Well, I'm already posting, so there's no need to "+1"
I have some more technical requests and a, well, a dream
1. I don't know how feasible this is, but it would be REALLY nice if one could link "gameplay" things with graphical things. use the conditions, modifiers, factors, and all those things present in event modding(I admit it's not my area of expertise) and implement it in art assets and all. It's used in music and portrait modding (if character is imprisoned, use the prison bars image), but it would be nice if could be implemented in the UI so you could have UIs change according to culture, religion, leader attributes, or even date(make a more renaissance UI in 1400) etc. useful to make game more immersive, OR you could also make a more dynamic cityscreen where you could actually see your constructed buildings (think Heroes of might and magic series). Also implement it to 3D models-- like making buildings change with epochs and city size, for example.
2.I noticed that CK2 uses normal maps/bumpmaps and specular maps in some models. the first to make 2D surfaces look 3D, and the other to make reflection and "bloom"-like things. I don't know how it works in the 3D filetype Paradox is using, but one can use a hex editor to change textures. I can change the western buildings textures to a new "soutern" texture (yeah, not southern-- must have the same number of characters), and make a new texture for the building. But most buildings don't have a normal map assigned in their files, not even a 1 pixel placeholder, so it's impossible to create a normal map for them. It would be awesome if you could make so that every model have a normal map. just a placeholder normal map so that we can modify it ourselves.

On the specular maps, I would like some info on how they work: they just made my church building darker, instead of making it shiny and do bloomy effects
3. When I modded Victoria 2, soldiers used an easy-to-mod attachment system, so that I could put, in an absurd example, a dreadnought as a soldiers' hat, while using the Eiffel tower as his weapon. It would be nice to see this system in buildings, so that I can "combine" buildings.
-My dream is kind of difficult, perhaps something to be considered in future Paradox games. But I would LOVE to mod the 3D models and animations, that graphical part of the game. Unfortunately, the 3D format the game uses is unmoddable. I doubt that making an export/import tool would be easy right now, and i don't know if there's any licensing issues the filetype Paradox is using. But in the future, please consider to make the 3D models more open to modding.
The possibilities of an open 3D model are incredible: think on all fantasy mods, or mods that focus on other areas of the world (like China, India, America, etc). From Unit sprites( Useful for both fantasy and historical mods, like putting elephants, or chinese soldiers), to Building models ( very important to more immersion), to little details in the map (like, say putting wonders or important buildings in some areas of the map (like how Rome Total War had, IIRC), to edit the map's flora (say, bamboo trees in China)...
Perhaps it would also make the games look better if 3D models can be improved, even helping in making the game not look old in the future if the models are improved by modders.
If anyone here attempted to mod the 3D models and it's textures, you know, it's really hard and limited.
Well, this was a long post!
so, to make it more clear:
1. allow art assets(UI, 3D models) to use modifiers, conditions, triggers and all things present in event modding
2.More love for normal maps and specular maps, create them for all models. just placeholders to be modded.
3.The attachment system used in vic2 soldiers for CK2 models.
4. If difficult for CK2, for future games: Make 3D modding possible. Please!
