American Empires - A New World Mod

[Dafool]

General Overview:
American Empires is my attempt to revamp Central and South America. The vanilla set-up in EU3 is hardly representative of history and many threads have come up suggesting changes. I've taken ideas from these threads, my own knowledge, and the suggestions of others and applied them to this mod. It adds more provinces, more nations, more events, more decisions, and whole new dynamics to the New World. My ultimate goal is to not only make the New World a fun and viable option for gameplay, but also to improve the interaction between the New World nations and Old World. This is a difficult goal to achieve and balance, and this mod is still a work in progress, but I feel as if it is far enough along that it's not only playable, but also enjoyable.

Changes:

• Provinces in Central and South America are reshaped and more added where necessary. Names now reflect native names instead of European ones.

• Provinces were reevaluated and given new manpower, base tax, and trade goods where necessary. These areas of the New World are no longer dirt poor and states can now field much larger armies.

• Central and South American nations now have unique governments that separate them from Old World tribes.

• Two new religions were added to help differentiate and separate these states from those in the Old World and also to prevent strange bugs and exploits.

• The diseases of the Old World now hit in full force, meaning many decades of turmoil.

• First contact with the Old World will no longer be just a DoW from Castille. The AI randomly selects a behavior that determines how it will interact with native states. The player is also given these options as well. The choice taken determines what kind of events fire and how involved the player or AI will actually be in Meso-America and the Andes.

• Native states are given several different routes to both convert to Christianity and to Westernize. The AI is completely capable and willing to do so if given the right set of circumstances.

• Tech groups and Westernization have been modified so that European nations do not begin to show significant superiority until the mid to late 1600's. This is one of the few changes that affects the entire world.

• Many small, yet numerous changes have been added as well, mostly in regards to the New World nations.

The Andes

Central America

Note:
I'm still working on this mod as time permits. While there are no serious bugs to my knowledge, many small balance issues probably still exist. This is where I hope anyone willing to play with this mod might help. If you notice any typos, irregularities, repeating or broken events, balance problems, or even just have simple suggestions or questions, I'd very much like to know.

Future Work:
There are numerous things that I would like to expand or start on in the future. More events and decisions, especially in South America, are on the top of my list. Possibly workings on the North American tribes if I can find someone with the time, knowledge, and vision. I'd like to alter more aspects of colonization in order to see more plausible patterns and timing from the normal European colonizers. I'm hoping to flesh out the post-contact game in order to add more dramatic and game changing events. General balancing and bug fixing will always be my first priority, just to maintain the playability of the mod in general.

Installation
Because this mod makes changes to the map, I believe it requires creating a new EU3 directory if you desire to use it separately. Some clarification from other modders may confirm or debunk this. To install you need to place the contents of the "American Empires" folder in your EU3 directory and overwrite anything that comes up. Also remember to clear out all contents of the map cache. To install, unzip the contents to the mod folder of your EU3 directory and remember to select the mod when the launcher comes up. Note that this mod is largely passive and therefore it will not drastically affect a player who will not be playing a New World nation or colonizing the New World. The major exception is the tech speed changes, but those are easily fixed. Currently this mod is made for Divine Wind 5.1, the most current patch. I believe it should also be compatible with older versions of DW as well, but I do not guarantee that.

Download
Version 1.0 (DW 5.1)
Version 1.1 (DW 5.1)
Changes

Version 1.1 Colonization has been rebalanced. Not only will the colonizers be fairly historical, but the time and location of colonization is closer to reality now too. This is done through a series of events that guide and aid the AI in colonizing the right places at the right time. These events won't affect the player. Mexico, Peru, and Yucatan are all now formable nations under certain circumstances. Some Central American states are now a new form of tribe instead of City-States. They can turn into City-States via decision. Andean nations now experience a short series of events that result in a Civil War. A few balances were made to hordes due to their somewhat stronger tech group. Some names were altered to be more correct. Some typos and bugs were fixed.

[Dafool]

[Reserved for future use]

[Adam Smith]

Oooooooh! I've wanted to see a mod like this come out for a long time! Yay for North America mods!

I'll try the mod in the morning before offering my input/suggestions/ideas.

[17blue17]

Installation
Because this mod makes changes to the map, I believe it requires creating a new EU3 directory if you desire to use it separately. Some clarification from other modders may confirm or debunk this.

With DW 5.0 and many of the early 5.1 betas a separate install was required because the game would not load correctly with custom maps in a mod. Paradox partially fixed this in the later betas and the final patch so replace = map works again but extend = map does not ( Paradox says extend = map should work but the major modders who have tested say it is still broke) .

So we no longer need separate installs of the game but we do have to include all the files (even the ones you did not change) to be in your mod for the map directory. In other words everything in the full map directory as it would be if you had just pasted your changed files in to the main game has to be moved in to the mod including the map sub directories like map\terrain etc.

(you may already know the rest of the information below but I will explain just in case)

When you create any files that will change the main game you should make it in the form of a mod so peoples main game is not changed and so they do not have to have multiple installs of the game.

To do this you would:

1) create a .mod file like AmericanEmpires.mod using a text editor (note no space between American and Empires). Easiest is to take one from an existing mod and rename and edit with a text editor.

Inside this .mod file you would have:

name = "American Empires" # note - a space is ok here but not in other places below

extend = "common"
extend = "decisions"
extend = "events"
extend = "gfx"
extend = "history"
extend = "interface"
extend = "localisation"
extend = "missions"
replace = "map"



2) When your mod is un rar it should be installed in to the main game mod folder in two parts. Part one would be the .mod file itself. Part 2 would be a sub folder named the same as the .mod folder so in this case the folder would be called AmericanEmpires. In this sub folder all the files for the mod would be installed.

3) You would need to change the files in your mod's interface folder as follows:

domesticpanel.gfx: In this file you need to point things to the mod not the main game so

spriteType = {
name = "GFX_icon_religion"
texturefile = "mod\\AmericanEmpires\\gfx\\interface\\icon_religi on.tga"
noOfFrames = 15
norefcount = yes
}

spriteType = {
name = "GFX_icon_religion_small"
texturefile = "mod\\AmericanEmpires\\gfx\\interface\\icon_religi on_small.tga"
noOfFrames = 15
loadType = "INGAME"
}



For casus_bellis.gfx I am not sure what to do. Logically you would have to do something similar to the above for your custom ones but I can't find any mods with custom CBs to use as an example. In some cases the game requires some files to be in the main game and not the mod. You will need to try and test.

Good luck with your mod

[Dafool]

Thanks very much for all the help there. Most of it I'm aware of, but I was not sure how the extend vs replace issue turned out since modders and mods were saying a number of things when the last patch came out. After a bit of messing around I've got everything fixed up. All the gfx's switched over just fine (save for a weird line in the new CB gfx's, but oh well). A new upload will be available shortly.

[17blue17]

Thanks very much for all the help there. Most of it I'm aware of, but I was not sure how the extend vs replace issue turned out since modders and mods were saying a number of things when the last patch came out. After a bit of messing around I've got everything fixed up. All the gfx's switched over just fine (save for a weird line in the new CB gfx's, but oh well). A new upload will be available shortly.

I opened your CB graphics in photoshop and your cb_vassalize_flower.dds has a white right edge. Is it supposed to have that? Is that the line you are talking about?

[Dafool]

I opened your CB graphics in photoshop and your cb_vassalize_flower.dds has a white right edge. Is it supposed to have that? Is that the line you are talking about?

Correct, that only showed up after I moved switched it over, which is rather strange since I don't think that should have done anything to the actual image. It's a minor issue though, so I'll fix it at some future point.

[Dafool]

Bump. I had a fair number of downloads so I'm just curious if anyone had any feedback, since I am still working on this mod and hope to get another version out within a few weeks.

[Adam Smith]

Are you going to be doing anything with the North American natives, or are they going to be tossed out for good from the map?

[Dafool]

Are you going to be doing anything with the North American natives, or are they going to be tossed out for good from the map?

Well, currently they get most of (if not all) of the "Disease" and "First Contact" events. I've not decided on exactly what I would want to do with them. This is mainly because I don't know that much about the North American tribes in general and secondly because they weren't quite as settled or "nation-like" as the important tribes in Central and South America. If someone has some doable suggestions, I'd be happy to consider them, but as of right now they're mostly being ignored except for the broader New World changes.

[Adam Smith]

How long does the disease last? Playing as the Inca, I've been fighting this plague for... over 70 years! It was really interesting about 50 years ago, but there's a point where perpetual rebellions are no longer an interesting challenge and become a tedious stalling of the game. Is there a way to shorten the plague?

[Dafool]

The plagues end when you have no provinces with plague modifiers left. Have they been going down (Serious->Notable->Minimal->None)? That whole process should take roughly 50 years for each province. After that you should get an event ending the plague after about another 5 years. So about 50-60 years would be pretty average. You may just be unlucky, but I'll check the event and do a quick play through to see if it's firing off like it's supposed to.


*EDIT*

So I tested it out and everything is running properly, so it's almost certainly bad luck. I may tweak the MttT on some of these though, just to make it a little more concise. If you'd like, open the console and fire off event 20005. It will end the bad events (the province modifiers will still go away over time). Also, out of curiosity, what time did colonization, first contact, and the diseases start? It varied quite a bit in some of my test games, so I'm a little worried about it being unbalanced.

[Adam Smith]

The disease started at around 1500. It's now 1617. Actually, I've never received the first contact event because I haven't met any Europeans yet (Remember, Incas. We have a continent to get around). So far, I've only had the disease events start up (which is good... it would make sense that the disease would hit once Europe came to the continent, able to reach countries before colonists did, since natives can be carriers).

I've been playing a very expansionist Inca game, now controlling all of the West coast of South America, and reaching into the East. It's very possible that the disease started at my core provinces, and over time has been cleared in the core provinces and is only existing in the periphery colonies... but still around. By now, the disease only affects the developing provinces, and most of my empire has fortresses anyway... the disease was a challenge early on (I've had to negotiate with the natives a few times), but now they just mean I get a few rebels and need to keep my military fully funded (which I should be doing anyway... still not sure what will happen when I actually contact Europe).

[Dafool]

Ah ok. Well then everything is WAD (sort of). The act of colonizing opens up new provinces to the diseases, thus prolonging the effects. I may try to find some way around this just to prevent it from dragging on indefinitely if the player is expanding outside of the the "AI zone". Just as a request, could you perhaps upload or PM me a map so I can see how the AI is doing? I was having terrible problems with it colonizing at strange times. I've only been able to do about 2 test games myself with the 1.0 version (Maya and Inca), so I'm just curious to see how things are "averaging out".

[Adam Smith]

Here's a map:

http://www.gamefront.com/files/20741...625.4.27_1.bmp

I dunno why, but imageshack's being a pain for me today.

Anyway, there's one big thing you'll notice. It's 1625, and the Europeans in this game have hardly colonized the Americas. Now, this may be a really odd example since it's the first time in a while I've seen France gobble up Castille. Even then, though, you'd expect Portugal to have more provinces, right? Well, either way, it'll be nice for my effort to consolidate control over South America. I'm saving about 6,000 cash for the moment I can mass produce ships throughout the empire, and already have one of the biggest armies in the world (forcelimit of 72k units, but I've only fielded around 50k). If Europe keeps this up, I should be able to secure the continent and eventually land in Africa.


Anyway, I have some ideas, but I'll have to wait until I FINALLY see the European Encounter events. Until then, I did notice, and wonder, why westernization can now only trigger a switch to the Muslim tech group if you meet a Western tech group nation, not an Oriental or Muslim tech group nation. I know, it's not likely that a Muslim nation will be the first to reach the Americas... but in multiplayer games, it's possible!

[Dafool]

Here's a map:

http://www.gamefront.com/files/20741...625.4.27_1.bmp

I dunno why, but imageshack's being a pain for me today.

Anyway, there's one big thing you'll notice. It's 1625, and the Europeans in this game have hardly colonized the Americas. Now, this may be a really odd example since it's the first time in a while I've seen France gobble up Castille. Even then, though, you'd expect Portugal to have more provinces, right? Well, either way, it'll be nice for my effort to consolidate control over South America. I'm saving about 6,000 cash for the moment I can mass produce ships throughout the empire, and already have one of the biggest armies in the world (forcelimit of 72k units, but I've only fielded around 50k). If Europe keeps this up, I should be able to secure the continent and eventually land in Africa.

The colonization issue is a problem I've noticed. The AI tends to shoot strait for the Caribbean and then they just sit there for a while. All those islands were colonized by about 1520 in one of my games, but nobody hit the mainland for another 70 years. I believe, but am not entirely sure, that this is caused by the tech group changes, but I'll try to test it at some point and see what happens. I'd like for colonization to begin in the early to mid 1500's, but currently it starts about 75-100 years too late, which can be a problem for the player if they're in the New World.

Anyway, I have some ideas, but I'll have to wait until I FINALLY see the European Encounter events. Until then, I did notice, and wonder, why westernization can now only trigger a switch to the Muslim tech group if you meet a Western tech group nation, not an Oriental or Muslim tech group nation. I know, it's not likely that a Muslim nation will be the first to reach the Americas... but in multiplayer games, it's possible!

That was probably just an oversight on my part when I changed the requirements for Westernization. I'll make sure to change it with the next version. As for the "first contact events" you'll just have to see how that turns out. Many of the events are pretty generic (prestige, stab hits, money, etc), but there are several that are more interesting, so I'm interested to see how that turns out for you. If you've got any other suggestions or comments though, let me know.

[starwarsfan541]

So far I have really enjoyed this mod, but have you thought about using ai commands for them to explore certain provinces. I discvoered that it can help chang the ai behaviour drastically.
An example

add_ai_strategy = { convert_prov = { id = 1 value = 50 }
add_ai_strategy = { explore_prov = { id = 1 value = 50 }
add_ai_strategy = { colonize_prov = { id = 1 value = 50 }
add_ai_strategy = { conquer_prov = { id = 1 value = 50 }

It would also be cool if you could events decisions for the Ming or Ottomans to gain QFtNW Idea and try to force them to explore some.
Hope this helps some.

[Dafool]

So far I have really enjoyed this mod, but have you thought about using ai commands for them to explore certain provinces. I discvoered that it can help chang the ai behaviour drastically.
An example

add_ai_strategy = { convert_prov = { id = 1 value = 50 }
add_ai_strategy = { explore_prov = { id = 1 value = 50 }
add_ai_strategy = { colonize_prov = { id = 1 value = 50 }
add_ai_strategy = { conquer_prov = { id = 1 value = 50 }

Are these just simple effects that can be added into events, decisions, etc? If so that might be a big help in guiding colonization along a little bit.

It would also be cool if you could events decisions for the Ming or Ottomans to gain QFtNW Idea and try to force them to explore some.
Hope this helps some.

I wouldn't be against it, but I'd have to find the right prerequisites so that every game doesn't end up with absolutely weird colonizers. I'd say westernization would need to be one, but that doesn't exactly work now that I've balanced tech groups out. I'll brainstorm a bit and see if something jumps out at me.

[Retrograde]

This looks really cool, but one quick question: Are rebels still insane?

[starwarsfan541]

Are these just simple effects that can be added into events, decisions, etc? If so that might be a big help in guiding colonization along a little bit.



I wouldn't be against it, but I'd have to find the right prerequisites so that every game doesn't end up with absolutely weird colonizers. I'd say westernization would need to be one, but that doesn't exactly work now that I've balanced tech groups out. I'll brainstorm a bit and see if something jumps out at me.

Yes they are effects, download my mod in the signature and then chech english ai in the event folder.