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EU4 - Development Diary - 16th of May 2017

Hi everyone, and welcome to another Europa Universalis development diary. I hope you all enjoyed PdxCon last weekend, either in person or from watching the streams.

As you all know, we announced our new Immersion Pack, Third Rome, which will be out in June this year for 9.99$. So what is an immersion pack then? Well, it is something between a full expansion and a small graphics pack, similar to the story pack Leviathans for Stellaris.

Closest comparison to Third Rome of our previous releases for EU4 would be Wealth of Nations when it comes to amount and size of features. Third Rome also comes bundled with a portrait pack for russians, and 3 new sprite-packs, for 12 countries in the russian region, including Ryazan, Lithuania and Perm.

So, what cool features will we talk about today then?

We’re adding three new russian government types. The actual types are in the free patch, but the abilities we give them as well, belong to the Immersion Pack.

Veche Republic
This is a new republic form, which works like a merchant republic and have access to the russian abilities as well. They are always duchy rank, and their bonus is +1 merchant. Novgorod and Pskov starts as Veche Republics. It also gives +3 to states.

Principality
This is the new monarchy governmentform, which all russian monarchies start with. It has access to the russian abilities, and while they are locked to duchy rank, they have a bonus of -1 unrest and +5% Tax Modifier. It also gives +3 to states.

Tsardom
This government form is given when forming Russia, and is automatically empire rank. Besides giving +10 to amount of states and access to the russian abilities, it gives the following bonuses. +20% Manpower, +0.1 Yearly Absolutism & -0.05 monthly autonomy.

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The russian abilities work like this. All actions have a bar to fill up before they can be used. Bar fill up from 0 - 100, increasing yearly by the ruler’s monarch point in the category, and a base +3. The actual bar can hold 150, so you don’t lose by not using it immediately.
  • The Administrative ability is called Reform Sudebnik, and reduces autonomy by 10% in all provinces you own.
  • The diplomatic ability is called Support Oprichnina, and reduces progress of all your rebelfactions by 30% each.
  • The military ability is called Raise Streltsy, and reduces war exhaustion by 2, and raises 20% of your forcelimit as Streltsy Infantry in your capital.

So what is Streltsy units? Previously we had three categories of units, with regulars, mercenaries & banners. In 1.22 there are two more categories added, and one of those is the Streltsy.

Streltsy arrive at full strength, but low morale, and do not cost manpower nor gold at recruit, but otherwise works like a regular unit, if not for two distinct differences. First, the amount of streltsy compared to your force.limit increases your stability costs, while each streltsy regiment provides +10% fire damage.

The other category we add for 1.22 is Cossacks, which is there for everyone that bought the “The Cossacks” expansion. Cossacks work like regulars, except they do +10% extra shock damage.

Cossacks are recruited as an estate interaction, where each province assigned to the Cossacks estate will give you 1 cavalry cossack regiment.

Of course, fittingly for the focus on this update, we have added three new interactions to the Cossacks estate.
  • Conscripting Elites: gain army tradition, lose loyalty
  • Supply Arms: lose MIL, gain loyalty and influence
  • Permit Self Governance: give autonomy to cossack lands, gain loyalty and influence

Next week, we’ll take a deeper look into more abilities of Russia and the Tsardom.
 
I love idea of dlcs that focus on certain cultures, religions, countries. Rich flavour is one of the things I'm missing in EU.
New features for estates are really nice addition in this pack. I hope we will see more unique additions for estates in other countries.
 
Looks cool! Are you going to go full historical and make whole Russia poor again, with glorius gold Moscow?
Also, Russia is getting free military units with "Raise Streltsy". Why PLC famous from their nobility conscription in defensive wars (Pospolite Ruszenie) don't have similiar mechanic?
Yes, so glorious they lost almost every battle they were used in.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Chojnice_(1454) first battle of the thirteen years war and the last one in said war where Pospolite Ruszenie was used as a serious force (not as a last resort) and lost gloriously. It should be added only if it had -25% discipline.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pospolite_ruszenie
Their final pathetic defeat https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Warsaw_(1656)
Not to mention that it's nothhing more than a renamed levy.
 
So, with veche republic and principality being locked at duchy-rank and tsardom being empire-rank does that mean it is impossible for a kingdom-rank Russian state with a unique government? Why can't Muscovy be a Grand Principality?
 
I know that I am not the first to ask this but does forming Russia with the Veche Republic Government form make you into having a Tsardom government form? If not, are you then forced into having a Duchy rank as a united Russia?

I understand that, at the time, a large unified republic controlling such wide swaths of land was difficult, if not impossible, but it would still be disappointing that the reward for forming Russia as either Novgorod or Pskov is to become an autocracy like the rest of them or being stuck with a low ranking government; it makes the reward rather hollow at the end and/or destroys one of the fun "what ifs" of history - Russia being united as a republic in lieu of an autocracy.

My suggestion would be to add a new republican form of government that Russia gets if it is formed by a country with the Veche Republic form, a Boyar's Republic. A Boyar's Republic would be a republican form of government, in which the nobles run the country and elect one of themselves to be Prince of Russia. This suggestion is a shot from the hip but I am curious to know what you all think.
 
So Russian abilities take between 12 and 34 years to use assuming there's no way to get a negative modifier to base growth like policies for monarch points.

That can be very powerful depending on how much RNGesus and setting aside bad heirs gives you something good.
 
Must say I'm disappointed about Veche republics being locked to Duchy. That and the fact that forming Russia forces Tsardom government really screws over Novgorod. Why isn't there an option to form a Russian republic as Novgorod? Why are Novgorod permanently locked out of getting cultural union without changing government?

It is rather interesting that they are taking away some content by not letting you upgrade your rank and it does pigeon hole you into a monarchy but right now they are must picks anyways so pigeonholing you into that isn't so bad.
 
Yes, so glorious they lost almost every battle they were used in.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Chojnice_(1454) first battle of the thirteen years war and the last one in said war where Pospolite Ruszenie was used as a serious force (not as a last resort) and lost gloriously. It should be added only if it had -25% discipline.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pospolite_ruszenie
Their final pathetic defeat https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Warsaw_(1656)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Warsaw_(1656)

I never said that they were powerful enough to be sole and competent power in PLC military. They were specific force in PLC defense, since PLC mostly didnt have standing army in times of peace. Of course I agree that they should have reduced discipline OR morale ;)
Not to mention that it's nothhing more than a renamed levy.

That's too big siplification. Pospolite Ruszenie was in power to organize regional parlaments where szlachta could independly impose taxes or call up conscription for whole regions. Powerful aristocrats had their own armies, and it was meaningful force... sometimes :)
 
  • The Administrative ability is called Reform Sudebnik, and reduces autonomy by 10% in all provinces you own.
  • The diplomatic ability is called Support Oprichnina, and reduces progress of all your rebelfactions by 30% each.
  • The military ability is called Raise Streltsy, and reduces war exhaustion by 2, and raises 20% of your forcelimit as Streltsy Infantry in your capital.
Interesting interactions, but are called not quite right terms. Sudebnik and Oprichnina not suitable for them, taking into account their repeated use through whole timeframe.

Instead Sudebnik: Reform Prikazes. The Prikaz were a some kind of ministries in various areas of government. Sudebnik was published only 3 times (1497, 1550 and 1589), but prikazes worked on regular basis. After reforms of Peter I was transformed into a collegia.

Instead Opprichnina: Summon Zemsky Sobor. Parliament that represent various classes from every corner of Tsardom. It was engaged in internal (and external) policy and could be used to reduce tension in the country. Was convened many times, unlike oprichnina. After reforms of Peter I was replaced by Senat.

I hope the developers will consider about it.
 
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I never said that they were powerful enough to be sole and competent power in PLC military. They were specific force in PLC defense, since PLC mostly didnt have standing army in times of peace. Of course I agree that they should have reduced discipline OR morale ;)

I would say that suggesting something like this is insult to military history of Poland.
 
Did some math, Raise Streltsy would be comparable to 13~15% manpower recovery speed(varies with total development), which is quite strong. This is of course not accounting their +10% fire damage ability, only manpower wise.
 
Smolensk? Says cannons shoot you.