"Of what real value is a title? The power is the only important thing"
This week we have been busy with some of the stuff that gives this expansion its name, namely some country specific mechanics for Japan (we are also working on China but that's for another week).
First, a little on why we are doing this. Europa Universalis in its current state is a game that spans six centuries and the entire globe, and all this with an ambition to make a game that feels historical yet is also fun at the same time. Naturally, we had to focus on certain areas and this means that while you might feel the game gives a good enough feel when playing European countries, the experience suffers when it comes to countries like Japan or China. Now, the time has come to add another layer of game play to these countries.
So, what are we doing with Japan? As many of you know, Japan was a very divided country during this era, and we are trying to bring a little bit of this into the game. We have been playing around with the rules for Japan in a way that brings out the internal dynamics without changing the EU3 game play too much. What we ended up with was a system where you can play one of four Daimyos, struggling for the power of Shogun. Only one of these Daimyos can at any time hold the title of Shogun, and only the Shogun can do diplomacy with the outside world.
Some of the more historically savvy among you will notice that the map at the start of the game doesn't really look like a historical map of Japan at the time. The reason for this is that the areas controlled by different families in the era were often fractured and the families rose and fell in a way that doesn't really work within the constraints of EU3. We hope that we can capture the feel of the period even if we don't get the geography exactly right. If you think I'm wrong... well, everything is moddable as usual.
The Shogun has a special value called Authority which represents his standing with the other Daimyos and with the emperor. As this value increases or decreases, the Daimyos get access to more or less diplomatic options that they can use in their internal power struggle (Daimyos can only do diplomacy within Japan though). Should the Shogun's authority fall too low, he will be forced to resign and a bitter struggle ensues, with all Daimyos competing to make the others recognize them as the new Shogun through war or diplomacy. Should Japan be attacked by foreigners though, all the factions will instantly unite to see off the invaders.
There are a lot more fine points to this system of course, but I hope to have given you a taste of what you can expect. Next week I'll mention something about China.
This week we have been busy with some of the stuff that gives this expansion its name, namely some country specific mechanics for Japan (we are also working on China but that's for another week).
First, a little on why we are doing this. Europa Universalis in its current state is a game that spans six centuries and the entire globe, and all this with an ambition to make a game that feels historical yet is also fun at the same time. Naturally, we had to focus on certain areas and this means that while you might feel the game gives a good enough feel when playing European countries, the experience suffers when it comes to countries like Japan or China. Now, the time has come to add another layer of game play to these countries.
So, what are we doing with Japan? As many of you know, Japan was a very divided country during this era, and we are trying to bring a little bit of this into the game. We have been playing around with the rules for Japan in a way that brings out the internal dynamics without changing the EU3 game play too much. What we ended up with was a system where you can play one of four Daimyos, struggling for the power of Shogun. Only one of these Daimyos can at any time hold the title of Shogun, and only the Shogun can do diplomacy with the outside world.
Some of the more historically savvy among you will notice that the map at the start of the game doesn't really look like a historical map of Japan at the time. The reason for this is that the areas controlled by different families in the era were often fractured and the families rose and fell in a way that doesn't really work within the constraints of EU3. We hope that we can capture the feel of the period even if we don't get the geography exactly right. If you think I'm wrong... well, everything is moddable as usual.
The Shogun has a special value called Authority which represents his standing with the other Daimyos and with the emperor. As this value increases or decreases, the Daimyos get access to more or less diplomatic options that they can use in their internal power struggle (Daimyos can only do diplomacy within Japan though). Should the Shogun's authority fall too low, he will be forced to resign and a bitter struggle ensues, with all Daimyos competing to make the others recognize them as the new Shogun through war or diplomacy. Should Japan be attacked by foreigners though, all the factions will instantly unite to see off the invaders.
There are a lot more fine points to this system of course, but I hope to have given you a taste of what you can expect. Next week I'll mention something about China.
