• 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 - 3rd March 2016

Welcome to another development diary for Europa Universalis. We finally announced Mare Nostrum earlier this week, and today we’ll talk about a few more features for it.

First of all. We’re adding Trade Leagues to the game. There existed a feature with the same name in EU3, but this is radically different.

Any Merchant Republic can create a Trade League by inviting other countries to it. However, only countries with 1 province can be a member of a trade league, excluding the leader.. Only a merchant republic can lead a trade league, and if the leader is annexed, another merchant republic in the league takes over leadership, if no new leader exists the league is disbanded.

Members get a small relation bonus with all other members, and the trade league is a defensive alliance between all members, and will consume one diplomatic relation. All members automatically embargo anyone the leader embargo, without a penalty.

If any members in a league gets embargoed, the leader gets a casus belli on the offending party.

Trade league leaders automatically have a trade dispute casus belli on any countries they would be able to generate such a casus belli on via spy action. That Casus Belli has been changed so that it is not possible to take territory, return cores, cancel vassals or release countries when using it.

The Leader gets 50% tradepower from all its members, and it gets a nice bonus to trade steering that is based on the amount of members in its league.

The members also have the following benefits. Doubled bonus on goods produced from the leaders merchant republic ability, and a +20% tradepower bonus on its ships. A member can leave a league at any time.

PjxpvGr.jpg


Another part of Mare Nostrum is a greater control of Mercantilism. Now you’ll be able to increase your mercantilism at any point you have enough diplomatic power. Of course, there are drawbacks to mercantilism, in that the more you have, the more money is lost through corruption.

rTiQQKk.jpg


One aspect of the trade system in Europa Universalis has been how powerful a trade-network could become, and especially where a nation have basically have a monopoly. So one of the major tweaks in 1.16 is that the more monopolised a node is, the more effective pirates are there. When the leading power in a node has 100% of the tradepower there, then pirates will have a 100% power increase. Of course, if there are privateers in that node, then they reduce the power of the monopoly…


Next week we’ll be back with a diary about the new naval mission system, naval combat changes, naval leader enhancements and other naval improvements.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
  • 122
  • 41
  • 37Like
  • 15
Reactions:
Members of the league having to be OPM is ridiculously restrictive. Why not restrict it by something else, for example, members can`t have enough to progress towards second tier of government? It would be far more organic and reasonable. We have this new shiny government ranking system, why not use it here?
I fully agree with this. After all in history there were Hansa offices/cities in larger countries too.
 
  • 14
Reactions:
Why restricting the membership of trade league to OPMs ????(other than the leader). A good way to ruin features with restrictions.at least make it so that only duchies are allowed to join.
..
And what happen when a member annexes more land ???
 
  • 6
  • 1Like
  • 1
Reactions:
I like it.

It doesn't seem necessary to limit it to OPMs though. I don't think any countries larger than 2-3 provinces would be willing to surrender half their trade power.
 
  • 2Like
Reactions:
Well, I think trade league gameplay could be very interesting. I mean, even if you stay small and an OPM, going to war to release countries like Danzig, Gotland, Northumberland, etc... so that you can invite them in your league of OPMs is definitively not boring.

The issue though is that (AI) league members should be a lot inclined NOT to take land for themselves in wars (same as Free cities I'd say). Otherwise, it would be most frustrating as people already pointed out.

I kind of agree with the OPM/2PM debate, Mecklenburg should be allowed to join the hanseatic league somehow.

Also, I don't think league mechanism should be part of the Mare Nostrum expansion, but an update of the Res Publica one. Like the New Random New World was linked to Conquest of Paradise and not The Cossacks.
 
  • 10
  • 1Like
  • 1
  • 1
Reactions:
This seems like the best way Paradox have yet thought up for anti-blobbing against OPMs. Very good work indeed.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, anti-blobbing mechanics are only good if there's interesting non-warring things to do, and right now there isn't.
 
  • 16
  • 7
  • 2Like
Reactions:
Members of the league having to be OPM is ridiculously restrictive. Why not restrict it by something else, for example, members can`t have enough to progress towards second tier of government? It would be far more organic and reasonable. We have this new shiny government ranking system, why not use it here?
or maybe have the limit at two or three provinces so that countries like Mecklenburg can join. And maybe have an addition where all countries with centers of trade and in trade range to the capital of the league may "rent away" part of the trade power from that province to the leader for extra goods produced.
 
  • 1
Reactions:
This seems like the best way Paradox have yet thought up for anti-blobbing against OPMs. Very good work indeed.

You seem to be misinformed on what will happen. Players will just declare on the OPM's ally and full annex the OPM through that, as they already do vs free cities.
 
  • 10
  • 1Like
Reactions:
I fully agree with this. After all in history there were Hansa offices/cities in larger countries too.
Yeah, Hansa cities and offices, not whole countries :) So the restriction is fair enough, though it could be cool for nations to agree on say, Danzig becoming a trade city with the benefits :)
 
  • 2
Reactions:
@Johan In Aliance Actions tab on first screen we can see "Offer Condottieri" option. So, we can transfer part of our army to our allies in 1.16?
 
Venice/Genoa usually end up leading Trade Leagues (only non-leaders are required to be OPMs).
But apart from maybe Ragusa, The Knights and Cyprus there are no real OPMs surrounding the mediterranean, are there? Maybe I'm forgetting some (I exclude the vassalized OPMs of Venice). Seems like a very tiny trade league. Especially if it is divided between Genoa and Venice.
 
  • 3
Reactions: