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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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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.

I think I speak for everyone when I say we are looking forward to Dharma's release date being announced. Who knows, perhaps in December when the days are brief and the temperature plummets, EU4 players can get some relief by taking command of an Indian country with new mechanics in the hot and sunny subcontinent.
 
This change sounds cool on paper, for example it makes italy nations even stronger(even if i dont belive that they needed buff).However after giving some thoughts... Merchant cap is going nuts if u are coloniser/making trade companies. Trade centers lvl 3 are solely based on merchants and ducats... The both things that colonisers/tc players swim around. I dont belive that this buff to them was needed. Why?
Colonising is always strong and viable option to anyone that have possibility to do it because its easy way to become strong(or stronger), they dont need another buff. But theres also a bigger thing called trade companies... Trade companies that in a current(before the dharma patch) is purely the most op thing of the game i belive. You(Paradox) decided to not only not nerf trade companies, but u decided to make it stronger even further. Trade companies got special building(options or whaterve its called) for money, trade companies arent affected by corruption by unstated areas, you encourage ai and give special buy TC province button, companies are getting yet another indirect buff here in this change.
This whole patch/dlc screams to me that you want to make things that are alrdy strong(to not to say OP) and viable(so called 'meta') even stronger. Do u(paradox) understand the implications of the changes u make? Did you even tried/tested this game? I mean real test by a good players, not some potato struggling to unite japan or smth.
You care enough to nerf shit like no stating wide play/endgame tags but you directly and undirectly buff things that are even more broken.
 
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

@Groogy Is there a hard cap for non-Dharma owners too? What happens when they conquer more level 3s then their merchants?

Thoughts: I feel this is a good feature that can be further improved in the future by linking it to their development. New centers of trade created by developing the area above certain thresholds or demoted when they are razed/looted.
 
I like the direction but you missed a real opportunity here. I think the level of centers of trade should depend on level of development in surrounding provinces and value of trade in trade node. For example, if a player will go for tail Ireland and will developed island to 300 developments - this should upgrade the CoT there. Similarly, expanding Ivory Coast or Cape Coast trade nodes by steering a lot of trade there should upgrade CoTs there. Spending ducats it's ok but seems a little too easy.
 
For example, if a player will go for tail Ireland and will developed island to 300 developments - this should upgrade the CoT there.
Why? Economics of Ireland is shown by his development. Quite the opposite, if he's playing tall Ireland, I believe it's safe to assume he is rely on inner Ireland resources, like tax and production (and trade through markets or fleets).
 
That's awesome but cut all sailor generation/cap in ten and add it to the coastal centres of trade instead. That way England who have a million coastal provinces does not end up having more sailors than the rest of Europe combined.
 
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

This makes me actively not want to get Dharma. Otherwise, people are just going to upgrade all of their trade centers (which will turn into all trade centers that exist) to level 2 and level 1 centers won't even exist. I know I have rather high expectations for the results whenever you say trade is being touched on, but when you said

It works fairly well, but has lacked a depth to it that we're looking to change.

I was actually hoping for more...actual depth.
 
I bloody like the new center of trade system. Spontaneous question is - why not go all the way along and make centers of trade degrade completelly and link them to the province system?

Any level 1 center can disappear on degradation (normal rules as in the OP), and any province that lacks a Center can form a new one for an initial investment in Dip points, say the nominal 50. This can override the Trade Outpost system, or empower it further. This will greatly enhance the expressive part of the player's choice and reinforce playing tall - something that is clearly in the scope of this feature and the past week vassals' update.

I'm sure this has been discussed by the team, so it's more a matter of curiosity on why the call for fixed trade centers had been made from a Design perspective (or, possibly, by a commercial or AI changes standpoint, all of which are equally valid).
 
This makes me actively not want to get Dharma. Otherwise, people are just going to upgrade all of their trade centers (which will turn into all trade centers that exist) to level 2 and level 1 centers won't even exist.
Until their rival conquers it or forces a vassal release, that is. Change of owner demotes CoTs.
EDIT: I see Krakow and Danzig release being a thing to annoy Polish and Prussian players.
 
I have a suggestion to make the "move main trade port" destination restricted to centers of trade. I always found it silly there was no restriction on it, so you could move it to any underdeveloped province in a node to get the same effect. Now that centers of trade are a lot more common, you can justify this limitation and improve immersion.
 
Great feature!

Are the bonuses provided by the centres of trade stackable? For example, would Tuscany have a -30% development cost (as well as the other modifiers) if it were to upgrade all three CoT's to level three, since all are in the same state/area?

I really hope that's the case. It gives those who want to play a tall play-through a nice little perk, and also makes some regions pretty viable when compared to a wide focused run.
 
I read this dev diary this morning, and after a day of work I’m still not convinced.
I do get the Oprah feelingn you get a CoT, and you get a CoT, everybody gets a CoT.

With almost every area having a CoT, it’s not special anymore.
No need to conquer that special place, you can grow your own one.
 
A bit unfair to the Netherlands, it will have only 1 trade center to upgrade compared to 4 that England has in the Channel.

I disagree with this. I think the trade power of the Netherlands (which is huge later on) should be represented in the game. And might have gotten a little bit to harsh of a nerf compared to England.

But as it is now before the expansion. Holland trade power in the English trade node is to powerfull as it can compete with England. Even beat it by a good margin if England should lose its French cores. In my French campaign. A 4 province holland beats a 25 province french by 37 to 25% of the pie in the English trade node.

(I’m Dutch by the way and have about 500 hours of experience playing England, French or Holland)
 
@DDRJake Why would you ever voluntarily downgrade a level 2 port?

Is there a chance you could add a peace deal option to force another nation to downgrade their port? I see that as being a possible option for a trade conflict