EU4 - Development Diary - 10th of January 2017

[ringhloth]

in comparison to age of colonialism all bonuses are ignorable. İn age of colonialism portugal gets settler bonusbut spain gets shock damage protection. Ottos gets 33 Siege, plc + 1 legitimacy. Mughals gets useless Bonus and İ have played 1000+ hours and ı have never seen mughals formed. But ı will buy this dlc anyway bcuz ottos gonna be stronger and ı am turkish player. Open golden age 1480 and By 1530 ı can conquer all of poland persia whole northern africa and iberia. Theoretically ı can claim from beijing to paris with age Bonus. Age of reformation nice but not enough.

Trade ship power propagation and merchant power increase are very powerful bonuses, and definitely worth picking up for anyone who is trading.

 

[FB5813]

There's a fair bit of ire about this Ages mechanic but as others have noted it's really just a glorified mission system. I like the existing mission system and would happily see it expanded upon. I also don't really see it as railroading as, like the current mission system, you can choose to do the missions or not and the bonuses don't seem powerful enough to cripple you if you don't (or make you if you do).

That said, it is definitely underwhelming and uninspired as the main feature of a paid DLC so the discontent is understandable. Personally, given the warranted criticisms, I'd be scrapping the totally unneeded Ages and associated clutter and dumping all the better new ideas/missions under the mission tab where they belong, rather than pretending this is a whole new feature. With the overhaul the East seems to be getting there should still be enough new content to get people to fork out for the DLC.

 

[kitemasaki]

That said, it is definitely underwhelming and uninspired as the main feature of a paid DLC so the discontent is understandable. Personally, given the warranted criticisms, I'd be scrapping the totally unneeded Ages and associated clutter and dumping all the better new ideas/missions under the mission tab where they belong, rather than pretending this is a whole new feature. With the overhaul the East seems to be getting there should still be enough new content to get people to fork out for the DLC.

I can see how it might seem underwhelming to some players, but this will be great in multiplayer, which we know the devs like to cultivate towards. I will definitely do a couple campaigns in single player to see how it pans out, but I know the real 'juice' will be against other humans. The 'goal' system that has been accompanying the most recent dlcs is really nice flair for competitive play (victory cards, institutions, great powers). I definitely would like to see more national flavor and historical events though.

 

[OBRkenobi]

Placed Merchants grants +20 Trade Power instead of +2.

That's insane.

 

[Benghi Bon]

I can see how it might seem underwhelming to some players, but this will be great in multiplayer, which we know the devs like to cultivate towards. I will definitely do a couple campaigns in single player to see how it pans out, but I know the real 'juice' will be against other humans. The 'goal' system that has been accompanying the most recent dlcs is really nice flair for competitive play (victory cards, institutions, great powers). I definitely would like to see more national flavor and historical events though.

I fail to see how this can juice up multiplayer in any way. To me this seems like a sytem you will care about once, and tCare to elaborate on what you mean?

Oh and 'click to start golden age'.. yikes..

Yeah I rolled my eyes at that too.

 

[mudcrabmerchant]

Choo choo, all aboard, show your tickets*!

*Non-caboose tickets currently not available outside of Europe.

 

[ringhloth]

Choo choo, all aboard, show your tickets*!

*Non-caboose tickets currently not available outside of Europe.

Yes. All those Europeans, like the Mughals, and Persia. All those buffs to Europe. Just like institutions, where 3/4s of the institutions are trivial to spawn outside of Europe.

 

[Benghi Bon]

Yes. All those Europeans, like the Mughals, and Persia. All those buffs to Europe. Just like institutions, where 3/4s of the institutions are trivial to spawn outside of Europe.

-50% artillery cost to a nation that shows up as rare as DDRJake gets excited for a high view count. And Persia, with that absurdly overpowered reduced reinforcement cost. Unlike -30% shock damage received, which is not absurdly strong at all.

 

[Agoria]

Age of Reformation, 1580-1620, that so-well-known episode of Persian history...

 

[Metz]

Age of Reformation, 1580-1620, that so-well-known episode of Persian history...

Should be Ottomans instead? Although they already get bonuses in the age of discovery. Maybe they can swap places. Although it would be redundant if Persia is never formed.

 

[Canute VII]

Clearly I should have used a different term, as eurocentric triggers all of you, even if I'm going out of my way on multiple occasions to mean there shouldn't be parity without effort on the part of nations controlled by the player. That or the flu is muddling with my reasoning.

Regarding CKII, there isn't parity between the religions, which is 1/2 of the real driving force and separating factor between kingdoms and empires. Catholics crusade better than any other (disregarding very early Hindu's), reformed Pagans don't holy war all that well, and Jihads are somewhere in the middle. There isn't real complaining about that, despite the fact that Crusades (or their counterparts) are an ever present driving force of change and challenge to a player. Hardly a secondary feature. It's a complimentary feature, meshing well with other things in the game.

Which is what I think Ages will be. Another feature, just like the mission system, that can allow for planned goals/guides a player (or ignored, if the player so chooses), that highlights a select few nations with extra benefits and gives others something as well. That people keep thinking they HAVE to chase each Ages expectation to have a good game is just stupid. You don't HAVE to do that. The game isn't going to end suddenly. You're only railroaded in your mind. You can completely ignore the Ages mechanic.

But, I've noticed that EU4 players (or at least the most common posters I've read) seem almost manic in their desperation to get every conceivable bonus or advantage for their played nation and throw a fit if it's easier for European starts. It's a little bizarre, like playing sub optimally is somehow a really terrible thing.

Agree to the general point of ages being ignorable if one chooses. Only they introduced them as "the biggest feature ever" which in comparison and honestly in light of what you are saying is quite an exaggeration, it seems.

 

[Trin Tragula]

Age of Reformation, 1580-1620, that so-well-known episode of Persian history...

It's 1530.
And I'd say Safavid Persia is a country for which a great deal of these objectives does make good sense.

 

[Me_]

It's 1530.
And I'd say Safavid Persia is a country for which a great deal of these objectives does make good sense.

Shame about it never forming in EU. Although Persian Revolt is somewheat frequent (unlike Mughals forming).
I'd love to see some more DHE guiding the possibility of a Safavid Persia or Mughals rising.

 

[Trin Tragula]

Shame about it never forming in EU. Although Persian Revolt is somewheat frequent (unlike Mughals forming).
I'd love to see some more DHE guiding the possibility of a Safavid Persia or Mughals rising.

It does from rebels mostly but given the way the game is setup that's the historical route really
I agree it'd be nice to handle it in a more active and interesting way though.

 

[Atlantians]

Well, yeah, if we must have Ages, then why not make them Tag-specific? Spain could have it's exploration age and brandenburg its reformation age (at the same time, I mean). While I'm at it: why not make Ages and Institution exactly the SAME thing?

If I'm Castille, hey, I will get colonialism institution first for sure: wow, now I'm in the age of colonialism (i.e. exploration)! 50 years later: oh, wait, that printing press (i.e. reformation) institution is coming around - hm, should I really embrace it, for I will loose my splendor and the nice abilities I've unlocked? Maybe not so fast....!

So this would actually give reason, NOT to embrace institutions as quickly and still buff those that come first or are the most determined, which ever.

(I'm just brain-storming, obviously)

@Johan, this idea is really good.

Think about it!

 

[tom025]

Well, I'm not gonna buy this DLC because of ages...

It's bad, and gives bonuses totally OP to nations that already are, PLUS its eurocentric again !

No DLC for me sorry

 

[mursolini]

I'm not 100% happy with the Polish bonus myself, but I really don't want to add a military bonus.

Polish Winged Husars bonus would be the obvious contender for splendor bonus.

NIs should be changed somewhat, but I'm fine wirh that, Poland has plenty of military bonuses.

 

[lolada]

Yup put +1 legitimacy in their ideas and move one military bonus out to be bought in that age.

 

[Tzz2006]

Thinking about this some more, the "Start Golden Age" button is the worst thing about this DLC.

Generally speaking, all in-game functions are abstractions of real life. For example, as a country wages war, their military tradition increases, which makes their troops fight better. This simulates militaries gaining knowledge from battle and soldiers becoming experienced.

On the other hand, a country does not simply pile up a resource called splendor, and then flicks a switch to make the whole country produce more money and make its soldiers fight better, but only once in their entire existence between 1444 and 1823, and only after they have force converted 10 provinces and made a few colonies and that only in the timeframe of 1530 and 1620.

Instead, splendor should build up when a country is successful in it's goals (different goals for different countries). As splendor increases, so should it's bonuses, until you hit the maximum splendor and your country enters a Golden Age. However, over time the decay rate for splendor increases, making it harder and harder to keep your golden age going, until it eventually comes to an end and the effects slowly subside.

 

[uncldead]

Trade ship power propagation and merchant power increase are very powerful bonuses, and definitely worth picking up for anyone who is trading.

Nah, it's crap. atomnoy is right - this age is crappy AF, useless bonuses.