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EU4 - Development Diary - 31st of July 2018

Good day and welcome to another Dev Diary for Europa Universalis IV. As July rolls to a close, Paradox HQ slowly sees its manpower trickle back in from Summer merriment and return to creating games. At this rate, who knows, we may be able to announce Dharma's release date in the not-too-distant future, as I have been not so subtly asked about many a time.

But what are we looking at today? We've covered almost all of the new mechanics for Dharma already, we'll finish it off today by talking about what we've done to make Centers of Trade more interesting.

Ever since EU4's release, Centers of Trade have been a constant flat bonus to a province. They can make otherwise uninviting land fairly desirable for conquest to drive up your trade power in a node for as long as you can hold the land. It works fairly well, but has lacked a depth to it that we're looking to change.

BNG COT.png


Firstly, and this goes for everyone who updates to the 1.26 Mughals version, Centers of Trade, both inland and coastal, will have 3 different levels, allowing them to affect their province, the owner and the lands around them. These are:

(coastal)
  • Staple Port:
    • + 5 trade power,
  • Entrepot:
    • +10 trade power, -5% dev cost, +10% institution spread
  • World Port:
    • +25 trade power, +0.25 Naval Tradition, +30% institution spread
    • For whole Area: -10% dev cost, +100% Sailors, +1 Building Slot
(inland)
  • Emporium:
    • +5 Trade Power
  • Market Town:
    • +10 Trade Power, -5% dev cost
  • World Trade Center:
    • +25 trade power, +30% institution spread
    • For Whole Area: -10% Dev Cost, +33% Manpower, +1 Building Slot
Our goal here is to bring a lot more variance to the Centers of Trade around the world, such that Genoa brings a bit more to the table than Barcelona, or Gujarati Khambhat feels far more of a thriving and tantalising target than Thana. Staple ports and Emporiums will bring only modest trade power bonuses. Entrepots and Market Towns are similar to how all old Centers of Trade used to be, while World Ports and World Trade Centers not only bring benefit the provinces dearly, but also benefit the area around them and offer the owner a way to gain Naval Tradition. Note that Centers of Trade do not consume buildings slots.

With this, the Trade Center levels across the world have been crafted to model the world's situation and, with the scaling of their effects, has allowed us to add considerably more Centers of Trade than we have been at liberty to do before.

Europe:
Euro COT.png


India:

Indian COT.png



In addition to this, Dharma owners will see the levels of Centers of Trade fluctuate both through their own actions, and those of the nations around them. Centers of Trade in either States or Trade Companies can be upgraded for a cost of 200 Ducats to level 2, and 1000 ducats to level 3. The number of Level 3 Centers of Trade a nation can have is capped by the number of available Merchants that nation has, so a globe-spanning trade nation will be able to hold many of them if they so desire, while a less trade focused conqueror will have to be more picky.

Be wary however, since a Center of Trade will be downgraded by 1 level, either from 3 to 2 or 2 to 1 upon a change of owner, even through peaceful methods like diplomatic integration. Trade and traders will thrive in peaceful lands of certainty. You are also able to downgrade your own Centers of Trade if you are at peace, at a cost of 10 prestige.

That's our lot for today, we'll be back next week, rounding up on the National Ideas that we have not yet covered.

CLARIFICATION: if you don't own Dharma it gets locked to it's level. You do not lose any level when province owner switches. - Groogy
 
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Will CoT also be downgraded on conquest when you do not own Dharma so you will in the end have lvl 1 CoT everywhere?
And what happens when you lose merchants? Will those levels be in addition to the existing trade power increase or in addition?

Generally I do not see the purpose of this as it is a complete buff without downside. You spend money to earn more money + other stuff without any downside or decision making behind it.
 
The Trade Center will be downgraded even if the player does not have the Dharma DLC?

If you don't own Dharma then their level never changes. Including if the province switches hand.
 
As I have guessed this feature will tweak institution spread a bit. All province scope in-depth mechanics are more than welcome for me. Speaking of new features, there shouldn't be anymore left. So why don't you guys just announce the release date already? :(
 
I'd have made a fourth type of port. A colonial port. By removing exploration ideas from the game, owning a colonial port allows the nation access to 1 colonist (2 maximum from colonial ports). Owning 1 colonial port would also give +10 settler growth, up to however many colonial ports are in game.

Idea behind this is exploration is an awful idea set IMO. Very un-fun, linear and removes the power capability from nations that explored and still had home power (such as France, Spain and G.B).

Curious what the devs think of that?
 
Here you go
upload_2018-7-31_10-57-2.png
 
The number of Level 3 Centers of Trade a nation can have is capped by the number of available Merchants that nation has, so a globe-spanning trade nation will be able to hold many of them if they so desire, while a less trade focused conqueror will have to be more picky.
TC buff
You are also able to downgrade your own Centers of Trade if you are at peace, at a cost of 10 prestige.
But why would anyone do that?
 
If you got a new province and you want a level 3 over there but you are at your cap.
Is it a hard cap or a soft cap? What are the penalties if it's a soft cap?
 
Trade power doesn't change the amount of money available, only the ratio of who can move it around or collect it. The same amount of money will still be floating around... minus the cost for upgrading the CoT's
Naval tradition gives trade steering, which does generate money out of thin air, and with a moderate amount of CN's and TC's you'll have enough merchants to be constantly at high naval tradition.
 
What happens when you have two Level 3 Centers of Trade in one area? Will you get -20% Development Cost or is it capped at -10%?

I dont think thats a thing. I dont remember any current state/territory (which is basically an area) to have 2 or more centers of trade.

Overall very nice change which I proposed many times (to actually develop those centers of trade), I am a huge fan of more province modifiers (which we need a separate map mode for!)
 
I like that there are now more nuances to trade provinces, but I really hate the idea of being able to upgrade ports.

Why does EVERYTHING have to be able to be manipulated by simply pressing a button and spending some resources?

There are reasons why certain ports thrived and others not so much - geographical, economical, demographical and historical. It's not like suddenly the doge of Genoa spent 1000 ducats and BAM, it grew to level 3. It'd be much more interesting if it was dynamic and depending on trade income, development, prosperity, etc.
 
I like that there are now more nuances to trade provinces, but I really hate the idea of being able to upgrade ports.

Why does EVERYTHING have to be able to be manipulated by simply pressing a button and spending some resources?

There are reasons why certain ports thrived and others not so much - geographical, economical, demographical and historical. It's not like suddenly the doge of Genoa spent 1000 ducats and BAM, it grew to level 3. It'd be much more interesting if it was dynamic and depending on trade income, development, prosperity, etc.
It would be more interesting, but I'd rather have a game that ran smoothly instead of pausing every month for calculations.
 
I like that there are now more nuances to trade provinces, but I really hate the idea of being able to upgrade ports.

Why does EVERYTHING have to be able to be manipulated by simply pressing a button and spending some resources?

There are reasons why certain ports thrived and others not so much - geographical, economical, demographical and historical. It's not like suddenly the doge of Genoa spent 1000 ducats and BAM, it grew to level 3. It'd be much more interesting if it was dynamic and depending on trade income, development, prosperity, etc.

thats a solid idea, would make sense to tie it either to total development of province or to production development level
 
Edited OP to have small section clarifying what happens if you don't own Dharma
 
So what happens to the old "natural harbor -> center of trade" event? It's kind of an upgrade to the province modifier... and this change implies that those are now getting locked behind the Dharma DLC.