Welcome back to our weekly series of development diaries about Europa Universalis. This time we’ll talk about four new features that will be part of the next expansion.

Free Cities of the Holy Roman Empire
Now the Emperor can designate up to seven free cities in the empire. A free city is a one province minor with a minimum of 10 development.

Free cities provide Imperial Authority to the emperor, as well as manpower and income. A Free City also have some rather nice bonuses to their development.

If a Free City gains another province or leave the HRE. they lose the free city status. And a Free City is always a type of Republic, so countries that aren't a Republic will become one upon accepting Free City status.

A Free City is always protected by the Emperor if attacked, so be careful when expanding in the HRE. A Free City can never be the subject of another nation.

Of course, as the ruler of a OPM, you can always refuse the offer of becoming a free city, and the emperor can spend some Imperial Authority to revoke a cities rights.

Remove Electorate
The next expansion lets you get even more control over your electors. If your religion is now official in the Empire, you can now spend IA to remove the Electorate status of your disloyal Electors.

Pause Westernisation
Sometimes while you are westernising, you end up where you need to use your power for something else, like boosting stability, but currently you can’t. Now we have added the option to pause westernisation. You’ll still get the unrest from westernising, but there will be no events spawning while westernisation is paused. Most importantly though is the fact that your power is accumulating again instead of contributing to the westernisation process.

Retire Advisor
Have you ever sat there with a lot of money, but cursing the options you for advisors. In the next expansion, you can now spend the amount of money it would cost to hire an advisor, and permanently retire him. Within a month, if there is available space in your pool of advisors, you will get a random new one in the same category. Maybe you get the +discipline one you wanted..


Next week we’ll focus on Luther and Buddha.

 

[Filip de Norre]

And that's very unplausible. Those Swedish ships would get sunk by Danish forts instantly. Besides, Denmark had one of the largest fleets in Europe until the very end of the game, something which is very untrue for Sweden.

Yes, but ingame Denmark is quite weak compared to both the Hansa and Sweden. Why? Provinces are economically more weak than Sweden, both in taxes, goods and manpower. Sweden's ideas are better and their decisions and events are simply better and stronger too. The trade nodes also work in Sweden's favour at the start at least. Sweden also has unhistorically cores on Scania from the start.

Denmark should be improved in development levels. The Sound should be a new trade node taking parts of baltic sea and Lübeck giving Denmark a large trade income at start and reduce Hansa's and Sweden's trade incomes at start. Furthermore Sweden should not have cores on Scania or any part of Denmark-Norway. As flavour, could Scandinavia's colour depend on who formed it? I hate seeing it as that disgusting Swedish blue even when formed by mighty Danes.

 

[LikeNothing]

I don't think Machiavelli's treatise is in any way based on Sun Tzu's, but it's possible that 'the Art of War' caught on as a European title for Sun Tzu's work by analogy with European works with a similar name, such as Machiavelli's.

"The Art of War" is a rather direct translation of the title of Sun Tzu's book, 兵法.

兵 means soldiers, the military.

法 means method, rule, law.

The most direct possible translation of "兵法" would be "Military Methods", but given the content of the book (which includes plenty of insights on diplomacy, logistics, and intrigue) "The Art of War" is perhaps the best translation possible for its title.

Edit: Compare

书法. 书 means book, writing. 书法 means calligraphy, i.e. the Art of Writing.

 

[BVN]

Do any OPMs start as free cities?

 

[brtzknf]

Do any OPMs start as free cities?

The screenshot in the first post id from the starting date, so if they didn't change it Ravensburg, Salzburg, Augsburg, Ulm Frankfurt and Aachen (if i got the countries right) are free cities

 

[jrgen3]

The screenshot in the first post id from the starting date, so if they didn't change it Ravensburg, Salzburg, Augsburg, Ulm Frankfurt and Aachen (if i got the countries right) are free cities

Maybe Nuremberg instead of Salzburg?

 

[Golladan]

The screenshot in the first post id from the starting date, so if they didn't change it Ravensburg, Salzburg, Augsburg, Ulm Frankfurt and Aachen (if i got the countries right) are free cities

It's Ravensburg, Memmingen, Nuremberg, Ulm, Franfurt, and Aachen. The Augsburg in the game is the bishopric and not the free city.

 

[jrgen3]

It's Ravensburg, Memmingen, Nuremberg, Ulm, Franfurt, and Aachen. The Augsburg in the game is the bishopric and not the free city.

Currently yes, but how do you know they didn't change it to the Free Imperial City of Augsburg?

 

[misterbean]

nice.

 

[Golladan]

Currently yes, but how do you know they didn't change it to the Free Imperial City of Augsburg?

I don't know for sure. But they didn't add it as one of the starting Free Cities.

 

[Te. Kenzo]

"The Art of War" is a rather direct translation of the title of Sun Tzu's book, 兵法.

兵 means soldiers, the military.

法 means method, rule, law.

The most direct possible translation of "兵法" would be "Military Methods", but given the content of the book (which includes plenty of insights on diplomacy, logistics, and intrigue) "The Art of War" is perhaps the best translation possible for its title.

Edit: Compare

书法. 书 means book, writing. 书法 means calligraphy, i.e. the Art of Writing.

Yes, Art must be intended as is original meaning "How to do the things properly and with experience"

 

[Philadelphus]

Sun Tzu didn't write a book known as '(On The) Art of War' in the EU4 era; Machiavelli did. I don't think Machiavelli's treatise is in any way based on Sun Tzu's, but it's possible that 'the Art of War' caught on as a European title for Sun Tzu's work by analogy with European works with a similar name, such as Machiavelli's.

Just to point out, the Art of War E-book DLC released with the eponymous expansion was the one written by Sun Tzu, rather than Machiavelli.

You don't count patch changes in that statement?

Not personally, no. To me, "expansion" means it's going to be in the paid expansion. If something is going to be in the accompanying free patch, it's usually explicitly pointed out as such. But I concede this is just my personal feeling; I can understand interpreting "expansion" in a wider meaning to cover both.

Edit: Also, all four features presented in this dev diary are ones that would be more or less desirable, but are not underlying mechanics changes. Those usually go in the free patch (things like completely revamping the building and forts system), while more modular changes (like adding an "English Parliament" government type) tend to be in the paid expansion. I'd argue that all four of the changes presented here are prime expansion-exclusive features.

 

[radiatoren]

Neat HRE improvements. I would love to see some Städtebünde too (Nudge, nudge. Wink, wink. Say no more) .

 

[Golladan]

You don't count patch changes in that statement?

Since some time before El Dorado Paradox started using "expansion" when referring to what we call DLC. I believe there was also a dev post explicitly stating that they would start using "expansion" when referring to DLCs.

 

[Montem]

Since some time before El Dorado Paradox started using "expansion" when referring to what we call DLC. I believe there was also a dev post explicitly stating that they would start using "expansion" when referring to DLCs.

It does make more sense. "DLC" traditionally reffers to any purchasable add-on to a game, while a MAJOR expansion would be an "Expansion Pack" or Expansion. The Portrait/Unit packs would be refered to as DLC therefore.

 

[toroltao]

It does make more sense. "DLC" traditionally reffers to any purchasable add-on to a game, while a MAJOR expansion would be an "Expansion Pack" or Expansion. The Portrait/Unit packs would be refered to as DLC therefore.

Technically every game on Steam is a DLC (Downloadable Content).

 

[Montem]

Technically every game on Steam is a DLC (Downloadable Content).

 

[IsadorBG]

But where did the frankish tribe of germanics originate?

Nowhere.

Franks were originally a federation of germanics tribe of various origin. It formed after those tribes reached the rhine river blocked by the Roman Empire.

Some Franks would later migrate iinside the empire around what is now Flanders/Northern France known as Salians.
While others will stay around the rhine and slowly expand/migrate in the left bank of the river known as the Ripuarians.

Later Clovis I of the Salian conquered the kingdom of Soissons and unified all the Franks (and moved the capital in Paris and converted to roman catholisicm) and began the era of the Frankish kingdom or Francia.

 

[chrnno]

Technically every game on Steam is a DLC (Downloadable Content).

Technically everything digital is a DLC. But as interpreting it like that defeats the purpose of a language the actual meaning is basically very small paid add-ons to games.

 

[cloudwasher]

I haven't read through all 17 pages of this thread so forgive me if someone else has brought this up, but if there is going to be a new function to simply pay to retire advisors til you get the one you want, that very much reduces the benefit provided from the +1 possible advisors in the administrative and innovative groups. In essence the only benefit from these ideas would be maybe saving a hundred or so gold in retirement costs, which isn't much of a benefit. Are these ideas going to be changed to something else?

EDIT: At the very least, changed to +2 to acknowledge the reduced value of the idea in light of the new function?

 

[Skyaway]

Imperial city make HRE Emperor even stronger...wont occupy dip relation

After DD4 & DD5, I think Government Rank should influence dip relation

Here is my suggest:
https://forum.paradoxplaza.com/foru...vernment-rank-can-modify-dip-relation.852939/