aren't particularly fond of the changes (sorry, I've no idea when it comes to these things - been a while since I've ever needed to roll a Paradox game back)?

Every major patch cycle adds the previous patch to the available list of patches you can roll back to, all the way back to 1.4. This has been the trend for quite awhile, so yes, when 1.18 rolls out, you'll be able to roll back to 1.17.

 

[Wagonlitz]

I'm assuming we'll still be able to roll back, for those of us who aren't particularly fond of the changes (sorry, I've no idea when it comes to these things - been a while since I've ever needed to roll a Paradox game back)?

You can roll back to something like 1.3. (I.e. the second patch the game got; it was released as 1.1.)
You can't roll back to sub patches though, but only the last version of a patch number.

 

[Lemont Elwood]

Ooh, I have an idea. For Ming, just have a certain Administrative tech level, 3 Stability, and 100 Legitimacy unlock the ability to reform their Celestial Empire into an Enlightened Despotism.

 

[bitmapmedivh]

Ooh, I have an idea. For Ming, just have a certain Administrative tech level, 3 Stability, and 100 Legitimacy unlock the ability to reform their Celestial Empire into an Enlightened Despotism.

My guess is you'll get the option if you have certain specific Institutions.

Or they'll have revamped the entire CE system. Here's hoping!

 

[GeneRD]

I wonder how these mechanics will work out with custom starts. Still, I approve, this looks like a big step in the right direction for making the game more dynamic.

That actually is a common misunderstanding. All disabling automatic updates on steam does is that it won't update until you launch the game. It will still update before you can play it. What he needs to do is let it update and then roll back to a previous patch through the beta tab.

It only automatically updates if you had the most current version of the game when you last played.

 

[PandaL]

I like the intention of the system, but I think the the current setup is a bit awkward.

One problem will be Feudalism actually being outdated by the end of the game. Ming has already been past the period of typical Feudalism for a long time, while most of Europe gradually moved pass Feudalism. Thus the idea of nation embracing Feudalism near the later part of the game is rather odd. There's nothing to represent this at the moment.

Another odd one is Renaissance. Renaissance is so deeply rooted in the European history and culture, the idea of a nation outside of Europe embracing Renaissance is also quite weird.

Being able to embrace Global Trading without Colonialism is rather unrealistic as well.

It almost feel like the system can be better in a tier or tech tree form. In addition some old concepts, such as revolution, can be moved to this system.

 

[edalen]

Will estates (like nobility) be bound to having the institution (feudalism) in your country?

Or will their influence be modified by institutions? Like Church influence going decreasing with spread of Enlightenment institution?

 

[Yxklyx]

Default number of leaders should be 0 then with Feudalism giving one; however, rulers shouldn't take up a slot.

 

[pphair]

Default number of leaders should be 0 then with Feudalism giving one; however, rulers shouldn't take up a slot.

I disagree. Leaders have been in short supply ever since we lost the admiralty and war college. I like this addition.

 

[Yxklyx]

I disagree. Leaders have been in short supply ever since we lost the admiralty and war college. I like this addition.

My idea would also have nations using their rulers lead more often in the early game.

I would like to see naval and land leaders split as well. Each with their own limit. The naval leader would not cut into the land leader's limit. I miss the unique buildings...

 

[Freudia]

Ooh, I have an idea. For Ming, just have a certain Administrative tech level, 3 Stability, and 100 Legitimacy unlock the ability to reform their Celestial Empire into an Enlightened Despotism.

Making it tethered to a mechanic you have zero control over always makes me wary.

 

[gianlucad]

The more EU4 steers clear from monarch points the better... "I have acquired ENOUGH MAGICAL POINTS! GOD, GIVE ME THE BLUNDERBUSS"

 

[Sunspawn]

I wonder, will the Far East finally be looked at? Everything (except maybe the hordes) east of India and south of the uncolonized north Asia badly needs an update.

 

[geoaraujo]

Instead of "Printing Press," you could use "Printing Revolution," "Innovative Printing," "Printing Innovation," "Mass Printing," or "Print Culture."

Nice suggestions! By the way, the famous decesead historian Benedict Anderson has written mainly about nationalism, arguing that the "Printing Revolution" on Europe had a fundamental role to the rise of the idea of imagined communities, i. e., nations.

On the other hand, I don't think that westernization should be removed from the game. Maybe it could be reworked. Westernization surely was a very important political, cultural and social force in Modern and Contemporary History.

 

[Leninade]

History in this instance I feel does need a bit of railroading, much of the game's premise is centered on the old rivalries of Europe exploding out onto the world stage, where the naval powers fight to establish colonies in search of the resources that will allow them to overcome their neighbors, with RotW nations left with the choice of resisting or collaborating. Colonies are established, with wealth and goods beginning to flow directly into the heart of Europe.

As the guard-rails are being lowered I feel more and more that the game is losing this dynamic, and the different regions of the globe are losing their flavor. As nations in the RotW start losing their penalties they don't open up new possibilities to the game, it just adds a new place to do the same things you can do everywhere else- just with the added effect of lowering the possibility to see anything like the great naval empire such as Great Britain, Portugal, or the United Provinces of the Netherlands.

 

[mudcrabmerchant]

Seeing those maps, I hope Asia is behaving out of the ordinary. One or two countries matching European tech per game would be alright (at least in military matters several Asian states achieved this for a time), but I feel like it should be harder for RotW to adopt institutions, and therefore faster tech speed, than the map seems to indicate.

Great system, though. Far preferable to what we see now, and looks like it'll be easily moddable.

 

[Doze49]

If I play as Bohemia or Hungary will I for instance be able to stop say renaissance from spreading into Poland and Lithuania. Also will you be able to Spread the institutions to your allies Say I'm Pomerania could I increase devolpment to try and spread the renaissance to Poland.

 

[RedBstrd]

Nice suggestions! By the way, the famous decesead historian Benedict Anderson has written mainly about nationalism, arguing that the "Printing Revolution" on Europe had a fundamental role to the rise of the idea of imagined communities, i. e., nations.

Ooohhhh, good catch regarding Anderson's choice of words! Sadly, I was out of state while writing that post, so I didn't/don't have access to most of my book collection and could only make superficial comments regarding the things that most readily came to mind.

 

[Sopbucket]

I don't know how I missed this - technology and westernization are perhaps the weakest area in the game right now and I absolutely love that you guys are coming up with original ways to solve the problems that are present there. This all sounds really good so far, I love that focusing on technology will now be a play style and not just an inherent bonus or mechanic. I'm still waiting to see how China will be handled but I'm pretty optimistic all around.

Edit: Oh, so the 12th of May screenshot was for institutions - it's showing all the countries that have feudalism at the time.