I think people are too focused on expanding the map to include China, Africa, and even the Americas rather than prioritizing depth. Many argue for adding China by saying it was crucial for trade routes from east to west, as if simulating a Silk Road economy would be impossible without physically including China on the map. But Western, Central, Eastern Europe, The Middle East weren’t trading with China directly, they traded with their nearest neighbors, and goods moved eastward through intermediaries.
There’s no reason the game couldn’t simulate this with an off-screen trade node representing China, allowing for the same economic influence without dedicating massive resources to adding a huge, content-starved region. Instead of stretching the map further, the focus should be on improving existing regions like India, Central Asia, and the Middle East, areas that already need more depth.
The same argument applies to Mongolia. Instead of physically adding China, why not implement events, decisions, and trade mechanics that simulate its influence on the steppe? China doesn’t need to be in the game world to have a presence in the game’s systems. Expanding the map for the sake of trade mechanics is unnecessary when those same mechanics could be achieved in a much more efficient way.
