EU4 - Development Diary - 31st of March 2020

[Pbhuh]

Nice diary @Groogy
I am a modder and would like the ability to add a capital of a country into the empire without that tag automatically being in the HRE. That would be useful in representing Friesland and East Friesland, which were not imperial princes but de iure, their land was in the HRE. I am not mistaken, it is not possible to do that right now.
I would also be glad if you checked out my suggestions on Hungary, which really needs more detail.
https://forum.paradoxplaza.com/foru...ged-hungary-by-firefly.1355572/#post-26360917

You are wrong.

They were always part of the Empire.

Not sure where you get the idea that they werent part of the empire.

But let me explain this as a Frisian.

Frisia was exempt from Feudalism, they killed their last few counts and dukes, while Holland. Technically part of Frisia started to stylize themselves as Counts of Frisia, but this changed into Counts of Holland.

The rest of the frisian lands, the Fryske Freiheit (Frisian Freedom), gained this privilege, with a forged document saying Charlemagne had given it to them. Most emperors respected it or didnt feel the need to deal with it.

In the 14th and 15th century, there was an increasing conflict between many chieftains in the frisian freedom, resulting in a consolidation of power in East Frisia under multiple dynasties.

This infighting let to foreign powers starting to once again eye up Frisia. With both the count of Holland, duke of Saxony and Duke of Burgundy interested.

In the end The Duke of Saxony was given the land, but sold it around 1512 with the guelders wars in full effect.

This all had to do with the rising power of Charles the V and in the end he would be succesful and add all the lowlands into a seperate 17 provinces.

East Frisia went its own way, but the current ruler wasnt recognized as its count, this happened in about 1470, finally making the split real.

So, no Frisia was always part of the empire, the count of East Frisia was simply not recognized.

 

[Kaltezar]

Will there be a "straightforward" way to become an elector of the empire as a player ? Currently, I have the feeling it is very tied to randomness when you "kill" another elector even if you have good relation with Emperor. Thus it is hard to conserve good relation with Emperor while killing an elector (even if the emperor doesn't like said elector) since you will surely suffer AE, maybe illegitimate province, etc.

In the current state of the game, I have the feeling that it is even easier (or at least more straightforward) to become directly the Emperor instead of an Elector. Which is a shame when wanting to form some nations like Hanover, you need to be Elector.

Maybe it could be fun to create a new situational CB "Contest electorate" available only to HRE members with a peace option being "Resign electorate position".

Requirement to use such CB could be (those are just ideas):

* Target elector has less prestige and/or legitimacy than the contestant
* Contestant is a monarchy or bishop
* Contestant is not an elector himself, nor the Emperor
* Target elector and contestant are of legal religion of the empire
* Target elector is not voting for the current Emperor heir or current Emperor has no legal heir
* No one is currently voting for the contestant heir as next Emperor
* Target elector has been in place for at least 50 years

Winning such a war would not guarantee you to become new elector, but would at least give you a handy option to periodically free an elector slot for trying to become elector. Such a CB could have fun effect implemented like allowing the other electors to decide to join the war on either side, depending of their opinion of the striked elector.

This would make life inside the HRE more spicy for small/medium sized nation that have electoral ambitions and for them to gain power/influence the HRE without even conquering things.

 

[Lavilledieu]

Small QoL request: could you please make the HRE interface a bit bigger? I would like to embrace all my princes on a single glance, and not having to scroll their list Same goes for Free Cities. Thanks!

This pls

 

[Yormund]

You have shown, that there is now more options, fine, but uniting the empire still doesn't seem profitable. Why should I take the last reform of centralisation, if it still gets rid of all the modifiers? Just for a new mission tree and new ideas? Especially Austria has both.

 

[korawit13]

Please, anyone, explain Reform the Hofgericht [Emperor gets -10% Core Construction cost]? [one of two highest judicial institutions in the Holy Roman Empire, the other one being the Aulic Council in Vienna.] Should we get increase a diplomatic reputation better a solution? [Princes and Emperor can sue each other politely instead of killing each other.]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reichskammergericht

Or Paradox is going the path of being above the law because I am emperor? Still confuse.

 

[MrMarcinQ]

Nice DD, but i here to ask if there will be a DD that is about AI improvments?

 

[Swisstacular]

Spectacular Dev Diary!

Quick question - I know it happens rarely as of now, but will non-HRE states bordering the Empire have a rework of their consideration to join? I've seen Flanders join out of fear of the French and English, but it seems to be something that only small one or two province countries do. Will medium size nations like the Teutons and Livonian Order seem more interested in the next patch, seeing as how they're surrounded by neighbors that always have cause to gobble them up?

Also, will anything special be done with the Hanseatic League? The generic trade league doesn't really do it justice in my opinion, more so when you realize the entire foundation of the Kalmar Union rested on curbing Hanseatic influence. Furthermore, Riga in particular seems so unnoticed in most campaigns, even though it was the third wealthiest and influential port city in the entire Baltic in the time frame.

Lastly, would you be willing to give an estimate of how many DLC's / Immersion Packs we have to go until the Baltic and Scandinavian regions get an in-depth overhaul? Both regions could be combined into one DLC, ideally centered around the Baltic Sea. Estonia's border with present day Latvia is grotesque, the L shape that it creates irritates me so much!

 

[Kergan]

Is it still the case that, when passing a reform, you lose all of your IA rather than 50? If so, can that fix make it in please?

 

[FlÖffy]

Are we ever going to get a release date, or are you just gonna surprise us?

 

[korawit13]

@Swisstacular, I have the same questions as you.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_imperial_city
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Imperial_Diet_participants_(1792)
I hope the free imperial city of Nuremberg, Ulm, and Cologne can vote for imperial reform. By the ways, the free imperial cities cannot vote in any imperial reform at the beginning of the game, however, by the time of the Peace of Westphalia, they all can vote somehow.

By the time of the Peace of Westphalia, the cities constituted a formal third "college" and their full vote (votum decisivum) was confirmed, although they failed to secure parity of representation with the two other colleges. To avoid the possibility that they would have the casting vote in case of a tie between the Electors and the Princes, it was decided that these should decide first and consult the cities afterward.

Despite this somewhat unequal status of the cities in the functioning of the Imperial Diet, their full admittance to that federal institution was crucial in clarifying their hitherto uncertain status and in legitimizing their permanent existence as full-fledged Imperial Estates. Constitutionally, if in no other way, the diminutive Free Imperial City of Isny was the equal of the Margraviate of Brandenburg.

 

[Battlex]

Will there be a "straightforward" way to become an elector of the empire as a player ? Currently, I have the feeling it is very tied to randomness when you "kill" another elector even if you have good relation with Emperor. Thus it is hard to conserve good relation with Emperor while killing an elector (even if the emperor doesn't like said elector) since you will surely suffer AE, maybe illegitimate province, etc.

In the current state of the game, I have the feeling that it is even easier (or at least more straightforward) to become directly the Emperor instead of an Elector. Which is a shame when wanting to form some nations like Hanover, you need to be Elector.

Maybe it could be fun to create a new situational CB "Contest electorate" available only to HRE members with a peace option being "Resign electorate position".

Requirement to use such CB could be (those are just ideas):

* Target elector has less prestige and/or legitimacy than the contestant
* Contestant is a monarchy or bishop
* Contestant is not an elector himself, nor the Emperor
* Target elector and contestant are of legal religion of the empire
* Target elector is not voting for the current Emperor heir or current Emperor has no legal heir
* No one is currently voting for the contestant heir as next Emperor
* Target elector has been in place for at least 50 years

Winning such a war would not guarantee you to become new elector, but would at least give you a handy option to periodically free an elector slot for trying to become elector. Such a CB could have fun effect implemented like allowing the other electors to decide to join the war on either side, depending of their opinion of the striked elector.

This would make life inside the HRE more spicy for small/medium sized nation that have electoral ambitions and for them to gain power/influence the HRE without even conquering things.

Would be better to place it on Personal Unions or same dynasty as electorates were either inherited, or the inheritance contested and transfered. Bohemia transfers to Hungary via event this way in the next patch, as well as Palatinate to Bavaria

 

[Battlex]

@Swisstacular, I have the same questions as you.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_imperial_city
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Imperial_Diet_participants_(1792)
I hope the free imperial city of Nuremberg, Ulm, and Cologne can vote for imperial reform. By the ways, the free imperial cities cannot vote in any imperial reform at the beginning of the game, however, by the time of the Peace of Westphalia, they all can vote somehow.

By the time of the Peace of Westphalia, the cities constituted a formal third "college" and their full vote (votum decisivum) was confirmed, although they failed to secure parity of representation with the two other colleges. To avoid the possibility that they would have the casting vote in case of a tie between the Electors and the Princes, it was decided that these should decide first and consult the cities afterward.

Despite this somewhat unequal status of the cities in the functioning of the Imperial Diet, their full admittance to that federal institution was crucial in clarifying their hitherto uncertain status and in legitimizing their permanent existence as full-fledged Imperial Estates. Constitutionally, if in no other way, the diminutive Free Imperial City of Isny was the equal of the Margraviate of Brandenburg.

Cologne revolting to a Koln tag which becomes a free city would be appreciated, but I think its too late to be implemented, even if necessary to clean up later book marks

 

[korawit13]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imperial_Diet_(Holy_Roman_Empire)
In 1532, at Regensburg, HRE passed Constitutio Criminalis Carolina. From what I understand, Imperial Diets are functioned like the old English parliament which just meeting between the powerful rulers and the emperor to discuss and pass the decrees such as formalization of the standard law and discuss how to fix the problem [ban Martin Luther how?], and Exile of Henry the Lion [Lion's heart] [I know that happen in history], and Abolishment of the Duchy of Lower Lorraine.
I like fact-based suggestions. so it is a kind of a wall of texts.

 

[grommile]

Is it still the case that, when passing a reform, you lose all of your IA rather than 50? If so, can that fix make it in please?

That's not a bug.

 

[RichardOlcese]

Could we have the names of all 13 incidents? And perhaps even the approx. dates in which they're supposed to fire?

 

[RobbieAB]

@Groogy Does Proclaim Erbkaisertum still make HRE vassal princes not take a relationship slot for the Emperor? It looks like the Decentralisation path not only lacks the free vassal swarm, it also lacks any ability to create it. Does one of the decentralised path reforms have this ability unlocked?

 

[Miroku20X6]

Someone convince me this is not a simple and dramatic improvement:

1) Decentralized remains unchanged
2) Centralized remains unchanged, except that you skip right past Revoke and got to Renovatio

Like most people I assumed Decentralized would be vassal swarm and Centralized would be form HRE. Of course, this would have left vassal swarm as superior, and everyone would have gone for this, unless they wanted a one-tag WC.

The novel concept of Reichskrieg is a game changer, however. This enables Decentralized to have vassal-swarm type offensive fire power, but with a few key limitations. 1) they are NOT your vassals, and you will NOT get a WC. 2) they are not your vassals, and you will not get their trade or income benefits

Now imagine that Centralized does NOT have a vassal swarm, just Renovatio. Now we have a REAL decision. Do I want to inherit HRE and get new NI and missions and all sorts of bonuses on way to WC? Or do I decentralize to get the more powerful Reichskrieg, but they are not truly my vassals, and I'd need to work really hard (later revoking reforms and stuff) to try to WC.

This presents an actual balanced choice!!!

 

[RichardOlcese]

Someone convince me this is not a simple and dramatic improvement:

1) Decentralized remains unchanged
2) Centralized remains unchanged, except that you skip right past Revoke and got to Renovatio

Like most people I assumed Decentralized would be vassal swarm and Centralized would be form HRE. Of course, this would have left vassal swarm as superior, and everyone would have gone for this, unless they wanted a one-tag WC.

The novel concept of Reichskrieg is a game changer, however. This enables Decentralized to have vassal-swarm type offensive fire power, but with a few key limitations. 1) they are NOT your vassals, and you will NOT get a WC. 2) they are not your vassals, and you will not get their trade or income benefits

Now imagine that Centralized does NOT have a vassal swarm, just Renovatio. Now we have a REAL decision. Do I want to inherit HRE and get new NI and missions and all sorts of bonuses on way to WC? Or do I decentralize to get the more powerful Reichskrieg, but they are not truly my vassals, and I'd need to work really hard (later revoking reforms and stuff) to try to WC.

This presents an actual balanced choice!!!

True, but... even if choosing the centralized path, will there be any power capable of stopping a unified HRE? The vassal swarm is really not needed to be able to defeat anyone, I suppose.

 

[BrotherJonathan]

I like all of the things you're adding to the HRE. It seems like this will now be something people actually interact with and a tool its members can use, rather than just something that people either ignore, reform, or try to dismantle.

 

[Borkalax]

I sincerely hope these changes will be enough to make AI emperors a serious threat much like the Ottomans can be if left unchecked. Not too-minmaxy, but much more willing to reform and to add things like Serbia or the crusader states, willing to make poland release border states, to later add them, unvassalize states like moldavia, release bulgaria, french dukes....