• We have updated our Community Code of Conduct. Please read through the new rules for the forum that are an integral part of Paradox Interactive’s User Agreement.

EU4 - Development Diary - 6th of November 2018

It's Tuesday, and that means it's time for another EU4 dev diary. This week and next I’m going to be showing off some of the new mission trees, events, and national ideas coming in the 1.28 ‘Spain’ update and the accompanying Immersion Pack.

NB: Most mission icons are currently using placeholder art

Let’s start with the star of the show, Spain itself:

spanish missions.png


The Spanish mission tree is available to nations beside Aragon that form Spain, while Castile immediately has access to a reduced version of the tree prior to forming Spain.

For the most part these missions follow Spain’s historical expansion overseas; from the Pillars of Hercules to California and the Philippines, the Spanish Empire was one of the largest the world has ever seen. Driven by the quest for gold and silver, Conquistadors such as Cortez and Pizarro will join your service to lead the conquests of Mexico and Peru. You’ll also be encouraged to spread the word of God in the New World by establishing Holy Orders in your colonies.

Spain will also have opportunities to expand in Europe. If the Iberian Wedding or Burgundian Succession don’t work out for you, permanent claims on Naples and Wallonia will help you seize your rightful inheritance through conquest. With a foothold in the Netherlands, Spain can then pursue powerful Personal Unions with both England (depending on their religious choices) and Austria, with the ultimate goal of establishing a Universal Monarchy.

We’ve also split up the National Idea sets for Castile and Spain, as we did for England and Great Britain in Rule Britannia:

Spanish national ideas:
Code:
SPA_ideas = {
    start = {
        land_morale = 0.15
        global_colonial_growth = 25
    }
 
    bonus = {
        discipline = 0.05
    }
 
    trigger = {
        tag = SPA
    }
    free = yes        #will be added at load.

    devout_catholisism = {
        papal_influence = 2
    }
    inter_caetera = {
        idea_claim_colonies = yes
        colonists = 1
    }
    gold_fleet = {
        global_tariffs = 0.15
        global_prov_trade_power_modifier = 0.1
    }
    spanish_armada = {
        heavy_ship_cost = -0.1
        leader_naval_manuever = 1
    }
    spa_casa_de_contracion = {
        envoy_travel_time = -0.33
    }
    spa_cortes = {
        free_adm_policy = 1
    }
    siglo_de_oro = {
        prestige = 1
    }
}

 spa_casa_de_contracion:0 "Casa de Contratación"
 spa_casa_de_contracion_desc:0 "We must extend the reach of the House of Trade of the Indies. Our colonial agents must have a presence in every part of the world to ensure the smooth functioning of our empire."
 spa_cortes:0 "Rein in the Cortes"
 spa_cortes_desc:0 "Each constitutent Kingdom in the Spanish realm has its own corte, an assembly of the most powerful elements of society in the region. There is often tension between the Crown and the Cortes over such issues as taxation and regional autonomy. We must rein in these institutions so that they primarily serve the Crown rather than their own interests."

Castilian National ideas:
Code:
CAS_ideas = {
    start = {
        land_morale = 0.15
        missionaries = 1
    }
    bonus = {
        artillery_fire = 1
    }
    trigger = {
        tag = CAS
    }
    free = yes        #will be added at load.
    the_reconquista = {
        army_tradition_decay = -0.01
    }
    spanish_inquisition = {
        global_missionary_strength = 0.02
    }
    cabildos = {
        production_efficiency = 0.1
    }
    inter_caetera = {
        idea_claim_colonies = yes
        colonists = 1
    }
    infantas = {
        diplomatic_reputation = 1
        heir_chance = 0.33
    }
    salamanca_scholars = {
        global_institution_spread = 0.1
    }
    nueva_planta = {
        yearly_absolutism = 0.1
    }
}

 cabildos:0 "Cabildos"
 cabildos_desc:0 "Representing the interests of the cities, the 'Caboldio' councils have a wide variety of functions and duties. They are responsible for both advocating the interests of the city to the Crown and for many aspects of local governance. We must continue to establish Cabildos in newly-founded or newly-conquered cities, particularly in the New World where the need for Castilian institutions is felt most severely."
 infantas:0 "Infantas"
 infantas_desc:0 "The Princes and Princesses of the Crown are among our most valuable assets. They can be sent as royal envoys, married off to secure alliances, or appointed as regents when the need arises. It is important that we ensure that our monarch's loins continue to bear fruit."
 salamanca_scholars:0 "School of Salamanca"
 salamanca_scholars_desc:0 "Based in the University of Salamanca, the School's interests lie in fields as diverse as theology, economics, and political philosophy. As one of the leading schools of thought in the Catholic world, its entrenched presence in Castile ensures that our nation is always at the forefront of intellectual affairs."
 nueva_planta:0 "Nueva Planta"
 nueva_planta_desc:0 "It is time to assert true royal authority in the realm; under a single set of laws and a common language, a renewed and centralized Castile will directly appoint officials and enshrine the absolute rule of the monarch."


aragon missions.png


Aragon has an entirely different focus, with a distinct Mare Nostrum theme. An Aragonese player will be encouraged to dominate the Mediterranean both militarily and economically. This mission tree will take Aragon into southern France, Italy, the Maghreb, Egypt, Anatolia, and Greece.

Aragon also has access to several purely economic missions. By establishing trade dominance in the Genoa node and developing the city, Valencia will gain access to the rare Silk trade good as well as a sizable bonus to production of this luxury resource. Completing Aragon’s economic missions will reward the player with the versatile ‘Golden Century’ modifier, giving a 1% reduction to all monarch power costs for 100 years.

portugal missions.png


Portugal’s mission tree is larger than any other in the game besides Great Britain with Rule Britannia. Like the Spanish mission tree, it is largely concerned with the recreation of Portugal’s historical overseas empire, particularly in Brazil and Asia. Missions have been added for the conquests of Malacca, Oman, Ceylon, and other ports in the East. When Portugal has discovered the Far East they will have the opportunity to negotiate for the purchase of two historically important ports: Macau and Nagasaki. In Brazil the Portuguese player can lead the Bandeirantes in the search for gold in Minas Gerais and acquire an increased chance to discover Gold as a trade good in all of their new colonies.

brz.jpg


The times were not always kind to Portugal. In 1807, in the midst of the Napoleonic Wars, the situation became so dire that the Portuguese court abandoned Lisbon, fled to Brazil, and made Rio the new seat of government. This will be represented in the game as a decision available to Portugal should they find themselves in dire straits. Your tag will change to Brazil, and Portugal will be released as a junior partner controlling your remaining European provinces. Note that by doing this you will lose access to Portuguese missions.

Not shown but will be in the final version: taking the decision will also change your primary culture to Brazilian.

Navarra missions.jpg


Finally we have Navarra. Navarra’s mission tree will be entirely free for anyone playing on the 1.28 ‘Spain’ patch. As you might expect, this mission tree takes the player down a very different path than history intended. Navarra must reclaim its unjustly stolen coastline, and from there pursue an invasion of France that can culminate in a Personal Union. With access to the sea, the New World beckons. In homage to the time-honoured strategy of migrating to the Americas to escape the cutthroat politics of Europe, Navarra will have the opportunity to move their capital to Terranova if they so choose.

Some of you may have noticed that Navarra’s starting monarch is also Aragon’s designated heir in 1444. A new event chain will bring Navarra under a Personal Union with Aragon if Navarra remains independent upon the death of King Afonso. If Navarra is being controlled by a player, they can of course choose to accept this union. But a truly ambitious player can instead reject the union and instantly gain a Restoration CB on Aragon.

nav_event.jpg


That’s all for today! Next week I’ll be back with more mission trees and national ideas with a focus on North Africa.
 
Last edited:
My impressions on this DLC:
Please, for those who adore the historical Paradox games, implement two select buttons, to choose, when the game starts, if you want to play either on a Fantasy mode "Rule Britannia style" or a Historical one. Thanks.

I will like to see options for setting the game like in ck2, something like this:

Colonization: Historical (IA will try to do historical colonization) /Random

Exploration: Historical / Fantastic (Seven cities events,etc...)

Events: Historical (more chain historical events,more rail road game) / random (more random events )

Flagships: Historical (Vasa 64 cannons) / Fantastic (Vasa 100 cannons) :p
 
  • 1
Reactions:
The problem with the burgundian inheritance is not that just austria get it, i had seen quite a few plays in sp and mp where spain gets to inherit Burgundy, its that its and almost useless territory to Spain because by land is blocked by France and by sea by the overpower fleet of great britain and with the plus of the events of the dutch revolt, which are good dont get me wrong.
This land is one of the reasons why Spain fell, so its historical for all purposes for Spain to have it, it opens up great weaknesses for Spain, we have a motto and its:

España mi natura, Italia mi ventura, Flandes mi sepultura

It's the "in a nutshell" version of the military history of Spain.
 
  • 1
Reactions:
This land is one of the reasons why Spain fell, so its historical for all purposes for Spain to have it, it opens up great weaknesses for Spain, we have a motto and its:

España mi natura, Italia mi ventura, Flandes mi sepultura

It's the "in a nutshell" version of the military history of Spain.

Yea you right,lot off gold and manpower wasted trying to keep the netherlands,the richest territory of the empire also
 
Last edited:
  • 1
Reactions:
I will not reveal or commit to any changes at this point. All I can say is that we have heard your feedback and we'll take that into consideration for future adjustments. That said, this doesn't mean we will do exactly as suggested in this thread but we do see room for some improvement.
I hear you and I would like to believe you. I have not even voiced anything on this DD. I have to give you a "respectfully disagree" though as long as e.g. insane streltsy from 3rd Rome and wierd naval doctrines from RB are not being touched and given some actually polished design instead of being left in the non-sensical state they were shipped at release.
 
  • 1
Reactions:
Yea you right,lot off gold and manpower wasted trying to keep the netherlands,the richest territory of the empire also

All the quotes here came from Paul Kennedy's "The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers" (1989)

About Spanish economy and the "richiest territory of the empire":

"There were five chief sources of Habsburg finance, and several smaller ones. By far the most important was the spanish inheritance of Castille, since it was direclty ruled and regular taxes of various sorts (the sales tax, the "crusade" tax on religious property) had been conceded to the Crown by the Cortes and the Church. In addition, there were the two trading areas of Europe - the Italian states and the Low Countries - which could provide comparatively large funds from their mercantile wealth and mobile capital. The fouth source, increasingly important as time went on, was the revenue from the American empire. [...] The fact that Habsburg territories contained the leading financial and mercantile houses - those of southern Germany, of certain of the Italian cities, and of Antwerp - must be counted as an additional advantage, and as the fifith major source of income. (p. 43).

"By elimination, then, the Netherlands was the only area in which Habsburg losses might be cut; and after all, the costs of the Army of Flanders in the Eighty Years War against the Dutch where, thanks to the difficulties of the terrain and the advances in fortification, quite stupendous and greatly exceeded those on any other front. Even at the height of the 30 years war, five or six time as much money was allocated to the Flanders garrison as to forces in Germany" (p.50)

"Until the flow of American silver brought massive additional revenues to the Spanish Crown (roughly from 1560s to the late 1630s), the Habsburg war effort principally rested upon the backs of Castillan peasants and merchants; and even at its height, the royal income from sources in the New World was only about one-quarter to one-third of that derived from Castile and its six million inhabitants" (p. 53)

To enter myself in the discussion about spanish military:
"The Spanish Empire's army probably provides the best exemple of the "military revoluction" in action. As its historian notes, "there is no evidence tha any one state fielded more than 30.000 effectives" in the Franco-Spanish struggle for Italy before 1529; but in 1536-7 the Emperor Charles V mobilized 60.000 men in Lombardy alone for the defense of his recent conquest, Milan, and for the invasion of French Provence. In 1552, assailed on all fronts at once - in Italy, Germany, The Netherlands and Spain, in the Atlantic and the Mediterranean - Charles V raised 109.000 men in Germany and the Netherlands, 24.000 more in Lombardy and yet more in Sicily, Naples and Spain. The Emperor must have had at his command, and therefore at his cost, about 150.000 men" (p.45).

Basically, Paul Kennedy argues that Spain declined because of so many wars and enemies, because in real world, unlike EU4, snowball doesnt exist.
 
  • 1
Reactions:
Spain at the start of the game is a pretty rich territory, far richer than every other territory in Europe besides Italy, the Netherlands and maybe some parts of France. In the game Spain is represented as one of the poorest regions of all of Europe. I know that in the 19th century this could be considered as true as Spain fell behind, but that's not a reason to make Iberia at the start look like a desert. Another thing that I miss is the representation of the Mesta, one of the most important powers in 15th century Castile. Anyone who's read a bit about that age in Castile knows that the Mesta (the wool producer guild) was more powerful and had more influence than the majority of nobles. One good way to represent this could be with a chain of events.
For example at the start of the game provinces that produce wool in northern Castile could have a bonus to goods produced modifier. As the game progresses there could be events in which the Mesta demands more and more influence. This could be represented with an estate. If you agree to their demands Northern Castile will focus on producing wool and will keep its bonuses, however when Comuneros revolt arrives the cities that don't produce wool like Madrid, Toledo, Cuenca, etc would support comuneros (which should be a disaster, not a crazy bad one, but a disaster or at least a chain of events that represents a civil war in which you can decide who to support, Comuneros actually tried to push for a kind of noble Republic in Spain). Anyway, you could also choose to try to pursue the development of cloth industry instead of wool, and that could require you, via event decision or mission, to develop, have factories and maybe prosperity in all the wool producing provinces. This could also lead to the Mesta getting extremely pissed at you and making peasants rise against you and finally leading to the support of the rural areas to the revolt of the comuneros, remember the Mesta had a lot of money, so they could raise really big armies. At the end you could end up losing the wool modifier but promoting the industry in Castile, or promoting wool trade.This is an example about a really cool event chain that could, combined to the mission tree, bring a lot of flavour to Castile.Same things could be done making a Spanish succession war. It could be really really cool if by the 1700's a Spanish succession crisis could start and then countries got 5 years to get into different sides of the war (like the religious one). And then a massive war erupted in which Spain got the ruler of the county who won the war and during the war there were massive revolts in Spain simulating the civil war that took place. This actually could be made with all succession wars and would actually make them really cool, because right now they are just go, slaughter someone, get an up

I really like your Mesta event chain / disaster idea, mechanics like these are what I am waiting for since forever, something with benefits and drawbacks, something you can focus on during peace time, that gives you the feeling like you're managing internal country affairs etc.
There is only one problem, wool as a trade good in EU4 is pretty lackluster and if paradox would ever consider implementing something like this, it will probably just be some lousy +0.10 Goods Produced and +5.00 local Trade Power event, which ends up being a no brainer where you chose the same decision 9/10 times anyway :(
I am so tired of 1 button click bonuses, upgrading CoT and TC buildings being both, instantenously build, has to be the most unimmersive stuff for me by far, even worse than recruiting 40k merc armies in Siberia, as Mali. Seriously, how can you upgrade a port in literally 1 day?
 
  • 1
Reactions:
Noooo :confused: That won't help at all, lol, it needs combat bonuses, not fort bonuses.

If this is about Elvas, a provincial modifier triggered by an event in 'Évora' is enough. : )
Well. Some quality ideas would be required too. But one of the main complaints I see for Portugal is the inability to afford forts, isn't?
It isn't just for Elvas, it would also help establishing forts over the world
 
  • 1
Reactions:
No it wasn't. The fighting prolonged to the point it spread to the Azorean Islands and even called on English aid. And resistence and support for alternative claims continued for years.

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

The cause for Prior do Crato continued till at least 1583.

Wrong. The ember of the support to D. Antonio lasted till 1589. An english army (10.000).disembarked to join armed portuguese supporters of D. Antonio that year and with his defeat ended eventually his claim.

Note: Wiki is, sometimes, not a very reliable source. (Not to mention battles with different casualties and losses depending of which country/language you read)
 
  • 1
Reactions:
I don't understand why are we discussing this. PU casus belli makes much more sense than permanent claims in Portugal.

Spain always wanted the throne of Portugal, not annexing the half of Portugal to Castile or anything like that. The Iberian Union was a Personal Union, not an annexation.

I think the mission should give a PU casus belli and then an event could happen 50 years later just before Spain can integrate the PU. This event could be an independence war (with English help), a disaster, rebel stacks... something powerful.
 
  • 1
Reactions:
No it wasn't. The fighting prolonged to the point it spread to the Azorean Islands and even called on English aid. And resistence and support for alternative claims continued for years.

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

The cause for Prior do Crato continued till at least 1583.

Phillip was crowded already in 1581, again with full support from nobles, Cortes and clergy.
At that point Antonio was just an exiled rebel, whose legend said "He will return one day", and that legend lasted for centuries.
Is not the war that lasted beyond 1580 but rather the rebel support,
 
Last edited:
  • 1
Reactions:
Actually Portugal's PU with Spain is the reason why Portugal could violate the Tordesillas treaty. That's why Brazil is huge and reaches west South America.

They were part of the same Empire so...
 
Last edited:
  • 1
Reactions:
In the spanish mission tree i will like to see:

-Union de Armas (this one after complete the mission of unification of Iberian Peninsula) make this mission give you revolts and penalty in stability,if you manage the situation you get a bonus getting more manpower and taxes reducing autonomy or raising absolutism or how devs thinks its better

-Decreto de nueva planta (dont need portugal for this mission,you can do after integrate aragon) the same than last mission,bonus for centralizte your country,and lot of revolts and penalty in stability

-Participate in the 30 years WAR in the cahtolic side,for this mission the requisites can be,be SIR emperor or have same dinasty than SIR emperor,also SIR must be catholic,if not then you can join catholic faction and fight against the protestant emperor SIR

-Protect mediterranean from berberisc pirates: Objectives will be capturing Oran and other pirate bases like it happened in real history

-Fight the ottomans in the mediterranean: Try to destroy naval otoman power,create the liga santa for simulate the lepanto battle will be welcomed,also otoman empire can have missions in their tree for steal trade,capture slaves and fight against christians in the mediterranean

- 80 years war: Subjugate the nehterlands rebels,they can be financed by france and england also in english and france tree they can have missions like help netehrlands get their independence
 
Last edited:
  • 1
Reactions: