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EU4 - Development Diary - 18th of April 2017

Hello everyone and welcome to this Development Diary! For those that don’t know me, I am Trin Tragula, Content Designer of Europa Universalis, and today I will be the one writing the Tuesday Development Diary. As a Content Designer I am the one who plans and writes the events, decisions, maps, and similar things for the game. The subject of this diary will be the added content in the 1.21 “Hungary” Patch.

load_19.jpg


Background:

Hungary is in many ways a vital country to the period the game depicts. It is at the center of many events that came right before our start date, and these events are also the reason we start the game on the 11th of November in 1444.

As the only remaining major kingdom between the Ottomans and the larger Christian world Hungary nonetheless thrived in the 15th century, only to be reduced to a battleground for stronger powers after the defeat at Mohacs and up to the end of the era our game covers.

As you know, in the years leading up to 1444 Hungary has just emerged from a civil war between the supporters of the posthumous son of their last king, Ladislaus von Habsburg, and the dynamic young king of Poland, Wladyslaw Jagiellon. Wladyslaw’s supporters won this conflict and it is under Jagiellon leadership that Hungary, Bohemia, Poland, Lithuania and many others invaded the Ottoman Empire in 1443. This invasion was abruptly ended at Varna on the 10th of November in 1444 with the death of Wladyslaw and many others.

When the game opens Europe is recovering from the shocking defeat at Varna. Hungary is once again without king and powerful forces are aligning for or against the boy King, Ladislaus the Posthumous.

In Hungary patch we’ve tried to better capture the quite complicated situation of 1444 in Central and Southeastern Europe (one I have just barely touched in the short lines above). In order to do this we have both added new content and reworked some the old content related to Hungary, Austria and Bohemia.


Hungary:

Hungary has been the main focus of this patch and has received about 20 new events as well as a rework of a number of their old existing events.

eu4_292.jpg


Map Changes:

Hoping to both make Hungary more influential in the early game and to make the region more realistic and interesting to wage war in we have added a small number of provinces to Hungary in the 1.21 patch.
  1. Slovakia/Upper Hungary has been redrawn and the new province of Trencin now guards the northern border of the Kingdom. Development and trade goods of the area in general has been revised a bit to better reflect reality.

  2. The province of Fejér has been added between Sopron and Pest. The Hungarian capital in Pest is also now an inland center of trade, which both allows Hungary itself better control over the flow of trade, and makes the conquest of Pest more important for any invader.

  3. In the southern part of the kingdom we have added what was perhaps the most important of all Hungarian fortresses in 1444, Belgrade. The Hungarian kingdom had spent no small amount of energy acquiring the banate of Belgrade prior to our start date and its position at the confluence of the Sava and the Danube will make it a key province to control in the region from now on.

Events:

Hungary has received new events as well as reworks of their existing events. This is a broad (but not quite complete) overview of what we have added and why:

  • Early events will focus on recreating the rise of the Hunyadi family, allowing the player to partake in the Corvinian renaissance, with good advisors, opportunities to increase the wealth of the country and kick-starting institution spread in Budapest.
  • One of the more unique things about Hungary in this period was the so called ‘Black Army’, a very expensive, permanent, mercenary force that on numerous occasions was able to beat numerically superior armies. In the game you will be able to create the Black Army, allowing you to hire much stronger mercenaries at the cost of reducing your force limit and higher maintenance costs. Your nobility will remain skeptical of this mercenary force and will ask new kings to abolish it. The mercenaries may also mutiny if they don’t feel they are paid enough. If you are willing to pay the price however, you can enjoy mercenaries at +10% discipline up to the age of Reformation.
  • If Hussites are in power in Bohemia the Catholic estates can now turn to Hungary for protection. Should you help your brothers of faith they may offer you to be their king, giving you permanent claims on parts of their country.
  • There are a number of events dealing with the advance of the Turks, the establishment of a fortified frontier and the resettling of fleeing Balkan Christians within these lands.
  • The old “Advance of the Turks” event has been expanded upon and given follow-up events relating to the election of two different Hungarian monarchs, one with Austrian, western Hungarian and Croatian support and one with the support of Eastern Hungary. This could happen in a situation when the kingdom has been soundly defeated by the Ottomans.
  • There are now events dealing with the other peoples in the Hungarian realm such as Slovaks, Croats and Vlachs/Romanians and the development of their respective national movements as the game progresses.
  • The spread of the Protestant and Reformed faiths in the Hungarian realm now has dedicated events allowing the Hungarian player to encourage the reformation or invite the jesuits to help them work against it.
  • While the Hungarian Kingdom in our timeline was divided between Turks, Austrians and the Principality of Transylvania from the mid 16th century, we have added events based on the fate of the Hungarian people during these years to provide a continued interesting experience throughout the timeline.
Bohemia:

eu4_291.jpg


Map Changes:

In order to add more depth of maneuver and historical detail we have now split the province of Moravia into Brno and Olomouc and added a Moravia as a revolter country.

In Silesia we have added the province of Leignitz/Legnica and revised starting development values and trade goods a bit to better represent the importance of this area.


Events:
While the Hussite wars are a thing of the past in 1444, the Bohemian people are still largely heretics to Catholic Europe. Ladislaus the Posthumous is the presumed King of Bohemia as well as Hungary but the de facto government of Bohemia lies with the Hussite factions under George of Poděbrady.

Even prior to Hungary patch you could choose to support the Catholic or Hussite party but now this choice has a bigger impact than it used to:

With the Hussites in power you will now be less liked in Europe but enjoy stronger support internally. You will benefit from the tactical experience of the Hussite soldiers but the Catholic estates may offer the Bohemian crown to a foreign monarch willing to defend them.

Unless the pope acts against the continued heresy in Bohemia a strong Hussite movement could also make the Reformation trigger earlier than it otherwise would.

Minor Additions:

The Vistula Spit:

Prior to 1.21 Königsberg and Danzig have been connected by a strait at the end of the Vistula lagoon. This had the unfortunate side effect that the fort in Königsberg could prevent movement between Danzig and Marienburg. Something that was impossible to get around without a fleet. The strait was also unhistorical as by 1444 the Vistula spit was no longer open and the ports inside the Vistula lagoon did not have access to the Baltic sea.

In 1.21 the Vistula spit has been extended all the way to Königsberg, this means that you can now get to the fort there (though it will count as crossing a river) and that Marienburg and Ermland now start without ports.


Austria:

Austria has had a number of their existing events modified and can now also get new events relating to Hungary if they should come to control the country. Most importantly the advance of the Turks event now gives Austria permanent claims on Royal Hungary and Hungary itself is more likely to elect Hunyadi candidates to their throne, severely hurting relations with the Austrian monarchy.


Serbia:

Serbia was not the main focus of this patch but together with the addition of the province of Belgrade we have added a decision for the Serbian state to make Belgrade their capital if they are able to retake it from the Hungarians.

Moddability:
That is not all that is new in the Hungary patch however. I will now leave the word to @Gnivom who, aside from programming the AI, has also been working on improving the moddability:

variable_arithmetic_trigger

Ever wished you could add or multiply values in triggers? You now can! Sort of, at least. The variable_arithmetic_trigger (VAT) allows you to use export_to_variable to a local variable, that only exists within the current trigger and its children. The following effects have been modified to be usable within the VAT (as well as, as mentioned, export_to_variable):
  • set_variable

  • change_variable

  • subtract_variable

  • multiply_variable

  • divide_variable
When used within a VAT, they can only modify variables created in a VAT, as triggers are not allowed to modify the game state. The triggers that evaluate variables can also evaluate local variables.

A VAT has the following members:
  • 1 custom_tooltip: It would be too complicated to generate a tooltip automatically, so all VATs need a custom tooltip.

  • Any number of export_to_variable

  • Any number of other effects, among the ones listed above

  • Any number of triggers
When the VAT is evaluated, it will first execute the export_to_variable effects, then go through the other effects and triggers in the order they are listed. Whenever it comes to an effect, it executes that effect. Whenever it comes to a trigger, if that trigger evaluates false so does the VAT, otherwise it continues. If it gets past all the triggers, it evaluates true. In that sense it is like the AND trigger. When the trigger is done with its evaluation it destroys all variables created in its export_to_variable effects.

A simple example:
Code:
variable_arithmetic_trigger = {

custom_tooltip = HAS_HALF_THEIR_MANPOWER

    export_to_variable = {

        variable_name = my_manpower

        value = manpower

    }

    export_to_variable = {

        variable_name = their_manpower

        value = manpower

        who = FROM

    }

    multiply_variable = {

        which = my_manpower

        value = 2

    }

    check_variable = {

        which = my_manpower

        value = their_manpower

    }

}

One of the smart things with this design is that you can create conditional statements by utilizing the fact that AND and OR triggers stop evaluation when one child returns false and true, respectively. Check the following, more advanced, example:

Code:
variable_arithmetic_trigger = {

custom_tooltip = HAS_MORE_MANPOWER_OR_HALF_IF_CATHOLIC

    export_to_variable = {

        variable_name = my_manpower

        value = manpower

    }

    export_to_variable = {

        variable_name = their_manpower

        value = manpower

        who = FROM

    }

    OR =

    {

        NOT =  { religion = catholic }

        variable_arithmetic_trigger =

        {

            multiply_variable = {

                which = my_manpower

                value = 2

            }

            always = yes # This line is superfluous

        }

    }

    check_variable = {

        which = my_manpower

        value = their_manpower

    }

}


In pseudo code, this is equivalent to:

float my_manpower = GetManpower(THIS)

float their_manpower = GetManpower(FROM)

if religion == catholic

    My_manpower *= 2

Return my_manpower >= their_manpower

Although the syntax is horrible, this can be nested as much as you want to create really complicated logical conditions. It should be noted that variables are performance heavy, especially the export_to_variable, although that has been significantly improved in 1.20 and 1.21.

Scriptable Subject Types

Some modders may have noticed in 1.20 that we moved most of the differences between subject types to a script file. As of 1.21, entirely new subject types can be added just by adding entries in common/subject_types. The old subject types are still referred to in the code however, and can’t be removed. Just adding them there won’t make them visible in the game however. For that I added scriptable diplomatic actions.

Scriptable Diplomatic Action

In 1.21 you will be able to see a new folder in common called new_diplomatic_actions. This system is currently independent of what happens in diplomatic_actions, and they can’t be combined. One diplomatic action has been added there, and it might be easiest to learn how it works by checking that example, which asks someone to become your Dummy. Two things should be noted though. First, the AI will as it is never send these actions. I’m thinking of a way to make that work for a future patch. Second there is an entry called ai_acceptance. This is how it works:
  • It only accepts one type of entry, called add_entry

  • Each add_entry is a simplified/modified version of the variable_arithmetic_trigger. Namely, it doesn’t accept triggers, instead it has a “limit” entry that gets evaluated before even the export_to_variables are executed; and it has a “name” instead of “custom_tooltip”.

  • Each add_entry must define one local variable called “ai_value”. That variable will be evaluated after all effects have been executed.

As 1.21 is not yet available to you, I’ll paste the relevant script here for reference:

In subject_types I added this:
Code:
dummy =
{

    copy_from = default

}

In new_diplomatic_actions, this:

demand_dummy = {

    category = influence

 

    alert_index = 40

    alert_tooltip = demand_dummy_alert_tooltip

 

    require_acceptance = yes # Whether the recipient gets an option to decline

 

    is_visible = {

        religion_group = christian

        is_subject = no

        FROM = {

            is_subject = no

        }

    }

    is_allowed = {

        variable_arithmetic_trigger = {

            custom_tooltip = HAS_MORE_MANPOWER

            export_to_variable = {

                variable_name = my_manpower

                value = manpower

            }

            export_to_variable = {

                variable_name = their_manpower

                value = manpower

                who = FROM

            }

            subtract_variable = {

                which = my_manpower

                which = their_manpower

            }

            check_variable = {

                which = my_manpower

                value = 0

            }

        }

        religion = catholic

    }

    on_accept = {

        add_trust = {

            who = FROM

            value = 20

            mutual = yes

        }

        create_subject = {

            subject_type = dummy

            subject = FROM

        }

    }

    on_decline =

    {

        add_trust = {

            who = FROM

            value = -100

            mutual = no

        }

    }

 

    ai_acceptance = {

        add_entry = {

            name = ALWAYS_TEN

            export_to_variable = {

                variable_name = ai_value # Mandatory to use this name

                value = 10

            }

        }

        add_entry = {

            name = OPINION

            export_to_variable = {

                variable_name = ai_value

                #value = opinion who = FROM with = THIS # This is supposed to work in the future

                value = 10 # Temporary value until then

            }

            divide_variable = {

                which = ai_value

                value = 4

            }

        }

    }

}

The result looks like this (I didn’t bother localizing ALWAYS_TEN):

Capture.jpg


Scriptable diplomatic actions will be in the 1.21 patch when it releases, but it is a feature we plan to improve and expand upon in the future.

Last but not least our Mod Coordinator @Divine has also been working on a couple of additions to the 1.21 patch. This is a small list of those from the changelog.

Code:
- Added defines BANKRUPTCY_BUILDING_DESTRUCTION_THRESHOLD, BANKRUPTCY_PROVINCE_DEVASTATION_GAIN.
- Added the attribute "indestructible" to buildings, setting it to yes will exempt that type of building from being destroyed by bankruptcy.
- Added add_adm_tech, add_dip_tech, add_mil_tech effects.
- Added revanchism trigger.
- Added log effect and trigger.
- Added add_active_policy and had_active_policy effect and trigger.
- Added scripted function can_declare_bankruptcy.
- Added scripted function can_colonize_province.
- Added add_next_institution_embracement = <int> province effect.

Have fun!

That was all for today about the Hungary patch and the content related to to Hungary and its European surroundings. Next Tuesday we will be sharing the complete changelist for the upcoming patch, which will be released in late april.
 
i think it is cool if they expand , but right now they just have no rivals , they blob through anything they see , so if you dont actively hinder them or play in europe , they will just conquer everything , without ever being stopped or slowed by the austrians and plc , i think they should have at least some event that helps europe fight back

This patch will make it worse IMO.

Austria, Castile and Poland are pretty weak right now, and I expect the Commonwealth to be formed even less now because Hungary always hates their guts and allies with Teutonic Knights.
 
This patch will make it worse IMO.

Austria, Castile and Poland are pretty weak right now, and I expect the Commonwealth to be formed even less now because Hungary always hates their guts and allies with Teutonic Knights.

yeah plc , austria and hungary always fight themselves instead of trying to push back the ottoman threat. This often results in Vienna taken by the ottomans and half of the plc being green . At least for me this is really immersion breaking. I imagine those countries terrified by the ottomans , wanting to unite and fight back , instead is more like mindless conquer of whoever is bordering them

I really hoped this patch could flesh out this conflict , but i think it will be like always , ottomans blobbing from start to finish
 
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This is like a dream come true, even more than I expected.

I always found the decline of Hungary one of the more interesting territorial changes in the timelapse of 1444, great that it's represented in such a way.
 
Then your experience differ a lot from mine as I don't remember when I last saw a game where they didn't conquer Hungary in 1.20 or 1.21 (and we run observe games a lot over here).

20170418095319_1.jpg

Now you have.

Don't pay attention to the country to the south of Hungary, just watch that healthy Hungary which has Serbia and Austria under personal union. They were allied to Austria from the start, so I doubt they would have been wrecked by the Ottomans.
 
Hungary and Poland really should start with historical friendship as the two countries where always friends that is even around today. i personally think that Paradox does not want to make hungary and poland friends as it could become too powerful, especially if poland gets hungary's backing in establishing commonwealth fast.

This patch will make it worse IMO.

Austria, Castile and Poland are pretty weak right now, and I expect the Commonwealth to be formed even less now because Hungary always hates their guts and allies with Teutonic Knights.
 
View attachment 258185
Now you have.

Don't pay attention to the country to the south of Hungary, just watch that healthy Hungary which has Serbia and Austria under personal union. They were allied to Austria from the start, so I doubt they would have been wrecked by the Ottomans.

from all the timelapses and gameplays i saw that ottomans almost everytime beat hungary and austria , plc also
 
Great DD guys, looking forward to this patch after recently coming back to EU4.
Looking at that screenshot of the Balkans @Trin Tragula posted, do i see that you finally added a fort in Smederevo ? Would be also great if you could make it capital of Serbia in 1444, since the Smederevo fortress was built by Djuradj Brankovic to be the new capital after he had to give Belgrade to the Hungarians.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smederevo_Fortress
 
View attachment 258185
Now you have.

Don't pay attention to the country to the south of Hungary, just watch that healthy Hungary which has Serbia and Austria under personal union. They were allied to Austria from the start, so I doubt they would have been wrecked by the Ottomans.

You are playing with Byzantinum thats why. By 1528 I assume you killed the Ottomans or at least chased them out of the balkans meaning Hungary does not need to deal with its biggest threat.
 
Very nice DD. What surprises me the most is how quickly the patch will be released. There should be some events that let Hungarians go with Poland rather than Austria.
 
@Trin Tragula

This may not be the right place to mention it.

Will Paradox Devs at least consider changing the default bankruptcy's destruction of "recently building"?

I am only saying it because I see it in the following line. I am aware that this is for modding only. It just show that it is indeed possible to change building destruction threshold to never and push devastation to a high value in an ironman setting.

Code:
- Added defines BANKRUPTCY_BUILDING_DESTRUCTION_THRESHOLD, BANKRUPTCY_PROVINCE_DEVASTATION_GAIN.
- Added the attribute "indestructible" to buildings, setting it to yes will exempt that type of building from being destroyed by bankruptcy.
 
I hope Nitra gameplay will be more interesting now with so much going on around them :) Also (most players will hate this) should not Great Moravia be formable after all? I mean , yes Great Moravia was literally gone for 500 years from 1444 , but Nitra begin releasable nation and now Moravia as well ? Should not both of these countries have possibility to form (or at least have a special mission) to restore Great Moravia? owning Nitra , Vienna , Prague and Moravia as core provinces + adm technology 10 forming Great Moravia , cultural union between Slovaks , Czechs , Hungarians and Austrians? I personally find it interesting but after creating a forum for it , people did not seem interested. Also Hungary should get unit skins . And Nitra and Transylvania should have same ones.
 
Hungary and Poland really should start with historical friendship as the two countries where always friends that is even around today. i personally think that Paradox does not want to make hungary and poland friends as it could become too powerful, especially if poland gets hungary's backing in establishing commonwealth fast.

Adding historical friendship modifier would, as you said, create a troublesome hugbox, also it wouldn't be exactly correct, since on the realm-level Hungary and Poland tended to have different, and sometimes conflicting aims. The friendship was just that, they would refuse to actively fight each other, so there definitely should be some sort of measure taken, to prevent Poland and Hungary from picking rivalry.
 
I hope Nitra gameplay will be more interesting now with so much going on around them :) Also (most players will hate this) should not Great Moravia be formable after all? I mean , yes Great Moravia was literally gone for 500 years from 1444 , but Nitra begin releasable nation and now Moravia as well ? Should not both of these countries have possibility to form (or at least have a special mission) to restore Great Moravia? owning Nitra , Vienna , Prague and Moravia as core provinces + adm technology 10 forming Great Moravia , cultural union between Slovaks , Czechs , Hungarians and Austrians? I personally find it interesting but after creating a forum for it , people did not seem interested. Also Hungary should get unit skins . And Nitra and Transylvania should have same ones.

Sadly all those tags you mention are only unformable revolters and those usually lack any flavour since they are unusable for achievements and serious ironman playthroughs. Bohemia would obviously not seek to form Great Moravia, it would view the regions in Hungary only as more crown lands like Moravia and Silesia. Hungary would do the same with Bohemian provinces. But since you mentioned also Austria, we could get a Danubian Monarchy/Confederation formable, which would basically be historical Austrian Empire, but formable also under other nations that were part of it. Much like Spain can by formed by Navarra etc.
 
I have an impression that Marienburg should have a port, since it includes Elbląg(Elbing), the second most important port of Commonwealth well into XVII century(navigating via Szkarpawa river, also known as Elbląg Vistula). The port served as an alternative for Gdańsk/Danzig in the case of conflicts with the latter. Speaking of Marienburg, it should have a fort at the start of game, as it used to in some previous versions, given that Malbork Castle is the largest castle in the world by some standards.

I have to agree with that, especially since the lagoon was open for larger ships again after around 1500 to 1510 storms created a new breach near Pillau/Piliava

Other than that, nice changes. Maybe we could get another province in Moravia, so it can be its own separate state area? Like the eastern part of today's Vysocina (between Budjovice and Brno) with Jihlava, as it was an important producer of cloth and a mining city. The other option would be Ostrava, but it seems hard to fit in a new province betweeen Olomouc, Ratibor and Trencin, and it only gained importance at the end of EU4 timeline with the discovery of coal
 
Adding historical friendship modifier would, as you said, create a troublesome hugbox, also it wouldn't be exactly correct, since on the realm-level Hungary and Poland tended to have different, and sometimes conflicting aims. The friendship was just that, they would refuse to actively fight each other, so there definitely should be some sort of measure taken, to prevent Poland and Hungary from picking rivalry.

And I doubt a hugbox would stop the Ottomans, if anything it would make them pay for every inch of soil which is historical and what bled them out which is what set up for the eventual roll back.