EU4 Development Diary - 18th February 2016

[Angelos]

Love the changes! I hope this leads to a map with no blank areas at some point. I only have one suggestion/objection. Please do not allow for one province coastal areas. I am talking about places like the Ivory Coast for example, where the existence of a single coastal colony practically creates an unassailable position for the colonial power. For strategy reasons, maneuvering etc, at least two layers of provinces should exist on a coast. I am not talking about massive provinces that would fill the whole remaining wasteland, just small provinces that would allow retreats and army maneuvering.

 

[Kyoumen]

We are of course talking of africa between the sahara and the kallahari.

An area which would include Angola and the Kingdom of Kongo, which are two prime examples of long-term European incursion in Africa (one of which I specifically pointed out).

 

[Atlantians]

Paradox should also improve the Darfur/Wadai region (modern eastern Chad/western Sudan) and add the kingdoms that existed there in the timeframe (they only have Darfur now, and it is poorly done), as well as adding the kingdom of Tagali. It would only require adding 5-10 more provinces and 2-4 more tags, and this region, while not being particularly important and rich, was nevertheless home to organised states and was a source of salt, which was considered quite valuable in the early part of the game's time period.

Yes, @Johan !!!

Please!

 

[TheDungen]

An area which would include Angola and the Kingdom of Kongo, which are two prime examples of long-term European incursion in Africa (one of which I specifically pointed out).

Those were protectorates not colonies though.

 

[LinusLinothorax]

Yes, @Johan !!!

Please!

At first they should get Nubia right tho.

 

[Kyoumen]

Those were protectorates not colonies though.

If Angola wasn't a colony, then no colonies existed in the EU3 timeframe other than full-scale settler colonies. There were permanent residents and settlements, and several (mostly but not entirely unsuccessful) attempts to claim interior lands. There was no preexisting African polity of "Angola" to protectorate.

Kongo was sometimes a protectorate, sometimes an ally, and sometimes an enemy.

 

[TheDungen]

If Angola wasn't a colony, then no colonies existed in the EU3 timeframe other than full-scale settler colonies. There were permanent residents and settlements, and several (mostly but not entirely unsuccessful) attempts to claim interior lands. There was no preexisting African polity of "Angola" to protectorate.

Kongo was sometimes a protectorate, sometimes an ally, and sometimes an enemy.

I'd say that is a pretty fine assessment, colonial region colonies, islands and protectorates. Hence why I have been saying for along time that the colonial provinces outside of the new world, australia and south africa should be replaced by some other mechanic.

 

[sterrius]

the protectorade in a lot of ways is the other mechanic.

The problem is they are not mandatory and don´t act like colonys right now. (Just give trade, no taxes or something like that).

 

[TheDungen]

the protectorade in a lot of ways is the other mechanic.

The problem is they are not mandatory and don´t act like colonys right now. (Just give trade, no taxes or something like that).

Well did the protectorates in this era pay taxes? Were they not usually run by the trading companies?

 

[sterrius]

I believe they paid some taxes to sell their items to the european market, much like the tariffs from the colonys.

but not going to put my hand on fire here. My knowledge of european colonization in africa and asia is limited at best.

 

[GC13]

My general understanding of the subject says that the big concern would be trade. That would mean that the dominant power's merchants would be very protected while in the protectorate, would pay low to no customs, and wouldn't be facing much foreign competition.

 

[ClothCoat]

Will there be anything to help the African nations keep from getting conquered by the Europeans, clear across the continent? I'm pretty sure that sort of thing didn't really happen until the Scramble for Africa in the late 1800s, after all.

They should make it so that attrition is so high in those areas for Europeans and Ottomans that only the coasts should be conquerable without being a massive logistical problem.

 

[Blindbohemian]

The problem with all the suggestions about making European armies disintegrate in Africa is that the Ottoman army is also a European army and their army did not exactly disintegrate when invading Egypt (which is, as it turns out, part of Africa). Alt-historically, many non-African powers could have invaded into Africa (pretty much anything in the Levant or Middle East, notably). It is pretty tricky to do hard and fast rules about who can and can't invade where.

Granted, but comparing Egypt (essentially the same climate as the Middle East) to the tropical, malarial, mosquito-infested, tsetse fly haunted, disease-ridden expanses of Central Africa is wildly disingenuous.

Also, not all of Africa is equally inhospitable - South Africa was colonised by the Dutch prior to the game ending, as well as Portuguese Angola (and a country with more reason and resources than Portugal could have established more inroads from Angola than they did).

You're right. The Cape and North Africa are quite liveable. Much of sub-Saharan Africa is simply impossible to deal with for almost any people that doesn't itself originate there. This is very well represented by a mechanic already in-game: wastelands.

 

[deserk]

This is an incredibly good update. Southern Africa looks much more interesting now

 

[leadshooter69]

This is great. The only change I would want it to get rid of the wasteland between Ethiopia and Great Lakes countries. Feel like it'd be fun to connect those areas with colonizable provinces and the wasteland between them seems forced.

 

[SmileyBear]

What is this @Johan - More African land for Lucca to claim on their way to India? Most appreciated. Lucca, Master of Northern Italy, Tunisia, South Africa, Indonesia, South India thanks you.

 

[Martin_Mortyry]

What is this @Johan - More African land for Lucca to claim on their way to India? Most appreciated. Lucca, Master of Northern Italy, Tunisia, South Africa, Indonesia, South India thanks you.

No Mexico? You can't have proper Lucca without Luchadors.

 

[Reverend Belial]

No Mexico? You can't have proper Lucca without Luchadors.

I think you mean Luccadores.

 

[yourworstnightm]

Will the Empire of Kitara be formable?

 

[Soheil99]

It feels like every time I manage to do a successful game in an area, paradox decides that the area is too easy and needs improvement...