Welcome to another development diary about Europa Universalis IV. This time we talk about something that will be in the next major patch we do.

One of the parts of the game that has not changed much since eu1 is the concept of technology groups and technological development around the world. We’ve added concepts like westernising, and tweaked that one, but in the end Europe has a huge advantage from day 1, and lots of fun gameplay options are limited the further away you are.

So this is what will happen in 1.18, when it is released this autumn..

A nation’s technology group no longer affect technology research.

There is now a concept called Institutions, which will affect your technology research. There are seven different institutions that appear over the game, and if you don’t get them to spread into your country and then get embraced by your government, your technology costs will slowly rise.

Each institution will appear in a province fullfilling certain factors, and then slowly spread around the world. The nation owning that province will gain prestige and monarch power.

Every year the penalty for not having embraced an institution will grow by 1%, so there is a gradual process.

When an institution has spread to at least 10% of your development, you can embrace it in your government, removing the penalty permanently, and also giving a bonus to your nation. The cost to embrace depends on the amount of development in your nation without the institution.

All institutions spread over borders (including 1 seazone away), if relations are positive, and the spread is based on development in the province getting it. There are also lots of other factors related to the spread.

So which are the the seven institutions then?

Feudalism
This is present from the start in almost all the world, except among the hordes, new world and sub-saharan africa. It will slowly spread into neighboring lands, but it is not quick.
Bonus: Gives 1 extra free leader.
Penalty: 50%


Renaissance
This appears in Italy after 1450, in either a capital or a 20+ development province. It will spread quickly through high development in europe, particularly through italy, but can only spread into provinces that have feudalism already.
Bonus: 5% Cheaper Development & 5% Cheaper Buildings
Penalty: 20%


Colonialism
Appears after 1500 in a port province in Europe, who’s owner has the Quest of the New World idea, and have discovered the new world. And will spread very quickly through any port in countries with colonies.
Bonus: +10% Provincial Trade Power
Penalty: 20%


Printing Press
This arrives after 1550, most likely in germany, but can happen in any protestant or reformed province. It will spread quickly in Protestant and Reformed territory, but also into capitals with dip tech 15.
Bonus: 5& Cheaper Stability
Penalty: 20%


Global Trade
This arrives after 1600, in a center of trade in the highest value trade node, and will spread quicker into provinces with trade buildings.
Bonus: +1 Merchant
Penalty: 20%

Manufactories
This arrives after 1650 in a province with 30 development and a manufactory, and will spread quicker into provinces with manufactories.
Bonus: +10% Goods Produced
Penalty: 20%

Enlightenment
Arrives after 1700 in a province that either is a seat of a parliament, or is a province in europe owned by a monarch with at least 5 in all stats. Universities & Parliament Seats spread this institution.
Bonus: 25% Cheaper Culture Conversion
Penalty: 30%
​

What does this mean?


The progress of Europe is not guaranteed, but most importantly, a nation in Asia or Africa is no longer crippled from day 1, and forced to avoid spending power on ideas and development.

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We’re constantly tweaking the spread factors, but here are some screenshots from mid 18th century in a hands-off game from this morning.

This is the institutions mapmode, where green are provinces that have all the enabled institutions, and yellow are don’t have them all.

And here is the technology mapmode, of the same game.

Some other aspects that has changed include the following
- New World Native Reforming will give you all institutions that the one you reform from has.
- Trade Companies are available to all technology groups.
- Lots and lots of triggers on western techgroups have been changed to check for specific relevant institutions.

 

[victimizer]

I am one of those that agreed with your post.

Now I'm thinking maybe 'Innovations' is is better name for for mechanic than 'Institutions'

Institutions refer to "stable, valued, recurring patterns of behavior". e.g. organizations that are widely practiced and accepted.

 

[For God Sake]

Hey @Johan, could you tell us how Korea and Japan got that far ahead in tech in 1700, given the absense of places it could have spread from?

 

[rho]

This looks incredibly promising. I'm not 100% sold on some of the specifics and the numbers, but I'm sure you'll be fine-tuning everything between now and release. The general idea is great and I'm very much looking forward to playing this.

One question: What's going to happen to the achievements that require westernisation (Turning the Tide, No Trail of Tears, Sun God)?

 

[the_dinks]

I think this is a great start, but the "printing press," etc. being an institution is just silly. I wish there could be some less euro-centric names or something.

 

[DominusNovus]

Very cool. Also, I just want to pat myself on the back on this one...

https://forum.paradoxplaza.com/foru...rnative-to-westernization-tech-groups.913576/

Man, I'm good.

 

[Em Ay Ef]

am i seeing Brazilian Brazil in the corner?

 

[TheDarkMaster]

So while Europe's dominance is not guaranteed, new institutions will only spawn in Europe and other parts of the world have to get them from there? Still seems a bit railroaded to me.

Is there at least some advantage that the Byzantines, Muslim world, and China start out with at the start of the game? Historically, Europe was only really catching up with the Renaissance, not pulling ahead just yet.

 

[El_Cid_]

Institutions refer to "stable, valued, recurring patterns of behavior". e.g. organizations that are widely practiced and accepted.

Yeah - that's fair enough

 

[DominusNovus]

When an institution has spread to at least 10% of your development, you can embrace it in your government, removing the penalty permanently, and also giving a bonus to your nation. The cost to embrace depends on the amount of development in your nation without the institution.

So, indirectly, this makes smaller, taller empires an edge on technological development (as well as the perks of having the institutions), doesn't it?

 

[Axe99]

Cheers for the DD Johan, and inspired changes to the tech cost model . In one stroke makes gameplay more dynamic, interesting, plausible and open-ended .

One random thought - is there any thought to perhaps giving nations a bit of a 'mini westernisation' challenge when embracing some institutions? So embracing the printing press could lead to slightly higher unrest for 20/30 years (maybe combined with a penalty to increasing stability), because greater ability of disenfranchised groups to organise and cause trouble (this is off the top of my head). The idea from a plausibility perspective is that nations adopting these changes often had to work a bit to 'digest' them (and IIRC some nations had all sorts of difficulties), and from a gameplay perspective it would mean it may not always be the best thing to hit 'go' once you've hit 10 per cent of development, as circumstances may mean it's better to wait until stability is higher/unrest is lower (or something else).

Or it could be a silly idea, in which case ignore .

 

[pphair]

What is that mapmode beneath terrain?

 

[Trin Tragula]

OBJECTION! The printing press has been around for centuries before that! Yes, even the movable type.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Movable_type#History​

Institutions refer to "stable, valued, recurring patterns of behavior". e.g. organizations that are widely practiced and accepted.

This is good to keep in mind. Especially for those worrying about the Printing Press. Yes Europe had plenty of printers before 1500, the works they produced are known as Incunables due to how they're considered pioneers of a new art and today those books (in much smaller editions than later ones) are worth fortunes to collectors.
The number of active printers a hundred years later is _a lot_ higher than the one for the late 1400's.

Yes Printing Press, Global Trade, Colonialism are not strictly things that are unheard of before a certain date. The idea is that the period after their institution unlocks is highly characterized by them however. They're also game mechanics and as such need names, they should not be taken too literally
The history of the development of the printed book is very interesting and we have no intention to disrespect the work of Manutius or the others, who I'm sure you know also have ingame flavor events related to them

(Sorry for using your post about something slightly different to say this Victimizer I just thought it was well put and wanted to add to it)

 

[Vroobel]

Wow. That is really good. I am hyped

 

[Artess]

Is there any reason at all to delay embracing an institution (maybe some flavour events representing local traditions etc., I don't know), or do you always want to click the button as soon as possible?

 

[Vroobel]

What is that mapmode beneath terrain?

Overseas mapmode. I am more intrigued by the second icon in the gov tab

 

[Ripper665]

This looks very interesting, can't wait!

 

[Baxil]

Big likes! Looking forward to this mechanic.

Enlightenment
Arrives after 1700 in a province that either is a seat of a parliament, or is a province in europe owned by a monarch with at least 5 in all stats. Universities & Parliament Seats spread this institution.
Bonus: 25% Cheaper Culture Conversion
Penalty: 30%

It seems to me that this institution will appear very rarely for people who don't have Common Sense expansion. Maybe you should give more trigger options like government form?

 

[Arcaian]

Is there any reason at all to delay embracing an institution (maybe some flavour events representing local traditions etc., I don't know), or do you always want to click the button as soon as possible?

Increased costs the less accepted it is in your nation. The longer you wait the cheaper.

 

[Pete0714]

Revolutionary change for the entire game franchise, and I would say a long time coming. Sounds exciting, and look forward to the fall. Sad it will be that long off, but then again, I now know I can perhaps get through a game or two this summer without worries of a needed but game breaking update

 

[Canute VII]

Is it possible for institutions to have negative effects, or to change the effect of an institution over time, or for swapping out institutions mid game?

I'd imagine that Feudalism is a pretty outdated institution by late game which would if anything limit technological development... It would be interesting if you could replace it later with, say, Constitutionalism or Absolutism.

I wonder how feudalism relates to the "feudal monarchy"?