Good day. Tuesday has rolled around once more and that means it is time for our weekly Developer Diary for Europa Universalis IV. Today, we continue on from last week where we discussed Army Drilling to elaborate on how it can make an impact on having a better, more professional Army.

As part of the yet-unannounced expansion accompanying the 1.23 update, Your nation's army will have a Professionalism level, indicated both on the Unit view and the Military tab.

Your Army's Professionalism is a national value measuring how closely your army models a “modern” standing army versus heavy reliance on mercenaries. It is increased by:

• Drilling your armies (+1 per year if 100% forcelimit drills, to scale)
• Constructing military buildings: Barracks/regimental camps (+0.5 per tier)
• Recruiting Generals (+1 per general)

Conversely, Professionalism is decreased by

• Destroying military buildings: Barracks/regimental camps (-1 per tier)
• Recruiting Mercenaries (-0.25 per unit)

Professionalism has the following effect, scaling up from 0 to 100:

• Shock Damage +10%
• Fire damage +10%
• Movement Speed +20%

Additionally, low professionalism grants bonuses for the recruitment of mercenaries, starting from 0 and scaling down to nothing at 50 Professionalism.

• Mercenary cost -15%
• Available mercenaries +15%

All nations start the game with low to no Professionalism. Events, decisions and modifiers can affect these values positively and negatively, from standardizing your uniforms to deciding how extensively to loot fallen cities.

The value of your Army Professionalism unlocks a new interface look and new abilities for your armies at every 20 points. Starting at 0-19 professionalism, you'll have a more tattered look to your Unit view...

And as your army gains more Professionalism, the view grows more elegant

So what abilities are gained for each 20 Professionalism?

• 20 - Supply Depot Ability unlocked for army.

• 40 - Refill Garrison Ability unlocked for army

• 60 - Disbanded Units are returned to the manpower pool

• 80 - Military Generals cost half-price to recruit

• 100 - Your reserves take 50% less morale damage.

Supply Depot is an ability accessible in the revisited Unit view which, for a small MIL cost, established a depot in a province. Friendly supply in that entire area is increased by 50%. If the province is then occupied by a hostile force, the Depot will be destroyed, otherwise it lasts for 2 years.

Refill Garrison allows an army to take some of its manpower to restore the garrison of a fort instantly so you can proceed without having your new occupation snatched away.

Disbanded units are normally lost forever, however at 60 Professionalism you ensure that they return to the manpower pool

Half Price Generals cost is fairly self explanatory, they will cost 25MIL rather than the standard 50

Reserves, who normally take passive morale damage in large ongoing battles, will now take far less and can really turn the tide in a battle.

Caveat: All values/bonuses given in the dev diaries are subject to change pending testing and balance as development continues. Also as a note for modders, these abilities are all scripted in as modifiers and so can be used as you see fit.

That should cover the Drilling and Professionalism nicely. Next week we will take a look at a system which, overall, hasn't changed a whole lot in EU4's life, and how it had its influence on the Islamic world. Until then I....hold on, I have a feeling that people are wanting to see some other trade goods across the world, following the addition of 5 new goods. very well, let's look to the ....East!

And additionally, we felt that some local modifiers were in order:

That's it from us this week, see you next Tuesday!

 

[SPAMbuca]

Would it be an idea to set maximum values of professionalism for ages or periods in time? At this point, I can see large nations like the Ottomans and France have near professional armies around 1500/1550 as they can spam barracks and regimental camps. Large nations also usually get to rely less on mercs which means there will be less of a decrease too.

 

[Trin Tragula]

more province density that the Low Countries

For reference, in that screenshot the smallest province, Fasa, is 398 pixels which you might compare to Gelre (280 pixels) or Holland (273 pixels) which are among the largest provinces in the low countries. The smaller ones such as Utrecht (79 pixels) and Zeeland (81 pixels) only have their likes among islands in the rest of the world.

 

[Aythne]

It doesn't. Province development differs quite markedly between these two. That said in 1444 the majority of the worlds cloth was not produced in Europe but in Asia (especially India).



This is just not nearly true. The low countries have the smallest provinces in the game and have had since release. If you compare what those Persian provinces cover with what the ones in the low country ones do it's not even close. Europe is also larger than it ought to be to give space for more provinces.
Describing Fars as a "Persian mountain range" is also quite misleading



First of all development differs. Second proximity surely is and was a factor After all this is the era when several great powers tried to get land in India (a subcontinent that at that time had as much population as all of Europe combined and that for most of the game period also produced more manufactured goods).

Trin, why is it that my eurocentric worldview is threatened by even the smallest amount of attention given to other regions and cultures?

 

[Me_]

Would it be an idea to set maximum values of professionalism for ages or periods in time? At this point, I can see large nations like the Ottomans and France have near professional armies around 1500/1550 as they can spam barracks and regimental camps. Large nations also usually get to rely less on mercs which means there will be less of a decrease too.

I agree, but this may be intentional. The mechanic is clearly meant to be better for large nations.

 

[Troopperi]

Can supply depots be built on uncontrolled territory (enemy forts under siege)?

 

[Attalus]

I'm betting on a Caliphate mechanic for the little guy since I don't understand why the Qazibilish would have to do with Oman.

 

[SPAMbuca]

I agree, but this may be intentional. The mechanic is clearly meant to be better for large nations.

It might be intended that way. I brought it up for both balance reasons and the idea of having full professional armies that early.

 

[riadach]

That's it from us this week, see you next Tuesday!

How rude!

 

[Andy_Dandy]

There are a number of countries that won't start at 0 professionalism.
Starting values range from 0 - 10. With the absolute majority of countries starting at 0.

Nice! Sweden starts at 10 confirmed!

 

[Trin Tragula]

Nice! Sweden starts at 10 confirmed!

Sweden starts at 0 actually
But in some later start dates they do have an edge.

 

[Andy_Dandy]

Thats what I fear will happen. People will fill up their armies with mercs and then raise their professionalism with training and generals, getting the best of both worlds instead having to balance professionalism and the added manpower with mercs.

You realize how expensive that will be, a huge merc army in peacetime you never disband? Any advantages/benefits of that is well deserved considering the huge costs to maintain something that you describe.

 

[Kubuini]

Trin, why is it that my eurocentric worldview is threatened by even the smallest amount of attention on other regions and cultures?

Because the more you know, the more you realize how little you know.

 

[hillcf]

shouldn't fully professional army be composed 100% of mercs? i mean those are people who do war for living vs bunch of drafted peasants

In 1450 you could regard an army as being based on:
1. Mercenaries - high experience, low professionalism (we just want the money!!)
2. Standing armies - small in number, basically tied to a city or lord, medium professionalism and experience (??)
3. Raised armies - loaded when needed, low professionalism and low experience, low quality

By 1800, in Europe, I would expect that most of the mercenary armies have closed or effectively merged into standing armies at the national level, which are now capable of high professionalism and experience. There will still be a raised army when needed, with a better quality, but that need was gradually dying.

Modelling that in detail would be difficult, but the ability to gain professionalism over time would effectively mirror that change. Perhaps there should be limits on are fast you can get the steps, by date or having knowledge of certain skill sets, like printing press.

 

[JKiller96]

West Africa goods pleaseee?

 

[mursolini]

Why do we now have 2 different scales buffing scales, army tradition and professionalism?

Will Prussian army become even more insane?

Why is the difference between drilled troops, profesionalism and National ideas so little?

 

[SPAMbuca]

Sweden starts at 0 actually
But in some later start dates they do have an edge.

Hmm, I assume England starts with some professionalism? I can provide a source if it's needed.

Apart from that... Ming, Ashikaga, Castille, Aragon, Portugal?

LO, TO, the Knights, Granada, Athens.

 

[Guthuk Gaming]

So my biggest complaint here is that England with their professional army actually... won't have a professional army in game. England's tendency to merc-spam (due to their ideas having low quality but high money) means they'll sit at 0 professionalism which is absolutely silly and ahistorical.

 

[Ixal]

You realize how expensive that will be, a huge merc army in peacetime you never disband? Any advantages/benefits of that is well deserved considering the huge costs to maintain something that you describe.

Money is hardly an issue once you expanded a bit.

So my biggest complaint here is that England with their professional army actually... won't have a professional army in game. England's tendency to merc-spam (due to their ideas having low quality but high money) means they'll sit at 0 professionalism which is absolutely silly and ahistorical.

The entire merc system is completely ahistorical and backwards. People start with professional, standing armies and switch to mercenaries once they grow larger and become more wealthy.

Thete has to be downsides for using mercs which makes people want to use standing armies instead. Obviously Paradox tried to do something like that with this DLC but are falling way short. Imo Mercs should not benefit at all from combat ideas, national or otherwise, so that as time progresses they become less and less effective compared to standing armies.

 

[PedroLuiz]

So my biggest complaint here is that England with their professional army actually... won't have a professional army in game. England's tendency to merc-spam (due to their ideas having low quality but high money) means they'll sit at 0 professionalism which is absolutely silly and ahistorical.

you could indefinitively train Art and Cav and use only Inf Merc

 

[Andy_Dandy]

Money is hardly an issue once you expanded a bit.

Well, it will be more of an issue now then you are used too if you never disband Mercenaries ever + always pay a full upkeep on a drill exercising army. The "ideal" way of doing things will come at a huge cost, that's the point.