Hello, and welcome again to a new series of EUIV Dev Diaries! For those of you who don’t know me yet, I joined Paradox Tinto a couple of years ago as QA, and I’ve transitioned in the past months to the position of Associate Producer. I’ve been pretty much involved in the development process of the new content for the 1.37 update, in a very exciting (and different) experience from my previous duties as QA. For this Dev Diary, I’ve synced with
@Pavía, our Content Design Coordinator, to speak about the new content.
So, it’s been some time since the last DD, but we now are ready to start sharing with you the plans we have set for the upcoming DLC. We’ve learned the lessons from the development of King of Kings, and we’ve decided to start today by showing the overall plan for the new content, to correctly set the expectations about what to expect from the start. Without further ado, there will be 3 main areas we want to focus on: America, Central Europe, and Central Asia. Let’s start, then!
America
Although the American nations received new mechanics and features in some previous DLCs (Conquest of Paradise, El Dorado, Golden Century, and Leviathan), we thought that it probably was the region with the most outdated content in terms of flavor, so a new revisit to it would be very much on point. The focus for it would be similar to that of the previous DLCs, from Origins to King of Kings, aiming to get more depth and replayability to nations with already well-established mechanics, such as the Incas or the Aztecs. On top of this, we also wanted to add some more additional content in Central America to the Mayan area.
You may have noticed that we’ve not mentioned any Colonial Nations, and that’s on purpose. Leviathan already implemented a new set of mechanics for them, and we feel that the experience of adding more flavor to play with any of them wouldn’t be so rewarding compared to other nations, so we decided to skip them, to be able to devote more development time to other regions that had also been very requested by the players.
Inca
The Andean Empire of the Incas was a great pre-Columbian nation with a rich history that was not fully portrayed in EUIV until now. With the release of this new expansion, the Incas will be able to experience new missions that involve unifying their land, exploiting the gold and valuable resources produced in the Andes, honoring the sun god Inti, and preparing for upcoming invasions.
Aztecs
The valley of Mexico has a clear dominant power. The Aztecs have recently established their domain and their specialized troops, such as the mighty Jaguar Warriors, are determined to control all of Mesoamerica. With the new DLC, we are going to emphasize and recreate the differences between them and their neighbors, allowing them to expand their control and create new tributaries using the Flower Wars, offer fresh blood sacrifices, and prepare the Aztec society to face the newcomers from Europe.
Mayans
The main purpose of the gameplay with Mayans will be to prevent the full collapse of their civilization, in the so-called Post-Classical Age. To do that, we are giving them more flavor and paths to unify all their neighbors under one ruler, taking advantage of the Yucatan jungle and the profitable trade in the region, while setting new objectives outside of it.
Central Europe
We’re back in Europe, again! Why is that, you may wonder? The main reason is that we had plans to develop even more content initially planned for Domination, but we had to prioritize the countries properly to ensure that we would get them in for the DLC. That’s why we decided to cut some of the initially planned content and wait for a better moment that would allow us to fully develop our initial design ideas. The time for it has come, and we’ve focused on 3 areas in this region. On the one hand, in the Empire itself, the Netherlands is receiving content in line with what a Great Power deserves to have, while Austria is also receiving an update in line with that of Prussia, as the previously existing content from Emperor was quite wide; this is complemented with more content for the Germany formable country. The second area is Italy, in which we’re also adding more content for Venice, one of the most popular Merchant Republics, but also for the formable Italy country itself, which will add a layer of gameplay to the different Italian countries. Finally, we’ve also reviewed the content for Eastern Central Europe, essentially for Bohemia and Hungary, which will be potential candidates to become a Great Power if deciding carefully which path to follow.
Netherlands
The forums have been flooded with requests for more content related to the Netherlands in the past few years. It is fair because as we said, it was in our initial plans for Domination; therefore, we’re now adding a substantial amount of new content. The Netherlands had a powerful presence in trading through the merchant and war fleet, and we aim to enhance their abilities to control the most important trade nodes, interact with other great powers of Europe, colonize while setting the unfamous VOC and WIC while promoting the Dutch culture to a new level.
Austria
The Habsburgs were always ambitious, seeking more power and control. With the introduction of the new mission tree, the Holy Roman Emperor will now have more ways to deal with both internal and external vassals, allowing them to extend their control over territories such as Hungary, Bohemia, Naples, Burgundy, Castile, Poland, and more. To manage all these thrones, unique features will be added to Austria, allowing them to interact with their junior partners. Additionally, a new formable will be created that may create some headaches for the Austrians.
Germany
As with the soon-to-be-mentioned Italy, the primary objective of the German content is to enhance the late-game experience. Germany would need to unify their region, conquer neighboring lands, industrialize their cities, and manage any revolutions that may occur. It is worth noting that there will be variations in the flavor of the game depending on the specific German country that manages to unify all the land, creating some different gameplay from this.
Venice
The Most Serene Republic of Venice was one of the most prominent nations in 1444. With the Renaissance in full swing, we have added new missions, events, and more content to interact with various illustrated characters, while reaping the benefits of their mighty trading fleet. Even if Venice can expand its trading empire across the Mediterranean, it might not be enough, and they may need to explore new territories beyond their current reach to further bolster the positions of the Serenissima.
Italy
We’re trying to address some of the shared requests for Italy, making for a longer campaign, with more diverse gameplay options. In the new DLC, we are trying to solve this issue and give extra flavor to the Italian nations that finish their missions trees and more. While not being a historical country in our time frame, their scope will be a mix of historical borders and goals plus an extra of what ifs regarding their glorious past. The main paths are going to be the conquest of the rest of Europe and becoming the true Roman successor, industrializing the Italian Peninsula, and dominating global trade.
Hungary
In the Hungarian mission tree available with Emperor the main focus for this country was about conquering the Balkans. However, with the new expansion, we’ll improve it to provide more options to increase the Hungarian control over neighboring regions. To achieve this, Hungary would need to confront Poland, Austria, the Ottomans, and other further territories such as the Teutonic Order and Naples. But, at the same time, they must also take care of their internal affairs by improving infrastructure and strengthening the economy.
Bohemia
Bohemia is a nation that has not been significantly changed for some time. However, with the new update, we plan to introduce better and more engaging missions that allow Bohemia to interact with the Holy Roman Empire and make the Bohemian crown a main contender for it while improving the Hussite Wars outcome, and giving a deeper touch to the religion and the kingdom. Additionally, we are expanding the options to expand the domain of Bohemia to include the Balkans, Germany, Poland, and beyond.
Central Asia
The final region we’ll tackle is Central Asia. This is also a legacy of previous designs that initially we’d like to implement both in Domination and King of Kings, but that we had to skip in favor of the other countries. We have a divide between countries aspiring to become Great Powers (the Timurids and Mughals), the Hordes (for which we’ll implement differential regional content and branches), and some Middle Eastern player and dev favorites that we were very requested in the past few months: Hisn Kayfa, Hormuz & Oman, and Trebizond. And, of course, we also have Theodoro! It might not be either in Central Europe or Central Asia, but… Well, maybe with their new content, they might be a power to reckon with in these regions…
Timurids
The descendants of Timur start in a precarious situation. With the new design, we aim to recreate the administrative chaos that was due to the Mongol succession laws. If they manage to overcome the myriad of successor estates existing around the death of Shah Rukh, their fates are going to be attached to the paths they decide to follow. Create a new Nomadic country, being able to reclaim their ancestral lands, or accept new traditions and try to consolidate a new domain and power in Persia.
Mughals
This Gunpowder Empire born from an offspring of the Timurid dynasty is primarily focused on conquering the Indian subcontinent. However, we aim to incorporate a new flavor that would allow for a more interesting management of their internal affairs, such as the mansabdars. Additionally, the Mughal Empire will undertake new goals to enhance its economic and cultural standing.
Hordes
The nomadic lords of the steppes are an important addition to the content of this DLC. We have decided to make some of their goals accessible to all the Hordes, while other parts of the content will be exclusive to specific regions. Therefore, the Western Tatars, Central Moghulistan, and the Eastern Mongols will have new paths enabling them to conquer new lands and raze them to the ground, as a proper Khan should aim to do!
Hisn Kayfa
The golden age of the Ayyubid dynasty came to an end a long time ago. Hisn Kayfa is surrounded by heathens, pagans, and minor dynasties, but also by powerful countries ready to crush them if not prepared to tackle them. To restore the former glory of the Caliphate and reclaim Syria, Egypt, and Arabia, Saladin's legacy requires a more ambitious mission tree.
Trebizond
The once powerful and prestigious Komnenoi family now only retains their name. Trebizond has lost its dominance in the Black Sea, and the remnants of the Byzantine Empire are close to collapse. However, they might still be able to reclaim their lost territories, extend their control over the Black Sea and Anatolia, and take back Constantinople, either from the Palaiologos or from the heathens.
Theodoro
Theodoro is a nation that faces a challenging start. To survive, they must defeat neighboring Hordes, Turks, and Slavs. The new campaign will enhance the flavor of this heroic contender for the control of the Black Sea. Raise the banners, and a new Gothic invasion might go on once again!
Hormuz & Oman
The prosperous nations of Hormuz and Oman in the Arabian Peninsula have mainly relied on trading within the Persian Gulf to prosper and become wealthy entrepots. However, with the new opportunities presented to them, they might be able to expand their horizons and potentially establish a global trade empire that controls the trade and land in Arabia, East Africa, and India, extending their influence across the Indian Ocean.
That’s all about the new content for 1.37! Thanks for those of you reading us again, we’re very excited about receiving your feedback about this roadmap! And next week, we’ll start with proper development diaries, showcasing the new content for America: the Aztecs, Mayans, and Incas! It will be a meaty Dev Diary, for sure!
*EDIT*
A Post Publishing addition for you, a new Father Lorris Comic!
