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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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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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well there bonus is there only till 1650 while the age last so it reflect the ottoman power and use of artillry befor the rest of europe and will end after 1650 when everybody got slowly use to it

Until 1530
 
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Splendor is the age specific currency you use to purchase abilities

Since you have a bar already, wouldn't it be nice to see the amount of splendor displayed on it?

countries that historically were powerful in that age can unlock a special ability

Do these countries automatically unlock it or do they need to fulfil certain requirements too?

Edict “Feudal De Jure Law”

Hmm, CK2 here?? hahaha, maybe certain countries have like permanent claims over a certain area? E.g. France over Burgundy and Flanders

golden era can be started once per game for a country

only once per game? hmm. So we have to decide in which age we want it. But isnt it better if we automatically qualify for it after achieving 3 objectives a game as it is already quite an achievement by itself?
 
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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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Do these countries automatically unlock it or do they need to fulfil certain requirements too?

They need to get and spend 800 splendor.
 
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I am wondering

Have at least 2 personal unions.

How does this work for non-christian nations?

They won't be able to get that objective in that age.
 
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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.

Okay...next problem. Ottomans will snowball even more. Unless you will add counterweight they will NEVER decline, they will IMPROVE even more.


  • Explorers & Conquistadors do not cost maintenance while on missions.
  • Finished colonies gets +1 random development.

Again, static bonuses are bad and lame. If Russia (or Iberians) will colonize whole Siberia before Age of Absolutism and will get bonus to colonization this will be...bad for balance.
 
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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?
A boost earlier in a game generally translates to more profit than a later one. It's like a lever.
 
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Europa Universalis 4: Civilisation 6? :p

The painting for the Age of Discovery is perplexing me, I wonder where and when it is set? The clothing (particularly of the woman) doesn't seem to match the ships (is that an 18th century barque on the left?)
 
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  • Allow Edict “Feudal De Jure Law”
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 at that point, or exist in completely different circumstances that make no sense for the bonus?

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

Will the change from one age to another regarding the abilities immediately or within a "transition phase" of about for example 10 or 25 years, in which the old abilities decrease to zero and the new develop to full strength? I'm just asking because a total change from Dec 31th xxxx to Jan 1st xxxx+1 is kind of unrealistic and wouldn't give a historical feeling....
 
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Okay...next problem. Ottomans will snowball even more. Unless you will add counterweight they will NEVER decline, they will IMPROVE even more.

The Ottomans didn't decline, that theory has been rejected by academics for some time. They stopped expanding militarily but that hardly equals a decline.
 
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