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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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I am really exited about this change. I love the fact that it gives you more control over the stature of your centres of trade, make them more dynamic through time and allow for more centres of trade.

However, I do have two questions.

1) Have you considered making it possible for the player to spawn a CoT where none existed before, e.g. by increasing the production development or total development to a certain level (perhaps a level that scales over time). This could potentially be combined with allowing CoT to be destroyed if they are level 1 and change owner (there could potentially be a special seize trade centre CB that prevented the destruction but limited territorial gains to the specific province).

2) I was wondering why you chose to make it cost money to upgrade trade centres rather than linking it to the province's level of development (potentially with discounts for provinces that had natural advantages such as good habours, rivers etc.
 
I see that some areas, for example the yellow-marked area, have two Entrepots. What happens if both grow to become World Ports, does the area-bonus stack?

Which then would give the area a bonus of -20% dev cost, +200% sailors, and +2 building slots.

Coromandel Trade.png
 
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A bit unfair to the Netherlands, it will have only 1 trade center to upgrade compared to 4 that England has in the Channel.

From what I can see the Netherlands will have at least two centres of trade if formed fully, Amsterdam and Antwerp, both of which are level II compared with only one level II in England (London).
 
I see that some areas, for example the yellow-marked area, have two Entrepots. What happens if both grow to become World Ports, does the area-bonus stack?

Which then would give the area a bonus of -20% dev cost, +200% sailors, and +2 building slots.

View attachment 393785

I think Groogy or Jake said that it doesn't stack.
 
If my understand is correct, if you conquer a level III CoT it is demoted to level II, so you would never exceed the hard cap.
This only apply to Darma owners, the question was about those without Dharma.
In wich case the answer is "there is only five tier 3 trade centers on the map -Genoa (GEN), Venezia (VEN), Khambhat (GUJ), Chittagong (BNG), and Canton (MNG)- if you happen to hold them all, you probably already have a big empire with many merchants anyway"
 
Genoa (Genoa) , Venezia (Venice), Khambhat (Gujarat), Chittagong (Bengal), and Canton (Ming)

Erm, that's at 1444 start. I was asking for 1820 end, was curious to see what ended up becoming L3 CoTs in prime timeline. Or does that not change with province history files?
 
@Trin Tragula both Ulm and Dresden are odd choices, as Leipzig and Augsburg would be the far more obvious choices. Augsburg was an important centre of trade along the Via Imperii connecting Italy with Germany. Also a lv 1 CoT for Innsbruck should be considered.
Leipzig would be the better choice because of the several fairs taking place there.

There are many more odd choices... Or missing trade centers.. Just look at France :)
No Paris.
No Rouen.
No Orleans.
Those 3 were main commercial centers in the north early on (15-16th century). Or well, late on as well.
No Toulouse.
No Marseille.
No Nantes.
No Bilbao.
But there is Contentin. When it was commercially important? Middle Ages? Or World War 2?

Overall nice change however. But I really hope 3rd level centers to be capped at 1 per Trade Node for every nation at least. Though 1 per Nation and only in province where main Trade City is located would be perfect :)
 
Genoa (Genoa) , Venezia (Venice), Khambhat (Gujarat), Chittagong (Bengal), and Canton (Ming)

I think level 3 trade center for Constantinopole before fall to Ottomans would be nice.
Just as level 3 center for Malacca, it had no match in Southeast Asia before Portuguese arrival.
And for Ming China level 3 trade center should be Suzhou, not Canton. Suzhou was commercial capital of Ming, wealthiest city in China, Ming Dynasty is Golden age of Suzhou city. Canton became important only much later when China opened their market to the World.
 
Perhaps the downranking of trade centres should be a thing which can happen due to devastation not due to it changing owner?