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EU4 Development Diary - 4th February 2016

Hello everyone, and welcome to another Europa Universalis development diary. We are now working fully towards 1.16 and our next big expansion. While I’ve always been the lead designer for EU4, I’m now the project lead for this expansion, as Wiz has moved to another project.

One of the biggest changes in concept is the introduction of sailors. Sailors represent the trained seamen of a nation. Sailors differ from manpower both in what they are used for, and in how you get them. Only coastal provinces provide sailors, and the amount of sailors depend on total development in that province. Sailors are required when constructing new ships, and when ships are “repaired”. Of course not all ships require the same amount of sailors, with heavy ships needing the most and transports the least.

Docks and Drydocks now provide 50% and 100% more sailors from their provinces instead of increasing forcelimits, while Shipyards and Grand Shipyards have been redesigned to increase naval forcelimits & decrease shipbuilding times in those provinces.

Natural Harbours and Coastal Trade Centers increase the amount of sailors you get from a province, while Merchant marine now gives +50% Sailors & Press Gangs now give +20% Sailor Recovery. Some nations also have ideas giving them more Sailors from their provinces with Netherlands and Norway having the biggest boosts at +25%. There are also policies, parliament issues & norse gods boosting your sailor pool as well.

Qvpb8Sf.jpg


If you have the expansion, you also gain sailors from occupying another nation’s coastal provinces, even if your maximum possible pool is not increased.

One of the most feared things in europe in this time-period was the arrival of slave raiders from the north african coast. Countless villages were razed and millions of europeans were sold in slavery in Algiers, Tunis, Tripoli & Istanbul until the European nations were finally able to stop it at the middle of the 19th century by simply conquering the North African coast.

Now Barbary Nations lose their 10% cheaper ship tradition, and they gained the ability to raid for slaves. Raiding for Slaves is now something fleets can do at sea, where they gain money and sailors from coastal provinces that are not their allies or subjects. To raid a coastal province, you need be able to blockade it with that fleet, and you can only raid a province once every ten years. The efficiency of raiding is reduced by fleets on pirate hunting patrol. Raiding of course hurts your relation with the owner of provinces you raid.

The reason for why you get sailors from raids, is that plenty of them historically ended up chained to an oar at a galley.

wuoomf6.jpg


Next week, we’ll take a deep look at how we have redesigned the espionage system.
 
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I think Mare Nostrum would be much more appropriate. :^)

Weird, me and my friends don't have such problems anymore... we're organising really minor sessions though, from 2 to 6 players, I don't know how is it with bigger games.
We play 11-14 people, and... it's horrible!! we cant play, or we can play with a dessincronised game. Not a stable game now...
 
Hello everyone, and welcome to another Europa Universalis development diary. We are now working fully towards 1.16 and our next big expansion. While I’ve always been the lead designer for EU4, I’m now the project lead for this expansion, as Wiz has moved to another project.

One of the biggest changes in concept is the introduction of sailors. Sailors represent the trained seamen of a nation. Sailors differ from manpower both in what they are used for, and in how you get them. Only coastal provinces provide sailors, and the amount of sailors depend on total development in that province. Sailors are required when constructing new ships, and when ships are “repaired”. Of course not all ships require the same amount of sailors, with heavy ships needing the most and transports the least.

Docks and Drydocks now provide 50% and 100% more sailors from their provinces instead of increasing forcelimits, while Shipyards and Grand Shipyards have been redesigned to increase naval forcelimits & decrease shipbuilding times in those provinces.

Natural Harbours and Coastal Trade Centers increase the amount of sailors you get from a province, while Merchant marine now gives +50% Sailors & Press Gangs now give +20% Sailor Recovery. Some nations also have ideas giving them more Sailors from their provinces with Netherlands and Norway having the biggest boosts at +25%. There are also policies, parliament issues & norse gods boosting your sailor pool as well.


Qvpb8Sf.jpg


If you have the expansion, you also gain sailors from occupying another nation’s coastal provinces, even if your maximum possible pool is not increased.

One of the most feared things in europe in this time-period was the arrival of slave raiders from the north african coast. Countless villages were razed and millions of europeans were sold in slavery in Algiers, Tunis, Tripoli & Istanbul until the European nations were finally able to stop it at the middle of the 19th century by simply conquering the North African coast.

Now Barbary Nations lose their 10% cheaper ship tradition, and they gained the ability to raid for slaves. Raiding for Slaves is now something fleets can do at sea, where they gain money and sailors from coastal provinces that are not their allies or subjects. To raid a coastal province, you need be able to blockade it with that fleet, and you can only raid a province once every ten years. The efficiency of raiding is reduced by fleets on pirate hunting patrol. Raiding of course hurts your relation with the owner of provinces you raid.

The reason for why you get sailors from raids, is that plenty of them historically ended up chained to an oar at a galley.

wuoomf6.jpg




Next week, we’ll take a deep look at how we have redesigned the espionage system.
That's very cool. But here's a couple of questions. I'm reading on a phone, so it's possible I'm missing something:
1. What is the bloody icon to the left of monarch power?
2. Can anyone raid, but North Africans are better at it? Or is just exclusive to them?
3. Is this part of the new expansion?

Lastly, a suggestion: one of the Russian national ideas should give more sailors considering how during Peter the Great their fleet became one of the most sizeable in Europe.
 
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Don't know how I feel about that. Could be crazy overpowered, given the way it looks now to be basically free without any consequences aside from a bit of measly relationship penalty.
Does the attacked nation become hostile to you? Does it maybe get a powerfull CB on you to discourage tiny nations to annoy the big guys? Does it work it armies are stationed in the provinces, since that army would most likely be easily able to deal with a few sailors landing on the shore? Does it take time or is it instantaneus?
 
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Cheers for the DD Johan :). Loving extra depth into the naval game, and the idea of navies having a 'long cycle' of recovery like armies is a good one. Great to hear the Barbary Corsairs are in the game as well.

Historically, they extorted ransoms from European nations as well, either for hostages, or extorted money to leave their lands/ships alone - any chance of this making it into the game as well? Not sure how often it happened, so if infrequent, please ignore.

Stellaris AI for a while, after that secret assignment (still at PDS tho).

Please be Vicky 3...... (although fair chance I'll be happy with whatever it is, unless you're making Barbie Horse Adventures - the Grand Strategy Game :))
 
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Yeah, I got that. It's obviously a manpower analog. But if it is just like manpower, it will usually recover fast enough to replenish my navies, so why would I ever need to raid for sailors? It obviously cant be *required* to keep your sailors up, or other nations will have trouble having enough sailors. I suspect I might use it in the first 10 years, as Morocco when I'm spamming boats to stop the first Iberian war, but after that will probably never need to raid, unless there is some other bonus I get, or if it actively hurts the targeted country enough.
 
@Johan Does this mean you've changed your mind regarding slavery in the game? Should we expect slave labor and slave trafficking/Triangle Trade featured more proeminently in the game?
 
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Let's hope raiding doesn't go over the top. One million people over 400 years is 200 a month or 2,500 a year. Not nice for the victims but hardly crippling a nation's economy.
 
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Hello everyone, and welcome to another Europa Universalis development diary. We are now working fully towards 1.16 and our next big expansion. While I’ve always been the lead designer for EU4, I’m now the project lead for this expansion, as Wiz has moved to another project.

One of the biggest changes in concept is the introduction of sailors. Sailors represent the trained seamen of a nation. Sailors differ from manpower both in what they are used for, and in how you get them. Only coastal provinces provide sailors, and the amount of sailors depend on total development in that province. Sailors are required when constructing new ships, and when ships are “repaired”. Of course not all ships require the same amount of sailors, with heavy ships needing the most and transports the least.

Docks and Drydocks now provide 50% and 100% more sailors from their provinces instead of increasing forcelimits, while Shipyards and Grand Shipyards have been redesigned to increase naval forcelimits & decrease shipbuilding times in those provinces.

Natural Harbours and Coastal Trade Centers increase the amount of sailors you get from a province, while Merchant marine now gives +50% Sailors & Press Gangs now give +20% Sailor Recovery. Some nations also have ideas giving them more Sailors from their provinces with Netherlands and Norway having the biggest boosts at +25%. There are also policies, parliament issues & norse gods boosting your sailor pool as well.


Qvpb8Sf.jpg


If you have the expansion, you also gain sailors from occupying another nation’s coastal provinces, even if your maximum possible pool is not increased.

One of the most feared things in europe in this time-period was the arrival of slave raiders from the north african coast. Countless villages were razed and millions of europeans were sold in slavery in Algiers, Tunis, Tripoli & Istanbul until the European nations were finally able to stop it at the middle of the 19th century by simply conquering the North African coast.

Now Barbary Nations lose their 10% cheaper ship tradition, and they gained the ability to raid for slaves. Raiding for Slaves is now something fleets can do at sea, where they gain money and sailors from coastal provinces that are not their allies or subjects. To raid a coastal province, you need be able to blockade it with that fleet, and you can only raid a province once every ten years. The efficiency of raiding is reduced by fleets on pirate hunting patrol. Raiding of course hurts your relation with the owner of provinces you raid.

The reason for why you get sailors from raids, is that plenty of them historically ended up chained to an oar at a galley.

wuoomf6.jpg




Next week, we’ll take a deep look at how we have redesigned the espionage system.
Quick question you cant raid while you have a truce right?
 
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I hope there will be range limits on slave raiding, Moroccans raiding Ireland and England is not historical.

ACTUALLY

They raided as far as South America. And Iceland.
 
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Irish minors should get 50% coring cost instead, to represent the fact that no one wants to take land infested by potato famine.

I'm fed up with the casual bigotry on this forum.
 
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Yeah, I got that. It's obviously a manpower analog. But if it is just like manpower, it will usually recover fast enough to replenish my navies, so why would I ever need to raid for sailors? It obviously cant be *required* to keep your sailors up, or other nations will have trouble having enough sailors. I suspect I might use it in the first 10 years, as Morocco when I'm spamming boats to stop the first Iberian war, but after that will probably never need to raid, unless there is some other bonus I get, or if it actively hurts the targeted country enough.

Maybe galleys will need a lot of sailors compared to other ship types. Then again, this will still cause problems for Venice and the like if they don't have a good source of sailors.

I think the idea is that states like Algiers will want to field massive fleets in comparison to their relatively thinly populated coastline, so those fleets will be unsustainable without slave raids, whereas a large country like Spain or Ottomans naturally has the resources to sustain a large fleet. Maybe you'll get a sailor bonus from CNs, for instance.
 
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From facebook:

'do you even embrace the concept of making a game that people would have to pay only once for? Now it looks that pure eu4 consists about 10% of full features. And to buy a DLC you have to pay way too much. I understand this is business, but it doesn't really seem fair towards us, fans of EU4.'

I'm sorry to say this but I agree 100% with the guy. I have all the dlc's which did cost a lot of money if you add it all up. Please don't do things like that in the future.
This diary is mostly about a free patch. And I appreciate that the game is continuously developed. EU4 without any DLC is fully playable, but the DLC's expand upon the base. Would you had preferred to still have it like it was at launch? Or not even released yet?

Here. Not so much "confirmed" as leaked.
I already read that. I thought he meant something official.
 
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