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.

 

[Twoflower]

Also shouldn't the Mesoamerican and Andean regions start with Feudalism?

And, on a similar note, East Frisia should actually start without Feudalism. It only became feudalistic in 1464.

 

[Targor]

So do Americas, Hordes, and Subsahara start with +50% Penalty or do thye start with 0% and tick up to 50% for not having Feudalism?

 

[Kensai7]

The icons for Global Trade and Manufactories, are by any chance reversed in the screenshot?

 

[ruzen]

It looks intresting. How will this effect corruption?

 

[winddy]

And um..do the restrictions/unique power (like N & S American can't build ship and E.Europe has better horses) will change or something I wonder?
And how the tech progression will be? Still the same except tech cost penalty?

 

[perhje]

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%

Does this mean that if you are not going for colonies you will get a 20% malus for the rest of the game given that you are not conquering enemy provinces that already have colonialism, or is it just quicker for those comitting to colonising.

 

[cziken201]

Is the number of institutions avaialble moddable?

 

[Darkath]

Colonialism should really not be linked to tech. If anything colonialism was enabled by better technology, as in victoria 2 with life rating, but not the other way around.

 

[Johan]

Does this mean that if you are not going for colonies you will get a 20% malus for the rest of the game given that you are not conquering enemy provinces that already have colonialism, or is it just quicker for those comitting to colonising.

Still spreads to neighbours..

 

[Johan]

Is the number of institutions avaialble moddable?

yes.

 

[Johan]

So do Americas, Hordes, and Subsahara start with +50% Penalty or do thye start with 0% and tick up to 50% for not having Feudalism?

Start with

 

[CaptBasil]

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

In what way will the technology group affect gameplay in 1.18? Does it only determine the unit types a country will use?

 

[observer88]

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%​

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

 

[Kento.]

These changes look really great! I imagine it'll take a while to get the balance just right, but even when it's still kind of iffy and weird, I think it'll place EU4 on a much firmer and more fun foundation.

 

[fksnt]

So how exactly can non-european countries catch up now? Get European colonies nearby? What prevents them from catching up in "normal" play?

 

[samin]

Please, please make this as moddable as possible. Allow us to add new ones (we'll figure out the UI) and make the effects, penalties and spread conditions fully scriptable

 

[Magean]

WOW. This is indeed a big bang. Sounds awesome.

I have one qualm, though. Currently, there is an optimal yet gamey strategy when playing non-Westerns : get a border ASAP and westernize.

Now, I wonder, will this kind of issue not be worsened by the need to get the specific border for every institution ?

But, I'm confident you'll balance this out properly.

 

[Johan]

In what way will the technology group affect gameplay in 1.18? Does it only determine the unit types a country will use?

unittype primarily, exploration spread, and some minor flavor.

 

[DrLulz]

It seems to me that this might be the best change to EUIV ever announced (competing with forts and autonomy) - The idea of institutions is simpy brilliant. The addition would be nice even if it had no effect on techs, but only gave the other bonuses, and its effect on tech speeds makes the whole "tech-cost"-group much more interactive and interesting.
A couple of questions:

1) You say institutions only spread to neighboring provinces (seazones included), does that mean that an institution won't spread to the overseas provinces of a nation which has adopted that institution, unless those overseas provinces border some nation with the institution? I ask because it has implications for whether Western conquerers in e.g. India will be spreading Western Institutions

2) Related to the above, how did Uzbek (in its capital) and Malabar (all over) get all the institutions in the screenshot?

3) Since Westernization is gone, and given that institutions only spread over borders, is there anything a far away nation, say, Japan, can do to actively promote the spread of "European institutions" to its country (beyond conquering enough provinces with the right institutions)?

 

[Johan]

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

yes.. and so has colonising other territories.