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EU4 - Development Diary - 13th of December 2016

Hello everyone and welcome to yet another development diary for Europa Universalis IV. Today we’ll talk about the biggest feature of our next expansion. A system we called “Ages of Europa Universalis”.

The game is now divided into 4 separate ages, where different rules apply in each age. Each age also have objectives you can fulfill, and abilities you can use use.

  • Age of Discovery => 1400 -1530
  • Age of Reformation => 1530 - 1620
  • Age of Absolutism => 1620 - 1710
  • Age of Revolutions => 1710-1821

Each age have seven objectives that can be fulfilled, and if they are fulfilled, you gain +3 power-projection as well as 3 splendor each month.

Now you may ask? What is splendor then? Well.. Splendor is the age specific currency you use to purchase abilities. There are seven abilities in each age that each country can purchase, and there is also four unique abilities in each age, where countries that historically were powerful in that age can unlock a special ability.

Whenever a new Age arrives, you power projection from objectives start decaying, and you now lose all the abilities you purchased in the previous age.

Today we’ll take a look at the Age of Discovery, which is the first Age.

eu4_140.png


Rules
Religious Rules are valid. (Previously before 1650)
Peasants War, Castilian Civil War, War of the Roses can only happen in this Age.

Objectives
  1. Capital in old world, discover Americas
  2. Own Territory on two continents
  3. Embrace Renaissance and keep it in all state provinces.
  4. Own a 30+ development city
  5. Own 5 Centers of Trade
  6. Have at least 2 personal unions.
  7. Humiliate a Rival
Abilities
  • Allow Edict “Feudal De Jure Law”
  • Transfer vassal wargoal
  • Create a claim bordering claims
  • 50% longer lasting claims.
  • Explorers & Conquistadors do not cost maintenance while on missions.
  • Finished colonies gets +1 random development.
  • Gain +1 attack bonus in your capital's terrain type
  • Ottomans : +33% Siege Ability
  • Portugal : +50 colonial growth
  • Denmark : 30 less liberty desire in subjects.
  • Venice : +50% Trade Power from Ships

Another cool concept we have related to the Age mechanics is the Golden Era. A golden era can be started once per game for a country, as soon as you have fulfilled 3 objectives in an Age, and lasts for 50 years.

A golden age gives you 10% cheaper costs for anything you spend monarch power on, your land and naval morale increase by 10%, and you produce 10% more goods.


The free patch keeps track of which age the game is in, and uses it for triggers for disasters and events.
 
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I am wondering

Have at least 2 personal unions.

How does this work for non-christian nations?
 
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Ottomans more OP then ever then?
 
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This seems super-eurocentric. There is little reason for Asians to go west (why take poor Alaskan and Californian land when you could take control of Malacca?). Non-christian tags can't get PUs at all.

Also, why would one ever take the Golden Age before the super-lategame when the ridiculous lategame acceleration (Administrative Efficiency + Nationalism/Imperialism CBs) allows you to do much more in the 50 years the Golden Age lasts?
 
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There are seven abilities in each age that each country can purchase, and there is also four unique abilities in each age, where countries that historically were powerful in that age can unlock a special ability.

This will create a lot of problems. Sometimes you have really different opinion from history (Russia - zergs, Ottomans and Poland - space marines, etc). So i'm not sure that this will be good idea...
And, i hope, it won't cripple nations which can't get those bonuses...
 
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this looks brilliant, an original mechanic for the eu series that cleverly uses other aspects of the game.

haah i love the custard pie in the face for 'humiliate rival'.
 
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I am pretty disappointed. This doesn't look any close to being bigger than any change you ever made for this game in the past. I hope my opinion can change in the future.
 
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unique abilities for certain countries really such a great idea when those countries may very well be eradicated atthat point
My first thought aswell. Why are bonuses like that not given out to cultures or culturegroups?

Have at least 2 personal unions.

Nice joke, lets exclude 70% of the world from the first age shall we?
 
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It's interesting how Johan answer most of specific and individual questions but didn't say a single word about people asking if the "1400" is a typo or an actual new start date ;)

No new start date
 
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WARNING: Not a sarcasm!
You know, I commiserate Paradox a bit: @Johan has announced "the biggest feature yet" and created a hype train. People have been waiting for a huge milestone like tech system overhaul in RoM:
  • reworked trading system with dynamic routes and centers, changeable goods prices
  • land and naval combat rework (especially naval) to make war more engaging, skill-based and fun.
  • some tweaks (or even an overhaul) to weird and fantasy-style monarch points aka mana system.
  • serious rebalance of NIs, ideagroups and policies to make meaningful not only combat quality modifiers.
  • Asia flavor and rework.
But it turns out to be an "extensive" feature that wasn't expected so much. I don't say it's bad, but honestly, It didn't fit my expectations.

IMO EU4 needs a break from new features and needs intensive and massive work on existing mechanics and features. You could even release a large skin pack and loyal PDS fans (including me) would buy it just to support the company.
 
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@Johan Just a small and tiny and basically inconsequential thing, but... Would it be possible for each Age to change the UI graphics a bit? (Like it does in CK2 for different cultures?) This would allow for a more "haptic" (for lack of a better word...) response when you progress in ages. (It would then also perhaps allow for modders to include custom graphic sets which might be used to give an even more individual experience playing a country. Say, giving the UI some militaristic 'flair' when one changes to Prussian Monarchy, for example.)
 
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Also, why would one ever take the Golden Age before the super-lategame when the ridiculous lategame acceleration (Administrative Efficiency + Nationalism/Imperialism CBs) allows you to do much more in the 50 years the Golden Age lasts?

And here at the office, the current opinion of powerusers is that its a button you hit asap.
 
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What's this then?

Also, is having unique abilities for certain countries really such a great idea when those countries may very well be eradicated atthat point, or exist in completely different circumstances that make no sense for the bonus?

If they can't achieve a few objectives in that age, they won't get their bonus.

I think it would be nice if more of the game's mechanics really varied between the ages as well.

Oh yes, there will be quite alot of difference there.
 
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If a country can only get a special ability only once, I guess:

Reformation: Castile/Spain, PLC, Mughal, Persia
Absolutism: France, Sweden, Netherlands, Manchu
Revolutions: England, Austria, Russia, Prussia

Correctly guessed.
 
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