How is the warscore cost determined? Why is it changing during the war?

[toegut]

So I started a war with the Ottomans. When I declared with the wargoal to release Bulgaria (liberate country), the cost for this on the screen was 88. Once I beat the Otto and their ally France, I wanted to add another wargoal to release Georgia (which only cost 12 so 88+12=100 should be achievable) but now it says that just releasing Bulgaria will cost 96 warscore. Why did it change? Then I waited a bit longer and occupied more of the Ottomans (very tedious, they blobbed hard against Egypt in my game), now releasing Bulgaria costs only 90. Will it drop more if I wait so that I can add another wargoal (say, giving Crete to Greece which is only 5 warscore) or not? somebody said on reddit that war exhaustion decreases the warscore cost, they are now at 75%, is that why it fluctuates? the wiki says nothing about it.

 

[Bunnytob]

I figure it just changes with relative province value. Nothing I've come across suggest anything else, so...

 

[toegut]

I figure it just changes with relative province value. Nothing I've come across suggest anything else, so...

what is the relative province value? why does it change during the war?

 

[Bunnytob]

Well, "Relative Province Value" in the way that a province with 800k POPs that produces sulphur is going to be more valuable than a province with 10k POPs that produces wool. It would change during the war because of POPs in that province (or other provinces) dying or moving - though 88 to 96 seems to be a bit much for that.

 

[TheCheeseMaster]

I agree that it changes based on population. I'm curious if a decent strategy for you would thus be to occupy Ottomans for long enough for everyone to emigrate.

 

[RELee]

Warfare Page on Wiki

War Score​

A positive war score is achieved through four primary ways: winning battles, completing war goals from casus belli, blockades and occupying provinces. The maximum war score that can be achieved through winning battles is 50% in Heart of Darkness and 25% in earlier versions, thus for wars with ambitious war goals such as state acquisition it is necessary to be offensive and occupy territories. The maximum war score that can be achieved from blockades are 25%. Blockades also affects war exhaustion.

 

[Amtep]

Yeah, what you describe happening sounds backward. If you're occupying Bulgaria, that should be reducing the value of those provinces. Craftsmen are being forced out of factories, the poor are starving, etc. I'd expect the warscore cost to go down, not up. Then when you occupy more of Ottomans, Bulgaria becomes relatively not as miserable, so I'd expect the warscore cost to go back up. But you're seeing it go down.

Did Ottomans win or lose any other territory during your war? That would affect it a lot.

 

[toegut]

Yeah, what you describe happening sounds backward. If you're occupying Bulgaria, that should be reducing the value of those provinces. Craftsmen are being forced out of factories, the poor are starving, etc. I'd expect the warscore cost to go down, not up. Then when you occupy more of Ottomans, Bulgaria becomes relatively not as miserable, so I'd expect the warscore cost to go back up. But you're seeing it go down.

Did Ottomans win or lose any other territory during your war? That would affect it a lot.

Yeah, I occupied other Ottoman territory before I got to Bulgaria. It's just weird that the war cost changes in unpredictable ways while the war goes on. It would be really frustrating if I start a war over 90 ws territories and then I can't peace out because their value changed to be over 100.

 

[Bunnytob]

This is a very late addition, but it seems as though placing troops in your enemy's capital (?) also raises the cost of *some* peace options for no apparent reason.
Correlation =/= Causation, but it's an interesting one...

Edit: It appears as though, for territorial CBs, occupying territory of the country the CB is against that is not in said CB increases the cost of said CB(s).