Some more info at Destructoid

[Jia Xu]

Once your nation becomes very powerful, which can often happen quite early on, there isn't much else to do other than win the game.

I'm really glad that the EU4 team is taking this attitude. I end up blobbing all over the world in every recent PI game except for V2 because there really isn't anything to do in the other games other than conquer and prepare to conquer in games like EU3 or CK2. I really hope EU4 has domestic game play which is just as deeply developed as the warfare mechanics. Players are less inclined to conquer the earth when they have other things to occupy their attention, I think.

[Linx MP]

The game's time period was also the time when (in Europe at least) there was a massive expansion of the bureaucratic management of governments and a corresponding increase in the ability of government to impact itself on their countries. Will this be reflected in the character point system by having them increasingly be assisted by his bureaucracy lessening his personal impact but increasing the players overall ability to change things in their own countries?

Something like that would also very accurately model Europe's rise during this time.

First time for me to respond in this forum so let me add how excited I am about EU4 announcement. I can't believe I have to wait a year for this. At least this gives me time to get a new computer as CK2 has a hard time running on my current one.

[nOxr]

This is going to be soooo great! I really like that you will have such a long development time, this will a seriously well-developed game.

[Peter Ebbesen]

I am now officially worried about the Monarch Powers system. Right now it seems as if you should pray to the RNG gods in advance for this game, unless it's not actually as important as I fear it is. Do the MIL/DIP/ADM points accumulate? I hope this gets explained better in the near future.

Let me hazard the guess that it will be possible for the player to guide his MIL/DIP/ADM point production beyond whatever is fixed by the monarch in question, since effective rule depends not only on the monarch but also his support structure.

This could, for instance, be done via an evolution of the advisor and/or national idea system, thus ensuring that the gameplay feels different to the player based on which monarch he has in charge, while allowing the player to choose his own focus at a cost - and a significant cost in terms of opportunity cost - rather than constraining him to something mostly or possibly wholly beyond his control, like the monarch's stats.

Then again, it isn't as if Paradox doesn't have previous experience with character courts (CK, EU:Rome, HoI) or bureaucracy and different government forms. I'm sure they'll figure something out.

[LeeDub]

Yes but there is an upper limit on how many points you can keep stored.

Excellent - so you can save up points for your long-term goals even if you're cursed with crap monarchs - at the expense of other areas, of course.

[Seelmeister]

Excellent - so you can save up points for your long-term goals even if you're cursed with crap monarchs - at the expense of other areas, of course.

I wouldn't imagine this would be possible, I'm sure the article mentioned that monarch points were monthly. Since they are tied to the abilities of the monarch, it wouldn't make much sense for them to survive the death and succession.

[RedRalphWiggum]

I wonder would it be possible to have it so merely owning too many non-core provinces would use up some of your ruler's points, making it harder to blob?

[murlocmancer]

That trade sound SO good. I may just have to start in the rise of the Dutch Empire and play a little trading game with my other competitors

[Alex_brunius]

Happy to see that the new generation of Paradox games finally will get multiplayer that "wasn't designed in the 80s"

[apg]

I wonder would it be possible to have it so merely owning too many non-core provinces would use up some of your ruler's points, making it harder to blob?

that sounds like a v good idea, like administrative capability.

[LeeDub]

I wouldn't imagine this would be possible, I'm sure the article mentioned that monarch points were monthly. Since they are tied to the abilities of the monarch, it wouldn't make much sense for them to survive the death and succession.

Have you even read Captain Gars' post?

Interesting if the points get reset on succession. I guess this would prevent incompetent monarchs from doing things like westernising, but if the line of monarchs working towards that goal (read, stocking up ADM points) was long, why shouldn't he be the one to formally achieve it (read: spend stockpiled points and westernised) even if he was unremarkable?

[Seelmeister]

I phrased my reply pretty badly there, sorry! I saw the post saying they could accumulate and that there would be an upper limit, I was just speculating as to whether they would reset on succession. I suppose it depends on what kind of time frame the goals you can spend the 'monarch points' on have. Westernisation is interesting, it of course has to be long term, likely over several generations of monarch. Traditionally this has been tied to technology, proximity to westernised nations and internal government policies (ie centralisation etc). I'd be very disappointed if this was replaced by a system where you saved up an arbitary amount of points and then 'spent' them to westernise. Seems very abstract to say that monarch x contributed to westernisation by saving up 6 admin points, rather than monarch x contributed by closing the technological gap between your state and your neighbour.

The quote I was referring to is from Johan in the Destructoid article;

So what we are trying to do is that in EU is you have the administrative, diplomatic, and military ability. So we’re making it so that each of these gives you points, then you use this points to do certain things. So if you have a really good monarch you get lots of points every month, these points are used for buying ideas, increasing your technology, making a province into a core, assaulting a fortress, and making a leader" Even building types are connected to monarch power.

This seems to suggest that monarch points are for more short term things, building, seiges, good leaders etc. This would allow the game to feel very different from one monarch to the next, a good one spending these points fairly freely while when you're left with an undesirable ruler you have to be extra careful and perhaps reign in your ambitions, conentrating on domestic development or limited warfare. This would be undermined if you were able to store these points long term, averaging out the differences between the monarchs.

[Sn3ipen]

The classy thing to do is to NOT point it out when make an idiot of myself. I meant cores and predetermined, of course.

Sundays can be harsh sometimes.

[Junuxx]

Nice article.

I'm curious about how republics and elections will work.

[1alexey]

They were prepared to discuss the completely new trade system, monarch points, and the events system. Had I shipped them over more alcohol, I'm sure I could have gotten more out of them. I'm filled with regret.

[Ivashanko]

Nice reference to the Balkan debates!

Edit: 'Static' trade routes? For some reason I don't like the sound of that...

[Camara]

Yeah, the trade routes are full static or are they created sort of how we had centers of trade? Some can die out and others can be created with money/whatever.

[Don_Quigleone]

I would prefer if trade routes were player created...

[Viper1989]

Will there be diplomatic trade "wars"? i.e. England and France competing by improving relations with Portugal to get access to Portugal's overseas imports?

[Franconian]

I phrased my reply pretty badly there, sorry! I saw the post saying they could accumulate and that there would be an upper limit, I was just speculating as to whether they would reset on succession. I suppose it depends on what kind of time frame the goals you can spend the 'monarch points' on have. Westernisation is interesting, it of course has to be long term, likely over several generations of monarch. Traditionally this has been tied to technology, proximity to westernised nations and internal government policies (ie centralisation etc). I'd be very disappointed if this was replaced by a system where you saved up an arbitary amount of points and then 'spent' them to westernise. Seems very abstract to say that monarch x contributed to westernisation by saving up 6 admin points, rather than monarch x contributed by closing the technological gap between your state and your neighbour.

The quote I was referring to is from Johan in the Destructoid article;



This seems to suggest that monarch points are for more short term things, building, seiges, good leaders etc. This would allow the game to feel very different from one monarch to the next, a good one spending these points fairly freely while when you're left with an undesirable ruler you have to be extra careful and perhaps reign in your ambitions, conentrating on domestic development or limited warfare. This would be undermined if you were able to store these points long term, averaging out the differences between the monarchs.

Ideas and cores sound rather longt term to me.